Finding Your True Self

 

By Andrea Merrell

 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

 

My friend and I were discussing the past, which brought up a plethora of memories—many good, others not so much.

I thought about the struggles I faced in those earlier years with fear. Low self-esteem. Anger. Trying desperately to fit in. I was, as they say, a hot mess.

Fortunately, I hardly recognize that person any longer. In a way, it’s like she never existed. It’s hard to look back and try to remember her at all because so much has changed.

The Bible explains it as becoming a new creation in Christ. The old passes away, and everything becomes new. The Passion translation puts it like this:

Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new person. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new.

During those rough years, I had no clue who I was. I constantly searched for my identity, my true self. And it was only found when I realized who I am in Christ. How He sees me. What He says about me in His Word. Once I surrendered completely to Him, my life changed dramatically and I became, just as the Bible says, an entirely new person.

If you’re searching to find your true self, stop looking in all the wrong places. Your worth, your identity, and all that you were created to be is found only in Christ.

Photo by Giulia Bertelli on Unsplash

That Still, Small Voice

 

By Andrea Merrell

But the Lord was not in the wind; 

and after the wind an earthquake,

but the Lord was not in the earthquake;  

and after the earthquake a fire,

but the Lord was not in the fire; 

and after the fire a still small voice.

1 Kings 19: 11-12 NKJV

“What does God sound like?” the little girl asked her mother.

Her mother thought long and hard before answering. “Sometimes like a whisper.”

The child’s eyes widened. “You mean like when you lean over close to me in church and go shhhh?”

The mother chuckled. “Yes, something like that.”

So many of God’s children struggle to hear His voice. They wait for a thunderclap, a loud command, or even the proverbial writing on the wall.

Elijah the prophet was no different. He listened for God in a powerful wind, an earthquake, and a great fire. But what he heard instead was a still, small voice. A gentle whisper.

God speaks to His own in many different ways, but He is always communicating with us. One thing we can count on is that His voice is never harsh, condemning, or overpowering. That, my friend, is the voice of the Enemy.

Jesus Himself said, “My sheep hear my voice” (John 10:27). Jesus, our loving Shepherd tenderly cares for those who follow Him.

Are you following Him. Are you listening for that still, small voice?

Photo courtesy of Microsoft 365.

A Good Work Ethic

 

By Andrea Merrell

And whatever you do, do it heartily, 

as to the Lord and not to men.

Colossians 3:23 NKJV

“You want me to do what?” the woman exclaimed with a shocked look on her face. “That’s way beneath my pay grade—and beneath me!”

To solve the problem, the boss jumped in and cleaned up the mess.

Then he fired the woman.

Finding those with a good work ethic is getting harder in today’s society where the new generations seem to be born with entitlement issues, expecting to have everything handed to them. Many think work is beneath them.

But God created work right after He created man. He delighted in His creation, then gave him the responsibility of tending the garden.

According to The Word for You Today, “Work gives us a sense of purpose, meaning, and dignity. There are no small jobs, only people who perceive them as small and become small in doing them.”

The woman thought she was too good to do menial tasks, and her pride cost her a high-paying job.

What is the key to building and maintaining a good work ethic? Doing the very best job we can and doing it as unto the Lord—for His approval alone.

Someone once said, “Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work with excellence.”

Photo by Merakist on Unsplash

Take Up Your Sword

 

By Andrea Merrell

And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit,

which is the Word of God.

Ephesians 6:17 AMP

“On guard!” the man shouted. Instantly, two swords sliced through the air as the crowd watched in anticipation.

Fencing has always fascinated me, especially watching those who are proficient in the sport and precise in their movements. One well-placed jab can take out the opponent.

Even though I enjoy being a spectator, I’ve never had the slightest desire to try it myself. My only desire is to learn to take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God”—the most powerful weapon in both heaven and earth.

Hebrews 4:12-13 in the Message translation explains it this way:

God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one can resist God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.

Just as an opponent can be taken out with a natural sword, we are meant to take out our Enemy with the Sword of the Spirit. Jesus defeated him in the desert with the words “It is written …” 

We can do the same.

Pick up your sword every day and keep it sharp.

Photo by Lance Reis on Unsplash

Feed Your Faith

 

By Andrea Merrell

So then faith comes by hearing, 

and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:17 NKJV

“You gotta have faith!” the speaker said emphatically. “You must believe that God will do what He says He will do.”

Afterward, my friend said to me, “Sometimes I don’t think I have any faith at all. My doubts seem to choke out what little is in me. What should I do?”

“Feed it,” I said.

She frowned. “And how exactly do I do that?”

The Bible tells us that faith comes by hearing. By hearing what? God’s Word. One of my former pastors used to say, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing, and hearing.”

We believe what we hear from friends and family. Even podcasts and news reports. The more we hear, the more encouraged—or discouraged—we become. It’s the same with the Word. The more we hear it, the more we believe it, and the greater our faith grows.

But listening to a sermon once or twice a week (or even less) will never be enough. Just like we feed our body, we need to feed our faith. And since we believe what we say most of all, the more we speak and confess the Word, the more our faith will flourish.

My friend finally got it. She began to put the Word in her mind, her mouth, her ears, and her heart. The transformation was amazing.

If you deal with doubt and unbelief, there’s only one sure cure: start feeding your faith a regular diet of the powerful, life-changing Word of God.

Photo by Alex Shute on Unsplash