Our Identity in God

Identity is defined as who you are. It’s what makes you who you are; it's what makes you unique. Still, this can be hard to understand because many of us are still learning who we are each day.

People may call us things like unpopular, or nerd. They may also call us nice things like pretty, or say we’re good at sports. But God says these things are not who we are. Other people do not choose our identity. God chooses our identity. He tells us who we are.

You were made in the image of God. This is who you are to your very core. No matter what you like about yourself or don’t like about yourself, your identity is in God.

He says that we are His creation; He made us how and who we are for a reason. And no matter what others say, you matter to God. He created us to have a relationship with Him.

(Taken from Holy Bibe App- Youth Identity Devotional Plan)

Quiet Inner Confidence

Through the years, many people tried to hold me back from God's call on my life. There were those who did not understand what I was doing and why I was doing it, so they judged me falsely. At times their criticism and judgment made me want to "sit down" and forget about my vision from God.

But I had a big God standing up on the inside of me, and "sitting down" was not an option for me. He caused me to stand up on the inside and be determined to go forward no matter what others thought, said or did. It was not always easy, but I learned from my experience that being frustrated and unfulfilled due to being out of the will of God is more difficult than pressing through all the opposition.

Standing up on the inside does not mean being rebellious or having an aggressive attitude toward those who don't understand us. It means having a quiet inner confidence that takes us through to the finish line. It is knowing inside that despite what is happening on the outside, everything is going to be all right because God is on the scene, and when He is present, nothing is impossible.

Pray: Lord, Your presence in my life changes everything about me. Help me to stand up alongside You for all that You want me to do and say and be. Amen.

From the book The Confident Woman Devotional by Joyce Meyer. Copyright 2011 by Joyce Meyer.

Through Him I Am Made Whole

"It is through the tender austerity of our troubles that the Son of Man comes knocking. In every event He seeks an entrance to my heart, yes, even in my most helpless, futile, fruitless moments. The very cracks and empty crannies of my life, my perplexities and hurts and botched-up jobs, He wants to fill with Himself, His joy, His life..."

-Elizabeth Elliot

We Are Strong

There are times in life when we can face storms, events that we cannot cope with and life deals us a hard hand that we struggle to overcome. When this happens we can sometimes feel alone and abandoned by God and our faith. But it is times when your faith is challenged the most, that you need your faith the most. It is when the going gets tough that God wants to show you He is with you. Life will always be full of tragedy and unpredictability, yet in and through all of it God is there.
If you feel that your faith is being challenged by a difficult or awful life situation, remember through this challenge you face God is there. He is with you stretching out His hand from heaven to give you comfort and love.

In Isaiah it says, "Fear not for I have redeemed you, I have summoned you by name. When you pass through the waters I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned: the flames will not set you ablaze."

God has eternity waiting for us and our faith in Christ will get us there. So if you have doubt, worry, concerns or struggles, know that God is always there to talk to. Tell him your burdens and he will answer by making you strong again and by giving you the opportunity to show your strength in your faith.

Corinthians 12 verses 9 and 10 say,
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

♡

Passion and Excitement

Recently I had been feeling a bit low...I had had a couple of weeks where the zest and excitement of my new faith had slowed down and I had been struggling to connect. A good friend of mine gave me a print out which I have typed below. She wisely said that even though faith is exciting and having a relationship with God is the best thing anyone can have in their lives, that doesnt mean that you will constantly be on a high. We dont always skip from one stunning encounter to another but it is important in these times where life can be at its hardest that we must fixate our hearts on the Lord. It is important that we remain faithful because these are the times when the devil may try to tempt us, when we are weak and alone we become easy targets to temptation and sinful ways.

"The Worship leader was excited. 'GOD IS GOOD!' He yelled into the microphone. 'All the time!' Chirruped the congregation in boisterous response. I'm taking a risk confessing this, but as the service continued, my weariness deepened, because everything, it seemed was exciting. The dear person giving the announcements spoke of an amazing prayer meeting, awesome small groups, a fantastic Alpha event. Even the weekly health group was edging towards ecstasy. The reality is that life, and the Christian life, is not like that. We don't skip from one stunning encounter to another, and we are not spared the mundane and the painful. Being passionate doesn't mean that we will always feel excited: Elijah didn't when he was in the cave of despair and Paul didn't when he felt the sentence of death in his heart. Jesus didn't trot happily into Gethsemane. As the disciples determined to keep following Jesus, they did so, perhaps even with a sense of resignation, because they knew that He was the Truth. In that sense there was nowhere else to go: He was and is it.

Passion is often associated with feelings of excitement, and we can feel guilty if we do not have those feelings, especially when, in a crowd setting, everyone else is apparently thrilled. But sometimes it's just enough to hang on, endure, be faithful, and trust God, even if our hearts feel flat and even empty. True passion pushes through when we dont feel anything much at all. And yes, God is good, all the time, whether you feel that ot not.

Pray about it ♡
Lord, when I feel alone, empty, or sad, help me to trust in you and as I do, express true passion for You. Amen.

He spoke

"He spoke and galaxies whirled into place, stars burned the heavens and planets began orbiting their suns- words of awesome, unlimited, unleashed power. He spoke again and the waters and lands were filled, with plants and creatures, running, swimming, growing and multiplying - words of animating, breathing, pulsing life. Again He spoke and man and woman were formed, thinking, speaking, and loving- words of personal and creative Glory. Eternal, infinite, unlimited - He was, is and always will be the maker and Lord of all that exists."

A Journey of Faith

Welcome to Blessed. After recently finding my faith again I thought it was high time I started a blog. On here I will be able to document my faith journey, post links to Chapel sermons, my sermon notes, daily devotions, prayers, thoughts, worship, Bible verses and quotes from some of the brilliant Christian books I am reading at the moment. The aim of this blog is essentially to spread the wonderful word of God and share the excitement and wonderful experiences I encounter often on my Faith Journey. I am so proud to be a Christian and developing my relationship with God has strengthened me as a person and given me the hope and happiness that I might not have had if I hadn't of found it. To be the daughter of such a loving Father and to feel so cherished by him is a wonderful thing. So I hope you enjoy reading my collection of posts and that you find them inspiring and encouraging. I don't claim to know everything there is to know about Christianity and the Bible but that is what makes this my journey, I am still learning.

Rach
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