Recently in bible study, our pastor said something profound:
“Most people act according to how they were raised, not how they were made.”
His point was that many people, even Christians, act according to how their parents or other authority figures taught them.
That is good if these people taught you according to Godly principles. But most of the time, that isn’t the case.
So you gain a worldly view of who you are and how you should act.
As an adult, you have a choice to make: “Do I want to keep living according to who the world says I am? Or do I want to live according to who God says I am?”
To live a life that pleases God, you must understand your identity in Him through Christ Jesus.
As you understand your identity in Him, then you can start to understand God’s ways and walk in them.
To the world, you’ll start looking like your Daddy!
Here are 3 confessions I recommend you speak based on scripture so that you can act according to your REAL image:
1. “I am made in God’s Image.” The proof is in Genesis 1:26-28: “Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
Not only that, but God blessed men and women. You are blessed to be a blessing to others.
Evaluate your actions. Are you a blessing to your family? Your friends? Your employer or employees?
If your actions are a curse rather than a blessing, then you are not acting according to how you were made. Ask God for help in these areas.
2. “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Your proof is in Psalm 139:14: “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.”
I don’t care how the world defines beauty; God created your features according to how He wanted you to look.
You look GOOD! Act like it – not in conceit, but in praise to God.
God loves variety; all you have to do is look around you to see that.
He made people in different colors, shapes, sizes, heights, hair textures, etc.
It’s very sad that mankind has deemed some features as acceptable and some not.
But my advice to you? Stop disowning yourself because you don’t fit man’s standard!
Own who you are! Take care of yourself and make healthy choices because you respect who God created you to be, not as a means to condemn yourself because you don’t look like some man-made image.
3. “I am made the righteousness of God in Christ.” Your proof is in 2 Corinthians 5:20-21: “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
This may be hard for you to believe, but it is true. As a believer in Jesus Christ, you are God’s ambassador to those around you. You are to reflect His righteousness.
According to Strong’s concordance, righteousness means:
- Integrity
- Equity
- Justice
- Straightness
- Truth
- Sincerity
Now don’t get it twisted; you have no righteousness of yourself. The righteousness in which you operate derives from believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.
Whenever you act according to His word in the bible and through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, you are acting righteously.
I have to admit that I was nervous about this concept many years ago. You see, I wanted to fit in with my family, friends, and coworkers – not stand out as a Christian.
But I had to make a decision: “Do I want to be a man-pleaser or do I want to be a God-pleaser?” I chose the latter because when I stand before God, I want Him to say to me, “Well done, thy good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord!”
I recommend that you start evaluating your daily actions and determine if you are acting that way because it is how you were raised (perhaps a worldly image) or if you are acting according to how you were made (God’s image).
If you find yourself acting contrary to God’s image, say to yourself, “That’s not like me.”
If you can, then change your actions to match God’s image at the earliest opportunity.
I hope you decide today to act according to how you were made. If you need help with that, then you can always go to God in prayer.
I know He will be pleased to answer that request because it glorifies Him. But make the decision today because the world is looking for proof that God is alive and that He cares. You can be that proof!
Be blessed with health, healing, and wholeness,
Kimberly Taylor
Author/Christian Life Coach of the Take Back Your Temple program
P.S. When it comes to weight loss, do you often know what you should do but have a hard time doing it?
I struggled with this issue on my own weight loss journey, but I discovered that “Nothing is different until you think differently.”
The value of the Take Back Your Temple program is that you will learn how to think differently through using Biblical keys to overcome obstacles. You’ll discover how to win the Spiritual and mental battle that often causes us to become inconsistent and get off-track on our weight loss journey.
Join a community of like-minded Christians losing weight and keep it off.
Click here to learn more about the Take Back Your Temple program
This is not related to any posts, but I was looking for Christian-based weight loss books on amazon that do not require a special “diet” (as I already know what I can and cannot eat to feel well, and was able to search through your books. They are just what I am looking for! I am ordering all three that I searched through!
They are just what I need. Thank you so much. Sheryl