Becoming Before Receiving: The Lie of a Fixed Identity

In my recent 3-day Activation Challenge I spoke to the group about “You have to become the person who can have the thing you want, before you have it.”

It’s a concept often labeled “manifesting” in the secular world, but as believers, let’s call it what it truly is: identity alignment with divine purpose.

Most people are trying to get what they want while still being who they’ve always been. I've been there for most of my life. And it's pretty safe to say, it doesn't work. And you really don't have to take my word for it, just look around you and you will see more evidence that this approach doesn't work.

Neuroscience Says: Your Identity Shapes Your Reality

Neuroscience confirms this principle. Your brain is constantly scanning your environment for things that match your identity. Your thoughts, emotional patterns, and internal identity literally wire your brain and set your perception filters (via the Reticular Activating System and neuroplasticity).

If you believe you're always going to struggle financially, your brain will literally ignore opportunities, ideas and insights that would prove otherwise.

If you believe you're not good enough to run a successful business, guess what? Your brain will filter and interpret your environment in ways that confirm that belief. You won’t see the open door. You’ll "self-sabotage" every step of the way without even realizing it. You’ll retreat when the opportunity comes. Why?

Because you’re not yet the person who can receive it.

Your outer world reflects your inner world.

This is why people go through a program or get a promotion, or even win the lottery and end up in the same cycles. Their external changed, but their identity didn’t.

But if you shift your identity, your brain follows.

Your emotions follow.

Your habits follow.

Your outcomes follow.

This is how transformation actually works - from the inside out.

The Lie of a Fixed Identity

For many years the world system and let’s be honest, the enemy, has been preaching a dangerous message:

“You are who you are. You can’t really change. Even if you try, it’ll take forever.”

I still hear a lot of people using this phrase:

"This is how God made me, and this is who I am."

This is great confidence if you know who you are in God. But a terrible declaration if you're only using it to justify poor behavior. That statement, convinces people to settle. To shrink. To stay small in the name of "being real."

It's a lie straight from the pits of hell. Because if the devil can keep you locked into your old identity, he can keep you out of the new name God wants to give you. And if he can keep you from your new identity, he can keep you from the promise attached to it.

Abraham and Sarah: A Divine Identity Upgrade

Let’s go back to one of the most powerful identity shifts in the Bible.

Abram and Sarai were faithful, obedient followers of God. God had promised them a son. Not just a son, but they would be the beginning of a nation. That kings and nations would from from them.

But the promise wasn't coming. Years went by. Still no child. Still no fulfillment.

Then something interesting happened. Before the promise was fulfilled, God changed their names.

Why?

Because Abram (exalted father) could believe for a household, but Abraham (father of many nations) had to believe for generations.

Sarai (“my princess”) carried a personal identity, perhaps good for her household, but Sarah (“princess to nations”) had to mother kings.

God changed their names as a prophetic act, but also as a neural and spiritual reprogramming. Their identity was upgraded to match the magnitude of the promise. They first had to become a couple that could father and mother nations, before God let the promise come to pass.

God didn’t speak to the old names anymore. He called forth who they were becoming.

And every time Abraham or Sarah heard their names, their new identity was spoken into existence and engrained into their neural programming. They had to become the people who could carry that promise, before they could receive it.

What Names Represent in the Bible

In the Old Testament, names were more than labels. They carried meaning, character, and calling.

To change a name was to declare a new identity and destiny.

When God changed Abram to Abraham, He was doing more than adding a syllable. He was putting divine breath into his future. That “H” sound added to both names in Hebrew represents breath, the same breath that hovered over the waters in creation.

In essence, God was breathing into their identity so they could step into a new reality.

They couldn’t receive the promise while still seeing themselves through the old lens.

Excellence vs Precision

In Christian circles, we talk a lot about excellence. Doing things well. Giving your best. Operating in integrity and diligence.

And that’s important.
But I believe the Spirit is emphasizing a different word in this season: precision.

Excellence focuses on quality.
Precision focuses on alignment.

• Am I doing the exact thing God has told me to do?

• Am I showing up in the identity He sees, even if I don’t feel like I’m there yet?

• Am I aligning my thoughts, emotions, actions, and identity with the new name He’s given me?

Abraham and Sarah weren’t “excellent” parents when they got their new names. They were still barren. Still waiting.

But they stepped into the precision of their new names and that act of obedience aligned them with the fulfillment of the promise.

The Real Spiritual Battle

This is the battle many of us are fighting right now.

It’s not the battle of getting more information, doing more things, or performing better.
It’s the battle of becoming.

Of breaking free from the old identity.

Of rejecting the lies that say:

• “You’ll always struggle.”

• “You’re not smart enough.”

• “You’re too late.”

• “People like you don’t succeed.”

The enemy doesn’t fear your goals.
He fears your identity shift.

Because once you become who God has called you to be, the promise has no choice but to show up.

Who Are You Becoming?

You don’t have to fake it. You don’t have to perform.
But you do have to agree with heaven about who you are.

That means:

• Thinking differently

• Speaking differently

• Planning differently

• Walking differently

Before Abraham held Isaac, he had to become Abraham.
Before Sarah birthed nations, she had to become Sarah.

So I’ll leave you with this question:

What’s the promise you’re waiting on… and who do you need to become to have it?

Because identity always comes before increase.
The name always shifts before the promise unfolds.

And your new name? It’s already written in heaven.

Final Thoughts

Don’t let the world, self-help, or “manifesting” steal this truth from you. The world may have language for it, but God originated it.

And He is still in the business of giving new names to those who dare to believe.

So the real question is:

👉 Who do you need to become so that the promise has a place to land?

Petrolene

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P.S. You might be thinking, Okay, I get it, but how do I actually become that person? Where do I even start?” That’s exactly why I created a quick, powerful questionnaire to help you discover what kind of business person you are and where you are in your growth journey. Once you know where you're starting from, you’ll have clarity on the steps to take next. Take the free quiz and unlock the path to the version of you that can carry the promise.