I am a worshipper, I am a world racer, I am a leader, I am a child, I am a sister, I am a daughter, I am a friend, I am a preacher, I am a children's program director, I am a teacher, I am a worship leader, I am a servant.
We wear many hats, some are for us, others are projected on us, and some we take on because of need and sacrifice. This is the case on the world race, today I was a preacher and this is what I shared:
Who are you? How would you answer that question would you say your name, would you say you’re a student, would you say you are a woman or a boy? Would you say I am the deeply loved child of a king?
The idea of who we are shapes what we do and how we act. This is called our identity.
The way we view ourselves is often shaped by our families, our friends, our choices, our teachers, and people we see daily.
As we grow up we act based on our experiences from life, good or bad.
We are either encouraged by people in our lives or brought down. People’s words affect us. I like to think of our hearts like a cup. As people tell us we aren’t good enough, we are stupid, or mean, it puts holes in our cup. We start to believe the labels other people have put on us instead of what God says about us.
Over 300 times in the New Testament, God’s people are referred to as saints, as righteous, and as holy.
Do you know God sees you as a saint and not a sinner?
When Jesus died on the cross he literally purified us. He made us beautiful and clean in the eyes of God.
Sometimes we see ourselves more as sinners then saints and we walk with our head down toward God in shame.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
We need to associate ourselves as saints. When we know we are royalty and we have destiny, we can walk in freedom and in the goodness God has for us.
Who we are has nothing to do our mistakes, our families, or if we are a boy or a girl. It has to do with your faith in Jesus. It has to do with believing we are sons and daughters of a king.
We are sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ. He has given us purpose in the life to be his hands and feet and to love others.
Through Christ we have been adopted as Gods children. The Holy Spirit is inside of us and God will walk with us in all parts of our lives and guide all our decisions. He wants to bring light and hope.
Because we often see ourselves as sinners and not saints we need to renew our minds.
Romans 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Part of the process in renewing our minds is forgiveness and asking the lord to heal the holes in our cups, the wounds on our hearts, the lies we have believed about ourselves. God has given us Jesus, but sometimes we still have pain from our life. We are whole with Jesus and he will bring us healing.
Because of our faith in Jesus we are no longer slaves to the labels of the world and the lies that people have said about us.
God loves us and he chose us. (Hebrews 13:8)
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
