God Has the Final Say

Who You Are

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.

God Has The Final Say

Recorded in the Gospel of John, our Lord made seven statements referring to Himself as I AM…

I AM The Light of the World
I AM The Bread of Life
I AM The Door
I AM The Good Shepherd
I AM The True Vine
I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life
I AM The Resurrection and The Life

Each week during this season of Lent, here on the Seeking Him blog, we will be focusing our devotionals on a different aspect of Jesus’ revelation of Himself as I AM. The aim of Lent should be to prepare our hearts for the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice—His trial and torture, the Crucifixion and His death…and above all, the celebration of His Resurrection from the dead. We pray that this will be a great encouragement to each of you who read them. And that all of us will consider the significance of Jesus’ words and, through them, be helped as we remember and are thankful for all Jesus went through during the last few weeks of His life on this earth.

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“…I AM the Resurrection and the Life.”
John 11:25

“He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!
Remember what He told you back in Galilee—
that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified,
and that He would rise again on the third day.”
Luke 24:6-7

I know Easter is all about what Christ has done for us and our sins and our salvation. Jesus IS the Resurrection and the Life, and because of Him we live. Here’s another way to look at it though…

God has the final say in everything.

When times look rough and just make no sense at all…when bad is just surrounded by bad and worse just keeps getting worse…we have to remember that God has the final say.

Jesus answered, ‘You would have no power over me at all
unless it were given to you from above…’
John 19:11a

At the Red Sea, when the Israelites appeared to be trapped with nowhere to go, God appeared and made a way. When Pharaoh and his army began to follow, God washed them away. (Exodus 14)
In the boat during the storm, the disciples were afraid they would die, but Jesus delivered them. (Matthew 8:23-27)
When Lazarus died and all hope was lost, Jesus brought him back! (John 11)

When life starts to beat you down and nothing makes sense, and the fight seems lost remember the next sentence in Luke 24:

“Then they remembered that He said this.”
verse 8

The great thing is this—when all else fails remember, no matter what you are facing, God has the final say. It’s not over until God says it is, and (in case you forgot!) we win at the end!

Things in this life are simply things in this life. 1 John 2:17a says, “And this world is fading away…” This is not the end. Nothing can happen to us that can rob us of our ultimate prize. Whether it be illness, death, sorrow, or fear…we still have a place in Heaven.

Yes, it would be awesome to have an easy life here on Earth, and for everything to be just comfortable and perfect, but that’s not how it works! This is not the end, and nothing will be perfect until we are home in Heaven. So, keep that in mind.

Who You Are