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. 

A Mess in a Dress: Getting Past Your Past

Wednesdays are turning into one of my favorite days! We are Blogging through the book The Gospel of Yes by Mike Glenn. This means we can read it together chapter by chapter and discuss it here like a book club. It is not too late to catch up with us. You can get a copy of the book here. (affiliate link)

Chapters Six and Seven

My grandmother used to look at me on Sunday mornings as I ran around the church in my Sunday frock, and say "that girl is a mess in a dress". She said it with affection and humor, but it was true on so many levels.

I was a mess when God said yes. To be honest, I still am a bit of a mess. I have issues. I have a past.
I am also willing to bet you do too.


If you are letting your past hold you back from experiencing the fullness of God's yes, then you are missing the point. There is freedom and recovery in God's yes: freedom from what is holding you back and recovery from what has hurt and scarred you.

"We all have a past. Even though we find new life in Christ, no one starts from zero. Your life and mine, like any good story have a prequel." Mike Glenn, The Gospel of Yes, page 90

I have shared with you my prequel: I was an adulteress, and God healed my marriage. I was a child of divorce and God wanted me anyway. I have a story and it is messy because life is messy. We are messy.

God is not afraid of your mess. Jesus doesn't judge you because you have a past. The woman caught in adultery in the Bible was brought before Jesus. He said "Go and sin no more." No judging, no condemning. He just spoke life and sent her forward.

"Jesus in not unaware of the mess you are in, and he knows better than anyone that you can't fix it on your own. The mess you are in is why he came. And now that he is here, it makes no sense to waste any more time. So get started. Jesus will start wherever you are. " page 97

 What Makes the Gospel Great? 

The Gospel is great because it is the story of God choosing us in our brokenness, in our messiness, and Jesus revealing the love of the Father to us.

This means God chose you. From the beginning He chose you. You have a purpose, you have a reason for being. Just existing is no longer an option. You now have heard God's yes! Embrace it. Let it begin to change you. Renew the way you think about yourself, about the world, and about God. This yes from God changes everything!

This yes takes your mess and begins to make something beautiful in spite of it. From the inside out we are becoming something totally new!

"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 (KJV) 

You do not need to "fix" anything first. The truth is you can't. Only what Christ did for us can fix our brokenness.

Get Over Yourself! 

I know how to hold on. Tightly. I held onto my pain, my hurts, my past for a very long time. I hid behind a fake smile on Sundays so no one at church would know my pain. I was not fooling anyone. I certainly was not fooling God. 

I believed that God could heal and could change lives, just not mine. By believing God was good enough for everyone else but me I was making the gospel void. I made God to be a liar. I was wrong! 

If you are holding on to your past hurts and brokenness, get over yourself. I mean this in as much love as I can muster. Really. Let it go. God said yes and He wants to heal you from it all. He wants the chains to fall off and your new reality to be freedom and joy, not bondage and pain. 

God says "yes" to you. Say yes to Him. 

"Our lives may begin in a mess, but they end with a Divine Yes!" Mike Glenn, The Gospel of Yes page 100

Join the Conversation:

What was your "prequel"? Share a part of your story with us. Leave a comment (it can be long or short) with us. Click on "Add a Comment" below.


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 HERE to 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.”

Can God Use You?

We are Blogging Through the Book together using Mike Glenn's The Gospel of Yes. If you want to go through this book with us, it is not too late. Click here to purchase a copy. (affiliate link) 

Chapters 4 and 5

These are my favorite chapters so far. Mike Glenn gets to the heart of how and why God says yes, and I loved every page.  

I have heard it said that the Bible is nothing more than a collection of stories about God talking with and moving on the hearts and lives of regular everyday men. Rarely do we get God speaking directly to a king. God chose shepherds like David, scribes like Daniel, young women like Ruth, and old women like Naomi. In the New Testament we see Jesus pick fishermen, a doctor, an accountant. His profession was a carpenter. God chose normal, everyday people like you and I. He still does today. God chooses you to say "Yes" to.

Mike reminds us of the same thing in this book. He also reminds us that normal people have problems. 

We All Have A History

We all have a past. Something we rather no one know, much less talk about. 

I was an adulterer. After the sin was done and I had repented to God, I hid for years behind little and big lies so no one would know. My husband was unaware of the truth. He suspected something may have happened during a dark period of our marriage, but never asked me about it. 

God would not let my sin stand. He prompted me to tell my husband everything, not because God wanted to punish me, but because He wanted me to be free of the weight and the burden of that sin once and for all. 

He wanted to heal my marriage. 

Now this is my testimony: God is good, His promises are yes and amen, and there is nothing that He cannot do because I have seen Him heal my marriage after infidelity. He made that one of the planks in my platform when I preach and teach the Gospel.

It is my story, but it is also HiStory! 

Mike Glenn says this: 

"God will take the "nos" in your life and find a way to make them all "yeses"... He can take the worst day of your life and make it the first line of your testimony of redemption." 

The Surprise of "Yes"

There is a moment when we are surprised by what God can do. I have had this moment over and over. These "awe"some moments leave us a little breathless at God's goodness and His faithfulness. When we truly grasp that God is for us, then we begin to understand what His "yeses" are all about: love and relationship. 

God loves you and wants a relationship with you. 

Even if you have failed. Even if you feel broken and unworthy, God wants you. He loves you. He has a plan for you. 

This is the surprise of "Yes". There is nothing God can not do when we let Him say yes to us. 

"Despite all the human failures, despite the open rebellion of humanity against its Creator, God patiently and persistently weaves His will into the lives of men and women who are open to His presence." Mike Glenn, The Gospel of Yes

There is no "Big Stick" 

God is not waiting to punish you for your wrongs. He doesn't want anyone to languish in eternal damnation. He gave us the big "Yes" in Jesus. Jesus is the way God bridged the gulf between mankind and himself. Through Jesus is the redemptive embrace we have longed for. In that embrace is where our healing begins and our lives become changed. 

There are times when God could have said "NO!" to me. I am almost certain there are times when He could have said "NO!" to you. Yet, if you look, there was more grace and mercy in your worst moment than you deserved. That was God working on your behalf. 

The only piece of wood that matters to God is not a stick. It is a cross. That is His "Yes" instead of a no. 

Search Your Heart

 Search yourself and ask yourself this: "Have I said yes to God?" He said yes to you. Again and again. Surrender your life to Him. Begin saying yes to Him and the Yes of His grace will propel you to new heights in Jesus!  God can use you. He wants to use you. He has already said yes to you, all He is waiting for is for you to say yes to Him!

Join the discussion: Do you have a testimony of God's yes working in your life when He could have said no?

Leave your comments below. 

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 HERE to 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.”