Who do you think you are?
No, really: Who do you think you are?
I’ve learned that a person can look one way on the outside — calm, self-assured — and be battling a legion of insecurities on the inside.
No one else hears the voice the condemns, the voice that mocks, the voice that brings to remembrance past failures . . .
The voices that gang up on us and say, “Don’t forget this sin … or that one … or this embarrassing moment … because that’s who you really are.”
Why do we give them so much power over us?
Because we think they are telling us the truth.
We believe them and we become who they say we are.
We stop fighting back . . . we forget about grace and transformation . . . and we let someone else say you are “small and irrelevant and worthless” — and nothing more.
My life changed when I decided to be extremely particular about what truth I listened to. Not their truth about me. Not even my hoped for truth about me.
No, I wanted God’s truth about me.
- He says I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)
- He says my name is engraved on the palm of his hand. (Isaiah 49:16)
- He says he started something good in me and that he will complete it. (Philippians 1:6)
- He says he loves me with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3)
When I stand in the those truths, I know my true worth.
In Your Words: Who do you think you are? How have you stopped listening to the wrong voices and started listening to the Voice of Truth? Do you have a favorite verse that reminds you who you are in God’s eyes?
[Tweet “Who do you think you are? #lifequotes #ErwinRaphaelMcManus “] [Tweet “The Danger of a False Voice #lifequotes “]
Comments 8
What a beautiful post Beth. So glad I stopped by today.
It is hard to hear God’s loving voice sometimes with all the ways the world tries to tear us down. Thanks for sharing!
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Jackie, I am thankful you were encouraged today! Thanks for joining the conversation!
I stopped listening to the negative voices when I realized that my life isn’t about me at all.
Our lives have meaning in what we contribute to the safety, hope, and faith of others. Self abnegation and self-assurance are really two sides of the same coin, and they both put ‘self’ on a pedestal.
Freedom is found in giving, in that land where a single act of courage can wipe out a lifetime of timidity, and a single act of compassion can deny years of greed.
When we give away ‘ourselves’, we receive a new identity that looks suspiciously like that of a Jewish carpenter.
Just as we have to die, metaphorically and physically, to find eternal life.
Author
“Freedom is found in giving, in that land where a single act of courage can wipe out a lifetime of timidity, and a single act of compassion can deny years of greed.”
Love this truth, Andrew.
I like Romans 5:8 – but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Author
There is so much hope and freedom in that verse, Anne.
Great reminder. Thanks!
Author
Thanks for stopping by today, Roxanne.