WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

This question will invoke a lot of different answers and truthfully it is one of those questions we don't often ask ourselves.  So I'm asking it, what do you believe in?  Do you believe God created the world?  Do you believe Jesus Christ is real?  Do you believe the Bible is 100% accurate?  Do you believe you are a good person?  What do you believe?   I could go on and on with questions asking millions of questions about what we believe, but I'm not writing this for a debate on religion or politics or world view, I want to discuss what you believe about yourself and who you are.

Yes, I have covered this topic before but this time I want to challenge us to dig deeper than ever before.  I have talked about how powerful words are and they can crush us or lift us up.  I got some people who seem to be "religious" who said words should not hurt us, we need to drown out the voices of others, but it's not always that easy.  Growing up with people telling you how bad you are, calling you names or laughing at you, does not make it easy to shut out the voices of the past.  It hurts!  It's real!  

We have an enemy who loves to bring up the past.  He reminds us of every hurtful thing everyone ever told us, he brings back memories of the bully who harassed us all through school, he points out every wrong that was ever done to us.  He wants to destroy us through others words, and so often we allow him to.  We listen to the past and it begins to seep into our mind to the point that those past words can change our destiny if we let them define us.  Listen I know words hurt, I have experienced it first hand.  for way too many years I let those words define me and influence my destiny.  I am here to tell you today that those words cannot define you, they cannot change your destiny, unless you allow them too.  Okay here goes nothing....

YOU ARE NOT WHO OTHERS SAY YOU ARE!

YOU ARE NOT WHO YOU THINK YOU ARE!

YOU ARE WHO GOD SAYS YOU ARE & HE SAYS YOU ARE HIS MASTERPIECE!!

Ephesians 2:10  For we are God’s MASTERPIECE. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

For way too long we have allowed the past and what others say about us to define who we are, but no more!  We are God's MASTERPIECE!  A work of art in progress.  We are not where we need to be, but thank God we're not where we used to be.  We have to allow God to tell us who we are, not others.  God created us.  He formed us in our mother's womb.  God does not make junk!  God does not make mistakes!  God created you!  You were hand made by the creator of the universe.  

 God's word defines you perfectly.  Believe what God says about who you are.  Cling to His truth.  The Bible is full of amazing truths about who we really are through the eyes of our creator.  

Are you still filled with doubts about who to listen to as to who you really are?  Okay let me ask this question, if you want to find out how a computer works, would you rather go a person who make the computer or would you go to some random person on the street and ask for help?  You would go to the guy who created the computer right?  Than why would you believe what you or someone else says about you?  You didn't create you so how can you listen to what you say about yourself?  There is no one else who created you, so why are you listening to what they say about you?

The only one who can tell you who you truly are and how valuable you are is the one who created you, God!  Dive into His word to discover who you really are and what He says about you!

Lord, close my ears to what others say about me and help me to shut my mouth about what I say about myself.  Help me cling to your word and what you about me, in Jesus name I pray, amen.