God chose you before He created the very foundations of the earth. However, sometimes just because we know this truth in our mind doesn’t mean it connect well with your heart. So, what should you do when struggling with your identity in Christ?
In a community post to YouTube, Richard Lorenzo Jr. shared some biblical, psychological and scientific truths about the mind to help Christians understand better what it means to have our identities rooted in Christ.
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I caught a deep revelation about identity, and the Lord impressed on me that this isn’t just encouragement—it’s a key to transformation. Some of y’all have been wondering, “Why do I still struggle to believe who God says I am?” or “Why do I feel so on fire one week, and then so unsure the next?” Let’s go deep—because God wants to set you free from false identity and raise you up in truth.
- You’re Born with Purpose—but Not Awareness
Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.”
That means your identity was already established in heaven—but when you entered the world, you entered unaware.
You were born into:
• Noise
• Culture
• Pain
• Voices that don’t speak truthAnd unless someone teaches you how to hear God’s voice, you’ll start listening to the world to tell you who you are.
This very first truth from Lorenzo speaks volumes. We still live in a broken and fallen world and because of that we must understand we will be bombarded on all sides from the beginning of our life about false viewpoints on purpose and identity.
To order Richard Lorenzo Jr.’s new book, What’s the Purpose of Life? visit Amazon.com.
2. Identity Begins With Exposure, Not Essence
From a psychological and neurological standpoint:
• Your prefrontal cortex (the part of your brain responsible for self-awareness, reasoning, and identity) isn’t fully developed until age 25.
• That means for the first two decades of your life, your identity is shaped mostly by what happens to you, not by who you truly are.So what defines you?
• What your parents did or didn’t do
• What your friends or bullies said
• What your culture praised or rejected
• What your trauma whispered to your soulAnd now that you’ve come to Christ, you’re saved—but not yet rewired.
That’s why Paul says in Romans 12:2, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Your spirit is reborn instantly, but your soul goes through sanctification—day by day, word by word, fire by fire.
Each and every day we should pray to take off the old and put on the new, and for the Lord to suit us up in his full armor so we can stand against the wicked schemes of this world. It takes true relationship, time and the Holy Spirit’s assistance and guidance to be transformed.
3. We’re Wired to Form Identity Through Mirrors
From childhood, we look for mirrors to tell us who we are:
• If the mirror was abuse, we reflect shame.
• If the mirror was abandonment, we reflect unworthiness.
• If the mirror was performance, we reflect pressure.That’s why people end up building identities based on survival, not design.
They become what they needed to be to get by. But that was never who they were called to be.
4. Scientific Truth: Your Brain Was Wired By Experience
This isn’t just emotional—it’s physiological.
• Your limbic system stores emotional memories and trauma.
• Your brain builds neural pathways based on repeated thoughts and emotions.
• The more you experience fear, rejection, or shame—the more those paths get cemented.So when someone comes to Christ later in life—in their 30s, 40s or 50s—they’re not less saved, but they may have decades of identity lies carved into their nervous system.
It takes longer to unlearn what’s been deeply embedded.
But by the Spirit, by the Word, and through consistent surrender, God can and will rewire you.
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While our experiences shape what we think of ourselves, God does want to completely restore and renew our minds, that we may be made new like Christ. No matter how quick or how long the process is, God is the God of love, peace and a sound mind. He is the One we can completely put our trust in no matter what.
Transformation is a process, not a performance. The enemy may have spent years trying to write lies into your identity, but the Author of your life holds the final word. Every time you choose God’s voice over the noise, every moment you stand on His Word instead of your wounds, you’re being rewired for truth. So keep pressing in. Keep renewing your mind. Because your identity isn’t something you achieve—it’s rooted in being a son or a daughter of the most High King.
Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.
