A name has a profound impact on the life of the person or thing named. Some people end up doing exactly what their names suggest, meaning there is a strong likelihood of being influenced by the name you carry. This is why, in ancient times, many people were named based on the circumstances they were experiencing.

A name holds power over a being; it brings certain facts into existence, even if they did not exist before. If names were not important, God would not have named the first man, and Adam would not have named all the creatures he found on earth. If names did not matter and had no impact, God would not have changed Gideon’s name to “mighty warrior.”

If a name was meaningless, God would not have insisted that Mary give the child she was carrying a specific name. Those who neglect the significance of a name will end up bearing the consequences of someone else’s name. So, what can we say about this? Should we always change our names? Did God always change His servants’ names?

If God does not give you a new name, it means He has placed new things in you so that you become the revised version of your family and a subject of contradiction. The Moses who left Egypt was not the same Moses who returned to Egypt. The Moses who left Egypt was a man who feared Pharaoh’s wrath, but the Moses who returned to Egypt was the one who brought fear into Pharaoh’s camp.

It was the same name, but not the same person. It is important to note that in the Old Covenant, many people underwent a change of identity (name) by God Himself. For example, God met Abram, and then he became Abraham. He encountered Sarai, and then she became Sarah. He met Simon, and then he became Peter.

But when we read the story of Moses, we notice that even though his name was given by Pharaoh’s daughter, who represents the world, God did not change his name. Instead, He worked with the same name, “Moses.” If you believe in God and He hasn’t changed your name, it means He has changed the content of your name. If God hasn’t spoken to you about your name, it means He has done something within you.

God did not change Moses’ name, but he was no longer the same person. God is not monotonous; we cannot control, study, or master Him. He operates in multiple systems. How could God allow His servant to be called by a name given by the daughter of “Pharaoh,” the magician?

If God leaves you in that family or neighborhood, it’s so that you become a subject of wonder and contradiction to many. That’s why Jesus Christ, being God, accepted to take on a body to resemble a man and thus become a subject of contradiction. This is why the officers responded: “No man ever spoke like this man” (John 7:46).

It’s possible to have the same name, the same country, the same family, the same neighborhood, the same church, the same title, but live differently from others. Even when naming, it’s important to know how to name. The first man named, but his naming caused him problems—“the crafty one,” the cunning one. Why was he called the crafty one? Because that was the definition of his name.

Where does this name come from? It comes from man, from Adam himself. Things named will take on the characteristics of their names, of their nature. The nature of the serpent does not depend on its skin or shape but on the perception and naming that come from man.

The serpent is not a serpent because it was inherently a serpent, but because it was deemed fitting to be called “serpent,” which means crafty. Later, it had to play its role of being crafty and act accordingly. Adam is of the flesh since he is made from the earth; moreover, his name tells us something. It’s the same with the serpent, who is crafty because of the name given by Adam. If demons have the power to fight against us, we are the problem.

If witches have something to say about us, it’s because we’ve given them the mouth to do so. We give too much credit to demons, and this is how we stumble. We make the mistake of naming certain things in our lives, even though we know that these names are unworthy or will cause us harm.

Sometimes, our environment, personality, and life take on the color of our perception and the words we declare. Before Jacob became Israel, he did things that matched his name. That’s why, before his father, instead of identifying himself as Jacob, he said he was Esau. Jabez suffered because his name meant suffering since his mother had a difficult childbirth.

Jesus Christ did not walk as an ordinary man because His name had no harmful influence over Him. Bartimaeus ended up being honored because of the name he bore, “Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus,” which means son of honor. Goliath, who was a giant to some, was only an uncircumcised boy who had not reached eight days old, according to David. Goliath dominated the children of Israel because they regarded him as a giant.

However, when David arrived, Goliath was no longer considered a giant. Thus, Goliath’s strength depended on the perception and consideration of his opponents.

God told Ezekiel, son of man, prophesy! What did He tell him to prophesy about? About the dry bones! In other words, it was like telling him to name the dead so that they might have life. To name the darkness so that there might be light, to name Lazarus, who was dead, so that there might be a living Lazarus. “Before an inert fact, only our words determine the essence of that fact.”

Many Christians make the mistake of affirming and naming certain facts by a name that, in reality, will have repercussions on them. Is there suffering in your life? Are you going through difficult times? Is there a certain lifestyle in your family? Please, do not name it according to what you see, otherwise, they will take on the characteristics of your naming. Instead, transform the negative into positive by declaring good words so that they take the form of your declaration…

This text is an excerpt from the book Les Erreurs d’Adam written by Abel Kuminga.

We invite you to read the following article “The Forgetfulness of Man.”

THE INFLUENCE OF A NAME. THE INFLUENCE OF A NAME. THE INFLUENCE OF A NAME. THE INFLUENCE OF A NAME