Stopping Identity Theft

Angela's* Story 

She is single, and a mom of two girls. She has struggled, but always managed to put food on the table, and clothes on her children's backs. But she wants more.

Angela wants to be a nurse. Under-educated and in her 30's, she faces some real challenges before achieving her goal of nursing. She has to pass an ACT and go back to school. These daunting tasks are not insurmountable, but she feels unequal to them.

So she sought help. She got a tutor. A friend who writes every day to help her with the things she struggles with: the English portion of the ACT.

Last night, after an hour and a half session, she sat at my table, defeated before we have really begun. I heard her thoughts almost as loudly as my own, because they were written on her face. She did not believe in herself, and she felt her dream was unreachable.

She heard "NO!"

God wanted her to hear "Yes!" 

I began to remind her that God does not give us a spirit of fear (or defeat) but one of power, love and a sound mind. I felt compelled to tell her about who she was, God's kid, and NO ONE can beat up on God's kid. Not even her. I reminded her that God made her unique and for a purpose. She wanted to be a nurse because her purpose, her "yes" in God was to lay hands on the sick and to see them comforted and recovered! There was more said, but it was for her alone.

Tears streamed down her beautiful face, as she took in the love God was pouring out on her in that moment. She was hearing Him say "Yes".

Too often we let the world, the enemy, well meaning friends, and even family tell us who we are. This is where we miss it. We let someone steal our identity in Christ. 

Only God, through a relationship with Christ, can tell you who you are, what your purpose is, and what your "Yes" in Him means. When we let others tell us differently, we let the enemy steal who we are: our very identities. The thief has to be stopped!

Today we cover the last two chapters of The Gospel of Yes by Pastor Mike Glenn. This book has been an amazing tool for me, and I hope for you. If you have not read this book, it's okay, but if you want, you can get it here. (affiliate link) We have been blogging through this book together, chapter by chapter. (Links to other posts will be at the end of this one for you to read through if you want.)

The Final Chapters

Mike Glenn saved the best for last. In the last two chapters of this book, Mike explores who we are designed to be: the unique aspect of every individual and what that means to the body of Christ.

I was so excited to see that I am not alone in feeling like a bit of an oddball, I mean unique (different) person. I was made for a purpose, designed from the start, and God has not changed His mind just because I am different. He uses my differences to expose another aspect of Himself to the world.

"Like a little piece of glass in a stained-glass window, I reflect and refract light from God's glory in a way that nobody else can." Mike Glenn, The Gospel of Yes page 187

You are unique. You have been designed from the start. Life may have been unkind, you may have lost your way, or perhaps, you have always followed Christ, but just do not know where to go from here. All of these things are okay. Do you know why?

Because we have a promise from God that He will never forsake us, we can be confident that He will bring us to a good, acceptable, and even a perfect end.

I want to remind you, that while I may never know you, God knows you. He sees you where you are, He loves you more than anything, and He has plans for you.

Join the Conversation:

Has there ever been a moment in your life when you felt your differences were not a good thing? Can you share 1 way you see God changing that for you? Leave a comment below. (Just click on "Add Comment")



Blogging Through the Book is a group of bloggers who literally blog while reading the book. It’s different than merely reading a book and posting a review. We have a chance to read and share our thoughts in our community. Click HEREto find out about other blogger's perspectives on these chapters and join the discussion!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

If you liked this post, try these too!

Blogging Through the Book: The Gospel of Yes
The Zone
Do You Hear "No" When God says "Yes"? 
Can God Use You? 
A Mess in a Dress: Getting Past Your Past
Discovering the Yes of Your Purpose
Find Your Calling
The Inconvenient Truth of God's Yes

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* Angela's name has been changed out of respect for her privacy. The story is true. 

Refine, Refinish and Restore

Refine and Refinish Me Oh God Photo Credit: Creative Commons

I was raised in church.

My heritage is generations of men and women called to minister, to teach, and to share.

I was taught to be mindful of what others thought. To mind my P's and Q's.

I feared missing the rapture and felt constantly torn between who I was and who I was expected to be.

I had moments with God. Glimpses of Grace. Touches of the Divine.

Encounters that shook me to my core. But we were like star crossed lovers, God and I.

Our timing seemed to be off.

I knew I was called, but I thought that meant I had to become another person.

The person I was? Not good enough.

The person I was? Too loud, too brash, too impulsive, too much of a tomboy.

There were moments I let hurt and offence rule my mind and soon I was taking the reigns away from God and living for myself.

Engulfed in self, I erred. I strayed. I walked away.

When my life fell apart I saw that as proof that God did not care- I used our distance as permission to spiral out of control. I was angry. Mad at God.

I was lonely and I had no idea how or if I ever wanted to reach out for God again.

But God, in His love and mercy was never far away. He sang His songs of Love over me. He called to me like a lover. He wooed me, seduced me with His faithfulness.

I repent. I cry. I surrender. I run back to my Father's arms.

I have moments with God. In the mornings my joy is full. His mercy is new.

I have peace. I do not fear missing His return because I feel Him now.

I begin to wake up. I begin to see He makes me new, refines and refinishes me like a fine piece of furniture. He brings out the grain that was there all along.

He shines me. He polishes. He favors me and sets me on display.

I am called, but now I know it is as easy as following my Love's voice: I know His voice and it is sweetness to my soul. I am who He made me to be. We are perfectly compatible. I trust Him.

Church is not the focus. People's opinions do not matter. He matters. I want my heart beat to be His Heart's Beat.

I want to be Me.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17 

Do not try to be anyone other than who you were designed to be. As we reach out and receive God's endless love and grace, we are changed: refined, refinished and restored. The same, but made new. Glorious and Perfected in Christ. 

What is your story? Leave your comments below.

The Zone: Blogging Through the Book "The Gospel of Yes" Chapter 1

The Big Question

We have all wondered “Why am I here?”

“What is my Purpose?”

I write about finding your purpose in Christ almost every day. But the struggle becomes getting past our “no”.

When we have a dream we think more of the obstacles to the dream than the yeses that get us to the end goal. When we see someone else succeed we find it easier to criticize them then to support them.

Our No is loud. Our no rules us.

What if you could change that?

What would your “yes” look like?

The Book

Mike Glenn asks the same thing in the first Chapter of The Gospel of Yes.

You are created in the very image of God and you have been created for a purpose. Now, as you hone into that purpose there is clarity. It is easier to filter through the stuff that comes up in life because you can more readily see if it fits in with your calling or not.

God has a purpose: He is working to reclaim His creation.

“The Lord isn’t slow to keep his promise, as some think of slowness, but he is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish but all to change their hearts and lives.” 2 Peter 3:9 (CEB)

He wants His kids to have the same mission as Him: save the lost. When we realize that is the mission, finding our role to play becomes all the more important. In general we know that if something in our life does not line up with this mission we can easily filter that out. Likewise when something in our life helps us accomplish the goals of this mission we can say a resounding YES with confidence.

“The Zone”

“A state of concentration, an alignment of emotional, mental, and physical abilities where the game seems to slow down and the play becomes almost effortless.”

Mike Glenn goes on to say “God wants us to live in that zone, experiencing a lifetime of moments where identity, destiny, and opportunity come together in a resounding “yes” of meaning and joy”

I want this. This “Yes” experience.

God said yes to me when He gave His son. He said yes to me when He called me to live a life of purpose too.

Do not be ruled by “no”, but embrace God’s “yes” for you.

What is your “yes”?

 

"Blogging Through the Book is a group of bloggers who literally blog while reading the book. It’s different than merely reading a book and posting a review. We have a chance to read and share our thoughts in community. Click HERE to learn more or visit www.danapittman.com."

The One Key to Finding Your Purpose

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

Want to find your purpose? Then start doing. 

There is a certain magic in doing. 

Grabbing a broom and sweeping, or picking up pen and writing, both are doing. 

One for me is a chore, one helps fulfill my purpose. 

How do I know this? I started doing and found out one made my house clean while the other sparked a fire in my heart. 

You may be sitting there thinking, “But I don’t write”. Good. Not everyone is a writer. 

You will find your purpose by doing something else. The key is doing.  

Where Does Talent Fit in? 

Are you good at finding a place for everything? Do you like things in small boxes, labeled and neatly stacked? You may be an organizer. 

Do you see an old piece of furniture and know, in your gut, that it can be re-purposed and made beautiful once again? You may be an interior designer. 

Do you love to swing a hammer and have a talent for building anything? Then your purpose may be church building. 

Your talents will always have something to do with your purpose, but your purpose is not based on your talents at all. Talents are tools. 

Purpose is a Mission. 

Missions stay the same. Missions always move in one direction and grow as we grow. Talents help accomplish the mission, but talents are not the be all and end all of who we are. 

Those God calls He equips, so stop worrying about whether or not you’re talented. 

Jeff Goins says “stop waiting to be picked”. I will go a step further. Stop waiting and get to work. 

Put your hand to the plow and do not look back. Start doing! 

It may be taking out the trash for the church, or keeping the nursery on Sunday mornings. It may be sitting in a file room organizing years of paperwork. It could be joining the praise and worship team or a Christian dance crew. 

To borrow Nike’s phrase: JUST DO IT! 

As you do the mundane things, the simple things, the fill in the blank things, then the heart’s desire things become clearer. They are the things you will think about with regularity. They are the thing that you see a need for more than any other. Your heart’s desire will make your pulse race and your palms sweat a little. 

It will be bigger than you. It may even be a little scary. 

I have been there. I know. 

However, you will never get those things unless you begin now! 

“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” Luke 16: 10

Before you are the next Natalie Grant, you will probably be in the church choir for a while. Before you are the next president, you may be on a local school board first. Do not despise small beginnings. 

Someone once told me this: God does not start you at the bottom and make you go up. That is the world’s way of doing things. God starts you off where you are meant to be (at the top) and then allows that place to grow outward as you are faithful. 

So take the trash out with a JOYFUL heart. Sweep the floors with pep in your step. This is only the beginning. There is more to come. 

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

Just do something. Stop waiting for life to fall into your lap, and go out there and start doing! This is the key to finding your purpose! 

With complete honesty, can you name one thing you know you could be "doing" but were secretly waiting for someone else who is more qualified or willing? What is it? 


Share in the comments below!