“The real you is not an indecipherable, unknowable enigma.”

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2016-03-01) from his book, (UN)Qualified: How God Uses Broken People to Do Big Things (p. 48). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book

Steven continues this thought by saying, “God knows our identities perfectly. And I believe he wants to help us know ourselves as well.”

David in Psalm 139: 23-24 shows us a great place to start. He says, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Steven says, “David asks God to know him, to test him, and to lead him. That’s exactly the attitude we need to take. Admit we don’t have all the answers. Recognize that God does. And commit to the process.”

Steven goes on to say, “Yes, we are complicated. We’ll never understand every thread, knot, and tangle in the tapestry of our identity. But the more you grow to know God, the more you will grow to know and, I believe, enjoy yourself.”

There it is. The more we grow to know God, the more we will grow to know and enjoy ourselves. That is so important in really living the life that God has created us to live. To really know Him is to really know who we are. Knowing our SHAPE, as Rick Warren calls it, shows us what God’s purpose is for our life. That is where real living comes from. By the way your SHAPE is, your Spiritual gifts, your Heart, your Abilities, your Personality, and your Experiences.

Steven then says, “I can’t promise that the journey of self-discovery will be easy. You might have a few closets to clean out. There might be some secrets hidden under the floorboards. But if you can learn to recognize and value the real you, you’ll find freedom and peace unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. So who are you? Really?”

So, who are you? Really?

Comments

“God does big things with small deeds.”

A thought by Max Lucado (2011-05-02) from his book, Cure for the Common Life (p. 115). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I don’t know how you feel about what you are doing and how it can make a difference. You may feel that it is so small and not even worth the effort. Max says, “Begin. Just begin! What seems small to you might be huge to someone else. Just ask Bohn Fawkes. During World War II, he piloted a B-17. On one mission he sustained flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. Even though his gas tanks were hit, the plane did not explode, and Fawkes was able to land the plane. “On the morning following the raid, Fawkes asked his crew chief for the German shell. He wanted to keep a souvenir of his incredible good fortune. The crew chief explained that not just one but eleven shells had been found in the gas tanks, none of which had exploded. “Technicians opened the missiles and found them void of explosive cha...

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book, Winning the War on Worry (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

Just Continue That Thought...

Search This Blog