How Do You See Yourself?

 Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as this beautiful Friday begins to fade. 😊

This week has been pretty cool! I have felt this strong conviction in my heart however the message for today had not quite come together for me…until this morning. I was listening to Focus on the Family and their guests this morning were David and Jason Benham. I want to start by sharing a few excerpts from this mornings conversation. All of this was stated by Jason.

“…and this is where we find a lot of Christians in culture today, is Peter in the courtyard. But what we’re saying is be Peter at Pentecost. That was the Peter who stood boldly, who said, “Yeah, you guys killed Him, but listen, He has you know, He came in and gave the gospel and 3,000 get saved.” That’s the Peter who became the bridge.”

And he states a little later:

“…Satan knows that how you see yourself will determine how you behave.”

“So, if he can convince you, as a believer, that you’re not a full-time minister, that you’re just an insurance salesman, or you’re just a real estate guy, or you’re just a stay-at-home mom or whatever, and he can convince you of that, then that’s how you’re going to act. But what David and I discovered is that we are full-time ministers. The minute you give your heart to Jesus Christ, you’re a minister, you’re on mission, and your work is worship. When you recognize that, you are in full-time ministry. We think that where you’re placed or how you’re paid determines the minister, but it’s not about that. It’s about God’s presence in your life and your passion for Him that makes you a full-time minister right where you are.”

I want to unpack a couple of things:

1. I shared the first excerpt for this reason – do you see yourself as the Peter in the courtyard or the Peter at Pentecost? My point is this; we all have failing moments. Moments we wish we could have back, respond differently, behave differently, say something differently. But the thing is, we can’t. The only thing we have is the next moment in front of us. What would have happened if the rest of Peter’s life was defined by the courtyard? There never would have been the moment at Pentecost!

How about you and I? Are we living our failures or are we living up to our potential? You failed? So what?! We all fail, this simply makes us human. The key is to not get stuck in the failure. Learn from it? Grow from it? Absolutely! Please just don’t live there. There is a Pentecost before you however you won’t live it if you stay in the courtyard!

2. How do you see yourself? Are you “just a [fill in the blank with whatever adjective you want]? Let me end all the drama here, you are absolutely not “just a” anything!!! You, Sweet Friend, are fearfully and wonderfully made! You were created for a purpose for which you have been perfectly equipped (with all the talents and abilities you need)! You lack nothing to fulfill your purpose!!! Please, go ahead, reread those last 3 sentences.

Here is a tip for you: your job, title, marital status, parental status, likes, shares, etc. do not define you and they are certainly not your purpose! Used wisely your job can be used to express your purpose however it, in and of itself, is not your purpose. 

So I will ask you again, how do you see yourself? Do you see yourself as one who is fearfully and wonderfully made? Do you see yourself as one who was created for a purpose for which you are perfectly equipped? Do you see yourself as lacking nothing in your ability to fulfill your purpose? How you see yourself is how you behave… 

There is a reason Satan is referred to as the great deceiver…he deceives!!! Please see it and please intentionally choose Who and what you are going to believe! The quality of your life, and the lives of all you will influence, hangs in the balance. 

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com. 

Have a great evening, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well! 😊

 

Kev