The Power of Knowing Who You Are | Pastor Gregory Dickow

the following program is brought to you by the faithful friends and partners of Gregory D Cal ministries welcome to the power to change today and you're going to love today's program because in this teaching that you're gonna hear today you're gonna discover the power of who you really are you know when Satan comes the Bible says he comes as a thief and he comes to steal kill and destroy but he's not trying to steal your money he's not trying to steal your health he's not trying to steal your marriage or your relationships or your children or your grandchildren what he's trying to steal is your knowledge of who you are when you know who you are you can't be stopped when you know who you are the devil cannot can now he cannot touch you he has no power over the person who knows who they are that's why the first thing he came to do when he came to Jesus to tempt him was he tried to question his identity if you're if you are the son of God turn these stones into bread he tried to challenge Jesus not he didn't try to steal his bread he didn't try to steal the stones he didn't try to steal anything except he tried to challenge Jesus knowledge of who he was and that's what he's trying to do in your life because if you don't know who you are you'll never experience all that God has for you and when you don't know who you are even right you know who you are everything's gonna be alright but the problem with Christianity is that most of Christianity is all about the religion of doing what's right do this do that do this do that and most of us probably grew up in a you know if we grew up in church it was probably told to us continually you got to do this and you got to do this and you got to stop doing this and you got to stop doing this and our whole Christian identity was wrapped up in what we do but God doesn't want us to wrap ourselves or he doesn't want us to have our identity wrapped up in what we do he wants our identity wrapped up in who we are and that's why we're talking about confidence that comes from righteousness knowing that we're the righteousness of God it's it's it's who not do it's what you are not what you do that makes you something but our whole culture and society and even among Christians everything that the way that we identify ourselves is what we do well if someone might ask what do you you know what is the question a lot of people ask when they meet somebody what do you do in other words what's your job what's your occupation what do you do everything is revolves around what you do but God doesn't want us to revolve everything around what we do he wants us to first start with who we are because when you know who you are then that will naturally produce the right actions or the right results of knowing who you are well that's why we can see how Satan attacks this image he's attacking the image of God in you you know Satan really doesn't care about your money he doesn't care about your health he doesn't care about your marriage or your family or your children I mean in a sense he does but what he does is he goes after the root of everything if he can strip you of a proper identity of yourself if he can rob you of the knowledge of who you really are if he can get you to question who you really are then he can take all of those other things easily getting your finances and and robbing you of health and robbing you of of peace and joy and robbing you of all of good blessing in life easily he can take that when he takes from you this confidence in who you are and so when Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead he wanted to start by making us joint heirs with him so that we could realize that whatever he is once he rose from the dead is exactly what we are once were born again if he's been raised up from the dead we're raised up with him if he's seated at the right hand of the Father Colossians and chapter 2 says we are seated with him in Ephesians chapter 1 and 2 says we are raised up and seated with him in heavenly places that's our position in Christ and when you know that's who you are that will begin to produce what you do a lot of times we're just focused on do doodoos don't stones don't God wants us to focus on who who who not doot-doot-doot because when you focus on doo-doo-doo that's all it ends up being a bunch of doo-doo it starts with knowing who we are so picture this in Genesis God says I'm gonna make man in my image so he makes man in His image so Adam and Eve look like God you say what did Adam and Eve looked like before they sinned well they must have looked something like God because he made them in His image but what is Satan do you the first thing Satan does is he doesn't say I want the gold in the garden he doesn't say I want all the trees in the garden Satan doesn't say I want to destroy your marriage I want to stop you from having good children he doesn't say I'm gonna strip you of your health I'm gonna strip you of your well-being I'm gonna strip you of your blessing what if Satan say he says this to Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 1 he says did God really say not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and Eve says well she said if we eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil or touch it will die and and the devil says in the form of the serpent you shall not die for God knows that the day you eat from this tree you'll be like God this is what the devil said and he's been lying ever since he's saying God knows the day you eat from this you'll be like God but the problem is is that Satan is always trying to sell us something that God has already given us he's trying to tell you you'll be like God if you eat from this tree you know that all Adam and Eve had to do was go back to Genesis chapter 1 where it says God made man in his own image didn't God say that so was man already like God and Satan was saying if they ate from the tree they'd be like God right but they already were like God right and as he tried anything different really since that time no that's what he tries with everybody so Jesus comes to the earth and he's tempted in the wilderness and what is the first thing the devil says to Jesus when he tries to tempt him if you are the son of God turn these stones into bread if you are was Jesus the Son of God but what is Satan tried to do he tried to create doubt in Jesus mind about who he was what he got what did Satan effectively do with Adam and Eve he created doubt in their minds of who they were and he tried to create doubt in Jesus mind of who he was and guess what Satan is still trying to create doubt in your mind about who you are once you're born again because if he can get you to question that he can strip you of everything else that God wants to do in your life because every good thing that God wants to do in your life comes when you first realize who you are the righteous are as bold as a lion there's a lot of things that God says you are but you know what we've listened to too many lives of what the devil says we are and what other people say we are but we need this is the first question once you're born again this is the first question that must be answered who are you who are you well I'm you know a husband or I'm a father I'm you know a carpenter or I'm you know a plumber or I'm a you know I'm a teacher I'm this know that might be what you do but that's not who you are now I want to take you through a journey here for a few moments and I want you to I want to show you how God sees himself and how he introduces himself to his problems and how he introduces himself to his trials and God has trials - God has I mean think about it you're his kid you're his you're one of his trials God has trials we're his trials right but you understand what I mean by that look with me in your Bible to Exodus chapter 3 in Exodus chapter 3 God tells Moses Moses I want you to go into Egypt and I want you to set my people free I want you to go and deliver my people I want you to tell the children of Israel that I want them delivered and I want you to tell Pharaoh let my people go and so Moses comes to this place where he's like okay God I'm willing to do that but when I go they're gonna ask me whose name am i coming in who sent me and they're gonna want to know who you are they're gonna want to know your name they're gonna want me to introduce you to them and I need to know how to explain that to them and so we have here in Exodus chapter 3 verse 13 and Moses said behold God when I come to the children of Israel and say to them the god of your father's has sent me to you and they shall say to me what is his name what should I say to them Lord and God spoke to Moses I am that I am and he said thus shall you say under the children of Israel I am has sent me unto you I am that I am I am that I am how does God introduce himself to Moses I am how does God tell Moses to introduce him to Egypt I am how does God tell Moses to introduce him to the children of Israel I am notice how God describes himself notice the first thing that God ascribes to himself notice the first thing that God explains about himself I am I am I am God doesn't say tell Pharaoh and tell the children of Israel I do tell the children of Israel what I've done tell the children of Israel where I've been tell the children of Israel what I've accomplished tell the children of Israel what I can do no he doesn't tell him that he says tell them this one thing I am notice how God introduces himself to the world how God introduces himself to Egypt how God introduces himself to his people how God introduces himself to the problem in front of him I am I am I am I am what what we have to realize is God wants us to see him for who he is not for what he can do not for what he's done but for who he is tell them I am that I am since you I am I am I am think about what I am represents I am means present I am in this moment I have no beginning and I have no end I just am this is who I am this is what I want you to know about me folks because we'll never know who we are until we know who he is we'll never know what we're created to be until we know how God describes himself because we're made in His image and he introduces himself as I am and in John chapter 8 the Jews and the Pharisees are gathered together and they're questioning Jesus and Jesus says in verse 55 John chapter 8 verse 55 yet you have not known him but I know him and if I should say I know him not or I don't know him I'll be a liar like you but I do know him and I keep his word verse 56 your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad and notice then the Jews said to him you are not yet fifty years old that's what you can say about me for for a few more years he said they said to him you are not yet fifty years old and have you seen Abraham and Jesus said truly truly I say to you before Abraham was I am before Abraham was I am before Abraham was so how did God introduce himself to Egypt and to the children of Israel how does Jesus introduce himself to the Jews we're going somewhere with this now let's move back to Acts chapter 19 for a moment because what I want you to see is this pattern and here every believer is going to be given the same opportunity when faced with your Egypt your bondage you got to know who you are when faced with your accusers like Jesus you got to know who you are when faced with your trials and your problems and your circumstances in life you got to know who you are when God was faced with Egypt and the bondage and the slavery that that Pharaoh had put upon Israel God introduced himself as I am when Jesus faced the Jews and the Pharisees and those that wanted to accuse him and questioned him he introduced himself as I when Paul was facing trials and circumstances beyond his control and and and persecution that was beyond what any of us have ever experienced and and people that wanted to kill him and people that wanted to follow him around and undermine everything that he said and when he would preach about when he would preach the word the Judaizers would come and when he would talk about the grace of God the Judaizers would come and say no you have to be circumcised in order to be saved Paul would say you're saved by grace and then the Judaizers would come and say no you have to be circumcised still yeah Paul might have something there that's good but you still need to be circumcised you still need to stop this and you still need to stop that and you still need to do this and you still need to do that when faced with all of his adversity Paul introduced himself to his adversity just like Jesus introduced himself to his adversity just like God introduced himself to his adversity and just like you need to learn to introduce yourself to your adversity this is who I am I am what I am by the grace of God I am something not I do not I have not I can not I've this not look at what I've done but here's Who I am are you getting anything so far so now a bunch of men are faced with a demonic situation in Acts chapter 19 let's look there together in Acts chapter 19 and look at verse 13 now there was a certain vagabond Jews exorcists who took upon themselves to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus now notice how these men are described they're vagabonds Jews they're wandering Jew's verse 13 says and they're exorcists so they've tried to make a living out of casting out demons oh as we're going to see they're going to be broke based on their effectiveness at casting out demons but the point is is they're exorcists they're travelling wandering Jews and they have taken upon themselves to call over those with evil spirits verse 13 the name of the Lord Jesus so they said well look we've seen other people casting out demons with the name of Jesus let's do it ourselves and notice what they said saying verse 13 saying we adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches we adore you by Jesus whom Paul preaches so now notice this is third-hand information where did we adjure you by Jesus that's that's one that's that's one hand through Paul that's the second hand and we're the ones that during you so it's third hand information they're not truly people that really know the power of God themselves they're not people who really as we're going to see know themselves and know who they are and watch what happens they say we adjure you in the name of the Jesus that Paul preaches now let me stop right there for a moment because every one of us is going to face a demon at one time or another in our life it may be a demon of fear it may be a demon of lust it may be a demon of depression and I'm not saying all fears is is a demon and I'm not saying that all depression is a demon but what I'm saying is every one of us is going to face a demon otherwise Jesus wouldn't have said these signs will follow those who believe in my name they'll cast out demons if there was no demons in this world today still then Jesus would have never told us that we're gonna cast them out come on help me now you don't have to be an exorcist to cast out demons it doesn't have to be your full-time job to cast out demons you don't have to go through a course on demonology to cast out demons you don't have to have gone to Bible College to cast out demons you don't have to be a Christian for 20 years to cast out demons there's one condition upon which you have the power and the and the authority to cast out demons let's see what it is so they said we assure you in the name of the Jesus that Paul preaches to come out of this man in verse 15 and they were verse let's look at verse 14 we don't want to skip that and now he describes these men he says these were seven sons of sceva a Jew and chief of the priests which had tried to cast out these demons so notice these men are sons of a priest not just any priest they're sons of the chief priests how can I put this to you folks these guys were sons of religion not sons of God they were sons of a priest not sons of faith they were sons of form not sons of power and I want to challenge everyone in a good way and encourage everyone in a good way every one of us is going to come to a place in our lives well we're gonna have to identify ourselves are we sons of religion or are we sons of faith are we sons of a chief priests or are we sons of God are we sons of form they used the right name or are we sons of power and I want you to see what's happening these guys are trying to cast out these demons with their religion they're trying to cast out these demons with their form they're trying to cast out these demons by imitating what somebody else has done and what we have to realize is God does not want us or we can't defeat the enemies that come against us with religion we can't defeat our enemies with form we can't defeat our enemies with with just being priests imitating the genuine second state understanding your true identity in Christ is one of the most vital and important needs of every believer today and that's why we want to put in your hands the identity package for your generous gift of $30.00 or more to help us take the message of God's love grace and power around the world we will send you this powerful collection that will help you realize your true identity and your full potential in Christ first you'll receive the four-part audio series the authority of the believer in it you'll discover the covenant of authority you have with God as well as practical steps to tap into and increase the flow of God's power authority and blessing in your life next you'll receive the four-part audio series identity where you will learn step by step how you can fulfill your destiny by discovering your true identity as an added bonus we will also include the I am scripture card loaded with God's Word for you to meditate on and speak over your life call today and plant your seed of $30.00 or more and we will immediately send you the identity package that's the audio series the authority of a believer and identity and a bonus front and back I am scripture reference card call today well as you've seen in today's program God knew who he was Jesus knew who he was Paul knew who he was as well they stood victorious in the midst of their accusers and they overcame every challenge because they knew who they were when you know who you are in Jesus Christ you don't have to be tormented harassed and defeated by the devil not another day in your life every good thing from God comes through knowing who you are that's why I want to put in your hands the knowledge I want to put the tools of knowledge in your hands put these weapons of destruction against what Satan's trying to do in your life these weapons of knowing who you are will transform your life I've put together a package the first thing I want to send you is this scripture card I've prepared with a list of Bible verses about your true identity every time you get up in the morning you should declare these these scriptures of who you are or every time you face a battle every time you face something that is coming against you declare who you are because the Bible says as a man thinks within so is he I also want to send you my teaching called identity this full-length audio teaching series will help you discover your god-given identity it will enable you to walk in the power of God to fulfill your destiny I have this saying that identity produces destiny when you know who you are you're going to fulfill God's destiny for your life so along with the scripture card and my identity series also want to send you this teaching series called the authority of the believer here I teach you how to put your authority into action and how to walk in victory over all the works of the devil my announcer is gonna tell you more about these amazing resources they'll change your life forever watch this and I'll be right back call today and plant your seed of $30.00 or more and we will immediately send you the identity package that's the audio series the authority of a believer and entity and a bonus front and back I am scripture reference car call today well I really want to encourage you to call right now and get these amazing resources that we're offering today you'll understand who you really are and everything's gonna be alright I want to pray for you right now that you'll you'll have this revelation like jesus said to Peter he said because you know who you are I'll build my church upon you the gates of Hell will not prevail against you in the name of Jesus I pray for God to reveal to you I pray for you to discover who you really are in Christ so that the gates of Hell will never again prevail against your health your finances your joy your peace your relationships in Jesus name Amen well I want to thank you for joining me today don't miss our next broadcast I can't wait to see you then god bless if you are ever in the Chicagoland area we want to invite you to join us for a powerful church service at one of our campuses our beautiful northwest suburb campus is conveniently located on the northwest corner of i-90 and Beverly Road in Hoffman Estates or join us at our downtown Chicago campus located at Whitney Young High School on the corner of Jackson and Loomis for service times or more information visit life changers church calm do you have a question for Gregory decal you can ask the pastor well I want to talk to you personally I want to answer your most difficult questions your most challenging questions that's why I have a radio show called ask the pastor so you go to my website and find out more you can find the phone number where you can call me directly Monday through Friday I want to talk to you personally want to be your friend on a bier mentor want to answer the questions that you have in life visit astha pastored net for more information or to listen live online are you ready to experience a change in your life then visit w-w-w can watch previous episodes of the power to change today's show sign up to receive Gregory Dickens podcasts be encouraged by powerful articles view testimonies keep informed how you are helping to change other people's lives and so much more visit Gregory decay org and experience a change in your life today this program has been brought to you by the faithful friends and partners of Gregory D Cal ministries

Channel: Gregory Dickow

Views: 10,185

Rating: 4.8461537 out of 5

Keywords: w29332A

Id: 8xrPsunqBac

Length: 28min 30sec (1710 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 14 2012