One of God’s greatest blessings is to change the meaning of our names. What I mean by this: If a man by the name of John (fictional) is known as a drunk and every time people hear his name they think about John the drunk, that is what his name means to them. Now suppose John gets saved and becomes a preacher. His name has a different meaning now to others. He is now known as John the preacher! You too! God wants to deliver you, if necessary and give your name a different meaning. God wants you to speak into your life blessings from His word and give your name a different meaning. He wants to bless you so much that there is a complete reversal of the meaning of your name. If your name is symbolized by you losing your house, God wants to now give you a house with no mortgage! If your name was symbolized by the one who has cancer, God wants to change the meaning of your name to the healed of cancer and anointed by God to bring His healing to this generation! You see by these examples that God wants to do a complete reversal of the meaning of your name! If you look at the life of Paul (Saul); In Acts Chapter 9, Saul is on his way to Damascus to destroy Christians when a light from heaven knocks him of his horse and blinds him. A man named Ananias lays hands on him and he is healed and filled with the Holy Ghost! He then starts preaching in the synagogues about Jesus and the religious authorities go about to kill him, but God rescues him. His name was not only changed to Paul, but his name now had a different meaning; He is now a man who God touched to preach his Name and instead of an enemy in Christian’s minds he is now their brother and sister! Do you see how God can change your name to give it a favorable meaning? Every day that you walk with Jesus faithfully He is adding blessings to your name. Jacob wrestled with the angel of God and changed his name to Israel. Jacob was known as a trickster and a deceiver but God changed his name to mean a prince, one who has favor with God and man! (Genesis 32 v. 28)
Look at David! Before he met and defeated Goliath, he was known as a shepherd boy, the youngest in his family. But after he defeated Goliath, people started singing songs about him how he killed thousands and Saul had only killed his thousand. David’s name was getting more reputation among the people and Saul’s name was decreasing in favorability! God does this when He promotes; He puts down one and raises up another. The one who He promotes gets more favor attributed with his name because of the promotion, while the one who is replaced loses the reputation of his name! Esther was just one of the other ladies "auditioning" to be Queen, until she was chosen. Wow! Did her name ever change! In one day her world, her name changed meaning! God could do the same for you, in one day! What you have to do is repent, turn your flesh over to God (Romans 8 v. 13) and let him control it. Make your number one prayer request to be; Lord I want to be conformed to the image of Jesus (Romans 8 v. 29).
In 1 Kings Chapter 17, there is a fascinating story about name changes; in v. 1 the word says that Elijah was sitting by a brook and being fed by ravens, by God. He was very comfortable! Up to this point his name meant a prophet who prophesized that it would not rain for three and a half years and one who was comfortable down by the brook. But his name was going to really change meaning; God stirred up his nest or comfort zone by drying up the brook. Maybe this is happening to you. The church you attend, the job that you are at could be drying up! God has need of you elsewhere and He wants to make your name more favorable in meaning! God led Elijah to a widow lady’s house who only had enough food and water for one day, for her son and her. Elijah asked her for a little portion first and she did and her name was changed from widow lady to mistress of the house as she had food for the whole house of people with her! You see her name took on a different meaning. God poured out so much favor on her that everybody in the area had a different opinion of her name now than before. I am sure that everybody who spoke or thought about her name thought of her as the" blessed of the Lord." In v. 12, she mentioned that her and her son only had enough food for her and her son for one day and that they would die. Because she spoke this, her son did die. And God used Elijah to raise him up (v. 21, 22). The reason that she didn’t die too, is because she accepted and moved right into the name change to "mistress of the house." She accepted what God spoke through Elijah i.e. that if she gave him a little food first the meal and oil would never run out throughout the famine! (v. 14) She accepted this word of the Lord and put it on like a jacket and was protected! Do the same thing today i.e. Say out loud every day: "Lord anything that was ever spoken against me, will be spoken against me, written about me or will be written about me that is not of you, I break the power of those words, in Jesus Name. I curse the effects of these words in Jesus Name!" You need to start feeding your spirit man from the word in a greater way and start speaking from the word how God describes you and watch your name change meaning, in direct proportion to the blessings that He showers down on you. Look at how God changed the meaning of Elijah’s name from the Prophet by the brook to the Prophet who saved himself and this house from the famine and the same Elijah who raised a boy from the dead! Wow! Again, God maybe upsetting your comfort zone to move you to a new level and give your name more meaning! Let Him have His way! Don’t try to understand it, just flow with Him. Again, speak His word into your life to help give your name more meaning. His word will not come back void! Get ready for a name change! Even Satan will attach a new meaning to your name. Where he was fearful at the mention of your name, now he will be terrified!