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Who do you want to be?

Do you remember the grade school assignments that we answered? The question about what we wanted to be when we grow up. I have a scrap book my aunt put together for me one year. It has all the things I wanted to be when I grew up. They were a school teacher, a nurse, a secretary, and even a model. I can see little pieces of each one of these in the person that I am today.

I was looking at something the other day and made the excuse that is just the way they are. Then God responded, “but is that who I Am?” Whatever excuse we use to act, say, portray or even react the question we should be asking, “Is that who I want to be?” Before you get upset about someone attacking how God made you, really ask yourself that question. “Is this who I want to be?” You really do not have to be that person. We have be empowered to be who we were really meant to be.

Ephesians 4:32-5:1 (AMP) Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you. Therefore become imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]

Remember you are becoming, so it is a process. How does one imitate another? You first must study them. You would want to start imitating their speech and how they say things. You would imitate their actions and mannerisms. A good actor gets immersed in their character and they would not be able to tell the difference in who they are and who they are portraying. However, when we imitate God it should not be for just show. We should not be wearing Him as a mask. Our true selves should reflect Him.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (AMP) Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].

Who do I want to be? I want to be genuine and caring. I want to be so full of His love that is all that flows out of me. I do not want to just be good, I want to be His. I want to think of Him more. I want to think of myself less (not less than). I want to reflect who I am, a beloved child of the King.

I was at an event the other night and noticed children running around just taking things. They were loud and demanding. They ate whatever they wanted or demanded it from us that were helping out. Come to find out they were the children of the leader. I do not believe they were imitating their parents, but they took advantage of who their parents were. That is not what it is to be children of God. The imitation we should reflect that we are growing in maturity.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (AMP) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom]. And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.

I reflect true freedom the more I reflect His image. Changing my behavior requires a decision to do things differently. I have to make a decision to think differently. You will not act like God the first time you try. We sometimes have the wrong idea of Him to begin with. That is why it is important to really study the Word. You are constantly going to be going through the process. So put your whole heart and soul into it. Care for others genuinely, not just because it looks good. Speak life to others in their presence and when they are not in the room. Find a way to forgive instead of finding ways to shift blame away from yourself. Own up to it when you are wrong.

Psalms 51:10 (AMP) Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right and steadfast spirit within me.

Matthew 5:8 (AMP) Blessed [anticipating God’s presence, spiritually mature] are the pure in heart [those with integrity, moral courage, and godly character], for they will see God.

Who do I want to be? I want to be who He says I am. I want to reflect His image. I do not want to be like one of those who looks in a mirror and walks away forgetting what they have seen (James 1:23-24). I desire more of God in my life. I want to not hide behind a veil of excuses and put myself into a bondage of ‘what if’s’. I want to live in the complete wholeness of what Christ redeemed me for. The restoration process can be a little humbling, but it is worth it. My heart of surrender is what He desires.

So next time you do not like the way you responded or handled something, there is a reason for that. Ask yourself, “is that who I want to be?” The next time you see someone in need, ask yourself, “who do I want to be?” If you see someone come in to a room and they are all alone, ask yourself, “who do I want to be?” As children imitating our Father, one of the areas we should be reflecting is His mercy and loving-kindness. What kindness would you want shown and reflect that. Do not stop asking yourself “Who do I want to be?” It is a continual growing process so that we can mature in Christ.

Abba, Our Father, Our Banner, You are so Marvelous and Wonderful. You are more precious than all the jewels we could ever imagine. You are Holy. Thank You for Your Son, our Redeemer. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, our Teacher and Comforter. Thank You for Your Grace, Your Mercy and Your Love. We repent for holding onto an image of who we were before we were Redeemed by Your Son. You have a big dream for us and it has nothing to do with getting things from You. We repent for only looking at You as Provider when You are so much more. We were created to reflect Your image. That is who we want to be. We want to forgive like You forgive. We want to love the way You love. Thank You for showing us that it is a process and that Your Kindness is full of Grace. You have empowered us to live a big life. We do not want to keep it small any longer. We choose hope today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose joy today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Mirror the Glory

2 Corinthians 3:18 (AMP) And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.

Progressive is an adjective (a describing word) meaning: happening or developing gradually or in stages; proceeding step by step. I am progressively being transformed. What am I transforming into? His image. By glory to glory.

We were created in His image. What image? His glory! When He breathed His Spirit into man (Genesis 2:7) we took on His likeness. This is part of the restored purpose that Christ came for.

Genesis 1:26 (AMP) Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness.]

You were created for more than just to exist. You were designed to take on His spiritual personality. John 15:4-5 tells me that I am nothing in myself, but in Christ, I am everything I need to be. My self image matters.

Ruth, often preached as a love story, is a story of perseverance. Ruth was a brave woman. Being a Moabite, Noami’s sons were not supposed to marry them, but they did anyways. Why? Moabites are from Moab, the son of Lot and his oldest daughter. They worshiped idols. In Ezra we see the Levites disowning their wives and children from those unions because they were told not to marry them. However, Ruth set out to change her destiny. Do you know what the future held for a woman that was widowed and had no children? They were either to become a beggar or a prostitute. Ruth did not have to follow Naomi, she chose to. Ruth did not have the right to glean in the field, that is why she went behind everyone else. Everything was set against her. Her race, her culture, her status.

Ruth 1:16 (AMP) Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people, and your God, my God.

According to the US Census Bureau data released in 2015, the poverty rates for women are substantially higher than the rates for men. The overall poverty rate is 3.8 percentage points higher for women than for men, and difference in the poverty rate among those over the age of sixty-five is even higher, with nearly one in five women who are over sixty-five and live alone in poverty.  (nwlc.org/resources/national-snapshot-poverty-among-women-families-2014)

Ruth is in the lineage of the direct descents of Jesus. Do you think that your past, or what you went through, can keep you from wholeness?

Break the generational bondage in your family. Break the poverty spirit. Break the orphan spirit. Break the spirit of anger. Break the spirit of not being able to accept love. Break the abandonment spirit. Break the spirit of rejection.

What holds you in bondage has control over you. Often we do not understand why we react a certain way is, it is because there is a form of bondage that has been attached to you. It is time to break free.

For me, I battle with not feeling accepted or wanted. There are many women in my family that struggle with the same thing. Where did this root come from? Where did it start? I have no idea. It started to take root in my oldest son and then I became aware that it was generational. What made me feel rejection was starting to show in him.

Ephesians 3:17-19 (AMP) So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].

I was created to present His glory. He came to make me whole so that I could fulfill that purpose. We were given the Holy Spirit so that we can fulfill that purpose. I am not the result of my past. I am the result of the Holy Spirit taking root in me. I am rooted and grounded in Love!! Do those thought still come up? Yes, I have to choose to put them aside and think on what is true, honorable, confirmed by His Word, what brings peace, and anything worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). It takes practice. We can choose different because we were created to reflect His glory.

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How I think of myself matters

Romans 12:2 (AMP) And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].

Yesterday I had the privilege of ministering the word to my church. It was called “Mirror the Glory.” This is an excerpt from it. I believe our minds are the biggest battle we face to keep us from walking in the command to love, just as Jesus commanded us to. It all starts on how we see ourselves. The NIV starts off the above verse with “Do not conform to the pattern of this world.”

What is the pattern of this world? “I am the result of my upbringing.” “I cannot move ahead because I was not set up to succeed.” “I was not loved as a child so I do not know how to show love (or receive love).” “I grew up in dysfunction so all I know is dysfunction.” “I was abused so I seek out relationships that abuse.” “I have been through too much.”

1 Corinthians 7:23 You were bought with a price [a precious price paid by Christ]; do not become slaves to men [but to Christ].

Do not become slaves to this thought pattern. Do not allow this to keep you from the abundant life that He came for (John 10:10).

1 Corinthians 6:12 (AMP) Everything is permissible for me, but not all things are beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything [and brought under its power, allowing it to control me].

We are held in bondage by the thoughts we have. This has nothing to do with His love for you. I can be held in emotional bondage and He still loves us.

Romans 8:38-39 (AMP) For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This has nothing to do about whether you are saved (going to Heaven), whether He loves you, this has to do about the SOZO. SOZO means to save, deliver, heal, to make whole. The devil’s goal is to separate us from God’s love, because God’s love is the main factor in our emotional healing.

Ephesians 3:17-19 (AMP) So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].

In order to full experience this amazing and endless love, you need to go through the process of giving Him what bounds you. It is through this process that you experience the love to the fullest. The Holy Spirit was given to us to Comfort us through the process. It is going to hurt, but it is a good hurt. Let the spiritual roots of bondage be set free. Receive the wholeness that He came to bring you. It is a continual thing. It is not a one and done.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (AMP) And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.

Look yourself in the mirror today and make this declaration: I am fully loved by God. He adopted me into His family. The pain of my past does not determine my future. The spirit that now dwells in me has full access to my life. He has permission to search within me and clear out anything that the enemy can use to hinder the call that He has on my life. I am free! I am healed! I am whole!!