What Is Your Name? Jesus Renames Our Identity

Jun 14, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Legion’s Cry Meets the Creator’s Authority

A man runs toward Jesus despite 2,000 voices screaming through him. Demons recognize their Maker even when humans hesitate. The unclean spirits beg not for victory but for mercy, revealing their weakness before divine authority. Freedom begins when what controls us meets the One who names us. Chains break not by human strength but by surrendered identity. [37:17]

They came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. (Mark 5:15, ESV)

Reflection: What name have you been answering to that makes Jesus seem distant? How might acknowledging His authority shift your posture from fear to freedom?

Day 2: Exposing Torment to Disarm Its Power

Hidden battles grow stronger in silence. Naming our struggles doesn’t empower them—it surrenders them to the Name above all names. Like Legion’s confession, honesty before Jesus strips darkness of its intimidation. What we call out loud cannot remain unchallenged. Liberation starts when shame meets the light. [53:41]

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin. (Psalm 32:3–5, ESV)

Reflection: What struggle have you been afraid to name? How might speaking it to Jesus loosen its grip on your identity?

Day 3: From Demon-Possessed to Missionary Sent

A man once defined by graveyard screams becomes a preacher of grace. Jesus doesn’t just remove demons—He rewrites destinies. The villagers saw a problem solved; Jesus saw a disciple commissioned. Our worst chapters become platforms for His glory when we let Him rename us. [38:39]

Jesus said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled. (Mark 5:19–20, ESV)

Reflection: What part of your story feels too broken to share? How might Jesus repurpose your pain to point others to Him?

Day 4: The Woman Who Became “Daughter”

Twelve years of shame dissolved in one touch. She called herself “unclean”; Jesus called her “daughter.” Labels stick until the One who formed us speaks. Healing isn’t just about symptoms—it’s about reclaiming our place in the family. Belonging silences every lie. [01:12:06]

He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” (Mark 5:34, ESV)

Reflection: What false name have you accepted as permanent? How might hearing Jesus call you “son” or “daughter” reshape your worth?

Day 5: White Stone Promise in a Labeled World

The world slaps stickers on our souls—failure, addict, rejected. Heaven offers a white stone with a name only the Father knows. Every earthly label bows to this eternal name. Our true identity isn’t found in trends or trauma but in the whisper of the One who never misnames us. [01:29:59]

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it. (Revelation 2:17, ESV)

Reflection: What worldly label have you worn like a badge? What step can you take today to live aligned with your God-given name?

Sermon Summary

Mark 5 steps onto the shore and shows a man whose name has been swallowed by his torment. The tombs hold his body, the chains cannot hold his strength, and the stones mark his shame. Jesus steps out of the boat and the unclean spirits run to him, not away. The question lands like a key in a locked door: What is your name? Jesus does not ask because he lacks knowledge. He asks because deliverance starts when what hides finally gets named. Legion answers, not the man. The number is not the point. Intimidation is. The spirits speak a verdict over him, too many, too strong, too far. Jesus answers with authority, and even demons wait for permission.

The text makes names carry weight. Names identify. Names call. Names carry authority. From creation to Adam naming the animals, God gives names so creation will live under the Name above every name. The enemy, by contrast, pastes labels on souls until people start answering to failure, addict, broken, rejected. The enemy loves labels while God gives names. Jesus’ question pulls the mask off the label and drags it under his authority.

The text insists that freedom grows where honesty lands. You cannot defeat what you refuse to identify. Naming is not faithlessness. Naming brings the battle under Jesus. When anxiety, cancer, or shame is spoken truthfully, it falls beneath the Name that every knee must bow to. Paul says every name, every knee. Not some. Every. Jesus’ authority is the settled center: he gave them permission, they left, the man sat clothed and in his right mind.

God’s pattern does not stop at changing circumstances; God changes names. Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Simon to Peter, Saul to Paul. The enemy names by the past. God renames by purpose and future. The woman starts as the woman with the issue of blood and ends as daughter. The man starts as the demoniac and leaves as a sent witness to ten cities. Creation recognizes its Creator. Two thousand tormentors cannot keep a soul from running to Jesus when Jesus is really in the room. The tormentors get tormented.

The call lands where the text aims: What name is someone living under today? Not what the birth certificate says and not what the critic says. Jesus still answers in the courtroom of the heart with one word, Mine. Lay down labels that never came from God. Invite Jesus into the places that spin a person out and watch what bows when the Name fills the room.

Key Takeaways

1. Names carry identity and authority [41:48] Names are not throwaway sounds. They call a person, they set a boundary, they tell the story others will assume is true. When the soul starts answering to wrong names, the life starts living out wrong stories. God’s way is to give a name that fits his purpose, not the world’s label. [41:48]
2. Deliverance starts with honest naming [53:41] Hidden battles keep their power. Jesus’ “What is your name?” pulls the darkness into the light where it can be commanded, not coddled. Naming is not giving in to fear, it is handing the fear to Jesus. Truth spoken becomes truth ruled by the One whose word is final. [53:41]
3. The enemy labels; God renames [56:19] Labels reduce a person to a wound. Names restore a person to a calling. The enemy says addict, failure, unwanted; God says son, daughter, chosen, restored. Identity shifts when God speaks a new name, and the life slowly grows into what the Father already called it. [56:19]
4. Every name bows to Jesus [01:00:11] Paul does not leave room for exceptions. Every knee and every name yield to Christ’s lordship. Diseases, storms, sins, and systems all come under the Name when it is lifted in faith. Authority belongs to Jesus, so hope is never naïve when it leans on him. [60:11]
5. Invite Jesus where torment hides [01:07:50] Torment loses its grip in his presence. Worship in the room, Scripture in the hand, and the Name on the lips change the atmosphere of a heart and a home. The demons begged; they did not bargain. When Jesus steps in, what used to rule starts to run. [67:50]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[32:01] - Reading Mark 5:1-20
[39:17] - “What is your name?”
[41:48] - Names identify and carry weight
[46:34] - When labels stick and wound
[49:43] - Why Jesus asks for a name
[51:44] - Deliverance requires exposure
[54:41] - Names bow to the Name
[57:49] - Your struggle is not you
[60:11] - Every knee, every name
[61:51] - God changes names and futures
[65:20] - When torment meets Jesus
[70:46] - The courtroom and “Mine”
[74:30] - Lay down false names
[88:45] - Weekly homework: reject labels

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Mark 5:1-20 (ESV)
They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit... [Read full passage].

Observation Questions

In Mark 5:9, Jesus asks the demon-possessed man, "What is your name?" Why do you think Jesus asked this question, even though He already knew the answer? [50:03]
After the man is healed, how do the townspeople react to Jesus (Mark 5:15-17)? What does this reveal about their priorities?
The sermon mentions that the man’s identity shifts from “demoniac” to “sent witness.” What specific instruction does Jesus give him in Mark 5:19, and why is this significant? [38:39]
According to the sermon, how does the enemy use labels differently than God uses names? [56:19]

Interpretation Questions

The demons beg Jesus not to torment them and request to enter the pigs (Mark 5:10-12). What does this interaction reveal about the power dynamic between Jesus and evil forces?
The sermon states, “Naming is not faithlessness. Naming brings the battle under Jesus.” How does openly identifying a struggle (e.g., anxiety, addiction) align with Jesus’ authority? [55:34]
Why might the townspeople have been more afraid of Jesus’ power (Mark 5:15) than the man’s prior torment? How does fear of change or loss of control affect people’s response to God’s work?
The sermon says, “The enemy names by the past. God renames by purpose and future.” How does this contrast play out in biblical examples like Simon/Peter or Saul/Paul? [01:02:06]

Application Questions

What labels or false names (e.g., “failure,” “unworthy,” “broken”) have you or others spoken over your life? How could intentionally replacing those with God’s names for you (e.g., “chosen,” “redeemed”) shift your perspective? [14:30]
The sermon encourages “naming” struggles to bring them under Jesus’ authority. What is one area of your life (e.g., fear, shame, a recurring sin) that you’ve avoided naming? How might speaking it aloud in prayer change your approach to it? [53:41]
The healed man was sent to share his story (Mark 5:19). Who in your life needs to hear how God has transformed you? What step could you take this week to share your “before and after” story with them?
The sermon’s “homework” challenges listeners to reject labels not from God. When someone criticizes or mislabels you this week, how will you intentionally invite Jesus into that moment to reaffirm your true identity? [01:28:45]
Worship and Scripture are mentioned as tools to shift the atmosphere of a heart or home. What practical step could you take to invite Jesus’ presence into a place where torment or anxiety lingers (e.g., playing worship music, praying aloud)? [01:07:50]
The woman with the issue of blood went from being defined by her condition to being called “daughter” (Mark 5:34). What lie about your identity do you need to exchange for God’s truth today? Write it down and pray over it.

Sermon Clips

39s

#ClaimedByJesus

“They look over to the defense. here comes Jesus walking into the room. And the judge doesn't talk about everything, doesn't bring up all the stuff, just says, what is their name? Pointing directly at you, what is their name? And Jesus' response is this, mine. Come Come on. Not sin. Come on. Not struggle. Right. My mind. Mine. Yes. There you go. My son. Thank you. My daughter.”

42s

#AccusationsNamed

“this because I was trying to figure out how to close it. I want you to imagine a courtroom and you're on trial. Okay? You're on trial and and the judge is and the prosecutor are there and they're getting ready to bring up everything you've ever thought, said, or done. All of it. All the wicked stuff that people know about, all the stuff people don't know about. You know your thoughts. Yeah. Yeah. Come on. All of it. Every accusation is read aloud and all of it has a name. Failure, shame, sin, regret, lust, fear, all of it has a name.”

42s

#RejectFalseNames

“name? The question that every believer must answer, not what your birth certificate says, not what your critics say, not what your haters say, not what your failures say. No. What name are you living under today? Come on. Because some people have accepted names that god never gave them. Right. Worthless, hopeless, unlovable, defeated, and after hearing it long enough, they began to believe it. know, the possessed man had probably heard crazy so long. He'd accepted it. He started living like he was crazy. Right. Right. He had heard legions so long. He forgot his real name.”

58s

#DaughterOfTheKing

“She kneels before him. She tells him the whole truth. This is the woman that's been alone. This is the woman that's been on the outskirt of society. Family has nothing to do with her. Friends have left her. She's got no more money. She's sick. She's messed up. She's cursed. And then Jesus' response is simply, daughter. faith has made you well. So while she started the story as the woman with the issue of blood, she ends the story daughter of the king. He started the story as the demoniac, and he ended the story as a preacher and a messenger of the gospel. So, what is the name that you're going by?”

49s

#EnemyIntimidates

“The point's not the number. I've heard people get into debates and conversation. Well, it had to be this number. The number doesn't matter. Right. The point is intimidation. Right. The enemy is saying there's too many of us. The situation's too big. Right. Right. We're too much for him. Now, understand, they're not trying to intimidate Jesus. They are speaking this out over the man. It's too big for him to get free from.”

30s

#InviteJesusIntoYourBattle

“What is tormenting you? Okay. What's tormenting you? What keeps you awake? What stresses you out? What once you get into that mode, you can't get out of it. You know what I'm talking about? That cycle. You get into that thought process, you get into that, you can't get out of it. It's all over the place. What would happen if when those tormentors get a hold of you, those sins get a hold of you, that stress gets a hold of you, that pressure gets a hold of you, anxiety gets a hold of you. What would happen if you invited Jesus into that situation? Pastor, come on. What would happen?”

86s

#SeekValidationFromJesus

“What would happen if instead of going to Facebook, you opened the book. And started getting your validity and your validation from Jesus instead of whoever your followers are at that time. The tormentors met the man. Yeah. The tormentors met the man and they started begging for mercy. The demons started begging for mercy. Yeah. That's what the Bible says. We don't want anything to do with you. Right. Send this to the pigs. That's important. Yes. Yes. Because in that culture, they're the worst. Right. Worst of the worst. We're willing to go to that. Just don't deal with us. Right. And the Bible says, Jesus gave them permission. will allow it. I don't know if he said it that way. That's how I see it.”

34s

#ResistEnemyLabels

“Name when the enemy starts to speak for you and label you and you allow that into your head and into your heart, eventually, it takes your identity. People do that today. They say, my name is anxiety. My name is addiction. My name is failure. My name is depression. My name is shame. My name is anger because the enemy wants to rename you by your struggle, by your ailment, by your disease, by your circumstance, by your situation.”

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What Is Your Name? Jesus Renames Our Identity

Devotional

Day 1: Legion’s Cry Meets the Creator’s Authority

Day 2: Exposing Torment to Disarm Its Power

Day 3: From Demon-Possessed to Missionary Sent

Day 4: The Woman Who Became “Daughter”

Day 5: White Stone Promise in a Labeled World

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

What Is Your Name? Jesus Renames Our Identity

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