Have you ever had someone say to you: Show me who you are?
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “When someone shows you who they really are, believe them.” I had a friend who used to say that all the time to remind herself that some of the people she had been associated with in the past were not a good influence on her. She had been fooled by their attractive personality and the smooth words they spoke. But their actions, the way they actually treated he, were harmful and even abusive.
It took her years to break away from what she later told me was almost a hypnotic hold one person in particular had on her. But when she finally admitted to herself that the relationship had been harmful, she realized she had not paid enough attention to the warning signs from the very first time she met this person.
He had shown her exactly the kind of person he was by his narcissism and the way he disrespected her. But she was attracted to his façade of self-confidence and his good looks. And she told me that for years she kept alive an impossible hope that he would love her for who she was. But it never happened.
With a lot of prayer and support, she finally broke free from this relationship and found a sense of freedom and dominion over her past. It was really a beautiful thing to witness.
Jesus warns us
Thinking about this recently I was reminded of what Jesus has to say about this sort of thing.
In the Sermon on the Mount, he warns his listeners to watch out for false prophets.
Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Matthew 7:15-20 NIV
Now this was specifically talking about false prophets in a religious sense, but it applies to anyone who deceives you to think they’re one thing, but they’re something else.
This last verse, “by their fruit you will recognize them” really says it all. How often do we judge people by so many other factors: their good looks, how much money they have, how smart they seem to be, how popular they are, how they speak so persuasively, and so many other things?
All these are external and may or may not be an accurate show of a person’s true character.
Good advice from Jesus
Jesus’s advice still rings true
Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly. John 7:24 NLT
If my friend had judged the person who abused her by the fruit of his actions, she never would have gotten involved with him after the first time they met.
But sometimes it’s hard to detect the real character, or fruit, of someone because they put up such a good façade. They hide behind lies and acting righteous in pubic but in private they are self-serving.
But there is a law of God at work in the universe called the law of the harvest. You reap what you sow. Jesus said this sort of thing will be exposed for what it is.
…for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. Matthew 10:26 KJV
And fortunately, this was eventually the case for my friend. She could see through the façade that t his fellow had put up.
God said: Show Me who you are
So let’s come back to this idea of a tree being known by its fruit.
We usually think of this in regard to how we interact with and evaluate people we come in contact with. But recently, during a pretty intense conversation I was having with God, He said to me very gently, but with a sense of urgency: Show Me who you are.
I had been praying to acknowledge God in all His glory and myself as His image and likeness. It was an earnest, heartfelt prayer and I was deeply inspired by seeing and accepting my spiritual relationship with God as a holy thing.
When God said to me: Show Me who you are, I wasn’t quite sure what it meant. My first response was, “God, You already know me. You already know who and what I am. Why do You need me to show You who I am?”
When God speaks, ponder His words deeply
But the more I pondered this message, I realized God was really saying to me that I need to prove to myself who I am as His image and likeness, to stand up and be that in my daily life. I had been praying the prayer of affirmation that I was made in God’s image and likeness, that I was whole, loving, pure, truthful, strong in faith and focused on things of the Spirit.
God was basically saying to me: Okay, that all sounds pretty good. I agree with all you’ve affirmed for yourself, but now you need to go out into the world and live your life that way. You have to love people in real time, the way you say you love them sitting in your prayer chair. You have to be strong in your faith when challenges come up during the day. It’s easy to have strong faith when you’re not facing any challenging situations. Show Me that you can put your faith into practice. Actually, I know you can do this. You really are doing this to show yourself.
God didn’t actually say all these things to me with those exact words, but that was really the spirit of what He said to me.
Recognition and approval by others isn’t enough
Sometimes in life, we try to impress others with how smart of capable we think we are. Or we think we have to prove to others that we’re smart and capable. We want recognition from others of our value.
One thing I realized from God telling me to show Him who I am was that I don’t need to prove my worth to anyone. I don’t need acceptance or approval from any person to appreciate and accept my value as a child of God.
God wants me to trust Him for all these things. My value is based on my relationship with God and my identity, how He made me, not all the outward surface things or the approval of others.
Since that morning, I have felt an increasing awareness that I am not living to impress anyone, or to get their approval. I would have said before this experience that I was already there, but I guess the difference is that I am more consciously realizing that I answer to God and God alone in the way I live my life. I have a direct relationship with God and there is nothing that gets between us.
Ask God to show you who He is
And it’s a two way relationship. If God can ask me to show Him who I am, then I can ask God to show me who He is. And I have done this many times. This happens in the Bible too.
Remember when Moses asked to see God’s glory?
Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” Exodus 33:18-23 NIV
I used to puzzle over the last part of this story. It almost sounds like God is some anthropomorphic being with a front and a back. What does it mean that we cannot see God’s face? Because, earlier in the same chapter, just before this experience, it says,
The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Exodus 33:11 NIV
So I was trying to sort all this out.
Seeing the results of God’s presence
When God says Moses can only see His back, could it mean that we see the results of God’s presence? When a boat speeds through the water, it leaves a wake. You may not have seen the boat itself pass by, but you can see the results of the boat having been there, the waves it created.
Jesus says to Nicodemus you can’t see the wind, but you can hear it in the trees; you can see the effect it has.
This is kind of the same idea of a tree being known by its fruit. God is known by His fruit as well. We know Him better when we see the result of His presence in our lives.
When God heals you or comforts you, protects or guides you, rebukes and forgives you, He is showing you who He is.
David brings this out in one of his psalms.
Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: Psalm 103:2-7 NIV
God to Moses: Show Me who you are
After God showed Moses all His goodness, He tells Moses to present himself to Him the very next morning. And of course, Moses does.
The LORD said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain.” Exodus 34:1-3 NIV
God knew Moses’s worth but He still told Moses to present himself, to show himself, to show his worthiness to stand before God and receive the Ten Commandments.
And He said: Come by yourself. When you show yourself to God, it’s really a private thing.
God to Job: Show Me who you are
This is not the only time God demanded someone to present themselves to Him.
After Job has gone through his trials and the misdirected judgements of his friends, God says to him twice,
Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Job 38:3 KJV
Girding up your loins is old fashioned language for getting ready for hard work, a long journey, or preparing for battle. In other words, God is telling Job to present himself, to show what kind of a man he is, by dealing with God directly instead of thinking he will get any justice from his friends.
God is saying to Job: Show Me who you are. Show Me your humility. Show Me you can learn what you need to learn from Me.
And Job responds appropriately. He and God have a pretty deep conversation. God reveals Himself to Job and Job shows who he is by the way he accepts God’s message.
God to you and me: Show Me who you are
In the New Testament, this idea of girding up your loins, or preparing and presenting yourself to God is taken to a more spiritual level.
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 1 Peter 1:13-16 KJV
This last verse is actually referring to something God said to Moses regarding the Children of Israel.
I am the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. Leviticus 11:45 NIV
God is showing He is holy and at the same time is expecting us to show that we are holy as well.
Jesus showed who God is
If anyone ever showed forth the holiness of God and the possibility that man could be holy as well, it was Jesus.
You could say that Jesus’s whole mission was to show people who God really is. Jesus revealed God’s nature and character.
Jesus did only what he saw God do. He only said what God told him to say. He only did the will of God and not his own will. Everything Jesus did revealed who God is.
Philip to Jesus: Show us who God is
In light of this, it’s kind of odd that at the very end of Jesus’s ministry, Philip asks Jesus to show him and the other disciples, the Father, as if that’s not what Jesus had been doing all along.
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.” John 14:8-11 NIV
Sometimes the human mind just cannot see a spiritual truth right under its nose. Jesus had been showing Philip and all the disciples, not to mention the multitudes, who God really is for three years.
Look at the fruit
But fear and uncertainty snuck up on Philip. So Jesus went back to the tried and true idea of a tree being known by its fruits.
He said to Philip, “at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.” It’s as if he was saying: “I am the Son of God. I have been telling you who God is for the last three years. I have healed people and done wonderful things in God’s name to show you God’s true nature as the God who heals all your diseases, and forgives all your iniquities, and redeems your life from destruction. If you’re having any doubts about who God is, just look at the fruit of healing, forgiveness, and redemption. That’s the proof of who God is.”
And in this process, Jesus showed who he was as the Son of God. He presented himself as the Son of God to the people he came to help. But ultimately he presented himself to his Father in heaven to show he was faithful to the mission he had been given by God.
And God obviously took notice. He spoke to Peter, James, and John on the mount of transfiguration,
… a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him! Matthew 17:5 NIV
Jesus to you and me: Show me who you are as my followers
Jesus also expected his disciples, and that includes you and me today, to show who we are as his followers. Jesus has high hopes for everyone who considers themselves a Christian. Jesus helps us rediscover who we are as children of God, and empowers us to stand before God, so to speak, in the full awareness of who we are.
The writer of 2 Timothy talks about this very thing.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 NIV
Now you may be thinking, Hey James, this all sounds great, but what if I haven’t done the best job of obeying God’s commands and being and doing all Jesus expected of me? If I stood before God face to face, I might feel ashamed that I haven’t done a better job of being a child of God.
I totally get that. It can seem a little daunting, this idea of presenting yourself to God. But it’s not about God passing terrible judgement on you for your mistakes or shortcomings. Oh, we have to face those things, but we need to be like Job and listen to whatever God has in the way of rebukes and correction.
Taking responsibility
It’s really about taking responsibility for your thoughts and actions. And then acknowledging to yourself, that even if you don’t feel you’ve lived up to the high calling of being a child of God and all that implies, at least to be willing to admit, in God’s presence, that’s who you really are.
God already knows exactly who you are as His dear son or daughter. He wants you to know who you are as His child, made with love in His image and likeness.
When you show God who you are, it means you accept who God has made you to be. It’s an action of gratitude for who God made you to be, and a renewed commitment to live your life the way God has intended you to live, in joy and harmony with Him.
This is really what Jesus was talking about when he said
You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.
…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:13, 14, 16 NIV
When God asks you to show Him who you are, be salty, stand forth and let your light shine. The world will see that you belong to God and will see who you are by the way you live your life.
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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.
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Bible References
Matthew 7:15-20 NIV
15 Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
John 7:24 NLT
24 Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.
Matthew 10:26 KJV
26 …for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
Exodus 33:18-23 NIV
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
19 And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence.
20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
21 Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.
22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.
23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
Exodus 33:11 NIV
11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.
Psalm 103:2-7 NIV
2 Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:
Exodus 34:1-3 NIV
1 The LORD said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.
2 Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain.
3 No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain.”
Job 38:3 KJV
3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.
1 Peter 1:13-16 KJV
13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Leviticus 11:45 NIV
45 I am the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
John 14:8-11 NIV
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.
Matthew 17:5 NIV
5 … a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!
2 Timothy 2:15 NIV
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
Matthew 5:13, 14, 16 NIV
13 You are the salt of the earth.
14 You are the light of the world.
16 let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
