🙏 Who Are You Without The Labels?

Good Morning. If every title, achievement, and reputation was stripped away, would you still know who you are?

📖 Verse Of The Day

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

— Galatians 2:20

🧠 Devotion

From the very beginning, people have struggled to know who they are. In Genesis, Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. Their identity was secure in Him. But when sin entered the world, that foundation was shaken. Instead of resting in who God said they were, people began looking for worth in other places. They reached for identity in what they could achieve, in what they could own, or in how others viewed them.

That struggle has never gone away. Think about Gideon. He called himself the weakest in his family, yet God greeted him as a mighty warrior in Judges 6. Or David. When Samuel came to anoint a king, David’s own father did not even bother to call him in from the fields. To the world, he was just a shepherd boy. But God saw something more, saying, “Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Then there is Peter. He denied Jesus three times and wept bitterly, carrying the label of failure. Yet Jesus sought him out, restored him, and gave him the mission to feed His sheep (John 21:17).

And then there is Paul. Before his conversion, he was Saul, feared as a persecutor of the church. That was his label. But when he met Jesus, everything changed. In Galatians 2:20 he could declare, “I have been crucified with Christ.” The old Saul, with all his sin and shame, had died. Now Paul could say, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” His life was no longer built on his past, his reputation, or his accomplishments. It was built on Jesus, who loved him and gave Himself for him.

This is the same truth for us today. Maybe you feel defined by a mistake, a broken relationship, or a title you have lost. Maybe you have been chasing success or approval, hoping a label will make you feel secure. But in Christ, the old self is gone. Your identity is not found in what you do, what you have, or what others say. Scripture says you are a child of God (John 1:12), chosen and set apart (1 Peter 2:9), forgiven (Ephesians 1:7), and made new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

When you live out of this truth, everything changes. You do not have to chase approval. You do not have to wear the weight of shame. You do not have to fight for worth in the world’s eyes. Christ lives in you, and that is enough.

🙏 Prayer (Guided by ACTS)

When you’re not sure how to pray, A.C.T.S. gives you a simple path to follow: Adore, Confess, Thank, and Ask.

Adoration: Lord Jesus, You are my savior and my life. You alone give me my true identity.
Confession: I confess that I have often looked for my worth in the wrong places and believed labels that do not come from You.
Thanksgiving: Thank you for loving me, dying for me, and giving me new life. Thank you that my past does not define me, but Your cross does.
Supplication: Help me live each day by faith, remembering that Christ lives in me. Teach me to let go of false labels and walk in the freedom of who I am in You.