You, dear children, are from God
and have overcome them,
because the One Who is in you
is greater than the one who is in the world.
1 John 4:4

These past few months I have had a lot going on—constant sickness, tragic events, stress at jobs, quitting the preschool job, deciding what to do with my life, school, exams, papers galore, and, getting engaged.  During this time I have been struggling with my identity, or rather, a mixture of that and where I belong.  Life can be tough sometimes.  And I’ll be the first to say that I am not a happy-go-lucky person.  I’m often practical…not too emotional; but I do have my days.  Some would say I’m mean.  I say I’m just straight to the point.  Either way, I think we could all agree that I’m a little rough around the edges.

I used to struggle daily with self-hatred.  I have grown to like myself.  I love myself, but I also now like myself, too.  Others, though, are keen on trying to change me.  I know I have things that I need to improve, but people don’t change people.  God changes people.  And people constantly telling me that I need be this or that, does not work for me. I hear what people say. And I prayerfully consider what people say. But I work with God to improve me, and I strive to be the person that He created me to be.

I believe that you are who you are because of the things we have experienced and the lives we have lived and the hand we’ve been dealt and the families we are part of.  I also believe that who you are may not line up 100% with who God intended you to be.  Therefore, we must work hand-in-hand with Him allowing Him to transform us into the beings He intended us to be.  It’s a lifelong process.  Do I think I will ever reach that goal?  Nope.  But I will strive for it until the day I die.

I would say this is a long introduction to get to the point I am trying to make.  1 John 4:4 says,

You, dear children, are from God
and have overcome them,
because the One Who is in you
is greater than the one who is in the world.

This passage really does need to be read in context.  It goes on to say, “They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them” (verse 5).

Be mindful of the spoken words you choose to believe about yourself. John 8:44 says that the devil is ‘the father of lies’.  The people we encounter may not be of the devil or demons, but their words can be used to plant seeds that Satan will use against us.  Anything time you choose to believe words spoken about yourself, first test it against the Word of God.  God has the final say about who you are, because He made you.  God is greater than Satan.  He will always be greater than Satan. Therefore, His Word is always going to be greater than anything Satan could have to say about us.  Test the words you hear, against the Almighty’s words.

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Lord, I know that You are greater than anything this world could ever fathom.  Please help me to believe and live in this wonderful truth.  Amen.