In a world where society, especially social media, is constantly trying to add value and define who we are based on our accomplishments, what we do (or haven’t done), it is easy to see why oftentimes we tend to find our identity in the roles we play, or positions we hold.

We tend to measure ourselves or others based on what we do to the point that without it, there may be an identity crisis, not knowing who we are or where we belong. If we lose that job/title, there may be a sense of rejection or feeling not needed, perhaps unworthy. 

Other times, we compare ourselves to others and where they currently are in their lives. Then comes the pressure to try to live up to par. We try to overcompensate by keeping ourselves occupied because we think that we are adding more value or worthiness to our lives the busier we are.

However, one thing I know is that people only see a fraction of our lives, and we try so hard to make sure that the parts they see are the better parts. Hardly ever you will find people openly talking about their struggles.

Remember, no matter how old, crumpled, or beat up a dollar looks, it is still a dollar and when compared to a brand new one, they are both worth the same. 

In the same way, Our value is not defined by how we look or what we do, it is determined by our Creator. 

God says in Jeremiah 1:5 that BEFORE we were in our mother’s womb, He knew us. That means that we were known to Him before we did anything ‘worthy’ of being known!

Don’t get me wrong, we are all given an assignment, or have roles and duties to fulfill, and we want to be effective and advance, especially in the Kingdom of God. However, as believers, when we get to heaven, God will not say welcome (insert title/role). Regardless of our earthly titles (whether in the church, at work or at home), God calls us His children. – 1 John 3.

What we do or have done, versus the truth of who God says we are, often collide. That is why it is important to not be so attached to a role, that you lose your self worth if that ever changes. Positions may change or evolve, yet our identity will always remain the same in Christ. Remember Job! (Job 1:13-22).

The world will always have an opinion and find a way to back it up, and the devil knows that in the midst of all that noise, we can get confused and/or forget who we are. That is why he is always in our ears whispering words of failure or testing our identity.

The devil even tempted Jesus Himself! He tried to get Him to doubt his identity by starting with ‘If you are this, then prove it by doing that’… (Matthew 4:1-11).

But thank God that Jesus knew His identity and never gave in. He was always ready with a Word to fight back.

In the bible we read that oftentimes, Jesus detached Himself from the crowd and  went somewhere by Himself to pray and seek His Father.

That is powerful and we should learn from that because the only way that we can stand firm in who we are in Christ and go from being confused, feeling unknown or misunderstood is to connect with the only One who has given us a name and a true identity. 

Today I’d like to pose the question, apart from what you do, who are you? Where do you find your identity? 

I want to encourage someone, when you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or not quite knowing who you are or where you fit in, take some time and go back to the scriptures to read what God says about you (about us) and find your identity for He is the only One who can define you. – Isaiah 43:1, Psalm 139:13-14.

Be encouraged!

Ephesians 1:4-5 NKJV

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will..

Recently, I heard God telling me to ‘’Stay in faith’’, and it dawned on me that perhaps I wasn’t walking in faith like I should have.

That brought to mind the question, how do we stay in faith? Just because you walked in faith yesterday doesn’t mean you will automatically stay in faith every single day.

In the bible, Jesus’ very own disciples are a great example of this, but Jesus called them out!

I mean, it’s easy to stay in faith when everything is good and things are going your way.

But how do you stay in faith when you are being challenged or are struggling to keep your head above the water?

How do you stay in faith when ‘people are trying you’ (as some of us love to say).

This question may be answered differently by everyone, but for me, I have found that above all else, it takes intentionality.

The thing is, that our walk with God is individual. I wish it were a collaborative effort so that on those days I don’t feel like being in faith, I can take the day off and someone else can take my place. 

The problem with that thought is that I have actually done that, I have (foolishly) ‘taken the day off’ of being in faith however, I didn’t like the results.

I much rather the results of exercising my faith, putting in the ‘work’ it takes, and reaping its fruit.

I love the peace that staying in faith brings to my soul rather than the anxiety and bad attitude the devil loves to see us live with.

You see, in this life there will always be a reason to complain. There will always be a reason to feel bad or upset about something. But we have to make a choice.

We have to decide if we will accept the invitation to be distracted by the issues that come up in our lives or if we will choose to intentionally seek God for guidance, and continue to walk in, and keep our faith.

Staying in faith takes work. Every single day and every single moment of my life I have to learn to recognize when a thought or feeling is not of God and rebuke it at its onset.

When things happen that upset me or that are out of my control, I have to make the decision that I will not give in to those feelings and immediately, I have to pray to God for His help and guidance in how to handle the situation.

I have to make a conscious effort to give it to God and shift my thoughts.

Doing that is important in my life because if I let those thoughts or feelings marinate in my heart, I literally feel it building up inside of me like a volcano about to explode.

People may think that ‘immediately’ praying to God and shifting your thoughts sounds weird or impossible to do especially if you’re not in your private space but that’s not necessarily true.

This may be different for you, but what that actually looks like for me, is taking a pause. It’s literally staying quiet and as a lot of us may have heard, ‘if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all’. 

Don’t get me wrong, I have not perfected this and I probably fail on most days, but I thank God for His mercy and the fact that they are new every morning – (Lamentations 3:22-23), Lord knows I need a brand new batch every single day! 

Throughout this process, God has been teaching me the importance of being sensible to the Holy Spirit because He is our Helper, our Comforter (John 14:16).

God is our very PRESENT help in times of trouble! (Psalm 46:1-7).

When something doesn’t ‘feel right’, I have learned that I need to pray to God and ask Him to direct me. If I don’t have peace about something, then I just won’t do it.

Colossians 3:15 tells us to let the peace of God rule in our hearts. 

The AMPC version breaks it down like this:

Today I want to encourage someone, especially if perhaps you’re like me and wear your emotions on your sleeves, and it takes Jesus for you not to say exactly what’s on your mind, that you are not alone. 

If you feel as if you’ve messed up and gave in to a ‘bad day’, don’t be discouraged. Don’t feel as if you’re too far out that God cannot reach for you.

If you are still here, Jesus still died for you too. Cry out to Him for He is full of compassion and unfailing love and mercy – Lamentations 3:31-33. 

Whomever is reading this, stay in faith, for faith triumphs over trouble!

Lamentations 3:22-23

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is Your faithfulness.

Recently I heard a pastor say “Your harvest is a result of your sowing. If you don’t like your harvest, change your sowing”. And that stood out to me because a lot of times we are so quick to complain  about our circumstances but we don’t really acknowledge the role we play in it.

For example, are we still doing the things we used to do when we first started? Maybe we started out strong, full of zeal and on fire for God yet somehow along the way, we began to lose that fire or the flame began to wither.

I see it time and time again. Everyone is fired up and caught up in their emotions, however it’s not long before it dies down.

The devil uses time to wear us out. As time passes, we get tired and begin to complain, grumble and murmur. We no longer do things with zeal or from the heart, but instead, we do them out of obligation and are more worried about being loyal to man, than being loyal to God. 

Not that there’s anything wrong with fulfilling our obligations, (as we should be responsible) but when it comes to God, He is not going to show Himself strong to everyone, but only to those whose hearts are truly committed to Him. 

The bible says “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” – 2 Chronicles 16:9.

Also, Revelation 2:2-5 says:

Let’s not let time get the best of us. Like a breaker when it goes out, let’s reset ourselves and start over. My prayer for us all is that we repent, reset and do the first works. May we go back to serve Him and love Him the way we used to in the beginning.  

May this be our prayer everyday so that with God’s help, our hearts and our minds may truly be committed to Him and only Him. 

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Galatians 6:9

When you’re going through a difficult season whether emotional, spiritual, mental, or physical, it can be easy to lose sight of the goal or lose your faith.

Psalm 107:19-20 – Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

 

Psalm 34:18
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.