Week of June 14th

Intro
Hi this is Dorette Schaal with an encouraging word for your day. This week we’ll be talking about identity. Who in Christ are you? As believers we are known to walk way beneath our privilege, but when we know who we are in Christ, we will never let that happen again. Be encouraged to be who God created you to be, starting now! Here is your encouraging word for today!

Monday
Who are you? Jesus asked that question to Peter…who do you say that I am? Well let me ask you the same question. Do you know who you are? Not just who are your parents, or what is your position, or occupation, but who are you really? Paul prayed that we would know who we are in Christ. What you believe about who you are is really a major factor in your life. God’s image of who we are is what we should go for! This what God says about you…. You are His child, once you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are a new person in Christ. The old is gone, and you are a new creation! God has raised you us to live in newness of life. You are made to be the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. He says you are blessed with everything that Heaven has to offer. Not only blessed with spiritual blessing, but also with everything that pertains to life and godliness. He says that your needs are met, and that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. You can overcome any problem or situation or circumstance, because you are more than a conqueror. Wow! Those are great things to believe, and they are what God says about you! Those are encouraging words for you today!

Tuesday
Perhaps you are looking at who you are in the natural right now, and thinking this is not who I want to be. One thing that is so awesome about serving God is not only can we have a dramatic change of direction through salvation, our life continually can grow and change. We don’t have to continually do the same things over and over, we can make improvements. The biggest factor in changing is in choosing to renew our mind. To change the way we think. If we would take every thought captive as the Bible tells us to do, we would realize that we have some faulty thinking going on! To change that, we need to renew our mind, and begin to think and believe like what the Word of God tells us to do. To renew our mind means we take what we believe and make it line up with the Word. Past experiences, or what someone else has told you, can shape who we are. To change to be who God wants us to be, we must make our beliefs and thoughts conform with the word of God. Say this with me…. I am renewing my mind, and am putting on the new man, which is created in righteousness and true holiness. I am putting off the old man, and becoming who God has made me to be. I will take off the old me and put on the new me! I keep the Word of God in my mouth and in my heart, so my way is prosperous, and I have good success! I hope that encourages you today!

Wednesday
Once you decided to change and grow in your Christian walk, you can just about guarantee there will be obstacles put in your path. The daily discipline of just doing the right thing all the time can seem overwhelming, but empowered by the Holy Spirit, you can do all things through Christ who is strengthening you. His power is released in you to live the life, and walk the walk as well as talking the talk. The daily disciplines of the Christian walk…. Study, prayer, meditating, worship, and living a fasted life, are what get you through obstacles and over into progress and success. It is the person who begins saving as soon as they start earning a wage that will have a large sum in the bank at retirement. The later you start the harder it is to catch up. That same principle applies with just about anything. Why not start today to live a disciplined life…. Because that is who you are! Say this with me…. I am a disciplined person. I am not conformed to this world, but am being transformed into the image of Christ. I seek God first, and seek those things which are above. I set my mind on things above. I give myself continually to the ministry of the Word and to prayer. I study to show myself approved unto God, I’m a workman with no shame in my life. My life is changing because I believe what God’s Word says about me.

Thursday
One of the biggest areas of battle takes place in the physical body. Whether it is controlling our appetites, or making choices to eat food that leads to health, a war goes on in side of many people many times a day. It is very clear that God want us to prosper and be in health, even as our soul prospers. Soul prosperity happens with the renewing of our mind. When we line up our lives with the Word, and our soul is prospering, a natural outflow is that we are healthy and have success. We do live in a fallen world, where the devil roams about as a roaring lion, seeking who he may devour. We know the devil is the one who come to kill, to steal and to destroy. It is Jesus who came to give us abundant life. We serve a great big God! He has given us power to live above the enemy’s tactics, and He has conquerored death, hell and the grave, and then handed the victory to us….making us more than conquerors! Thank God for Jesus! So what does God say about our bodies? That’s exactly what we should be saying too! Why not say this with me… My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. I am blessed with the blessing of Abraham. I prosper and live in health, even as my soul prospers. My body is healthy and whole. I am receiving the healing that I need to be able to walk in health and the divine life that God has for me. I am disciplined in my body, and guard my mouth from anything that would defile God’s temple. The stripes that Jesus took on his back have brought healing to me. The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, quickens and makes whole my mortal body. I will live long and prosper on this earth! I hope that encouraged you!

Friday
One huge factor that helps us determine who we are is our past. Sometimes we hold on to the past through bitterness and unforgiveness and bind ourselves to what has happened to us in the past. It is vital to recognize where we have wounds so they can be healed and released. It is something that only you can do. Prayer from others certainly helps, but forgiveness is a choice that you must make. To get to any root of bitterness, and remove the poison that it produces in your life, the root needs to be exposed, and then forgiveness can come. God say who we are is someone who is free in Christ. That means there is no bondage to the past or anything that holds you back if you make the choice to forgive. Forgiveness is a choice, but for the believer, it isn’t an option. We must forgive. Freely we have received forgiveness, freely we should grant forgiveness. I realize that there are those who have deep wounds, but there is nothing too deep for God to reach if we will release it. One stone, or one scoop full at a time, let’s give forgiveness and then live free in God. Say this with me…..He who the Son sets free is free indeed. I am free to live life to the fullest, and to enjoy this wonderful abundant life that Jesus came to give to me. I forgive much because Christ has forgiven much in my life. I am free from the law of sin and death. I freely receive all that God has for me. Be encouraged today that you are who God says you are, and you can be all that God says you can be. Your identity is in Him!

Saturday - Eword for Kids
Do you know that God has something to say about you? He has a plan for your life, and has called you his very own child. Your identity isn’t just as your mom and dad’s son or daughter, or somebody’s grandchild, you are identified as a Christian. The word Christian mean Christ-like. You are also a disciple, which means disciplined one! There are lots of other things God has to say about you too. Why not say what God says. Don’t believe the lies of the devil, that you’re not smart enough, not athletic enough, not tall enough, or rich enough to do what God has for you. Believe what the Bible says! It says this…. You are God’s own son or daughter, once you became a Christian. The words of others are not as powerful as the words of God. His Word is what matters in your life. You are above and not beneath, the head and not the tail, blessed going in and coming out, and most definitely able to do all things through Christ who strengthens you. You are going to fulfill your destiny, and live the dream that God has for you. Your life is full of blessing in every way. I hope that encouraged you….you can be and do and have all that God has for you!

Sunday
Happy Father’s Day. To all you fabulous dads, we want to say have a blessed day….in every way. One great benefit you dads have when looking for a model of Fatherhood is God himself. One scripture that I love that talks about dads is in Luke 11:11-13, where it says that a normal earthy dad loves giving good things to his children, and would never give a stone if the child asked for bread or a serpent if the child asked for fish. Even earthy dads want the best for their kids….how much more does our Father in heaven wasn’t to give good gift to those who ask Him.

One of God’s greatest and most notable attributes is giving. He loved, so he gave. He gives more, and even if He is rejected or disobeyed, but he still loves and he still gives. The heart of a godly father is a giver. It is time to get rid of any poverty mentality that might be attached to your life from the past. You aren’t a victim, you’re victorious. You are not beneath, you are above! You are not the tail, you are the head! That’s what God says about you! You are blessed going in and going out!

That same verse in Luke ends with this thought. That if we ask God for the Holy Spirit, God will give us what we ask for. When we think about fathering in our own natural ability, or fathering empowered by the Holy Spirit, it appears that the wise thing would be to use the extra power available to do the best job possible.

So dads, as you celebrate your day, I encourage you to be full of the Holy Spirit. Be filled and keep being refilled. Joined up with the Holy Spirit, you can do and be and have much more than you could ever have on your own. That applies to strength, wisdom, energy, enthusiasm, joy, ability and skills. Even patience!! Your natural talents, gifts, and callings will increase because you are filled up with power from on high.

Dads, why not repeat this after me. My life is in Christ. I am empowered by the Holy Spirit to be a father that resembles God the Father. I am teaching, and training my kids in the way they should go. My kids can follow me as I follow Christ. I am blessed to be a blessing, to my family, in my workplace and to the body of Christ. That’s encouraging, and my encouragement for you amazing dads today!