Sadie Robertson Huff, who is best known as a reality TV star on the A&E show "Duck Dynasty," took to the stage at this year's Passion 2022, which was held at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 2 to talk to the youth about finding their identity in Christ. The 24 year old speaker and author encouraged the youth to use their faith to determine their God-given identity.
"As a culture, we love to talk about identity. We're obsessed with our identity," Huff remarked. "We love to talk about who we are. But also, it's kind of strange because although we are obsessed with talking about who we are, nobody likes to actually be hit with the question, 'Who are you?'"
Huff said that when asked that question, people tend to feel "anxiety and insecurity" because people usually "have no clue" as to who they really are. She argued that people tend to be confused when it comes to their identity because they identify with many other different things instead of "finding fulfillment in their God-given identity."
Before Passion 2022, Huff sent out a question through a post on her Instagram asking people "What do you identify yourself with?" She received several answers, with the first group of respondents citing external factors, while another group of respondents replied with answers like "I am who [God] says I am," the Christian Post reported.
But Huff challenged them further by asking if God has "changed the nature" of who the person was, because "we can say it all day long and we can even say it with confidence, but that doesn't mean we're a confident person."
The Christian author also shared her personal experience feeling "insecure," "afraid," and "living in shame" despite understanding what God said about her. She admitted that what God said about her "didn't actually change" her but that "what ultimately matters is who He is to you."
"If He's not on the throne of your life, then what He says about you isn't actually going to change who you are," Huff said. She then went on to read from Matthew 16:13, a passage in which Jesus asked his disciples who he was to them.
Huff cited the passage and explained that "Peter's identity was found in who Jesus said he was, after first establishing that Jesus is God." She added that after Peter was "given his identity," he was then instructed to build the church. Like Peter, the author said that Christians must first understand "who God is," understand their identity, and then understand "what we are called to do."
In the U.S., the number of Americans who identify as Christian has fallen to 63%, a new poll revealed. According to the Christian Headlines, a new Pew Research study showed that the number of U.S. adults who identified as a Christian fell to 63% in 2021 from 78% in 2008. Furthermore, there has been an increase in the religiously unaffiliated. Since 2007, the number of U.S. adults who say they are religiously unaffiliated almost doubled from 16% to 29%.
