I am whom GOD says I am IF I believe what GOD says!
In order to believe what God says, we have to have knowledge of what He says, and that comes from learning His Word. The scripture says in II Timothy 2:15 to “Study to show thyself approved unto God…” Everything God wants us to know is in His Holy Word. However, God’s Word is no good to us if we don’t believe it. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Although the scripture seems pretty self-explanatory, I find that there are times when we as Christians fail to do what it says. Instead of leaning on the Lord, we lean on what WE understand. We lean on what we see with our natural eyes, what we hear with our natural ears, what we understand with our human minds.
What does OUR understanding look like?
OUR understanding may look something like this:
“I UNDERSTAND that I was mistreated as a child, abandoned, called names, ridiculed, belittled, rejected, abused, molested, raped…..
I UNDERSTAND my hurt was caused by family, friends, classmates, teachers, coaches, law enforcement, employers, missionaries, church mothers, ministers, deacons, pastors, church folk, and so…..
I UNDERSTAND myself to be ugly, poor, worthless, unloved, undeserving, stupid, and as a result…..
I UNDERSTAND that I am ashamed, confused, hurt, lost, angry, discouraged, sad, depressed, indifferent, lonely, bitter…..
That’s what I UNDERSTAND!”
What does GOD say?
My brothers and sisters, I hear your pain! But again, what does GOD say?
“Trust (rely on, depend on, have confidence in, believe) the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto (do not depend on) thine own understanding,” (Proverbs 3:5).
OUR understanding is knowledge outside of God, knowledge that doesn’t come from God. Instead, this knowledge may come from negative experiences involving jealous, bitter, ignorant, confused, hateful, wicked hearts. Consequently, we believe such experiences more than we believe God. You may not agree, and I don’t blame you. Once upon a time, I didn’t believe it either when God first pointed it out to me. I said to God, “Oh no! That’s not true! I’m saved, sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost! I BELIEVE!” However, it wasn’t about my conduct during a Sunday morning service. When the service was over, I demonstrated my lack of trust in God by the choices I made, by my actions, by the words I spoke, by the thoughts I had about myself. I came to the realization that I was believing my circumstances–past and present–more than I was believing God’s Word, all because I was holding onto MY understanding.
God wants us to trust in Him with everything, to trust Him with our lives and His decisions for our lives. However, in order to do so, we have to relinquish OUR understanding.
How do we let go of OUR understanding?
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and MORE PRACTICE! We practice what we want to become, which should be what GOD wants us to become. We practice or exercise Biblical principles.
James 1:21-25:
“21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the Word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.
22 But don’t just listen to God’s Word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
23 For if you listen to the Word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.
24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.
25 But if you look carefully into the Perfect Law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”
As the book of James states, it’s not enough for us to just read the Bible or even recite scriptures from memory. We must practice God’s Word until it becomes a part of us, much like athletes who practice before playing in a game. Having raw talent and knowledge of the game is not enough. They have to practice how they want to perform against the opposing team. As a ninth grade track runner, I was privileged to be on the varsity 400 meter relay team. Although I was excited, I was still nervous at the same time. Being a freshman, I didn’t want to let the older girls on the relay team down. The first time I ran with them I did a great job. Everyone, including the boys track team, congratulated me. So, when I ran the second time, there were high expectations for the four of us. We were only worried about beating one team in order to win first place.
Unfortunately, this particular race had a different outcome. When I passed the baton to my teammate, in a flash that same baton was on the ground. Quickly as possible, she swooped down to pick it up. This mishap took us from first place to sixth place! I was so ashamed and embarrassed that I refused to return to the stands with the rest of the team. My father eventually found me hiding underneath the stands with my face wet with tears. Later the coach said that the baton dropping wasn’t my fault but that of the other girl. However, now that I’m older and have more knowledge, the baton mishap was due to a lack of practice! We weren’t even taught the proper baton exchange until the day before the meet. But, anyone who is familiar with sprint relays understands that baton exchanges take practice. A successful relay team is not based on having the fastest runners, but having runners who have MASTERED the exchange!
When a person accepts Jesus as Savior and Lord, some ungodly habits are easy to give up, while other habits take a little more time and effort. I’m not just referring to the obvious like alcohol, drugs and fornication, but I’m talking about inward struggles. For instance, I possessed what many would describe as low self-esteem for years, even into adulthood. I was constantly comparing myself to others.
“I wish I was pretty like she is!”
“I hate my skinny legs!”
“I’m not as smart as they are! Why am I even in this honors class?!”
“If only I had her personality, maybe then I would have more friends!”
I had to allow God to build my confidence by learning to see myself through HIS eyes. I could no longer depend on people to make me feel beautiful, special, and important. I had to know that I was all those things whether or not anyone else believed it.
Speak God’s Word
In addition to practicing the Word of God, we must also speak His Word and words of LIFE that promote positivity, hope, and strength. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” We can choose to speak death or life. The classroom behavior and school performance of a child who is verbally abused at home is, more than likely, going to differ from a child who receives love and praise. The old adage says, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!” I have to disagree with this saying. With the right medical attention, a broken leg or arm heals. Whereas, hateful words can cause mental and emotional damage for years to come.
God knows the pain you’ve suffered, the lies you were told, the words of death that were spoken over you. You can be dead inside while still breathing and walking about the earth every day. That’s exactly why God has given us His Word, for us to speak it and live it. Speak the Word until you believe it and know it to be true, even if you have to stare at yourself in the mirror while doing so. The Bible tells us to profess the things we want to happen (Romans 4:17) and to encourage ourselves just as King David did (I Samuel 30:6). Encouraging myself was a skill I had to learn to master. Prior to that I was accustomed to throwing pity parties. But, who wants to be around a person who is always “pitiful”?
In 2001, I decided that it was time to become the woman God says I am. However, I understood that this transformation had to begin inwardly. So, I wrote a letter of affirmation filled with scriptures and words of life that I read aloud to myself daily. In order to become, I first had to believe. In order to believe, I had to hear. In order to hear, I had to speak. The following are some scriptures I professed and am still professing today:
“…I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” (Psalms 139:14)
“… [I am] more than a conqueror through [Christ] who loved [me].” (Romans 8:37)
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (II Corinthians 5:17)
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (I Peter 2:9)
“I can do everything through Christ, Who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)
In addition to professing scriptures, I have also learned to profess words of life:
“I am a child of God.”
“I am blessed.”
“I am intelligent.”
“I am successful.”
“I am healthy.”
“I am holy.”
“I am righteous.”
“I am………………..”
You will find that as you declare God’s Word and speak words of life, your beliefs, thoughts and actions will change, and you will become the person God has already said you are!
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Thank you for your support!
mark
Yes you are sister great message thank you
Kimberly Joy
And thank YOU! Glad you enjoyed it!
Kathy
How beautiful and inspiring..what a testimony and truth! We change so much when we know this truth!
Kimberly Joy
Yes ma’am! I am so thankful for God’s Word!
Lacy
I find that some people have a hard time believing that renewing your mind with the knowledge of who Christ has made you to be is all you have to do to begin your journey of transformation in Christ.
Kimberly Joy
You’re right! That’s why I share my experiences as often as possible