Do you know who you are?

I've discovered that a core issue that many of us struggle with is figuring out who we are. Are we the person that our parents say that we are? Are we defined by our job title and status in the workplace? Are we who our spouse and kids say that we are? All of these are questions that many of us face on a regular basis.

For me, I can sometimes make conclusions about myself based on something that was said to me or about me by someone close. Sometimes my thoughts about who I am are even made by me based on choices that I've made....good and bad.

The real question is, who were you before anyone told you? If you were born into the world and left without a name or a family to call your own, who would you be? Where would you find your identity?

I would like to suggest that we take a moment to discover who our Heavenly Father says we are.

John 1:12 reminds us that we are first "Children of God". This is very important as we now have a basis to find out what our Heavenly heritage is.

Ephesians 1:3-8 tells us that not only are we God's children, but we are told that before He formed the Earth, He chose you and He chose me to be His own. He sent His son Jesus to be a sacrifice so that you and I could be holy and blameless before God in love. Jesus brought forth our official adoption as Children of God. My personal favorite part of this scripture is the fact that we are called His Beloved! The one true God of Heaven and earth loved us and had a plan for us even before the foundation of the earth. He planned on blessing us as His children before we were born, not based on our performance as humans, but based on our identity as His children. What a marvelous relief! He loves us for just being His! We can't even effect His love by our actions which gives us assurance even if we have made mistakes in life.

What kind of thoughts might you have of yourself that conflict with God's statement that you are His BELOVED?

I challenge you to take your thoughts captive for one day and try to examine how many times you make comments about yourself, like "I'm so stupid, I can't believe I just did that." or how many times a day that friends, co-workers, or loved ones have told you things that are negative about who you are, and you believe it.

Replace the lies with truth! Darkness must flea the light. Speak positive words that are reflective of the fact that you are a son or daughter of the one true God and King.

God Bless and I pray that each one reading this blog will receive a fresh vision in their mind of just how precious they are to God.

In Him,

Jessica