Who am I?

“Oliver, you’re a poo poo butt,” George yelled at his younger brother. Oliver whipped his head around and with a stern voice said, “no I am not!” A few seconds go by and I realized that Oliver was happy as a clam playing with his garbage truck and back to making all the sound effects. In that moment I had a thought, “what if every time Satan wanted to lie to us and tell us something untrue about ourselves, we simply said, “no I’m not,” put a smile back on our faces and continued on the journey of life? If we responded to every lie that the devil, the accuser tells us in this way, can you imagine the life that we would be loving, I mean, living? 

A few years ago, I led a mom’s group at our church. I loved visiting with all the moms and offering a bible scripture here and there and some encouragement along the way. One day I felt I needed to do something a little different. I felt the Lord tell me to ask the women to write down a lie that the enemy would whisper to them often and one that they always believed. I told them to remain anonymous and then we would read them after they were done. Once I collected all the cards, I started to read what lies the women were being told. “I’m fat and my husband hates me.” “I’m ruining my children, they would be better off without me.” These were just 2 out of 19 lies. I felt a holy anger rush through my body, I grabbed the trash can and started crinkling those little pieces of paper into a ball and threw them as hard as I could in the trash and would say, “lie!” After the last card was read, there was not many dry eyes in the room. We couldn’t believe the lies the devil had been whispering to each one of the precious mamas in that room. We prayed and shared tough stories that day, but God came and he offered peace, and I remember feeling that God was stamping His identity onto each and every one of those adored women, including myself. He was taking back all the lies the enemy whispered and in return giving us a holy confidence and peace that was unrecognizable. 

In the last 2 weeks, I’ve seen more signs, posters, commercials and the list goes on of this saying, be who you are. Be you! I have always been one to tell a person to be exactly who God created you to be; to be you! To be yourself is a beautiful thing, only if we know who we are and not listen to the lies that the enemy wants us to believe about ourselves. If we do not know our identity in Christ, we might be listening to a lie of who we are and not actually know the truth of who we are. There is a worldwide identity crisis going on, and I can’t help but think, are the whispers of the devil turning into louder voices? If that is the case, we need to be shouting from the rooftops truth of who people are and whose they are. People to walk in confidence that God created them perfect in His image, that people are loved, cherished and have purpose and identity through Jesus who loves them and calls them by name. 

My pastor’s wife told me when someone is cursing or condemning you, put your hand up and say, “I do not receive that, and do not let it penetrate your heart.” Today, whatever lies Satan wants to tell you, do not receive it, just like Oliver did not receive the mean word his brother told him. Today, listen to the truth of who God says you are and know that you are a daughter or son of the most high God. 

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He cerated him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth,”

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Psalm 139:16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

Psalms 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.