When I was first learning to fly, I went with my instructor to a small, local diner for breakfast before a lesson. It was one of those charming hole-in-the-wall places with bottomless coffee and waitresses who know their customers by name.
As we sat there going over flight plans and airspace charts, the waitress overheard us and asked, “Are you guys pilots?”
Before I could respond, a dozen disclaimers crowded my brain.
“No, he is—but I’m not.”
“I’m just learning.”
“I’m a student.”
“I haven’t even soloed yet.”
But before I could stammer anything out, my instructor answered with a simple, confident smile.
“Yeah,” he said, “we’re pilots.”
We.
Just like that, he included me. Not based on what I had accomplished, not based on whether I had my wings yet—but based on the truth that I had already started the journey.
It hit me hard.
I was a pilot.
Not a full-fledged, certificated aviator yet—but still a pilot. My official FAA designation was “Student Pilot.” That identity was already stamped on my certificate. I had begun the path. I was no longer who I used to be.
The Power of a Spoken Identity
That moment stayed with me. Later, I thought of something similar from the military world.
When soldiers go to Ranger School—a notoriously grueling leadership course—every instructor calls them “Ranger.”
Even though they haven’t yet earned the elite Ranger tab, the title is used from the very first day:
“Ranger, get down and give me twenty!”
“Ranger, are you tracking?”
“Ranger, move out!”
It’s not a formality. It’s a statement of identity. They are being addressed not by what they’ve done, but by who they are becoming. Unless they quit or fail, the instructors treat them as what they are on the road to becoming: a Ranger.
That’s the power of a new identity. You don’t wait until the certificate is framed or the tab is stitched on. The identity is yours from the moment you begin.
God Speaks a New Identity Over Us
Scripture says the same is true for us as believers.
The moment we place our trust in Jesus Christ, God declares a new identity over us. Not based on our behavior. Not because we’ve “earned” it. But because Jesus already did the work.
- “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” —2 Corinthians 5:17
- “To all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” —John 1:12
- “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” —Ephesians 5:8
Did you catch that? You are a new creation. You are a child of God. You are light.
God is not waiting until you prove yourself to declare who you are. He says it now.
You’re not earning your identity—you’re learning to live from it.
The Tension of Being and Becoming
Like being a student pilot or a Ranger School candidate, there’s a tension between what you are and what you’re becoming.
As believers, we are:
- Saved (Ephesians 2:8–9)
- Forgiven (Colossians 2:13)
- Righteous in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)
- Adopted into God’s family (Romans 8:15)
But we are also:
- Being sanctified (Hebrews 10:14)
- Being transformed (Romans 12:2)
- Being conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29)
You’re not earning your place—you’re growing into the fullness of what’s already been given to you.
Living from Identity, Not for Identity
Here’s where the rubber meets the runway (so to speak). Too many Christians live for identity instead of from it.
We think:
- If I just read my Bible more, then God will accept me.
- If I stop struggling with sin, then I’ll be worthy.
- If I serve harder, do more, and be better, then I’ll finally be a “real” Christian.
But the gospel flips that upside down.
You don’t obey to be loved. You obey because you already are.
You don’t strive to be accepted. You act out of the acceptance you’ve already received.
You don’t serve to earn a place. You serve from a place of belonging.
This is the freedom of the new identity in Christ.
Practical Ways to Walk in Your New Identity
So how do we begin living from this identity? Here are five practical ways:
1. Believe What God Says About You
Start with Scripture. If God says you’re a new creation, believe Him—even when you don’t feel like it.
Write down identity statements from the Bible. Declare them over yourself regularly.
2. Catch and Replace False Labels
What names are you still answering to?
- “Failure”
- “Addict”
- “Unworthy”
- “Not enough”
Replace them with what God says:
- “Beloved”
- “Redeemed”
- “Free”
- “More than a conqueror”
3. Surround Yourself with People Who See the Real You
Just like my instructor called me a pilot before I felt like one, we need others who speak our identity in Christ.
Be in community with believers who call out your destiny, not your history.
4. Act Like It’s True
Sometimes we wait to feel righteous before acting righteously. But the opposite is often true:
When you believe you’re free, you’ll start to walk in freedom.
When you believe you’re holy, you’ll start to desire holiness.
Faith leads. Feelings follow.
5. Stay on the Journey
You’re still a child of God—even when you fall, fail, or feel like giving up.
Get back up. Keep going. Your identity is sealed in Christ.
Conclusion: It Begins Now
I didn’t feel like a pilot the day the waitress asked. But that didn’t change the truth—I was one.
You may not feel holy, forgiven, chosen, or strong today. But that doesn’t make it any less real.
If you are in Christ, you are new.
If you belong to Him, your identity is not “someday.”
It begins now.
You’re not trying to earn the tab—He already gave it to you.
You’re not hoping to fly—He already handed you the wings.
So stand up, child of God. Walk in what’s already yours.
Your new identity has already been spoken. Now learn to live like it’s true.
New identity begins now.
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