A Brother’s Question and a Doorway to Deeper Presence
Not long ago, I had a heartfelt conversation with a close friend and brother in Christ. He had recently started exploring the practice of Yoga Nidra. As he described the experience, I sensed he was not just seeking physical rest or stress relief. He was reaching for peace. For clarity. For a deeper connection… and a practice to lead others into a deeper state of presence, purpose, and communion with God.
He shared how Yoga Nidra helped him feel still, calm, and centered. It guided him into a meditative state where the noise of the world quieted, and for a few moments, he could just be. But then we asked a sincere and important question.
“How does this fit with our faith?”
That question opened a sacred conversation. We began to explore something I teach all my clients and men I mentor. Something I believe is at the very center of what it means to follow Christ with your whole being.
Identity is the most powerful force in human psychology.
And the identity that matters most is not who you used to be, and not even who you hope to become.
The most powerful question you can ask is:
Who am I… right now?
And that question can only be fully answered when it is rooted in the presence of the One who said, “I AM.”
Why Identity Shapes Everything
Every human being lives out of an identity. It may be conscious or unconscious. It may be rooted in truth or in lies. But it is there. And it drives everything.
We do not act according to what we want. We act according to who we believe we are.
This is why so many people find themselves stuck in cycles of regret, self-sabotage, or confusion. They are trying to behave their way into a new identity, but deep down, they are still wearing old names.
The key is not behavior first. The key is identity first.
You must come back to who you are now. You must confront the question in the present tense.
Who am I? Not who was I. Not who will I be. But who am I now.
This is not just a therapeutic idea. It is a deeply spiritual one. And it leads us to the name of God.
The Sacred Power of Present-Tense Identity
When Moses encountered God at the burning bush and asked His name, he received a staggering answer.
“I AM WHO I AM.”
God gave no historical reference. No future description. He spoke in the most immediate form possible.
I AM.
That name became the foundation of truth for the people of Israel. And for us, it is more than a theological detail. It is a pattern. A mirror. A calling.
You were made in the image of I AM.
That means your truest self cannot be found in what you have done or in what you hope to do. It is found in presence. In the now. In the breath and awareness of who you are in God.
God speaks your identity in the present tense. And so should you.
False Names and Forgotten Presence
In one of my private coaching sessions, I asked a man a question that brought him to tears.
“If God called your name and followed it with ‘I Am’… what would He say next?”
He sat in silence. Then, barely able to speak, he said, “I do not know.”
That is the problem for so many people.
They know who they were at their worst.
They imagine who they hope to be at their best.
But they have forgotten who they are in this moment… seen through the eyes of grace.
They live haunted by old names like failure, addict, invisible, or too much.
But God speaks new names.
Son. Chosen. Forgiven. Brave. Alive.
Not after you fix everything. Not after you improve.
Now.
Because God is not waiting for you to become someone else before He loves you. He is here. And He is calling you to return to presence. To truth. To Him.
The Gift and Caution of Stillness Practices
My friend’s experience with Yoga Nidra revealed something many men and women hunger for. The chance to be still. To breathe. To hear the deeper voice. But this hunger must be guided by truth.
Stillness is not emptiness. Silence is not surrender. Rest must lead to restoration in God, not disconnection from reality.
There are practices in the world that encourage detachment, disembodiment, or identity erasure. That is not what we are after.
We are not called to float above life. We are called to live it fully—grounded, present, and alive in Christ.
If practices like Yoga Nidra or guided rest help you slow your breath and clear your mind, that is only a tool. The question remains: What are you becoming aware of in that stillness?
Are you returning to your identity in God? Or are you drifting further from it?
Breath and the Body: A Temple Reawakened
A good friend and client of mine, Dr. Andrew Huberman, teaches a method called NSDR, which stands for Non-Sleep Deep Rest. One of the protocols he uses is called the physiological sigh—two short inhales through the nose followed by a long, slow exhale through the mouth. It helps reset your nervous system, bringing you back into calm and clarity.
I use this breathing technique with many clients, not just to lower stress but to bring them back into the moment. Into their body. Into presence. Into identity.
You cannot find your identity by running faster. You find it by coming home.
Breath brings you home.
Scripture calls the human body a temple of the Holy Spirit. Your breath is sacred space. It is not just air. It is life. It is presence. It is the whisper of “I am here.”
Live Life Alive: The Meaning Behind the Mission
Jesus said in John 10:10,
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
That is not future tense. That is not conditional. That is not someday.
That is now.
Abundant life is not waiting at the finish line. It is available in the present.
This is what I mean when I say, Live Life Alive.
It is not a motivational phrase. It is a declaration of spiritual reality.
To live life alive is to walk in awareness.
To live life alive is to breathe with purpose.
To live life alive is to know who you are — right now, in the presence of God.
Three Ways to Reconnect Your Identity and Presence to God
Here are three practices you can begin today.
- Declare Your Identity in the Present Tense
Speak the truth out loud. Use Scripture to replace lies.
Say it:
“I am forgiven.”
“I am chosen.”
“I am not alone.”
“I am filled with the Spirit of the living God.”
- Practice Intentional Breathing
Try this three times:
Inhale slowly through your nose.
Take a second quick inhale to fill your lungs.
Exhale gently through your mouth.
As you exhale, say softly, “I am alive. I am here. I am His.”
- Anchor Your Stillness in Christ
When you enter meditation or stillness, do not empty yourself. Fill your mind with truth.
Repeat the name of Jesus.
Read Psalm 139.
Let your awareness become worship.
The Final Word: You Are Not Who You Were
You are not who others say you are.
You are not the sum of your past or the weight of your mistakes.
You are who God says you are.
And He speaks in the present tense.
You are seen.
You are loved.
You are held.
You are alive.
Return to the breath.
Return to the truth.
Return to The Great I AM.
And live life fully present.
Live life fully loved.
Live Life Alive.