I AM: Chosen Week Three – Day Three

By Central Women

Friends, I don’t know what your story is. Maybe you are marred by childhood abuse like me, or perhaps you were raised in a loving Christ-centered home or somewhere in between. Either way, I do know that somewhere along the way, we, as women, started to hold on to words that make us feel inferior. A comparison was made, a comment said, disappointment experienced. Then we throw our past, sin, and shame into the mix and we put the carefully crafted playlist of lies created by satan on repeat. It happens so gradually we don’t even realize it.

The only way we can refute the lies is to name them and their source. Before we go any further, I want you to list the lies you are currently struggling with about yourself and where they stem from. I’m not asking for your cleaned-up church answer version of your struggle. I am asking for you to be real about the lies you are believing to be true about yourself. You know which ones I’m talking about. They are the ones that normally manifest themselves as excuses that follow the phrases: I’m too this, or too that, or I’ll be able to when. Go ahead. This is a safe place. The only way we can move forward, and experience freedom is if we are honest.

Whoa, right? I am so proud of you for being vulnerable. The truth is you are not alone. Your feelings and response to self-doubt are normal. However, when we leave them hidden in the dark, we start to interchange satan’s lies for God’s truth.

The longer we stay in the darkness, the easier it becomes to remain confused. We must remember that Jesus is our way out, our light.

Whoever believes in Him will not stay in darkness. (John 12:46)

When we are walking in the light, we can see the truth of who God created us to be. The truth is we were each chosen and uniquely created to work in partnership with the body of Christ to bring God glory.

“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”

Romans 12:4-8

Do you see?

When we compare ourselves to other people we are, by definition, looking for the similarities between us when all along we were chosen and created by God to be different.

Remember God sees us as holy and blameless. When we are in Christ, we are a new creation. Our past is no more. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Need proof?

He chose:

Abraham, in his old age, to be the father of many nations. (Genesis 17:5)

Moses, a murderer, to set his people free. (Exodus 3)

David, an adulterer, to be known as a man after God’s own heart. (1 Samuel 13:14)

Esther, an orphan, to rise to a royal position to save her people. (Esther 4:14)

Rahab, a prostitute, to be known for showing kindness to God’s people by hiding his spies. (Joshua 2:17)

Each person in the stories above had self-doubt, shame, and sin, yet God chose to use them for who He created them to be to bring Him glory. The same is true for you and me. It’s time we record over our playlist of lies and replace it with God’s truth.

Reflect:

Make a list of everything that makes you unique and ask God to show you how you can use these attributes for His glory.

Heavenly Father, help us embrace our uniqueness by giving us the wisdom and discernment to distinguish between satan’s lies and your truth.