The power of a name

I feel pretty confident in saying that the majority of us, as humans, are carrying some negative words and names in our hearts! It may be from negative comments or from someone behaving in a way that communicates negative feelings about us. These moments can embed themselves and become names or ‘truths’ that we speak over ourselves, or that we assume others say of us. Often we take on these names from people who shouldn’t have had that power over our lives.

For example, a school friend may have encouraged you to wear make-up so you could be pretty like other girls and from that moment on, in the back of your mind, you’ve taken on a name: ‘I’m ugly.’ Or maybe you compared yourself to a sibling who was stronger, more outgoing or cleverer than you and, over time, you’ve logged anything that backs up the suspicion and it’s left you with a name: ‘I’m weak’ or ‘I’m too quiet’ or ‘I’m stupid.’ Perhaps you have taken on a name from your sin. It could be your lust, anger or selfishness – whatever it is, maybe you’ve allowed that sin to name you and in the back of your mind you say, ‘I’m not good enough’ or ‘I’m too broken.’

I wonder what names you carry in your heart? Those names that, when you are having a bad day, you say over yourself – those names that bring you down.

A lie that I carry in the back of my head is: ‘I’m unlovable.’ It is a deep-seated lie, which the devil draws to the surface time and time again. I have many wonderful friends and family, whom I love dearly and I know they love me dearly. My head knows that it is true, but my heart often forgets. And I can easily spiral into that lonely place, where I speak over myself: ‘Mairi, no one loves you.’

It is in these low moments that learning to speak the truth of scripture over myself has transformed my life.

Discovering God's names for you

Recently when I noticed my mind was starting to spiral, I managed to open the Bible App on my phone. I read a few verses and, by what I can only describe as the power of the Holy Spirit, I felt comforted and my spirits were lifted. I was able to shake off some of the lies because what I was reading reminded me that the names I had been speaking over myself were not of God. The Holy Spirit reminded me in that moment that I am a dearly loved child of God … and whether I feel like that or not just now, it is a truth that I can hold onto. This truth remains the same no matter what my circumstances; it’s a truth that I did nothing to deserve. I was able in that moment to receive that identity, receive that name that God speaks over me, that says, ‘Mairi, you are loved.’

No matter what lie you believe of yourself, God wants you to receive the identity that he gives you – his own names for you.

As we look through scripture, we see there are so many to pick from, but here are just a handful of names that God calls you:

FORGIVEN: ‘But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.’ (1 John 1:9, NLT)

HEALED: ‘He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.’ (1 Peter 2:24, NLT)

BLAMELESS: ‘Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.’ (Colossians 1:22, NLT)

LOVED: ‘But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.’ (Romans 5:8, NLT)

I don’t know what you think when you read these verses… Maybe you think they are not for you, that this is not how God sees you. In some ways, they are mind-blowing statements for any of us to take in.

But the good news is this: these things are true of us and they are not based on anything that we do or what we have earned. This identity is freely given to us through Jesus; we only need to accept it.

Speaking truth over lies

I have been a follower of Jesus for a long time and still I find that it’s a daily battle to speak God’s truths over the devil’s lies. Yet, God has graciously been showing me that the more I do this – the more that I practice the discipline of speaking God’s names for me over my life – the more that he brings freedom over these lies.

Practically, scripture memory is a helpful practice for me. The more I know the truths and promises of God, the more readily I can bring those truths to mind. Also, being in community with other believers. It is such an encouragement to have friends who can speak these truths of scripture over my life.

God wants to name you. He wants you to lay down the negative names you carry in your heart and replace them with names he has for you, which offer life and freedom – names that are yours to claim because of Jesus. Are you ready to take this step with me? 

If you would like to practise scripture memory, check out the Topical Memory System (TMS). Next month we have a module on ‘Living into a bigger story: Living the promises of God in your everyday life’, which is available to all NavNetwork members – please see here for more information on this or on becoming a member.