Message
Many people are called by names they were not given at birth. They may not be called these names to their faces, but in their absence, people refer to them with those names. Sometimes, these names are not based on their good qualities but on qualities they are not proud of. For example, in , the Bible tells us about a blind man called Bartimaeus whom Jesus restored his sight. To date, however, people still refer to him as ‘Blind Bartimaeus’. I don’t know if people are currently calling you negative names, but I know that my God can change your story for good such that you won’t have those negative qualities the world describes you by anymore, and they will have no other choice than to call you a new name.
Whenever God sees that a name is hindering His work in a fellow’s life, He can change the name as He did with Abraham. Abraham was first called Abram, and although this name had a good meaning – exalted father – it didn’t fully capture what God had in store for him. Therefore, God had a conversation with him one day and said, “I want to make you a father of many nations, but your name is hindering Me from doing so. Henceforth, you will no longer be called Abram but Abraham because I have made you a father of many nations.” God also changed the name of his wife from Sarai to Sarah, which was more suitable for the matriarch she was to become ().
When I was a lecturer at the University of Lagos, a typist, whom everyone jokingly called ‘Prof’, made a life changing decision. He said to himself, “I am a typist, but everyone calls me ‘prof’. I will indeed become a professor.” He started taking evening classes, and after a while, he wrote his exams and gained admission into the University of Lagos. Before I left the University of Lagos, the typist was already studying for his Ph.D. He made up his mind to truly change his name and not to remain a joke.
Beloved, you can also make up your mind to have a brand new beginning by surrendering all to God and asking Him to change any negative name that is hindering His glory from being manifested in your life. I pray that God will turn around any negative situation that men define you by and fill your life with joy and laughter, in Jesus’ name.