Living Under a False, Assumed Identity

During a worship time at church recently, the Lord began to talk to me about people living under false, assumed identities and that He wanted to set them free from those.

He explained that these false identities and false judgments came into being through things that either other people had spoken over someone’s life, or what they had personally spoken over their own life. These things have become embedded in hearts and minds and accepted as true statements concerning identity and value…things like “You’re stupid,” “You’re illegitimate (extended meaning: Nothing about your life is legitimate in any way),” “You’re useless,” “You’re lazy,” “You’re a liar,” “You are a waste of time”…or, “I’m stupid,” “I’m illegitimate,” “I’m lazy,” etc.

The Lord declared that He is wanting to set people free from the unrighteous, false judgments that have been made over their lives, and the false identities that they have accepted as a result of the unrighteous judgments. (He wants to do that for you too – today!)

Statements like these can shape how we view our identity. This is often a subliminal, subconscious thing and happens when people we trust or love, in particular, pronounce something over us – often over a period of time, or in a time of vulnerability – and we accept it as truth. We assume that because they said it, it must be true about us.

We then begin to think that it is part of our nature and we begin to live under an assumed identity. An assumed identity is an identity we have taken on that does not line up with our true identity. It is an identity that has begun to assert a power over us causing us to react or act in a certain way, to take on certain mannerisms and behaviors that are associated with what was pronounced over us.

We then begin to view ourselves through the pronouncement made over us; we accept it as part of our thinking about ourselves and allow it to become a part of how we see ourselves – a part of our identity. When we do this, shame and condemnation wrap themselves around us bringing us into bondage, unrighteous judgment and false identity.

The Lord is saying to us that if these ideas about ourselves don’t line up with being one who is created in His image, and a member of His family, then we are functioning out of a false, assumed identity, and we are to disown it and come out from under its influence.

What Does Our True Identity Look Like?

What does our true identity look like? We are created in God’s image, so our true identity is one that looks and acts like God does. Just as we resemble our parents in the natural world, and we may look and act like they do, exhibiting certain family traits, so we resemble the divine family, the Trinity.

Our true identity is this: we are created by love, with love, for love. We are children of God by creation, and because we are in Christ. We are love made manifest in the world, and because we are love, we are loving, kind, merciful, patient, forgiving and more (see 1 Corinthians 13 and Galatians 5 – the fruits of the Spirit). These are the out workings of our true nature, our true identity. We are not to come under any false labels.

How to Take Action

If the Lord is highlighting something to you as you read this, if He is showing you that you have taken on an identity that is not who you truly are in Christ, then turn to Him now; He is here right now to set you free.

Below is the process I’ve found helpful over the years in praying for freedom – for myself and for others. You can follow this process and the sample prayer below, or you can simply talk to the Lord yourself and break off the agreement you’ve made with any unrighteous judgment against you and false identity you’ve assumed as a result of that judgment.

Your words have power and authority, so you will need to speak to break things in the spiritual realm, not just think things through. We are told in James 4:7 to “resist the devil” and he will flee from us. We resist him through the authority we have been given in Christ, and through the spoken word and written Word (Scripture), as Jesus did when the devil attacked Him (Matthew 4:1-11).

Here are steps you can take:

• Confess that you have come into agreement with a false judgment/judgments about yourself and have taken on a false identity. Name those unrighteous judgments and false identity.

• Forgive yourself for accepting these judgments, and also forgive anyone who spoke unrighteous judgments over you. Be specific, forgive them by name.

• Take your authority in Christ and break off the power of any demonic activity that has caused you to take on these judgments and false identities. Break off any attachments that the demonic realm has made to your heart and mind in this matter.

• Declare your true identity – that you are a child of God, created in His image, carrying the mind of Christ, and growing in your new nature. You are being made into the image of Christ; the nature and character of the One who is goodness, love, mercy, kindness, etc. is being formed in you.

• Find out what God says about you, both through Him speaking to you personally and through Scripture. Speak truth over your life and ask the Lord for revelation of that truth to fill you.

Prayer

I confess that I have come into agreement with the following unrighteous judgment/judgments – that I am_________and that I have accepted this as a part of my identity. I forgive myself for doing this and I forgive_________for saying that I am_________. I break off any agreement with these unrighteous judgments made against me, and any false identity I have assumed as a result of accepting these unrighteous judgments.

I break off the demonic assignments of shame, torment, and false identity over my life. I break off the power of the words spoken, and any curse they put on my life. I remove your right to harass me any longer. Spirits of shame, torment, and false identity, I break your power over my life now, and I remove any legal right of access you’ve had to my life. Go! Now! In Jesus name!

I declare that I am a child of God, created in His image, and I am being formed into my true identity in Him. I am a new creation in Christ and I am being reformed into the full expression of who God created me to be, and my true identity as a child of God.

Thank You, Lord, for what You’re doing in my life, setting me free to be who You created me to be. I declare that my true identity will shine in all its glory, creativity, authority, and radiance as I discover more and more of the reality of the beauty You have placed in my life when You spoke Your desires and heart over me, even before I was conceived. Your plans for me are for good, to give me a glorious future and hope. Thank You, Lord!