Hi Sweet Friends,
My husband recently took two huge boxes of bank statements and other personal papers to a professional shredding business, which shreds boxes of your documents while you watch. We never used to use a paper shredder. But now, because of the risk of identity theft, it’s an integral part of our mail disposal.
In order to protect your authentic identity in Christ, this week you are going to have the opportunity to shred old, untrue vestiges of your identity and to embrace the truth of who you are in Christ.
Your Week 5 assignment is to…read Chapter 23, My Identity. As you’ve probably noticed, we won’t be reading the book in order—instead, I will be picking and choosing from among my favorite chapters (and that’s sort of hard!). But I’m praying and trusting God to lead us.
This week I encourage you to recognize and shred the lies you have believed about yourself and declare God’s truth over your life.
- Shred the lie that you are unloved, and declare that you are loved with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3).
- Shred the lie that you don’t matter, and declare that you are the apple of His eye (Psalm 17:8).
- Shred the lie that you will never change, and declare that you are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
- Shred the lie that you are unattractive, and declare that you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).
- Shred the lie that you are worthless, and declare that He considers you priceless because He paid for you with His very life (1 Corinthians 6:20).
- Shred the lie that you are rejected and declare that you are accepted as a child of God (John 1:12).
(Page 119) …The only way to protect ourselves from spiritual identity theft is to study, absorb, accept, and believe what Scripture says about us and then refute the lies of the enemy with that truth. We must allow God’s word, which is living and active and sharper than two-edged sword, to completely and utterly transform us at our very core.
This week’s verse:
Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us. (Romans 8:37)
This week’s questions:
- What lie have you allowed the enemy to make you feel? (Ashamed, unloved, unworthy, etc.)
- Are you willing to let go of the lies you have embraced throughout your life and instead embrace the truth of God’s word?
With God’s help and through His Word, the way we think about ourselves, our very identities, can be transformed. But it requires work. We must be willing to let go of the old and embrace the new…the truth of who God’s declares us to be. Are you willing to do that this week as you pray about your identity?
I will be praying for you all week long as together you pray about your identity. For further (optional) interaction, please meet me (and lots of awesome women!) on the Prayers for a Woman's Soul community Facebook Page to respond do the daily questions, receive the daily evening prayer, or just leave your thoughts and prayers.
10 comments:
Thank you, Julie, for another great word of encouragement! For as long as I can remember, I've always thought of God as a harsh disciplinarian who was always angry and unhappy with me. I worked hard to try and "win" His conditional love and acceptance, but never could be good enough, pretty enough, smart enough, or successful enough for long enough! In so many ways I am immature, especially emotionally, but I'm over 50 years old! While I had spiritual growth for many years, my former husband had an affair and divorced me almost 2 years ago and I have been in a deep dark pit ever since, even attempted to fill the void and pain with love and acceptance from men I met in bars! At the same time, I'm still in God's word, pray and journal everyday! How messed up is that?!?! Now I've lost my job and have to move in a week. I have no idea where I'm going or how I will survive. My job search has yielded nada in spite of having work experience since I was 15 years old. Anyway, I am requesting prayer and I apologize for whining and going on and on with my saga! I know so many others have it much worse. many thanks!
I don't know why but I often have trouble posting a comment. I lost the whole post I just wrote. Sometimes I simply give up but today's message was so timely in my life I will try again. ThankYou, Julie, for being so sensitive to the Lord's leading. Thank You, Lord, for Your faithfulness, your Word, and Your promises. The Lord really touched me and healed me in this area over the last few months but the last couple of days have been a struggle. In a worldly, relational sense the reasons are legitimate, but my identity is in Christ. Isn't that wonderful?!
Shred the lie that you are unloved, and declare that you are loved with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3).
Shred the lie that you don’t matter, and declare that you are the apple of His eye (Psalm 17:8).
Shred the lie that you will never change, and declare that you are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Shred the lie that you are worthless, and declare that He considers you priceless because He paid for you with His very life (1 Corinthians 6:20).
Shred the lie that you are rejected and declare that you are accepted as a child of God (John 1:12).
Thank You, Lord, that You love me with an everlasting love. Thank You that I am the apple of Your eye. Thank You that I am a new creation in Christ with all old things passed away and all things become as new. Thank You, Lord, that I am priceless in Your sight so much so that Your Son died in my place. Thank You, Lord, that I am accepted in Your sight even when I struggle, when I am stretching and growing and learning, when I don't have "it all together."
This summer I wrote verses on 3X5 cards that refute the lies of the lies of the enemy and I review them frequently especially when the enemy attacks afresh. Now I have some more to add to my collection. :) Thank you again.
Father God, I lift my sister (posted as anonymous) before Your throne of grace. Thank You that You love her with an everlasting love and that You have been drawing her with Your lovingkindness. Oh Lord, may she see herself as You see her. May she stand on the truth of Your word. Lord God, I pray You would lead her to the job of Your choice in Your perfect timing. Lead her to the home You have chosen for her. Help her to put on the whole armour of God and to stand in Your strength. May she look to You alone for the love her soul craves. O Lord, if she does not have a family of believers supporting her lead her to one. May she seek You with her whole heart fully trusting that You will be found of her. O Father God, resonate the truth of Your words contained in this posting in her heart. May she use Your word as the sword with which to defeat the enemy of our souls. Father God, bless her with an overwhelming sense of Your presence and love in her life today. Thank You, Father.
Thank you, Kathleen! Your prayer touched my heart and brought tears. I was just readind in Luke 20 about the Capstone..... I know my heavenly Father doesn't waste anything, especially brokenness. I am trusting Him today to bless, lead & guide me into His way everlasting!
Bless you for standing in the gap for me!
LC
...this read was a "sent from Heaven" moment! I turned sixty today and what a truly up lifting time for me to start with a "new identity". I know some may say "just starting now?" My answer is "no" I have leaned on our Lord Jesus Christ many times when my identity has wandered. One must keep Faith no matter what surfaces in our lives. I have come so close to letting go, but dangling on by a thread all the time thinking it was I who kept the thread in tacked, at these times it is God who has held on to me. I know God's mercy will encourage me take the thread and weave a "new identity" once again. This is what is so comforting about God, we can start a "new identity" everyday. He is there to hold our hand and surround us with His love and grace and walk with us no matter what. I ask for pray for me and my family. Lift my two grand baby girls up in prayer and through God's power and in His time they will once again be with us. I have such a heavy heart yet been blessed with a new day! Father God, I ask that you be with Julie and all women today and lead us with our new identities, to encourage us to see ourselves as a child(ren) of a rock-solid group of women in your presents. Amen...Suzy
Hello Julie,
Thank you for your dedication and devotion to minister to women.
It helped to read the declarations ....out loud.
After reading today's reading/study....I noticed I
was wondering ....why do I sometimes still struggle with believing lies
after all these years?
When I was first water baptized in 2008
I seemed to be basking in God's Truth
and Promises.
I really don't understand how
I could fall back into old lies
and destruction.
Having said that I feel grateful
for you and all who are commited
to encouraging women....in Truth and Love.
The pic you posted of the girl looking
in the mirror....is beautiful....and speaks
a thousand words ...without saying one.
Thank you
Blessings , Love and Unity in Christ,
Sheryl
I struggle with growing in my identity with Christ, I think due to not being able to have children then trying to find my identity/purpose in jobs or other ways. Thank the Lord I've grown in this area as I no longer feel like an outcast but still have more growing to do. I hope to one day help other childless women to look to Jesus for their identity instead of looking to motherhood. We are of apple of His eye and I find so much comfort in how much He loves me.
Thank you once again for this weeks lesson. They speak to my heart, they get right to the heart of the matter, which is to draw us nearer to God, to get us into His word, the truth that will set us free. I find the prayers are beautiful and the scripture references come alive. I thank God for providing you with wisdom and a heart to minister to women. I pray that this study will change our hearts and minds on what we believe I know mine is changing. I choose to believe Gods word and not Satan the liar.
The lie that haunts me the most is I feel unworthy. I did not know why God put me here and I still struggle with this. I am going to let God talk to me and show me what he thinks of me so I can lose this horrible feeling. I am somebody and somebody who love God. So I will let him embrace me with blessings and more. I will believe he will guide me to something much better and I am worth more than I can account for in his eyes.
I choose to believe God's truth that I am His daughter. He has a plan for me, to prosper me and not to harm me, to give me hope and a future. In my weakness, He is strong! Satan's lies have no power over me because they have no power over Him. "On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you." John 14:20. Thank you Jesus for giving Your life for me! As Wendy Pope once said "It was then I heard my Savior whisper, "Do I get what I paid for?" My response is "Yes!" I am committed to loving you Lord with all my heart, all my mind, all my soul and all my strength!
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