I Am...

“Moses said to the LORD, ‘O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.’ The LORD said to him, ‘Who gave man his mouth? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.’” Ex. 4:10-12.

I have started a wonderful Bible Study by Jennifer Rothschild called Me, Myself and Lies…a thought closet makeover. Since the beginning of time people have defined themselves by their struggles such as Moses. He was called by God to accomplish one of God’s greatest purposes in the history of the world – to deliver His children out from slavery and bring them into freedom. Moses was tormented with a stutter which had become his ‘I am...’ The Lord pointed out that his mouth was created by Him alone and He would help him and teach him what to say.

On the surface, my introduction to you might be ‘I am Brenda,’ but in my inner thought closest has previously hung ‘I am scared of looking dumb.’ ‘I am a person who needs to lose weight' also hangs in my inner thought closet. In the very back of my closet hung a hanger collecting dust that said, ‘I am not worthy of love without deeds.’ This wardrobe has produced more pain, insecurity and a sense of inferiority than I care to ever admit. I would never surround myself with someone who talks to me with the level of criticism for which I speak to myself. Since I have started spending time with God, He has lovingly shown me that I am His perfect creation. ‘So God created man in his image, in the image of God…male and female he created them.’ Gen. 1:27. He has encouraged me with unearned love to claim I am the benefactor of His sacrificial love. ‘For God so loved…he gave His only son.’ ‘He has retrained my thinking and I have accepted that I am His beautiful darling. ‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.’ Song of Songs 2:10. The hangers go on and on…for me and for you.

The enemy of our soul would love to move these thoughts to the front of our closet to confuse, disorient and frustrate who God says we are. It is much easier to believe the lies than to claim the truths of God. We must go through our closet and remove these old thought garments. No longer do we say, I am unloved...a failure...less than...a drunk...an addict...etc. We must replace our thought process with the final word of God. He has spoken in His word on every struggle for which we suffer. See what God has to say regarding who we are in Him.

Getting into the Bible daily and reading who God says we are will be the best closet makeover for which we have ever accomplished. With every experience and struggle we need to see it as just that…a temporary struggle that will not hang as our identity.