The Identity That Got You Here May Not Get You There

by Bethany Hicks

Every new season requires an upgrade in identity. And there’s a new season upon us.

Throughout Scripture, we see men and women stepping into new seasons often marked by God giving them a new name.

One of my favorite examples is Abram. God had already promised Abram that he would have a son and become a great nation. But more than twenty years later, when the fulfillment of that promise was finally drawing near, God appeared to him again. Notice how God marked Abram’s new season:

“No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.” Genesis 17:5

I find the timing of this fascinating. Abram was 75 when God first gave him the promise of Isaac, but it wasn’t until he was 99 that God changed his name. Within one year of his “new” name, we see the season he had been waiting for finally open up as his wife Sarah became pregnant with Isaac. Why did God wait 25 years? Perhaps the identity that carried Abram through one season wasn't big enough for where God was taking him next.

Abram meant exalted father. But the name “Abraham" carried the new identity as a father of a multitude. Before Abraham ever saw the fulfillment with his eyes, God changed what he would hear with his ears every time someone called his name. His new name was calling him into agreement with his new season. 

And Abraham wasn't the only one. We see this pattern throughout Scripture. Sarai became Sarah. Jacob became Israel. Simon became Peter. Saul became Paul.

Again and again, God revealed something about a person's identity that helped them understand the season and assignment ahead. And He still does this today.

 MY NEW NAME

About eight years ago, the Lord began upgrading my own understanding of who I was. Through several different prophetic encounters, one phrase kept being spoken over me: Apostolic Mother.

At first, I didn't fully understand it, but over time, I began to realize that this wasn't simply a ministry title or a fancy religious function. It was Heaven giving me language for something God had already placed inside of me to unlock the new season ahead.

As I began agreeing with that identity, new doors began opening. I wrote a book redefining mothering in the Kingdom of God. I've had the privilege of mothering men and women spiritually, mentoring others in becoming kingdom mothers themselves, and even writing about the power of kingdom mothering for an entire nation.

Those assignments have been incredible honors but the new identity itself spoke to more than assignments. A new identity also opens a new season of fresh favor, authority and influence as we come into agreement with who Heaven says we are.

I believe God has a similar key for you. There are treasures of identity hidden in Christ within each of us—unique expressions of who He is that He wants to reveal through our lives.

So perhaps the question isn't simply: “Lord, what are You asking me to do next?” Maybe an even more important question is: “Lord, who are You revealing me to be in this next season?”

Because sometimes we are asking God for a new assignment while He is trying to give us a new perspective of ourselves—one that doesn’t just point to a single assignment, but unveils an entire season of assignments.

A NEW SEASON

In just a few weeks, we will enter Rosh Hashanah—the “head of the year”—marking the beginning of the Hebrew year 5787. Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Friday, September 11, 2026, and ends at nightfall on Sunday, September 13.

Though we don’t live by the Hebrew calendar, spiritually, believers are often affected by it. It’s often a time of breakthrough and fresh revelation. What if part of entering your next season is discovering the new language Heaven is speaking over your identity? What if there is something God wants you to stop calling yourself? What if He is expanding the way you see yourself because He is expanding the way He intends to move through you?

May this Hebrew New Year unveil a new you in Christ Jesus. Take time to ask the Father who He is calling you to be in this next season. Remember, you can never do what God says you will do until you believe you are who God says you are.