In the Bible there is a story about a man who was living in the cemetery! This man was wild and out of control; no one could handle him! He was a menace to his society. There had been attempts to contain or control him by binding him with chains, but every time someone would bind him, he would break the chains! The man was possessed with unclean spirits and was suicidal, for the Bible says that, daily he would be in the mountains and in the tombs, cutting himself with stones!

When this man met Jesus, the Lord asked him; “What is your name?” In those days, it was believed that if one could discover the name of an evil spirit, then one would be able to exercise control over it. One of the spirits within the man responded by saying; “My name is Legion, for we are many!” You see, that was a big part of the man’s problem: He had lost his identity because he had tried to answer to too many names!

Could that possibly be what is wrong with many people in our society today? Could it be that many are suicidal, out of control, disoriented or dysfunctional because they are trying to answer to too many names? In ancient Jewish and African societies, a person’s name was more than just an appellation by which they were called; the name revealed the essence of a person’s character. The name was not just a label; the name was who a person was! What is your name? I’m not talking about the name on your birth certificate or on your marriage license. When destiny calls you, by what name do you answer? Have you accepted the labels; the names that people have given you and spent your life trying to answer to those names? Or do you answer to the name calling you from deep down within your spirit?

I believe that there is an ultimate calling or name (if you please) for each and every individual! The goal of life is the discovery of, and the living up to, that name! However, that name will never be discovered and it’s purpose will never be served if we allow ourselves to accept names given to us by other people! Too many people just accept that they are who other people tell them they are instead of discovering their true identity for themselves! What is your name? You will never be all that you can be until you discover what and who you were meant to be! This is something that you must do for yourself! Don’t allow others to name you, for then you give them control over you! Don’t try to answer to too many names, for then you will eventually lose yourself in the process! You will never be able to achieve your full potential and purpose until you can answer that basic fundamental question: “What is your name?”