Posts with the tag “identity”

For the past few months, God has been teaching me about the importance of the condition of our hearts. For most of my life, when I have noticed a sin or behavior I want out of my life, I have focused ...  Read More

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. T...  Read More

Gracious and kind Abba. Psalm 116 is a really beautiful Psalm, and a picture of the relationship God the Father wants to have with us. I would encourage you to read the entire Psalm, but Verses 5-7 re...  Read More

“You know my name?”. That question from Gary, a rambunctious third grader at the after school program I helped at once a week, made up one of the most formative moments of my college experience. Gary ...  Read More

I feel like we sometimes have this idea that our humanity is a bad thing. Like, “let me empty myself of everything that makes me human so I can then be good enough, and Christlike enough.” Or maybe ev...  Read More

"Lord, you know everything there is to know about me.You perceive every movement of my heart and soul,and you understand my every thought before it even enters my mind. You are so intimately aware of ...  Read More

Sin can feel like a strong word. It is weighty, for sure. However, I think sometimes I misinterpret the actual meaning of sin and what it does to the simplicity of us getting to love the spirit of God...  Read More

I want to start this off by going all the way back to Abraham... farther back to when he was still Abram. God has made a covenant with Abram: that he would be the father of many nations. But his wife ...  Read More

Hopelessness is the best lie the enemy has ever come up with. As Christians, we have every reason for hope, but our situations often convince us that hope is the lie. The enemy can convince us that we...  Read More

All of us carry baggage in some way, even if it’s seemingly insignificant. We can’t get over the way we’ve been hurt or the way we’ve been left by the people we thought would always be there. We’ve be...  Read More

God is so good. He loves meeting us where we are. He loves it when we begin to understand and seek Him in the ways that excite us. There are so many aspects to our faith and there is such a beauty tha...  Read More

"The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures." -  Psalm 23:1-2 ESVClassic church stuff right here... I mean, I'm assuming. I didn't exactly grow up in church. Lif...  Read More

When I was a baby, I loved sweet potatoes…as in I would only eat sweet potatoes. Like any good parent, mine would offer me other varieties of mushed baby food, but sweet potatoes were the only thing t...  Read More

"And I have now chosen and consecrated this temple so that my name may be there forever; my eyes and my heart will be there at all times." - 2 Chronicles 7:16 You are His temple.Return my son. Return ...  Read More

I heard someone say recently the most humble thing you can do is believe you are who God says you are. To put it simply: when God says something to you, believe Him. Whether it’s a specific identity, ...  Read More

One thing that I have realized about Jesus over the years is that while He is humble and walks in the utmost humility, that does not shake the fact that He is fully confident in His identity: He knows...  Read More

Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”Jesus released cultural whiplash with those two words.The Jewish leaders started looking for stones to throw at Him. To the...  Read More

Nakedness is not a bad thing. We come into the world unveiled before Him, humanity's exposure to the Earth in it's very first breaths took place in exposure, and all of God's creation thrives unashame...  Read More

Forgiveness. What is it? I’m sure we can all define what forgiveness is not, but can we define what it actually is? We all have our own definitions of forgiveness, but the bigger question is are we be...  Read More

Love is a funny word because we use it so interchangeably—we use love to describe nearly everything from tacos to significant others to God. I think that our culture uses it so often, that the word ha...  Read More

“Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring yo...  Read More

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself, by taking the form o...  Read More

I don’t know about you, but I really like asking questions, for better or for worse. I think that we were created to be curious beings. According to Genesis we were made uniquely: we were made in the ...  Read More

The concept of being a new creation sounds great, but in reality, it can be such a painful process. Stepping into your identity is a lifelong process, and it is one of the most important journeys of y...  Read More

Whether you like to admit it or not, we all have pasts. We all used to be someone who we are not currently. Just for an example, in the not-so-distant past I was a nerd who did two things: played on N...  Read More

Picture this: you’re standing on the beach waiting for the sun to rise. You’re wearing your shorts and hoodie, and you’re wrapped in a blanket because the breeze is blowing and the sky is beginning to...  Read More

In the book of Judges, Joshua, Israel’s leader, has just died. The Israelites continue to ask the Lord who they should conquer next as they enter their Promised Land tribe by tribe. However, as time p...  Read More

I have this instinctual response to alter my personality, interests, and lifestyle when I meet someone I like. Maybe you can relate. I wish it were limited to only romantic interests because that woul...  Read More

I love Harry Potter.(Warning: there are spoilers in this blog. But seriously if you haven’t seen Harry Potter yet then get on with it already will ya?)Bet that’s not what you expected to get out of a ...  Read More

So spiritual warfare exists. There are things working against us in the world - powers of darkness, forces of evil, scary sounding stuff. While there are battles that must be fought daily in prayer, t...  Read More

There is a battle raging around us, whether you see it or not. Spiritual warfare is as real as physical warfare happening around us. The way you perceive spiritual warfare is predicated on the persona...  Read More

College is a time for discovery. We ask a lot of questions— who am I? What was I made for? How do I do that? We also ask God a lot of questions—questions about who He is, what He is like, and why He d...  Read More

When you think of your identity, what comes to mind?You might think of activities you are a part of. Maybe you think of yourself as sporty, artistic or musical. Maybe you identify yourself based on in...  Read More

In the summer, we get out of our normal routine. This can lead to a dry season spiritually, a lonely season, or a season even busier than school was. On the flip side, you may find you have more time ...  Read More

The way that we love others matters. This goes for every relationship we have with another person. Think about the times you have felt well loved by someone. What did it look like? What did it look wh...  Read More

Body image. It’s an issue that can stare us down whether there’s a mirror around or not.Sometimes it’s a buzzing nuisance and sometimes it’s an unavoidable roar.In our culture, appearance can make or ...  Read More

A 17 year old Olympic snowboarder just won the US their first gold medal of the games, despite losing his coat and waking up late.I, a 21 year old, sit on my couch watching him win. Meanwhile, proud o...  Read More

If you are familiar with the many miracles performed by Jesus, you have probably heard the story of when he multiplied the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish to feed a crowd of five thousand people, while s...  Read More

Happy New Years, Wesley! I hope you had a rockin’ New Year’s Eve, and are ready to welcome 2018. There are a few experiences that are quintessential “New Years” things, like staying up late to watch t...  Read More

Stress. Anxiety. Worry. It’s inevitable for college students as they near the end of the semester.   But God calls us out of these feelings and into the peace He desires to give us. Maybe you’ve heard...  Read More