How I rejected my "New Name"

In the book "Wild at Heart" it has a section where it covers how we can discover our true identity. Many times our true self has been hidden or obscured because of our past hurts and the false personalities that we create to protect ourselves. our true identity is given to us by God at birth and He is the only one who can reveal it if we desire to know it. Once we dismantle the false self and hopefully get some inner healing, we then can ask God about our new name. This is by no means universal but many people will receive a new name from God when they ask Him for it. Some will get more than one. Some even get the name that they received from their parents at birth. The new name is like a metaphor that represents who you really are and the life you are supposed to live. It may even reveal your life calling. In my case I was very excited to ask God the question. All my life my favorite biblical character was Daniel. (of the Lion's Den) He seemed such a strong man of Faith and Integrity. Even God called him "Highly Esteemed". He was one of the few biblical characters who had no record of him messing up. In any case I went into the question with a strong expectation that my name would be Daniel and when it wasn't I was very confused. I did not respond well. Basically what happened was God said "You are my Moses" I said Huh? Moses?? Didn't he bring in the law? Didn't he have to deal with all those whiny Jews in the desert? He didn't even make it into the Promised Land. I completely rejected it as not from God and then basically forgot about it. Fast forward a year later. At that time I was leading a group of women (including my wife) through Wild at Heart. It was at that time that my bride got her new name. She was so excited and it was a such special event. We celebrated it. It was a beautiful thing. The next morning I came to God and I was whining myself. I said God why did Cara get her new name and I don't even have mine yet? Then the Lord reminded me. "I gave you your name a year ago and you rejected it" I remembered it and I could tell that I had grieved the Lord. I really hurt him. I was broken and very sad and I repented in tears and asked for His forgiveness. I was so sorry that I had rejected Him. He showed me so much grace and mercy. Afterwards, I asked for Him to show me my new name again. He spoke these words to me. "You are my Moses. You are to lead my chosen ones(Christians) from the slavery of Egypt(The World) into the Promise land of my love. Set the captives free" These words went right to my heart. I knew it was true. This was my passion; to help believers experience healing and freedom and to enter into a deeper relationship with Christ. I was so thankful to God for his patience with my immaturity. Lord to you be the glory!

Conclusion; Learn from my mistake. If you ask God for your new name, don't reject it when you get it. Take the name you get, research it and test it to see if it fits. Try it on. Most names have meanings and themes based upon their origin. find out what it means and see if it stirs your heart. That's a good sign that you heard right. Enjoy!