Remember Who You Are

Daily drama, trials, temptations, and stresses seem to suck the life out of me. I often feel defeated and even without purpose, yet that is not how God sees me. It is so easy to feel unloved, unimportant, unwanted, and forgotten.

It is not so.

Because I place my faith in the Lord alone and what He has done for me, I can rest assured that in His eyes I am more. Some may find this arrogant, but I see it as trusting what He says. I see it as claiming His Word and His promises. The following are verses that remind His children of who we are in Him.

But when the appropriate time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights. And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who calls “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if you are a son, then you are also an heir through God.

Galatians 4:4-7 

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.”The Spirit himself bears witness to  our spirit that we are God’s children.

 Romans 8:14-16 

I am not just accepted by God, but His own child. I am adopted. He chose me. He accepted me. The almighty God of the universe is daddy.

Precious.

But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is your life because of righteousness. Moreover if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you.

Romans 8:10-11

I am alive...spiritually.

And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation) –when you believed in Christ you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 1:13-14

I am sealed. It is finished on my behalf. Payed in full. 

Freedom..........

As he also says in Hosea:
“I will call those who were not my people,
‘My and I will call her who was unloved, ‘My beloved.’”
“And in the very place where it was said to them
‘You are not my people,’there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”
Romans 9:25-26

I am God's beloved. 

For it was fitting for him, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory,to make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For indeed he who makes holy and those being made holy all have the same origin, and so he is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.” Again he says, “I will be confident in him,” and again, “Here I am, with the children God has given me.”
Hebrews 2:10-13

 

Jesus himself calls me a sister. So undeserved and unbelievably wonderful!

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away – look, what is new has come! And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation. In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people’s trespasses against them, and he has given us the message of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His plea through us. We plead with you on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God!” God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Let that sink in heart. Let the truth of being made new become my identity. Forget the past and all that it comes with. Forget the lies and deception that I am still that person. The Lord has made me new! No longer am I stuck in the past sins I have committed. The guilt of those things has no power. No, I am righteous in His eyes. Now I can continue in that righteousness. This truth compels me to live for Him out of thankfulness and love to my wonderful Savior and Father.

So as you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but chosen and priceless in God’s sight, you yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:4-5

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may
proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. You once were not a people, but now you are God’s people. You were shown no mercy, but now you have received mercy.
1 Peter 2:9-10

I am chosen. I have value...priceless. I am accepted because of Jesus. I am God's chosen child.  God has given me mercy!

But “when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior. And so, since we have been justified by his grace, we become heirs with the confident expectation of eternal life.”
Titus 3:4-7

I have new birth. I am born again through Christ. I have His life!

Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:1-3

 I am hidden in Christ. Oh what an amazing truth. Hidden...in Christ!

This list is not complete. You are so many things in the Lord. The truth of the matter is that we are accepted before God. There is no more condemnation. We are loved, beloved, children of God. When the flaming arrows come and try to steal the joy that is already ours, then these are the promises to cling to. It is time to extinguish those accusations and let the truth shine ever brighter in our hearts. Praise be to God.

I am...

     Free

            A New Creation

                 Accepted

                        Beloved

                              Adopted

                                    Hidden in Christ

                                         Chosen

                                               Alive

                                                    Sealed

                                                         Priceless

                                                              Redeemed

                                                                    I am His Child

Worship in Music

Here are a few more songs that I hope can bless your walk with the Lord today. I love music. The Lord has blessed me through playing, singing, and listening to worship songs. Enjoy.

Some Of My Favorites

This is a song that has been a real blessing to me. I just felt the need to share. Enjoy.
And here is another one of my absolute favorites. Amazing lyrics I shared in one of my first posts.

Who Do You Love?

I know this video comes with some shocking language and vivid imagery, but it is so powerful and filled with so much truth. This is worth watching and listening to. I highly recommend taking the time to hear what is said.
My Heart Behind 'Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus'

Don't Mind My Joy

There are not really any good words to express what the Lord has been doing in me. It is absolutely wonderful and there is joy so great that it is pouring out of me. I cannot contain the things that He is doing and it is amazing! It took getting to the place where I was so sick of myself that I had to turn to God. I had no idea how much faith I had in myself and how little I actually trusted God. Oh the truth can really set us free, but how it hurts to admit it! I am thankful that my God is a jealous one who didn't give up on me, and who worked in my life to draw me closer to Him. I am thankful that He finally allowed my eyes to be opened. Now I am able to trust in Him. My world needed to crumble in order for the Lord to be my strength.

Now that He is becoming my strength and I am learning what it is to walk with Him, now there is hope. It is now that He is able to work in and through me. I am no longer in the way. My wants, my desires, my strength, and my will are no longer important. It is His strength that I am leaning on. It is His will that I desire to do. I only need to listen and obey. It is not easy. There is a serious battle for my mind, heart, and soul. I now see how hard we have to fight, but that it is not my battle alone. I have the God of angel armies by my side. He goes before me. Oh what a precious truth to cling to with all my heart, soul, and mind! I am His and He is mine! Nothing can or will ever change that!

I am now able to be used by the Lord. I no longer stand in the way of what He wants to do in and through me. His ways are clearly better than mine. There is joy that is inexpressible. It is overflowing and I cannot contain it. This joy is something I have read about in scripture time and time again. It is only now that I understand what this joy is. I pray that every believer can enter in to this wonderful place with the Lord. It is where life is truly found. I never want to go back. I am excited, encouraged, and on fire. The Lord is good and greatly to be praised!!!

Is it the Spirit?

I have been pondering and working through the things of the Holy Spirit. In the christian circle I was raised in, I was not taught much about the Spirit. I knew basics such as the fruit of the Spirit, but not much more beyond that. It seemed to me that the Spirit really didn't do much, and that most of the christian walk was simply knowing truth and applying it. Recently though I have been more interested in knowing more about the role of the Holy Spirit in my own life. There are so many references to it in scripture that it is obviously an important part of our walk. So I dove in and read all the verses I could find about the Spirit. It is very interesting to see how He works and what specifically the Spirit does in the life of the believer. I want to hear the Spirit clearly and be able to discern between the world, my flesh, and the Holy Spirit.

I found some amazing truths about what the Spirit does for the believer. First of all, the Spirit gives us life. When we place our faith in Christ, we are baptized or born again through the Spirit of God (John 3:6, 2 Corinthians 3:6). The Holy Spirit is what sets us apart from the world and seals us as children of God (Ephesians 1:3, 1 John 4:13, Romans 15:16, 8:15-16). It is an amazingly precious truth to know that I am an adopted child of God. I have such great hope and confidence in knowing this truth! There is such hope in our future salvation that is to be realized either in our death or when the Lord returns (Romans 8:23-24, 5:5). The Holy Spirit is my down payment before God. It is what makes me righteous before Him (2 Corinthians 5:5-10). Amazing! I am so thankful for these truths that I cannot change. These things are done and are truths I can claim. How wonderful and freeing to know that I am sealed as a child of God!

Knowing the place I have before God is wonderful, but what is the Spirit doing daily in my life? What is His role in my walk with the Lord? This is where it gets exciting! The Spirit is what frees me from my flesh and the world. As I already learned, it is what sets me apart. It frees me from the power of sin. How many people can honestly say that they don't struggle with some sort of sin? We know as fallen humans that we are not what we should be. The Spirit is the solution (2 Corinthians 3:7-18, Galatians 5:18-26, Romans 8:10, Galatians 5:17, 1 Peter 1:2). Thankfully I don't have to face the world on my own. I know I fail miserably when I try, but the Spirit can and will empower me!

I struggle with how I can experience the power of the Holy Spirit. Knowing the truth is one thing, but applying it seems much more difficult. We are told not to quench or grieve the Spirit within us. We are also told not to extinguish it. I think I might have been doing all three. So then, what next? Scripture says that the Spirit teaches us, discerns the mind of Christ, and reveals the mysteries of God ( 1 Corinthians 2:10-16, Luke 12:12, Hebrews 10:15). If then, the Spirit shows us the mind of Christ, then the obvious conclusion is that I must search out the Word...Christ to find those things. What can the Spirit use if I am not in the Word? One apart from the other is not going to be as useful. I must have both working together.

The Spirit works many things in us. It helps us to live according to the Word of God by transforming us into the image of Christ. The Spirit intercedes for us in prayer when we don't know how to pray (Romans 8:27). It always follows the will of God and intercedes according to God's will. This is a self check for me when praying. Do I pray the will of God or my own will? How do I know when I am acting in the Spirit versus my own flesh? Scripture is so clear. The Spirit very clearly is a Spirit of unity (Romans 8:8-9,2 Cor. 3:17-18). If my actions do not provoke unity and bind the body of Christ together, then they are most definitely not of the Spirit. The Spirit is gentle, peaceable, kind, compassionate, and forgiving. It is one one of humility, and selflessness. If I am spiritual then I will put others before myself. I will show patience to those in my life. Self control will be present. Love will be an overarching theme in my life. I will be bold and full of courage. Reading  Galatians 5:18-26, Romans 8:15, Ephesians 4:32, and Acts 4:8 is a good self check. If my thoughts or actions are characterized by anything else, then I am not in the Spirit. The scriptures that deal with these things give a long list of those actions that are not of the Spirit! Good check to see where I am at any given moment. If I am divisive, impatient, unkind, unloving, jealous, angry, hostile, bitter, quarreling, and gossiping...then I am most definitely not in the Spirit. Recognizing the things that are not of the Spirit really helps me to identify when I am in the Spirit.

One of the most interesting things about the Spirit is the giving of spiritual gifts to each believer. This is an aspect I am familiar with, but do not have a good grasp on. I know some of the basic gifts that are given, but there are many that I am unfamiliar with. What is clear in scripture is that all believers are given spiritual gifts and they are to be used to edify and benefit the body. I look forward to what the Lord will teach me in this area, but for now am trusting that whatever gift He has given is best. I am excited to respond to the prompting of the Spirit knowing full well that it is His power that goes before me!

Rx for My Weakness: Part 4

"Put on then as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts,

 kindness and humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another

 and, if one has a complaint against another, forgive each other;

 as The Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive." 

                                                                                        Colossians 3:12-13

So we take of the old self...and then what? Just like we replace our thoughts with the thoughts of God, we replace our old actions with those that imitate Christ. This list of characteristics screams Jesus. Our relationships with one another should be like this.  Are these actions what characterize my life? I am reminded of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. These are the things that should flow out of me. It is not in my nature to show these traits. How then do I know what this looks like?  I look to Christ. I get in the Word and I get to know Him. I ponder, meditate on, pray, and spend time with those who love The Lord. I look into the mirror of scripture to get a glimpse of The Lord, then I reflect His image. I look to the Light, then reflect that light in my own life. I read about and experience His love so that love can then overflow and spill out of me. Then, and only then will the these things be true of me. The will I desire to bear other's burdens and forgive the sins of others. Then the Lord can use me for his purposes.

Wow! I knew forgiveness was important, but honestly for a long time was only concerned about being forgiven. The Lord has been teaching me much about forgiveness. He has shown me how important it is to forgive the people in my life. How can I accept the forgiveness from God, but not extend that forgiveness to others? It is only right and logical that because I have been forgiven much, I would forgive others much. Guess what, it is biblical too! So in a nutshell; if you are a child of God...it is time to act like one. It is time to get to know the heart of God and begin to reflect it to the world. There are no excuses for bitterness, envy, strife, complaining, backbiting, irritability, and pride. I am just as convicted as any. Lord, help me to apply these truths to my life and to imitate you!