On Identity
Many of us as Christians are wrapped up in evangelism, spreading the gospel to others and seeing their lives freed from the grip of evil. It's the Great Commission and it needs to be lived out every day.
But there's something else we need to be doing too -
Preaching the gospel to ourselves.
Our very own Jesus, when the devil himself was standing in front of Him - what defense did He choose? How did He refute the prince of darkness?
He quoted scripture.
This God incarnate - He's the Master of heaven and earth and could've called on His army of angels, but chose words instead.
They say the pen is mightier than the sword - but the pen of God is a two-edged sword wielded by an all-consuming fire of a God.
The Word of God is the greatest weapon for fending off the enemies of God.
The devil will whisper lies into your heart every day - sometimes he'll even shout them. But you almost never know it's him talking.
That's the thing - all those lies about who you are, what you've done and what God thinks of you? They'll come from all directions. They'll come from your family, friends, co-workers, people on the street, magazines, the internet and your mirror.
In a twisted, broken mess of a world where lies are force-fed - you've got to know truth. And that's the thing about God's truth - it's not a screwed up view of humanity, it's not the edited and re-edited opinion of some big-ego author - it's absolute truth. It's the truth that ultimately sets you free.
It's the truth of who God is and who He says you are that trumps whatever shame you carry and whatever lie about having to be enough for everybody, including Him.
It's the truth about what He's done that washes us clean of anything we might believe could drive away His love.
It's the truth of what God thinks about you that overrides whatever the world outside yells in your ears.
The world may label you worthless. Unlovable. Ugly. Fake. Weak. Failure. Shameful. Embarrassing. Wreck. Misfit.
But do you know what God says? You're priceless. Unimaginably loved. Beautiful. A new creation. Stronger than whatever the devil tries to drag you down with. Flawlessly put back together. Reborn. Honored. Resurrected. Valued.
As the New Year approaches - can you promise me just one thing? That in all the rushing and bustling and amid all the pressure to perform - promise me you'll focus on what you already are versus all you don't think you are?
After all, your God is in the year 2018 too. And He's not about to leave you on your own.
But there's something else we need to be doing too -
Preaching the gospel to ourselves.
Our very own Jesus, when the devil himself was standing in front of Him - what defense did He choose? How did He refute the prince of darkness?
He quoted scripture.
This God incarnate - He's the Master of heaven and earth and could've called on His army of angels, but chose words instead.
They say the pen is mightier than the sword - but the pen of God is a two-edged sword wielded by an all-consuming fire of a God.
The Word of God is the greatest weapon for fending off the enemies of God.
The devil will whisper lies into your heart every day - sometimes he'll even shout them. But you almost never know it's him talking.
That's the thing - all those lies about who you are, what you've done and what God thinks of you? They'll come from all directions. They'll come from your family, friends, co-workers, people on the street, magazines, the internet and your mirror.
In a twisted, broken mess of a world where lies are force-fed - you've got to know truth. And that's the thing about God's truth - it's not a screwed up view of humanity, it's not the edited and re-edited opinion of some big-ego author - it's absolute truth. It's the truth that ultimately sets you free.
It's the truth of who God is and who He says you are that trumps whatever shame you carry and whatever lie about having to be enough for everybody, including Him.
It's the truth about what He's done that washes us clean of anything we might believe could drive away His love.
It's the truth of what God thinks about you that overrides whatever the world outside yells in your ears.
The world may label you worthless. Unlovable. Ugly. Fake. Weak. Failure. Shameful. Embarrassing. Wreck. Misfit.
But do you know what God says? You're priceless. Unimaginably loved. Beautiful. A new creation. Stronger than whatever the devil tries to drag you down with. Flawlessly put back together. Reborn. Honored. Resurrected. Valued.
As the New Year approaches - can you promise me just one thing? That in all the rushing and bustling and amid all the pressure to perform - promise me you'll focus on what you already are versus all you don't think you are?
After all, your God is in the year 2018 too. And He's not about to leave you on your own.
Comments
Post a Comment