Emmanuel Iheke Jr

In 2018, I came to the end of myself. Everything that I tried in order to feel like I was important or worth something failed me. I spent years trying to fit in, achieve, and impress so I could feel secure in my self worth. It wasn’t until I came to the end of myself and was crying myself to sleep in a dark room that I heard God speak to me. I remember telling myself “I’m a loser.” That was the first time I ever said that to myself. Previously, pride and the small reservoir of self-respect I had would never let me say such a thing. But this time, I let it out, exhausted from having fought off this conclusion for years by trying to find evidence to counter it to no avail. I finally said what I was scared to be true my entire life…”I’m a loser.”

The voice of God didn’t sound like a thunderous voice from heaven. And His voice wasn’t physically audible during my short encounter. His voice was like a telepathic thought that transferred from His head to mine. I knew immediately this thought wasn’t my own. I’m no stranger to intrusive thoughts, but this one was different and I have not experienced anything like it again since that night. The voice or thought said clearly, “You’re a winner.” God saw me in distress, and while I wasn’t crying out to Him just yet, He came to my rescue. 

God’s response affirmed that I was the absolute opposite of a loser. And soon after a series of conversations we had spanning several months, I began to understand the true depth of God’s response from that first night in the dark. That night God showed me that I had a choice. My choice was to either believe who my life circumstances determined I was or believe who He said I was. I had to choose between defining my self worth and identity by my accomplishments, failures, weaknesses, environments, and the perceptions of other people, or defining them by God’s Word. Without hesitation, I chose the latter, and so started my journey of discovering my identity in Christ.

“Identity in Christ” refers to an identity that is defined by the Word of God. Genesis 1:27 says that all humans are created in God’s image, which means humans – exclusively – reflect Him in creation. Furthermore, for those who have decided to follow Christ, the Bible says we are God’s children (Romans 8:14), His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10), more than conquerors (Romans 8:37), His followers (John 10:27), servants (Matthew 25:21), friends (John 15:13), and much more. To know Christ, and have an identity rooted in Him, is to have an identity that inherently rationalizes one’s self esteem and self love. Additionally, this identity empowers us to combat life’s obstacles through Christ’s strength and authority. Understanding what it meant to build an identity in Christ unlocked a new level of intimacy and dependency I had with the Lord. My life hasn’t been the same since. 

While the crippling insecurities I dealt with at the time did not immediately go away, I knew I now had a playbook on how to combat and overcome them little by little. The more freedom I experienced, the more eager I became to show others what I’d learned from the Lord. Similarly, the more secure in my identity I became, the more I felt freed up to think about the needs of others and how I could serve them. I knew others were struggling with the same identity issues I had. Perhaps others weren’t dealing with  identity crises, but I could still see that their ignorance surrounding their identity in Christ only made their lives worse. I knew that if others were aware and constantly reminded of the implications of rooting their identity in Christ, they too could be empowered to overcome life struggles and approach life with more fulfillment. 

There are many young Believers of today that identify as Christian but do not know what it means to have an identity in Christ. However, once they do, they will not only experience a more intimate relationship with Christ, but also become better equipped to face life’s challenges and live a life of service to others. This is the reason UN-ASSOCIATED was created. Our mission is to help young Believers cultivate their identity in Christ so they can begin to live their lives as the Lord intended.