What's In a Name? More than We Think (On Mastering the Art of Naming Our World)

Copyright 2011 The Zondervan Corporation

God gave Adam the authority to name His creation.

"Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him."

God gave Adam the authority to name.

This means as a descendant of Adam, I also have the authority to name that which is set before me. I can name the circumstances I face. I can call them negative or I can name them according to what God says. 

"And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name."

That's how powerful the naming authority is.

God gave Adam a great example when He named creation.

Gen. 1:5, "And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night."

Gen. 1:8, "And God called the expanse heaven."

Gen. 1:10, "And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas."

He named it and so it was.

I think of all the things I've named dead, bad, impossible, too far gone....that should be named good, possible, within reach. Instead of naming my doubts and fears. I've got to start naming God's promises over every single thing in my life.

The naming process is important to God. Abram the fatherless at age 99 becomes Abraham (father of many nations); Jacob the manipulator becomes Israel (a prince of God), and Simon, known for his instability, becomes Peter (rock). God looks at what is to be and name's according to that (not what is seen with the eye). 

It's so easy to name what my eye sees and not according to faith. That's not how the authority that God gave me works.

So many times I carelessly name things only to become frustrated when circumstances become that which I've named it. There's lots that needs to be named (and re-named) in my life. Let me get to it.