"Royalty is my identity. Servanthood is my assignment. Intimacy with God is my life source" ‒ Bill Johnson.

IDENTITY is so often the key to unlock so many of life’s questions. If we truly know whose we are, we have purpose. I have decided to use a simple acronym to help unpack this more.

I – IMPROVING SELF-AWARENESS

Take a big picture approach towards your emotions by:

• Notice your emotions, thoughts and behaviours right as they unfold. We are not being attentive enough to the things we do or say. We should be quick to listen, slow to speak. When you are angry, you can so easily sin – if you are slow to speak you are rationalising with your emotions before they take over. Listen or process before you speak.
• The purpose is to slow yourself down and take all that is happening before you, allowing your brain to process all available information before you act. Seek to understand as so often hurt people or people in pain, react or respond by hurting others and cause pain to others. It is often not personal, so use discernment.

D – DECIDE by slowing down and think through things.

Sometimes it is as simple as slowing down and thinking through why you do the things you do.

E – EVALUATE your core values or beliefs

Stay on top of your personal core values as they keep you rooted. This may look as follows:

• Trying to maintain the balance of projects, meetings, bills, errands, emails, phone calls, text messages, chores, meals, time with family, time with friends etc, takes a great amount of focus.
• The bad thing is that this focus is almost always outward focus, and not inward focus.

N – NOTE and maintain an inner focus

So how do we maintain an inner focus? Ask yourself what you need to do to change in order to stay true to your values when future situations will arise. You will make mistakes, but as your grow in your emotional maturity, you will learn to forgive yourself quickly and make the adjustments. Be quick to forgive yourself, get up and start walking again.

T – TRUST in God and don’t lean on your own understanding / filter / experience / background / culture / current narratives to define you etc

Everything we see travels through our own personal lenses that have been tainted with our own experience, beliefs and emotions. What is the filter through which you see life or experience life? Get perspective from those who are mentors, leaders and trusted accountability coaches.

I – INTERPRETATION – this helps us ask for perspective and objectivity.

Clarity can come so quickly when you submit it to someone else who you trust, and allow them to see it through a different lens. Ask them – “Help me process this? Am I seeing this right?” We all have blind spots, we only have a 180 degree perspective of our lives, we need help being able to see the whole 360 degree perspective. We all need someone who can help us see those blind spots, someone that can help us grow up, adjust and be corrected. They will tell you the things you don’t want to hear. A wise man embraces correction.

T – TRUTH – we need this plumb-line and ‘compass’ as we open up to accountability.

The only way to get clarity on outside perspectives is to open yourself up to accountability. Someone speaking truth to you and into you, in love. It takes humility on your part to also take that in. God exalts the humble.

• Proverbs 27: 6 - “You can trust a friend who wounds you with his honesty.”
• Proverbs 27: 9 – “Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy, for good friends are like the anointing oil that yields the fragrance of God’s presence.”
• Proverbs 27: 17 – “it takes a grinding wheel to sharpen a blade, and so one person sharpens the character of the other.”

Y – YOURSELF – know yourself under stress and make adjustments

The mountain of stressors is growing constantly in our lives, and technology is not helping with that! We need to handle these very carefully. We all usually recognise when stress begins to show signs in our lives, but the problem is we don’t heed the warning signs. But recognizing it is not enough, we must be willing to do something about it. Get perspective and look at what is about you. The mind and body send signals of increased stress so that we can do something about it. Our self-awareness in times of stress should be our third ear to listen to our minds and bodies cries for help! Let’s not live emotionally immature lives because we choose to live stressed out lives. What does the Sabbath look like for you? Do what God says ... practice the rest. Refresh your soul.

In summary, improving IDENTITY:

1. Improve self-awareness by managing emotions.
2. Decide wisely.
3. Evaluate core beliefs and values.
4. Note and maintain an inner focus.
5. Trust in God and not narratives or philosophies to define you.
6. Interpretation – perspective and objectivity through accountability.
7. Truth – what does God say?
8. Yourself – know and make adjustments

‍