Week 1 : Identity - Created for Wholeness
Week 1 – IDENTITY - Created for Wholeness
Ladies, welcome to our very first week of Pressed but Precious. We are beginning this journey together by laying the foundation of who we are in Christ.
Opening Prayer:
Father God, tonight, I ask you to strip away every false label and reveal His truth about who we are. Father, we invite Him to help us see ourselves through His eyes — as His daughters, precious, whole, and deeply loved. Father empower our minds and hearts to receive Your truth of who YOU say we are above any other lie about our identity that was formed in us by the enemy who hates us, who doesn’t want us to know the magnitude of your love for us, who doesn’t want us to walk in the fullness of who we are when we accepted You as our Lord and Savior. Father, I pray for scales to fall off of blinded eyes tonight, that your truth will be revealed to them as we open up the power of your love letter to us. Lead me Father, speak only what these daughters of yours needs to hear. Nothing more, nothing less. In Jesus name. Amen.
Teaching Points:
Before we can talk about healing, freedom, or deliverance, we must start with identity. You were created intentionally by God — not as an accident, not as an afterthought. You carry His image, His creativity, His strength, and His beauty. Wholeness begins when we stop allowing the world, our past, or our pain to define us, and instead reclaim our true identity in Christ.
So many of us carry labels that life has placed on us: broken, unworthy, too much, not enough. But God calls you fearfully and wonderfully made. When we believe His truth about who we are, the healing process begins.
If the enemy can LIE to us about our IDENTITY, we give him the power over us. We have to STAND FIRM in who GOD SAYS WE ARE, not who the enemy or people in our lives have said that we are.
We will begin this series by harnessing a firm understanding of what defines our identity.
Q: Where do you think your identity began?
Q: What happened in your life that you allowed to identify who you are today?
**Tell them about how momma used to tell me I would never amount to anything. My own mother, calling me an accident my entire life!! The enemy had it out for me SINCE BIRTH!!
If I would have let my mother’s words follow me throughout my life, I would not be here today. I thank GOD for pulling the scales off of my eyes and telling me WHO I AM today!
Scripture: "I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb; before you were born, I set you apart." Jeremiah 1:5
Guess what? His hand never left you, and neither did His heart.
Do you really think God would allow bad things to happen without having a plan and a purpose for good?
Scripture: "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
Scripture: "And we know that in ALL things, God works for the GOOD of those who love Him, those who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
God's nature is love and we were created in HIS image, therefore our identity began in love. Who are we when we have been loved and when we are loved, allows space for us to be confident enough to take risks and resilient enough to try again if we don't succeed. When love is the foundation of our identity, we offer ourselves the freedom to be authentic and embrace the vulnerability that comes with it. Receiving God's truth and love, and allowing them to be the basis for how we serve and strategize to navigate in the world is the way we can step into purpose without having fear of surrendering our identity in the future.
First, you need to know you have been FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE!
Psalm 139 reminds us: “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” God does not make mistakes. He does not create junk. He does not create ACCIDENTS. He created you with purpose, beauty, and worth.
If you have never read PSALM 139, I encourage you to do that. Take in every verse, verse by verse, word by word, and MARIANTE in it. Let it PERMEATE your soul!! Read it in several translations, specifically AMP and TPT.
PSALM 139:13-18 AMP
For You formed my innermost parts;
You knit me [together] in my mother’s womb.
I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was being formed in secret,
And intricately and skillfully formed [as if embroidered with many colors] in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were appointed for me,
When as yet there was not one of them [even taking shape].
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
TPT:
“You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside, and wove them all together in my mother’s womb. I thank you, God, for making me so mysteriously complex! Everything you do is marvelously breathtaking. It simply amazes me to think about it! How thoroughly you know me, Lord! You even formed every bone in my body when you created me in the secret place; carefully, skillfully you shaped me from nothing to something. You saw who you created me to be before I became me! Before I’d ever seen the light of day, the number of days you planned for me were already recorded in your book. Every single moment you are thinking of me! How precious and wonderful to consider that you cherish me constantly in your every thought! O God, your desires toward me are more than the grains of sand on every shore! When I awake each morning, you’re still with me.”
Psalms 139:13-18 TPT
When God created the world, He spoke everything else into existence — “Let there be light,” “Let the land produce,” “Let the waters swarm.” But when it came to creating humanity, God did something different. He didn’t just speak us into being. He formed us with His hands and breathed His own breath into us (Genesis 2:7).
“then the Lord God [a]formed [that is, created the body of] man from the [b]dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being [an individual complete in body and spirit]."
GOD KNEW YOU BEFORE HE CREATED YOU IN YOUR MOTHER’S WOMB!!! YOU WERE CREATED ON PURPOSE FOR A PURPOSE!! You were NOT an accident!!
That means you were created with care, precision, and intention. You bear the very image of God. His fingerprints are on your life. His breath gives you purpose.
Yet, life often tries to crush that truth. Words spoken over us, wounds we’ve carried, or the lies of the enemy can distort the way we see ourselves. Instead of living as whole daughters of God, we can begin to live fractured by shame, fear, or comparison.
Wholeness begins when we choose to believe what God says about us over what the world or our past experiences have said. Healing starts with identity.
Getting grounded in the truth of your identity starts with:
Learning what God says; reading and meditating on scripture
Paying attention to who you are when you're in peace and free from being performative
Actively resistant to your identity being hijacked when life happens.
God's Word has prevailing power. Read that again... PREVAILING POWER. Revelation comes from meditating on the Word, praying the Word over your circumstances and LIFE, and RECEIVING an opening of insight from it directly from the heart of God. Your IDENTITY is found through the scriptures as God reveals to us what He created us for. This is where TRANSFORMATION happens. Our hearts may become faint at times, but when it does, and we go back to the Word of God and allow Him to speak to us through it, He transforms our faint hearts and gives us renewed hearts and renewed spirits.
Key Aspects of Being a Daughter of God:
Adoption into God's Family:
The Bible describes believers as being adopted into God's family through faith in Jesus, making them His children.
CHOSEN: Being selected for a unique purpose, identity, or mission by a divine entity. This selection is not based on human merit but on God's divine will and love (DEEPLY, IMMEASURABLY LOVED), and it implies an immense responsibility to fulfill a God-given purpose, which involves aligning one's will with God's, seeking guidance, and serving others.
1 Peter 2:9 says “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a [special] people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” - Amplified Version
The Passion Translation further adds “...and now He CLAIMS you as HIS VERY OWN. He did this so that you would broadcast His glorious wonders throughout the world.”
Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [and approved of you as My chosen instrument], And before you were born I consecrated you [to Myself as My own];
I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Consecrated means setting apart a person for God's sacred use, making it holy and distinct from common use – YOU ARE NOT COMMON
John 15:16 says “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you.”
Matthew 22:14 says “For many are called (invited, summoned), but few are chosen.”
THIS LIFE, THIS CALLING, THIS ANOINTING IS NOT FOR EVERYONE! YOU ARE SPECIAL!! YOU ARE TREASURED BY HIM!!!
TREASURED: refers to something of immense value, whether it be material wealth like gold, silver, or precious possessions, or spiritual riches such as wisdom, knowledge, and the Kingdom of Heaven. It also describes God's affection and care for a person and what the heart holds dear, as seen in passages like Matthew 6:21, which states, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also".
YOU ARE GOD’S HEART!!
THERE IS A VOID IN GODS HEART THAT ONLY YOU CAN FILL!!!
Deuteronomy 14:2 ESV Version says: “For you are a people holy (set apart) to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth."
Royal Status and Favor:
Being a daughter of God is a position of royalty and favor, with the promise that God will be your Father.
FAVORED:
To be "favored by God" is to be a recipient of His unmerited grace, kindness, and divine assistance. It means that God shows special pleasure and approval towards you, often leading to blessings, protection, and the fulfillment of a divine purpose, though not necessarily a life free from hardship. (He never said that the storms won’t come, but He does promise to carry you THROUGH the storm.) This favor is a gift, not something earned, and is often associated with humility, righteous living, and a deep, personal connection with God through His grace and the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 84:11 says “For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord bestows grace and favor and honor;
No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
John 1:16 says “For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift].”
Proverbs 3:1-4 speaks of the REWARDS OF WISDOM, and one of those rewards is FAVOR:
“My son, do not forget my [a]teaching,
But let your heart keep my commandments;
For length of days and years of life [worth living]
And tranquility and prosperity [the wholeness of life’s blessings] they will add to you.
Do not let mercy and kindness and truth leave you [instead let these qualities define you];
Bind them [securely] around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
So find favor and high esteem
In the sight of God and man.”
Psalm 89:17 says “For You are the glory of their strength [their proud adornment],
And by Your favor our horn is exalted.”
Proverbs 11:27 says “He who diligently seeks good seeks favor and grace,
But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.”
Proverbs 22:1 says “A good name [earned by honorable behavior, godly wisdom, moral courage, and personal integrity] is more desirable than great riches;
And favor is better than silver and gold.”
Exodus 3:21 says “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed.”
You ever meet someone who just has everything go right for them where-ever they go? THAT’S FAVOR!!!! God promises us FAVOR!! CLAIM THAT FAVOR IN JESUS NAME! SPEAK EXODUS 3:21 IT OVER YOUR LIFE!! “GOD YOU PROMISE ME FAVOR AND WHEREVER MY FEET TAKE ME I WILL NOT GO EMPTY-HANDED!!”
ROYATY
Who is Jeus, our KING, right? So if we are God’s daughters, then we are PRINCESSES! WE ARE ROYALTY in the Kingdom of God!!
Let’s go back to 1 Peter 2:9 says “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a [special] people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him...” - Amplified Version
He tells us to PROCLAIM HIS EXCELLENCIES .. OVER OUR LIFE!!
He also INSTRUCTS US... ATTEND TO YOUR PRIESTHOOD
Numbers 18:7 says “Therefore you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar [of burnt offering and the altar of incense] and [of the Holy of Holies] within the veil, and you are to serve. I am giving you the priesthood as a bestowed service, but the stranger (outsider, layman) who approaches shall be put to death.”
HE’S TELLING US TO KEEP OURSELVES IN THIS MINDSET THAT WE ARE ROYAL!!!
Hebrews 7:24 says “but, on the other hand, Jesus holds His priesthood permanently and without change, because He lives on forever.”
If JESUS holds His priesthood PERMANENTLY AND WITHOUT CHANGE, and we are promised to ETERNAL LIFE (FOREVER) as He is, we hold OUR ROYAL PRIESTHOOD FOREVER TOO!!
Which leads into...
Inheritance:
As God's children, you are heirs, sharing in God's glory and receiving His blessings and promises.
YOU ARE A CO-HEIR WITH CHRIST!!
Romans 8:17 says “And if [we are His] children, [then we are His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His spiritual blessing and inheritance], if indeed we share in His suffering so that we may also share in His glory.”
THE SAME ANOINTINGS over Jesus’s life, WE ARE CO-HEIRS OF AND HAVE INHERITED THEM AS CHILDREN OF GOD!!!
That also means we SHARE IN HIS SUFFERING. God says it is a COST to following Him, We must die to ourselves DAILY and LIVE LIKE JESUS to inherit these blessings!! OBEDIENCE!!
Galatians 3:29 tells us “And if you belong to Christ [if you are in Him], then you are Abraham’s descendants, and [spiritual] heirs according to [God’s] promise.”
JESUS came to " In the same way God, in His desire to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable nature of His purpose, intervened and guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things [His promise and His oath] in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled [to Him] for refuge would have strong encouragement and indwelling strength to hold tightly to the hope set before us.” - Hebrews 6:17-18... IT IS GOD’S DESIRE FOR US TO KNOWN HIS PURPOSE AND THAT HE DOES NOT LIE WHEN HE MADE THESE PROMISES TO US!!
Galatians 4:7 tells us “Therefore you are no longer a slave (bond-servant), but a son; and if a son, then also an heir through [the gracious act of] God [through Christ].”
Which leads us into, what? FREEDOM...
Freedom and Purpose:
You are FREE from fear and slavery, receiving the Spirit of God to guide you in a life of faith, fulfilling your God-given PURPOSE.
John 8:36 says “So if the Son makes you free, then you are unquestionably free.”
Galatians 3:13 says “Christ purchased our freedom and redeemed us from the curse of the Law and its condemnation by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs [crucified] on a tree (cross)”
HE PAID FOR OUR FREEDOM WITH HIS LIFE!!!
Galations 5:1 tells us “It was for this freedom that Christ set us free [completely liberating us]; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery [which you once removed].”
John 8:32 says “And you will know the truth [regarding salvation], and the truth will set you free [from the penalty of sin].”
We are called to WALK in that freedom! If we don’t walk in that freedom, we are basically telling God that THE SACRAFICE OF HIS SON WAS NOT RELEVANT TO US!! THINK ABOUT THAT! It means HE DIED FOR NOTHING if we do not WALK IN THAT FREEDOM HE BOUGHT FOR US!! And we WILL talk more about FEAR in an upcoming week because so many of us still suffer from FEAR. It’s NOTHING to be ashamed of. The enemy WANTS us to live in fear, but we, KNOWING WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST, do NOT NEED to walk in the BONDAGE of fear!! I’ll touch more on that later.
WE HAVE BEEN SET FREE FOR A PURPOSE!!
PURPOSE: (I also encourage you to join Miranda on Tuesday evening for the “How to Discover Your True Calling bible study to for a deeper study on your purpose and call on your life... YOUR PURPOSE.)
Proverbs 16:4 says “The Lord has made everything for its own purpose...”
Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many plans are in a man’s mind,
But it is the Lord’s purpose for him that will stand (be carried out).”
TPT says it this way, “A person may have many ideas concerning God’s plan for his life, but only the design of God’s purpose will succeed in the end.”
God takes EVERYTHING we have been through, every trial, every battle, every hurt, every tear, every wound, every scar and He works them for OUR GOOD and for HIS GLORY.
Romans 8:28 promises us this, “And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.”
TPT says it this way, “So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together for good, for we are lovers who have been called to fulfill HIS designed purpose.”
YOU, my friends, are designed for a PURPOSE, a GOOD PURPOSE. You are not random. You are ASSIGNED.
Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].”
TPT explains it this way, “We have become His poetry, a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny He has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny, and the good works wen would do to fulfill it!”
Isaish 14:24 says, “The Lord of hosts has sworn [an oath], saying, “Just as I have intended, so it has certainly happened, and just as I have planned, so it will stand—”
TPT says it this way, “The Lord YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, makes this solemn decree: “Be sure of this: Just as I planned, so it will be. Every purpose of my heart will surely come to pass.”
1 John 2:27 says, “As for you, the anointing [the special gift, the preparation] which you received from Him remains [permanently] in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But just as His anointing teaches you [giving you insight through the presence of the Holy Spirit] about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as His anointing has taught you, [a]you must remain in Him [being rooted in Him, knit to Him].”
KNIT TO HIM. Stay KNIT to Him and ABIDE in His love, and in His calling on your life. His plan, the “purpose of His heart will surely come to pass.”
Love and Acceptance:
God's great love for you is the reason you are called His daughter, granting you worth and acceptance.
WE WILL CONTINUE THIS PART NEXT WEEK!!!
CLOSING:
John 6:44 says, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him [giving him the desire to come to Me]; and I will raise him up [from the dead] on the last day.” - AMP
TPT says, “The only way people come to me is by the Father who sent me – He pulls on their hearts to embrace me. And those who are drawn to Me, I will certainly raise them up in the last day.”
That is our NUMBER ONE PURPOSE, to be drawn to Jesus and embrace Him.
Coming into the fullness of who we are isn’t just for us. There are generations connected to us walking boldly into the call of who we are and what that calling produces.
Q. Are you seeing how weighty your identity is?
The best way we can honor the work we’ve done, and have a lifetime to do, is to remain hungry for who you’re becoming! Remember: Telling the world who you are isn’t for public approval or fanfare, it’s your response and commitment to God’s plan for your life.
Discussion Questions:
What does it mean to you personally to be created in God’s image?
In what ways has the world, culture, or your past experiences tried to distort your identity?
How does hearing these truths change the perspective you once had about your identity?
What practical steps can you take each day to remind yourself of who you are in Christ? (Examples: speaking affirmations from Scripture, journaling, surrounding yourself with truth-filled community, prayer.)
This week, reflect on this truth:
“ALL of me is called. ALL of me is equipped. ALL of me is exactly who You chose. And I will live as her fully, wholly, and completely. Today, Father, I reclaim who I am in Christ.”
Hold onto that declaration. Speak it when doubt creeps in. Pray it when lies whisper otherwise. Journal it until it takes root in your heart.
Closing Prayer:
“Father, thank You for creating me in Your image. Thank You that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Help me to see myself the way You see me — whole, loved, and chosen. Strip away every false label and heal the broken places of my identity.
Father, I am thankful for the space to be with you in pursuit of the best version of me. Thank you for setting me in the beauty and wonder of my own uniqueness, gifts, and special offerings to the world. Thank you for giving me the language and the tools to l earn who that is and the desire to harness her unapologetically. I am honored to be called. Grateful to be seen. Energized by the limitless ways that You will use me i n the time and space that YOU have called me into. There is a journey that Heaven is backing, and I can rest in that while You lead me in the way that I am to work toward it. ALL of me is called. ALL of me is equipped. ALL of me is exactly who You chose. And I will live as her fully, wholly, and completely. Amen