How To Know You Are Living Authentically.

Estimated reading time: 17 minutes

Living Authentically is one of those terms that people always talk about a lot. Everyone claims to be authentic, but what does it really mean? And how can one claim to be authentic? And if one is not, how can one embrace it?

We can define authenticity as being true, willing to embrace your core values, and actually living up to them. In simple terms, when you purpose to live Authentically, you do not allow culture or your surrounding to define how you live your life. Rather, you allow your inner witness to define how you live your life. Living authentically means being true to your inner witness and being aligned with the Holy Spirit.

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As a Christian, living authentically means living from the place of knowing your identity in Christ and actually embracing who He says you are. When living authentically, you are living from a place of harmony with your true self, therefore peace becomes the norm of your life. Since you are no longer in conflict with yourself, you exude confidence and contentment. Have you desired to live an authentic life? Do you wish you could learn to embrace your core values instead of allowing other people to give you theirs? Have you always desired to know your identity in Christ? Then this word is for you today.

The importance of living authentically.

• You live in harmony with your inner witness and this translates to peace of mind and joy that comes from within
• When you embrace authenticity, you learn to be okay with vulnerability. This is because you are not afraid to express yourself for fear of judgment. Rather, you recognize that being in tune with your emotions can be a superpower, too.
• You recognize we are embracing authenticity makes you more sensitive to other people’s needs, and you are able to openly hear other people’s opinions and even appreciate them. You don’t necessarily have to agree with them because you recognize we are all different and that’s okay. Living Authentically helps you learn to embrace diversity.
• Living authentically helps you learn your identity and follow your core values, not allowing them to be shaken. This means that things like people pleasing and the fear of man will not be a struggle of yours.
• When you are living authentically, you also attract like-minded people and, in doing so, experience quality, meaningful relationships.
• When you are living authentically, you can identify your purpose, which brings meaning and fulfillment to your life. You find that you no longer focus on things that don’t serve your purpose rather, everything you do becomes intentionally done to achieve your goal, which is living in your purpose.
• Learning to say no comes from knowing who you are, which fuels authentic living.

Characteristics of a person living authentically.

• Empathetic people- they are not afraid to express themselves and this means that they have room for others in their life.
• They live from a place of knowing who they are and don’t allow other people to define them.
• They are not afraid of being alone. In fact, they embrace solitude because they know that’s how they can learn more about themselves.
• They have an intimate relationship with God because they understand it is when they are in a relationship with God that they can know who they really are. After all, He is the one who created them. Embrace their spirituality.
• They have mastered the art of saying no without feeling guilty and are not afraid of man. In fact, they do not live to please people.
• They have an idea of what their purpose is and live their lives intentionally aligned with their purpose.
• Authentic people understand the importance of quality friendships and don’t feel the need to do things just to please others. At the same time, they don’t mind being helpful to those in need.

How, then, can one embrace authenticity? Practical ways to living authentically.

Knowing your identity.

Everything stems from understanding your identity. The truth of the matter is that you can never really live authentically until you learn your identity. And as Christians, it is important to understand that you can only find your identity in Christ. He is the one who can help you know your core values. Do you know who you are?

When God created you, He placed inside you everything He wanted you to be, your personality, gifts, talents, etc. HE laid them all out. So for you to know who you are, understand who He is. Who is God? Do you know Him? Do you know His character? For you to know who God is you have to learn His ways and His character and a practical way to do that is through reading the Bible. The word contains the revelations of who God is. Granted, the Bible has not exhausted everything there is to know about God. But it contains enough for us to know God.

Every book in the Bible reveals an aspect of His character. He is just; He is faithful, kind, loving, patient, merciful, gracious, mighty, Sovereign, Creator, and friend. These are just examples of adjectives that describe Him and to get into the nitty-gritty of it all, you need to find scriptures that validate them.

As the Creator, we can see it in Genesis 2 when He created the earth. His faithfulness is revealed when He ensured that there will always be a ruler from the lineage of David even after Solomon sinned and the throne had to be taken away from Him. God’s loving aspect is revealed when He so lovingly sent His Son to die for us and reconcile us to Him. His mercy is clear because He always forgave the Israelites when they sinned and His anger never lasted forever.

As you can see, these are just some examples, and as you know God is no respecter of persons. What He did for others He can do for you too. Knowing God’s character will help you learn to trust Him, and it is through trust that you can embrace your identity in Him. As you learn more about God and His character through the word, your identity is revealed.

It is in His word that you learn you are a child of God; you are royalty, a Co-heir with Jesus, and most importantly, the righteousness of God. It is through these revelations that the confidence in who you rises because you recognize you don’t need other people’s validation because His validation is enough.

Scriptures that talk about your identity.

• 2 Corinthians 5:17- Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

• Jeremiah 1:5- “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

• 1 Peter 2:9– But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

• 1 Corinthians 1:30- And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

• 1 Corinthians 6:17- But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

• 1 John 3:1- See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

• 1 Peter 3:15- But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.

• 1 Samuel 12:22– For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself.

• 1 Samuel 16:7– But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

• Colossians 1:27– To them, God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

• Colossians 2:10- And you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

• Colossians 3:12– Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

• Ephesians 1:11- In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.

• Ephesians 1:13- In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

• Ephesians 1:3- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

• Ephesians 1:4- Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love.

• Ephesians 1:5- He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.

• Ephesians 1:7- In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.

• Ephesians 2:10– For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

• Ephesians 2:19– So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

• Ephesians 2:6- And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

• Ephesians 2:8- For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.

• Ephesians 3:12– In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

Having a relationship with the Holy Spirit helps you live authentically

Having a relationship with the HOLY Spirit is also another way that your identity in Christ is revealed. The Holy Spirit is your helper and will always speak to your inner witness to reveal your identity.

The mature children of God are those who are moved by the impulses of the Holy Spirit. And you did not receive the “spirit of religious duty,” leading you back into the fear of never being good enough. But you have received the “Spirit of full acceptance,” enfolding you into the family of God. And you will never feel orphaned, for as he rises up within us, our spirits join him in saying the words of tender affection, “Beloved Father!”

For the Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as he whispers into our innermost being, “You are God’s beloved child!” And since we are his true children, we qualify to share all his treasures, for indeed, we are heirs of God himself. And since we are joined to Christ, we also inherit all that he is and all that he has. We will experience being co-glorified with him provided that we accept his sufferings as our own. Romans 8:14‭-‬17 TPT

As you can see from the scripture above, the Holy Spirit will always reveal to us who we really are. And as long as we are in a relationship with Him and follow His leading, He will always remind us of our identity. Jesus knew that we would not survive this world without the help of the Holy Spirit. This is because we would be like sheep without a shepherd. So His sending us the Holy Spirit was His gift of reminding us that we are never alone. The Holy Spirit wants you to live authentically more than you even want to yourself. Therefore, enlisting His help should be something you aim to do daily. He is waiting for you to ask Him, so do it.

Solitude

Solitude is another way we can learn who we are. It is in the silence that our true being arises. When you practice the stillness of the mind, you give room for your inner witness to speak. And this helps you understand your core values. In turn, this gives you the ability to live authentically.

How to embrace solitude.

To embrace solitude, you require silence. This simply means quieting all the external noise. It can be as simple as switching off your phone and going to a quiet place. This could mean picking a time when there is minimum noise. Whatever the case may be silence is very important when you are looking to embrace solitude. External noise acts as a distraction to not hear your voice and your soul.

Once you have silenced the external noise, the next thing to do is to quiet your soul. The thing about silence is that it gives room for all the junk in your mind and soul to come out. Have you noticed that whenever you are in a silent place All the Things You Are yet to do or all the emotions you are yet to process suddenly emerge?. This is because silence gives room to all the unresolved things to emerge. The thing to do in this situation is to take a pen and paper and write down all the things that are on your mind. In so doing you eliminate the junk and give room to your inner witness to speak.

It is in silence that you will discover your passion, likes, dislikes, and your purpose. Allow your mind to wander as you think about your life and what you really want. Write everything that pops in your mind. Some things may seem foreign to you. Lean in and write them down. As you do so, you will discover things about yourself you did not know. God says that He formed you. This means that He is the one who put these desires inside you, to begin with. The truth of the matter is that you were created to be a solution on the earth. And that is why living authentically is very important. It is when you live authentically that you can actually be effective in the world.

After that, the next thing is to pray and worship. As you are worshipping, your inner senses become activated and your spirit comes alive. As you do that, invite the Holy Spirit to fill you. And reveal to you what He wants you to know. The Holy Spirit will reveal to you your core values, which are essential to living authentically. Always remember that the only way the Holy Spirit will reveal to you your core values is if you spend time with the word. The work of the Holy Spirit is to reveal Jesus to you. And He can only do that if you know the word to begin with.

Journaling

Journaling is essential in your living authentically journey. After all, how are you able to know who you really are if you don’t engage with your thoughts? You know the Holy Spirit will always speak to your inner witness, as it is your spirit that connects with the Holy Spirit. And the more you journal, the more you will get revelations of who you are. One key point to remember is that always write everything down. It might not make sense now. But as you make it a habit to write things down, you will see their value as you go along.

Let me give you an example. You could feel like God is telling you that you will be a Christian coach, but at the moment, you are in the engineering field. And maybe don’t feel you are qualified for the role. Writing it down will help you keep circling back to it. Often when God is redirecting us, He will take us on paths that are not only unexpected but different from what we are currently doing.

Writing it down serves as a way of warming you up to the idea. And as the months unfold, God will start leading you in directions that will help you realize you had it in you. Your Purpose will start unfolding, you will find God giving you ideas on how to go along. He might even ask you to take a course or just watch videos on YouTube that will bring that purpose alive. And soon you will see the possibility of you being a Christian coach. One thing about God is that He will always lead you to your true purpose. And it is in your purpose that your authenticity thrives the most.

Replacing the old with the new.

As you embrace your new journey of living authentically, let go of the old mindset. One way you will need to do that is by letting go of the status quo and people-pleasing. You do not need to fear what people will think. God is the one who validates you and you don’t need to allow other people to define you. When people define you, you give them room to dictate how you should live your life and if you want to do that the best way is to dissociate from the status quo.

God did not create you to be a photocopy. He created you as a unique creation, embodying an aspect of Him that is unique to Him and you. That is why He created you in His own image. That is also the reason we each have unique fingerprints. It is God’s way of telling us He embraces diversity and we should embrace it too. So let go of the need to fit in and be comfortable standing out. Living in your purpose will require you to be comfortable forging your own path with God.

Don’t be afraid to be different. And if the surrounding people don’t understand, let them be. God will bring people your way who will understand the value of diversity and inclusivity. Stop following the culture and instead follow what God says.

Having mentors will help you in your journey of living authentically.

In your journey of living authentically, having mentors will be vital to your success. These mentors will help you stay on track and keep you in check when you err. They will act as your accountability partners. In choosing your mentors, ask the Holy Spirit to give you the gift of discernment to help you make the right choice. You need to have people who will speak life over you and will help guide you on the right path. Always remember that God’s ways are sometimes unorthodox, and that is okay. So you need people who will be sensitive enough to know when God is moving in a way they have never seen before. Have mentors who you can listen to as well.

• EMBRACE THE NEW PATH: LET GO OF THE OLD.
• WHY ARE WE AFRAID TO BE OUR REAL SELVES?
• PEOPLE PLEASING AND HOW TO GET OUT OF IT.
• PRACTICAL KEYS TO EMBRACE SOLITUDE AND ITS IMPORTANCE.
• DO YOU KNOW YOUR IDENTITY? (FIND YOUR IDENTITY!)

Conclusion

Knowing who you are is not enough, it is important for you to embrace your new identity. Now walk in the identity God created you to be and don’t be afraid to embrace your new identity. Remember, you are an ambassador of Jesus and for you to reflect Him effectively, you will need to be your authentic self. It is time for you to let go of who you think you should be so that you can embrace who God called you to be.

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