No Kool-Aid: Ep. 2 : Hold Fast to Your God-Given Name

0:10 Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast, where we pray bold prayers, walk in bold faith, and expect a bold God to show up. I'm your host, Connie Morris, and we open every episode with the same unshakable confidence Jabez had in 1 Chronicles 4.10. Lord, bless me indeed, enlarge my territory, let your hand be with me, keep me from evil, and keep me from causing pain. And the Bible says, God granted his request. So if you're here today, get ready, because we're praying big, believing big, and walking in everything God promised. Let's begin.

1:00 Hello and welcome back to Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host Connie Morris and we're continuing our series on episode two, Living in Babylon Without Drinking the Kool-Aid or No Kool-Aid for Me. And this is subtitle is The Name Game and it's found in Daniel 1 verses 6 through 7. The world will rename you to control your destiny. Let's go to Daniel chapter 1 verses 6 through 7. I'm reading from the King James Version. And it reads here, it says, the title in my Bible says, Name Changed the Importance of a Name. Now, among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

1:48 So they were named after God. And so now they're in the city of Babylon, the country of Babylon, right? And verse 7 tells us that unto whom the prince of the Enoch gave names, For he gave unto Daniel the name Belshazzar, and unto Hanaiah of Shadrach, and of Mishael of Meshach, and of Azirah of Abednego. And so he named them Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And Daniel's name was Belshazzar. And so we see here that name changed because the kingdom changed. You know? And so let's continue.

2:29 It says, in ancient Babylon, renaming was more than a formality. It was a declaration of ownership. The Hebrew name Daniel means God is my judge. But the Babylonians changed it to Belshazzar, meaning Bale protects his life. So they changed it to another God. Each of the four Hebrew young men bore names that honor Yahweh, yet each new name honored the Babylonian gods instead. This was a strategy of spiritual identity theft. By changing their names, Babylon sought to erase their covenant heritage and reshape their allegiance.

3:11 But while Babylon could rename them, he could not redefine them. The first battle Daniel faced in Babylon wasn't physical, it was personal. Before the diet test, before the lion's den, came the assault on identity. Babylon will always begin in fact with a name. Why? Because names carry nature. What you are called, you often become. If the enemy can get you to answer to something false, he can get you to live beneath your identity. Daniel name meant God is my judge, but Belshazzar meant Prince of Bel, a Babylonian deity.

3:56 Hananiah, God is gracious, became Shadrach, meaning command of Aku among God. Mishael, who is like God, became Meshach, who is like Aku. Azira, the Lord helps, becomes Abednego, servant of Nebu. Can you see the pattern here? Every divine identity was replaced with a counterfeit. Every godly association was swapped with the worldly one. How this is how the enemy works today. He doesn't need to imprison you if he can rename you. He replaces chosen with unworthy.

4:38 He trades forgiveness for broken. He whispers too late, too flawed, too forgotten. But heaven registry never updates based on Babylon's opinion. Isaiah 62 tells us that the Lord will give you a new name, that the mouth of the Lord will designate. So Daniel didn't fight to keep his own name. He lived in a way that made the new one meaningless. He refused to let Babylon label stick. When God is your judge, you stop living in the applause of accusation of men. You start walking in the truth that identity is not determined by environment, but by encounter.

5:22 Maybe you've been mislabeled by people, past pains, or even by your own self-talk. But just like Daniel, your name, your identity carries a divine assignment. You don't need to fight for validation. You just need to remember who called you in the first place. Something to think about. What labels or names have others given you that God never did? How has your environment tried to define you or limit you? What name has God called you that you stopped answering to? Wow, powerful, powerful. Let's do some decrees and confessions. Let's shake that off.

6:03 I reject every false label Babylon has spoken over my life. I am not who the world says I am. I am who God calls me to be. My name is written in heaven, and my purpose cannot be redefined. Let's pray. Father, thank you for calling me by name and marking me with your identity. Where the world has tried to rename me, remind me who I am in you. Silence every voice that speaks contrary to your truth. Let my confidence come from your word, not from the world's approval. I belong to you, and that's the only name that matters. In Jesus' name, amen. I'm going to give you some call to action. You know, we got to put some action behind our faith.

6:45 First thing I want you to do is I want you to write down every negative label you accepted. Words others spoke, failures that haunt you, or false identities you believe. Now cross them out boldly and write over each one, redeemed, restored, named by God. Declare aloud, God calls me by name. and I answer only to his voice. How not to drink the Kool-Aid. Resisting identity theft in Babylon. You belong to God, not the systems that surround you. Isaiah 43.1, it says, fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine.

7:29 When you remember who named you, you can't be shaken by who mislabels you. Number two, reject false renaming. Babylon will always try to replace divine identity with cultural identity. Romans 12.2 tells us, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Don't drink the Kool-Aid of compromise. You were not meant to fit in. You were meant to stand out. Hallelujah. Number three, respond like Daniel. Daniel didn't fight over titles. He lived in truth. His character corrected his critics.

8:11 Matthew 5, 16 reads, Let your life so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Your life will reveal your real name. Beloved, chosen, set apart. Number four, remember the real record. Heaven has your identity recorded, sealed, and secured. Rejoice that your names are written in heaven. No demotion, betrayal, or Babylon system can delete what God has decreed. And the final one, number five, rest in your Redeemer's voice. Jesus said, sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.

8:53 John 10, 27 tells us, don't let Babylon noise drown out the shepherd's call. Your identity is heard through intimacy. Let's declare, through Babylon may rename me, heaven still recognizes me. My identity is sealed in Christ. My name is written in grace. And no system or season can redefine what God has spoken. Thank you for joining me today on Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host, Connie Morris, and I'll see you on episode three, The Power of Resolve. Until then, love you and goodbye.

9:46 Family, thank you for spending this time with me today. To every woman listening who has ever felt hidden, overlooked, or pushed aside, I want you to hear me clearly. God has not forgotten you, and neither have I. That's why I moved everything to our new home on pod page, so you would have one place to connect with me, read the devotionals, listen to the podcast, and reach out whenever you need to. If you want to leave me a message, send an email, or simply find encouragement, it's all there at diaryofablackwomanllc.com. And if this podcast has blessed you and you want to support the work I'm doing, you'll find a buy me, a coffee link on the site as well.

10:28 No pressure, just love and community. Before we leave, I want to speak the word that I close with every time because somebody needs this reminder today. It comes from Jeremiah 29 11 14. I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope in a future, then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord. Beloved, God has a plan for your life, a real one, a good one. And as long as you keep seeking him, you will find him even from the hidden places. I love you.

11:08 I'm praying for you, and I'll meet you next time.