"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it." Revelation 2:17

All throughout Scripture, when God called someone into a new destiny, He gave them a new name. A name wasn't merely a label -- it was an identity, a calling, a destiny spoken into being by the mouth of God Himself. When the Almighty changes a name, He is not describing who you were -- He is declaring who you are in Him. Abram became Abraham -- exalted father became "father of many nations." Sarai became Sarah -- barren became "mother of nations." Jacob became Israel -- deceiver became "one who prevails with God." Each new name carried divine purpose and heavenly authority. It was God's way of rewriting a person's story, breaking the identity of the past, and revealing their destiny in the Kingdom. And beloved, the God who renamed them also renames you. In Jesus, you are no longer called by the names your past gave you -- sinner, broken, rejected, unworthy, forgotten. Heaven calls you by a name that reflects who you are in Christ, not who you were in Adam. God does not speak to your failures; He speaks to your future. Revelation 2:17 unveils this mystery: "To the one who overcomes... I will give a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it." Think of this -- heaven has a name for you that no one else knows. A name whispered from the heart of God, spoken in love, tailored to your identity, your calling, your story. A name that only your Father can give. A name that carries your destiny. Jesus Himself promised that His sheep would be called by name. "He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out" (John 10:3). He does not lead you with labels -- He leads you with identity. The world may call you one thing, but the Shepherd calls you by the name heaven has written over your life. In Jesus you have been given names that reflect your true nature: Chosen. Redeemed. Beloved. Son. Daughter. Priest. Overcomer. Bride. But these are only the beginning. Above all of them, the Father has spoken something personal, unique, eternal -- a name no one else knows but you and Him. This name carries your identity, your purpose, your calling. It breaks the power of every false name spoken over you -- every insult, every wound, every lie the enemy ever used to shape your identity. The new name God gives is not earned -- it is received. It is the fruit of intimacy, identity, and transformation. As you walk with Him, the more clearly you hear it. The closer you draw, the more deeply it shapes you. Heaven's name over you is stronger than every label the world has tried to place on you. It is louder than the voice of shame, bolder than the wounds of your past, and more enduring than any earthly identity. Brothers & Sisters, lift your heart today and ask the Father to speak His name over you. Silence the voices of the past, the accusations of the enemy, and the labels of men. Listen for the whisper of heaven -- the name spoken from the throne, the name written on the white stone, the name that reveals who you are in Him. You are not who you were. You are who He says you are. You carry a new identity, a new destiny, a new name. Let heaven's declaration define you -- for the Father has named you, and His word is final. A NEW NAME: IDENTITY DEFINED BY GOD'S DECLARATION!

"For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building." 1 Corinthians 3:9

From the very beginning, God’s intention for humanity was not simply to live before Him, but to work with Him. In Genesis, before sin ever touched the world, the Lord placed Adam in the garden “to tend it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). This was not a curse or a burden — it was a sacred partnership. God formed the garden, but He entrusted its cultivation to man. From the start, heaven and earth were designed to operate together, united in purpose, reflecting divine collaboration rather than human independence. This reveals something profound about your identity: you were created to co-labor with God. You were crafted to steward what He creates, cultivate what He plants, expand what He initiates, and manifest what He desires. The very first commission ever given to humanity was not to rest, nor to escape responsibility, but to join God in His work and extend His order across creation. Partnership wasn’t added later — it was built into your design. And even when the fall fractured humanity’s ability to steward creation, the design itself was never lost. In Jesus, it has been fully restored. Paul declares this stunning reality: “We are God’s fellow workers” (1 Corinthians 3:9). Not spectators on the sidelines. Not passive observers. Not servants who only obey commands. Fellow workers — partners in the Father’s business, sons and daughters trusted with Kingdom responsibility. Salvation did not rescue you from purpose; it restored you to purpose. The cross didn’t remove your calling; it redeemed it. The Spirit wasn’t given so you could stand still; He was given so you could co-labor with heaven on earth. Just as Adam was entrusted with a garden, you have been entrusted with a field — the field of your calling, your influence, your relationships, your gifts, your assignments, your ministry, and the sphere of authority God has given you. Stewardship was humanity’s first mandate in Genesis, and in Messiah it becomes the first expression of your true identity. What God entrusts to you, heaven expects you to cultivate. What He places in your hands, He intends to multiply. What He plants in your heart, He desires to see bear fruit. To co-labor with God means you are carrying His heart into the world, working with His strength rather than your own, building what He initiates, planting what He provides, watering what He entrusts, and harvesting what He brings to maturity. Every step, every assignment, every act of obedience is divine partnership in motion. Your stewardship today is preparation for your stewardship in eternity. Jesus said, “You have been faithful over a few things; I will make you ruler over many” (Matthew 25:21). Earthly faithfulness becomes heavenly authority. Co-laboring now becomes co-reigning later. You tend fields in this age so you can receive kingdoms in the next. You are not called to wander aimlessly through this world. Rather, you are partnering with the Creator of the universe. Heaven does not see you as weak, insignificant, or incapable. Heaven sees you as a trusted steward of divine assignments — one worthy of receiving tasks that carry eternal weight. God does not need you to accomplish His will — yet He chooses to accomplish His purposes through you. This is an honor beyond comprehension: the God who spoke galaxies into existence calls you His co-worker. And you do not labor alone. The Spirit empowers you from within, the Son works through you, and the Father guides you alongside His own purposes. Your labor is not striving — it is synergy. It is a divine partnership unfolding in real time. You carry heaven’s resources, heaven’s authority, and heaven’s mandate into every task you undertake. Brothers & Sisters, rise and take your place in the story God is writing. Lift your head and recognize that you are entrusted, empowered, and anointed to build with Him. Do not minimize the field God has given you, and do not bury the gifts He has planted within you. Everything He entrusts to you carries eternal purpose and Kingdom significance. Work with heaven’s strength, steward with heaven’s wisdom, labor with heaven’s love, and build with heaven’s authority. CO-LABOURERS WTH GOD - IDENTITY IN DIVINE PARTNERSHIP!

"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3

One of the most powerful truths of the gospel is this: when you came to Jesus, God didn’t upgrade your old life — He ended it. Salvation is not renovation; it is resurrection. Your old identity didn’t get repaired — it got crucified. Scripture declares, “If anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This is not a metaphor — it is heaven’s legal record of your life. The day you believed, the old you died. Your past was buried with Messiah, and your new identity was raised with Him. “For you died, and your life is hidden with Messiah in God” (Colossians 3:3). You didn’t just receive forgiveness — you received a completely new nature, born from resurrection life, not from your past story. Your heavenly identity is no longer tied to old wounds, old patterns, old labels, or old failures. Those belonged to a version of you that no longer exists. The enemy can only whisper to the corpse of your old self — but heaven speaks to the new creation you have become. The accuser calls from the grave; the Spirit calls from the empty tomb. To walk as a new creation is to stop digging up what God buried. You cannot carry grave clothes while trying to live in resurrection life. The renewed mind doesn’t try to fix the old man — it awakens to the new one. “It is no longer I who live, but Messiah lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). Your identity is now found in His life, His Spirit, His power, His righteousness. Heaven sees Christ in you — and sees you in Christ. You are not a sinner trying to be righteous — you are the righteousness of God learning how to walk. You are not a prisoner trying to escape — you are the free learning how to live free. You are not an orphan searching for home — you are a son or daughter discovering your inheritance. You are not the old creation striving into the new — you are the new creation shedding the memory of the old. Your identity is not the sum of your past — it is the fruit of His resurrection. You are new because He is new. You live because He lives in you. You are whole because He has restored you. Heaven does not see you as improving — heaven sees you as reborn. Brothers & Sisters, stop wrestling with a ghost — the old you is gone. Step out of the graveyard of who you once were and into the resurrection life you have been made new to walk in. Let the Spirit renew your mind until every thought, every word, and every step flows from the truth of who you are in Him. So rise and walk in resurrection life — alive with His power, clothed in His righteousness, and radiant with His image. The old has passed away, the new has come, and heaven rejoices over the new creation you have become in Him. THE NEW CREATION: IDENTITY BEYOND THE OLD SELF!

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him." 1 John 3:1

One of the most neglected truths in the Body of Messiah is also one of the most transformative: You are the Father’s delight. Not His burden, not His disappointment, not His afterthought -- His delight. Identity does not begin with what you do for God; it begins with how God feels about you. Before you lifted a hand in worship, prayed your first prayer, or took your first breath, the Father loved you with an everlasting love. His delight in you is not based on your performance but on your position in His Son. At Jesus’s baptism, before He healed a single person, preached a single sermon, or performed a single miracle, heaven opened and the voice of the Father thundered: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) Notice this divine pattern: Identity first, assignment second. Belovedness first, ministry second. Delight first, destiny second. The Father speaks the same identity over you. Because you are in Jesus, the words spoken over Him are now spoken over you. Heaven’s declaration over your life is not, “Do better.” It is: “You are My beloved child, and My delight is in you.” Many believers live their entire lives trying to earn what God has already given -- love, approval, acceptance. But you cannot earn what was freely bestowed before your beginning. You didn’t enter God’s love through your behavior; you entered through your birth -- your spiritual birth into His family. Identity rooted in love is unshakable. It silences shame, heals wounds, and crushes the orphan spirit. When you know the Father delights in you, fear loses its voice, striving loses its grip, and insecurity loses its power. You no longer live to be loved -- you live from love. You no longer fight for approval -- you move from approval. This love is not fragile or fleeting. It is eternal, unchanging, anchored in the very nature of God. "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" (1 John 3:1). The Father doesn’t love you minimally -- He lavishes love upon you. He pours it out in abundance. His pleasure rests on you, not reluctantly, but joyfully. The Father’s heart is not distant or guarded. He rejoices over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). He has engraved your name on the palm of His hands (Isaiah 49:16). He numbers every hair on your head (Luke 12:7). His thoughts toward you outnumber the grains of sand (Psalm 139:17–18). You are not merely accepted -- you are celebrated. And when the Father delights in you, He speaks blessing over you. In Jewish tradition, fathers bless their children weekly -- not based on behavior, but identity. The heavenly Father does the same. He speaks life over your destiny, affirmation over your identity, and joy over your future. The enemy attacks where identity is unclear because he knows that a son or daughter convinced of the Father’s love is unstoppable. You will never walk in your full identity until you know the Father’s heart for you. You will never walk in confidence until you know you are cherished. And you will never walk in freedom until you receive the love that sets you free. Brothers & Sisters, let the striving cease. Let the fear dissolve. Let the orphan spirit be silenced. You are not fighting for a place in the Father’s heart—you already have one. Stop measuring His love through your failures and start receiving it through His faithfulness. Lift your eyes and let His delight wash over you until every lie of unworthiness breaks. You are His beloved child. You are His delight. You are His joy. Rest in the embrace of the Father who loved you first, loves you now, and will love you forever. Let His delight define your identity -- because the One who formed you has called you His own. THE FATHER'S DELIGHT: IDENTITY ROOTED IN HIS LOVE!

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." Philippians 3:20-21

When you came to Jesus, everything about your identity shifted -- even your citizenship. You may still walk upon earthly soil, but heaven has become your true homeland. Paul reveals this profound reality when he writes, “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Messiah” (Philippians 3:20). This is not poetic language; it is a legal and spiritual identity. The limitations, systems, or identity markers of this world no longer define you. You belong to another Kingdom -- a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, governed by a King who cannot be dethroned, and marked by a glory that cannot fade. Heaven is not simply your future destination; it is your present identity in Messiah. You were born from above, sealed by heaven, filled with heaven’s Spirit, and assigned heaven’s purpose. You carry the DNA of the Kingdom. You operate under its authority. This means you live differently because you see differently. While earth reacts, heaven rules. While earth fears, heaven trusts. While earth clings, heaven releases. While earth fights for position, heaven walks in purpose. While earth seeks recognition, heaven rests in identity. When the reality of your heavenly citizenship truly takes hold, everything begins to shift. You stop striving for human approval and begin walking in divine assignment. You stop being shaped by culture and instead become one who shapes culture. You stop interpreting your life through the pressure of earthly circumstances and start seeing from the perspective of heaven. As Paul exhorts, "Set your minds on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Messiah in God" (Colossians 3:2–3). To live as a citizen of heaven means your viewpoint rises to where your spirit already sits -- with Him in heavenly places. You no longer view life from the valley but from the throne room. You no longer interpret identity through adversity but interpret adversity through identity. As citizens of heaven, we are also ambassadors of heaven on earth -- representatives of divine justice, peace, authority, and reconciliation. Heaven has assigned you to reveal its values, express its culture, carry its power, and demonstrate its heart. This world does not shape you; you are sent into it with the culture of another Kingdom. And as a citizen of heaven, you live under heaven’s protection. Earthly kingdoms may rise and fall, but your citizenship is eternal. Earthly identities may shift and change, but your heavenly identity is immovable. Earthly nations may be shaken, but the Kingdom you belong to stands forever. This world is not your home; it is your assignment. Your loyalty is to your King. Your identity flows from above, not below. Your destiny is shaped by eternity, not time. Brothers & Sisters, lift your eyes and live from where you truly belong. Once you realize that you are a spiritual being having an earthly experience — not an earthly being trying to reach heaven — everything changes. You begin to live as a heavenly citizen with a divine purpose for this brief and temporal world. Let heaven define your priorities, decisions, values, and vision. Do not let the noise of this world drown out the voice of your King. Walk with the dignity of one who belongs to a royal Kingdom; speak with the authority of heaven’s ambassador; live with the purity of one set apart; and move with the confidence of one protected by His reign. You are not simply journeying toward heaven — you already belong to it. So live as a citizen of the Kingdom that cannot be shaken, for the King Himself lives within you. CITIZENS OF HEAVEN: LIVING FROM A HIGHER KINGDOM!

"Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." Luke 10:19-20

When you were born into the Kingdom of God, you were not placed into a position of spiritual survival — you were placed into a position of spiritual authority. Jesus didn’t merely save you from darkness; He empowered you to overcome it. Your identity in Messiah includes not only love, adoption, and righteousness, but also kingdom authority to tread on the powers that once tried to destroy you. Jesus declared this authority plainly: “Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19). Authority is not a feeling — it is a position. It is not something you earn — it is something you receive. It flows from who you are in Him, not from what you do for Him. Heaven sees you seated with Messiah in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). From that position, all forces of darkness are under your feet because they are under His feet — and you are in Him. This is why you do not fight for victory; you fight from victory. You do not strive to overcome; you stand in the One who already has. Many believers walk in fear because they do not understand the authority they carry. The enemy knows what you have been given — he only hopes you do not. But the moment a son or daughter of God recognizes their authority, hell trembles. When you speak in the name of Jesus, demons must flee. When you resist the devil, he must run. When you stand in faith, darkness loses its grip. You are not a victim of spiritual warfare — you are equipped for it. The same Spirit that empowered Jesus in the wilderness now empowers you. The same authority that silenced demons, healed the sick, and crushed the works of darkness is the authority placed upon your life. For Scripture says, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). But kingdom authority is not harsh or arrogant — it is rooted in identity, steeped in intimacy, and expressed through love. Kings rule; priests intercede — and you are both. You carry the authority of a king and the heart of a priest. Authority without intimacy becomes cold; intimacy without authority becomes timid. In Messiah, you are called to walk in both — the tenderness of the priest and the boldness of the king. When you speak forgiveness, the shackles of guilt break. When you speak truth, deception is shattered. When you speak life, death loses its voice. When you speak the Word, darkness bows. And you do not fight alone — heaven fights with you. The Captain of the Lord’s host stands behind your decree. Angels are sent forth on assignment when you pray according to His will. You are not swinging earthly weapons — you are wielding heavenly authority. Authority is not the absence of battle — it is the guarantee of victory. The enemy will challenge you, but he cannot defeat the One who lives within you. You carry the name above every name, the blood that silences accusation, and the Spirit who cannot be overcome. Brothers & Sisters, rise up in the authority given to you by your King. Do not shrink back when darkness presses — advance in the power of the Spirit. Speak the Word. Stand your ground. Take dominion over every lie, every attack, and every shadow. KINGDOM AUTHORITY: POWE TO OVERCOME DARKNESS!

"The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation." Exodus 34:6-7

When Israel fell at Sinai with the golden calf, it could have marked the end of their story. But instead, God called Moses back up the mountain for another forty days. According to Jewish tradition, this second ascent began on the first day of Elul. For forty days and nights, Moses interceded for a rebellious people, pleading for mercy and the renewal of the covenant. During this time, God revealed Himself in a new way. He passed before Moses and proclaimed His Name: "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin..." (Exodus 34:6-7). When God revealed Himself and His attributes to Moses, it shattered the common picture many hold of the “God of the Old Testament” — a stern, vengeful, and ready-to-destroy deity, far from it. What He revealed was mercy, grace, patience, steadfast love, and forgiveness. This was more than words; it was God unveiling His very character. And this revelation became the heartbeat of Elul. That is why Elul is remembered as a season of teshuvah — return. Each of the forty days is a step deeper into repentance, mercy, and intimacy, culminating in Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement. Kippur means "covering," the reminder that in His mercy, you are not exposed but covered by Him. The forty days of Moses point us forward to the Messiah. Just as Moses stood on the mountain interceding for Israel, Jesus now intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father (Romans 8:34). Elul is not only about our repentance; it is about His unceasing mercy and His covenant love that does not let go. Brothers & Sisters, the shofar blast in Elul is the sound of mercy — the voice of a God who proclaims Himself merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and forgiveness. Each blast is His invitation: “Return to Me — My mercy is greater than your failure, My love deeper than your shame, My covenant still stands.” The King is in the field, near and compassionate, extending His hand. Do not waste this season — every day is an open door to mercy, every moment a chance to be restored. The shofar is sounding — the God of mercy is calling you now. THE FORTY DAYS OFMERCY!