Chapter 6: Building Faith That Sticks

Identity, Purpose, and Legacy

The greatest gift you can give your child isn’t money, protection, or even opportunity.

It’s identity.

Because when they know who they are and whose they are, they can survive anything this world throws at them.

In today’s culture, identity is being shaped more by followers than by family, more by trends than by truth. Kids are asking, “Who am I really?” and instead of running to the Word, they’re running to whatever voice answers first. That’s why your voice matters.

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Why Identity Is Everything

If a child doesn’t know who they are, the world will gladly tell them.

And it won’t stop at their name—it will rewrite their value, their purpose, and their faith.

When kids grow up unsure of their spiritual identity, they drift into:

• Performance-based worth
• People-pleasing
• Identity confusion
• Low self-esteem masked by image management

But when they grow up secure in their God-given identity, they walk with strength even in the face of pressure.

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Your Purpose Models Theirs

You don’t have to be perfect, but you do need to be intentional.

If you walk in purpose, it gives your child permission to do the same.

• If you serve with joy, they’ll learn joy is better than comparison.
• If you give with love, they’ll see that success includes generosity.
• If you speak truth and kindness, they’ll realize boldness and compassion can coexist.

You teach them their value not by your sermons but by how you treat people, how you carry yourself, and how you love them even when they fail.

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Story: A Legacy Conversation with My Child

One day, I sat with one of my sons and asked him, “What’s something you think I’ve done well as a dad?”

He paused, looked at me, and said:

“You never stopped believing in me, even when I wasn’t sure I believed in myself or in God.”

That hit me deep.

That’s legacy.

Not that they become perfect—but that they always know the door to God’s love and your love is never closed.

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Speak Identity Until They Believe It

Every child needs to hear, again and again:

• You are loved
• You are chosen
• You are seen
• You are not your mistakes
• You were born with purpose

When they forget, remind them.

When they run, speak it over them.

When they succeed, reinforce it.

This is how we build a faith that sticks.

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2 Timothy 1:5 — A Legacy of Faith

“I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”

Paul saw legacy in Timothy—because legacy was modeled.

Faith didn’t start in Timothy. It was passed on.

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Final Thought for This Chapter

I thank God for my father and mother, who put faith, identity, and legacy in me.

That seed carried me through my darkest days, shaped how I lead, and continues to multiply in others.

I now have the honor of pastoring the greatest church in the world—not because of a title, but because our church understands the power of identity through purpose, love, and kindness.

We’re not raising just children.

We’re raising world changers.

And it starts with the identity we model and the legacy we leave.