The Great “I AM” Part 1

This message began one morning as I was out walking, when I heard the Lord say something very profound to me. He said, “My people need to focus their hearts and minds much more on Who I am, rather than what I do.” Immediately, I realized that I spend too much of my prayer time telling the Lord what I need Him to do for me and for others and not enough focusing on Who He is. He then dropped in my spirit the understanding that everything he does comes forth from the reality of Who He is. I know the totality of this reality defines His unique IDENTITY, which He describes and communicates to others using His NAME (or NAMES). I also know it is impossible for the Lord to do anything that is not in line with His divine nature and character, which is LOVE!I believe He confirmed this truth when He said, “For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore, you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob (Malachi 3:6).”

But there is much more to it than that. As I’ve said many times, what our God wanted most was to have a family and be a father, by which He could impart His IDENTITY (all that He is physically and spiritually) to many children. All my life, I witnessed many natural fathers who desired to do the same, except they thought their identity and worth was in their work, so they wanted to bring their children into the business they had built as soon as possible. To help make their dream a reality, some changed the name of their business from, i.e., “Sanford Lumber Co.” to “Sanford and Son Lumber Co.” From that moment, it was expected that the child would be working as a partner alongside his father, learning the business, while also receiving an impartation of “dad identity.” I’m sure that method appeared to work in some cases, but for those children who felt as if they were a square peg being forced into a round hole, it was a disaster. Trying to live up to someone else’s expectations or fulfill their dream in the flesh is a sure recipe for disappointment and failure. For some, even now, the thought of wanting a different life and career brings down an avalanche of guilt and shame upon them.

Sometimes we can do the wrong thing for the right reason. Children need their fathers (parents) to impart IDENTITY to them. But we can’t give what we have not received! When you don’t know who you are, what IDENTITY can you impart to your children? As God’s children, we need our Heavenly Father to impart His True IDENTITY to us!

Names are easily added to a sign, but identity requires impartation through close personal relationship, which develops best in an atmosphere of mutual love and trust.

In the Second Chapter of Genesis, we saw Adam “working in his Dad’s business,” naming all the animals his Father had created (Gen.2:19-20). But then, in the Third Chapter of Genesis, we saw The Father imparting God-identity to His “first children,” by joyfully spending quality time with them, walking and talking together in the cool of the day (Gen.3:8).

THE WORLD’S GREATEST LIE!

But the serpent was jealous of all that “loving family stuff,” and slithered into the Garden (a type of our heart) and planted seeds of “the world’s greatest lie” in the minds of “the kids,” at a very vulnerable time in every child’s development. It’s that time before a sense of identity has fully formed and set—it’s that season before we fully understand who our Heavenly Father is and who we are in Him.

Genesis 3:1–51 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in THE DAY YOU EAT OF IT your eyes will be opened, and YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD, knowing good and evil.” (NKJV)

Did you catch it? These are seeds of the world’s greatest lie! “THE LIE” comes in different flavors, but here are some samples: “You can change WHO YOU ARE by changing WHAT YOU DO.” “If you DO right, you will BE right.” “If you DO good, you will BE good.” “If you are righteous and you DO evil, you will BE evil. “If you are born of God and you DO evil you will BE evil.”

We think Adam lost his place because of disobedience, when in fact, Adam lost his place because he lost his IDENTITY. In his mind, Adam became a homeless orphan who had lost his father and began to think and act (directing his faith) accordingly. It’s interesting that when Jesus was talking to his disciples about leaving them for a season, one thing He said to reassure them was, “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you (Jn.14:18).” When we lose our God-identity, we become spiritual orphans, don’t we?

Ever since the fall, I believe the two greatest obstacles facing mankind are:

(1) Not knowing who God is. “Who is God?”

(2) Not knowing who we are in Him. “Who am I?”

From “Who am I?” to “WHO I AM!”

Exodus 3:1–2 1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord (YHWH - Yahweh) appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. (NKJV)

Yahweh(יהוה), the proper name for the God of the Israelites. The ancient Hebrew language that the Old Testament was written in did not have vowels in its alphabet. In written form, ancient Hebrew was a consonant-only language. In the original Hebrew, God’s name transliterates to YHWH. This is known as the tetragrammaton (meaning “four letters”). The tetragrammaton consists of four Hebrew letters: yodh, he, waw, he. Some versions of the Bible translate the tetragrammaton as “Yahweh” or “Jehovah”; most translate it as “LORD.”

Exodus 3:11–15: 11 But Moses said to God (Elohim), “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you (Notice: God promises to be WITH us in Moses, but IN us in Christ, Jn.14:17). And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain (Better than slavery, while not yet ready for sonship!).” 13 Then Moses said to God(Elohim), “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”

14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ (NKJV)

Notice, God did NOT say, “I DO THAT I DO!” or “I AM THAT I DO!” He said, “I AM WHO I AM!”

The Lord directed me to study the word translated in English as “am.” It is hayah in Hebrew: To be. Often this verb indicates more than simple existence or identity; It makes a strong statement about the being or presence of a person or thing.

Moses asked the question: “What is your Name?” God answered: “I AM WHO I AM.” I believe He wants to make it abundantly clear that He is a “NOW GOD!” NOT the God of those preachers who only talk about the miracles they saw forty years ago. NOT the God of those teachers who only promise that we’ll understand it better in the by-and-by. He is ever-present and we carry His “I AM” IDENTITY!