New week. New theme.

Last week we pulled fear apart. This week we're going somewhere even deeper. Somewhere that, if you get this right, changes how you handle everything else. Fear. Doubt. Comparison. Shame. All of it.

This week's theme: Identity.

WHO GOD SAYS YOU ARE

Quick question. If someone asked you "who are you?" right now, what would you say?

Most of us answer with what we do. "I'm a teacher." "I'm a mum." "I'm an accountant." Or we answer with what we're going through. "I'm the one who's struggling." "I'm the anxious one." "I'm the one who can't get it together."

We define ourselves by our roles, our problems, or our failures. And then we wonder why we feel so shaky when those things change.

Lose the job and you lose your identity. End the relationship and you don't know who you are anymore. Fall into sin and you become "the person who messed up." Your whole sense of self is sitting on a foundation that shifts every time life shifts.

God defines you differently.

The word "handiwork" there is the Greek word "poiema." It's where we get the English word "poem." You are God's poem. His masterpiece. His crafted work of art. Not an accident. Not an afterthought. Not a rough draft that needs fixing.

A finished, intentional, carefully crafted creation.

That's who you are before you do anything. Before you achieve anything. Before you prove anything to anyone. God already looked at you and said "that's my masterpiece."

Here's what scripture says about who you are:

None of those are conditional. None of them say "you are chosen if you read your Bible every day." None of them say "you are loved when you stop sinning." They are declarations. Fixed. Settled. Done.

The question isn't whether those things are true. They are. The question is whether you'll believe them louder than you believe the lies.

The question isn't whether those things are true. They are. The question is whether you'll believe them louder than you believe the lies.

THE MAN WHO DIDN'T BELIEVE HE WAS CHOSEN

There's a man in the Bible who heard God say exactly who he was and flat out didn't believe Him.

His name is Gideon. And he's one of my favourites because he's such a mess.

When we first meet him, he's not doing anything heroic. He's hiding in a winepress, secretly threshing wheat, because he's terrified of the enemy. That's like hiding in a cupboard to eat your lunch because you're scared someone will take it. Survival mode. Fear. A man at his lowest.

And that's exactly when the angel of the Lord shows up and says:

"The Lord is with you, mighty warrior." — Judges 6:12

Mighty warrior. To a man hiding in a hole.

Gideon's response is incredible. He basically says "You've got the wrong person. Look around. Does this look like the life of someone God is with?"

Then he goes further:

"But Lord, how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." — Judges 6:15

My clan is the weakest. I am the least. That's Gideon's identity statement. Not chosen. Not mighty. The bottom of the bottom.

Ever said something similar? "I'm not smart enough." "I'm not spiritual enough." "I'm the last person God would use."

God's response should make you stop and sit down:

"I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites." — Judges 6:16

God didn't argue with Gideon's resume. He didn't list his strengths or remind him of past achievements. He just said: I will be with you.

Because God's calling on your life has never been based on your ability. It's based on His presence. Gideon didn't need to be a mighty warrior on his own. He just needed God to be with him.

And here's the thing that gets me. God didn't wait for Gideon to feel like a warrior before calling him one. He named him before Gideon grew into it. He spoke the identity over him while Gideon was still hiding.

God does the same thing with you. He doesn't wait for you to get it together. He speaks your identity over you right now, in the middle of your mess, in the middle of your winepress, in the middle of the hiding.

You might not feel chosen. But you are.

You might not feel like God can use you. But He can.

You might think you're the least qualified person in the room. But God has never once been limited by someone's lack of qualification. In fact, He seems to prefer it.

YOUR ONE THING FOR TODAY

Two things today. First, pick one of the identity statements from above. Whichever one you find hardest to believe about yourself. Write it down and read it three times today. Morning, afternoon, evening.

Second, what's your "winepress"? What's the place or situation where you've been hiding because you don't feel like you're enough? Name it. Then say out loud what God said to Gideon: "The Lord is with me." Not because you feel it. Because He said it. And He doesn't lie.

NEW VIDEO JUST UPLOADED!

I just uploaded a new video over on my YouTube channel, it’s the first part in a new mini-series on the armor of God. This first part dives into the Belt of Truth, do give it a watch and please like it and comment over on the video, this helps it reach more people!

OVER TO YOU

Which identity statement do you find hardest to believe about yourself? Hit reply and tell me. I'll be praying over every response this week.

God bless you, my friend.

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