What we struggle with isn’t who we are. That is a statement from the online study I am doing this summer. Beth Moore is leading a group going through Jennifer Rothschild’s book Me, Myself and Lies.
Those words resonated with me because I spent much of my life letting my struggles and failures define me. Let me tell you I had many to chose from. Thankfully God redeems us. He might, and often does, use our struggles to refine us but they don’t have to define us. I am not the rebellious PK daughter, the bad girl any more . Sadly, those words stay in our soul so much longer than words of encouragement. If we let him, the enemy uses those words to hold us back from who God created us to be.
We each hear different words, some of mine are:
- you will never be enough
- rebel, bad girl
- God will never forgive you
When I let myself be defined by those past struggles I tell myself I will never be enough or that I do not deserve better. I am saying I don’t believe God.
If I am believing God’s promises He says:
Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)
When I make a choice to believe the labels God has given me like redeemed, His daughter and forgiven, I have the courage to follow the desires he has placed in my heart.
It is a choice each day as to whose voice we will decide to hear. This study is helping me be more conscious of that and to turn turn the switch off when those old voices scream. I remember hearing once that the enemy screams while the Holy Spirit whispers. I need to be still to hear those whispers and let them saturate my soul.
Proverbs 23:7 says as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..(KJV)
I do not want to me those old struggles. I am longing to be the woman God created me to be. Who are you today?
