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"Jesus’ qualifications meant nothing in this world. His position as the Son of God made it possible for him to completely fail at worldly prosperity and still be prosperous in God’s eyes."
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 117.
We rely way too much on our own qualifications in ways that I think really causes us damage. I know amazingly successful people who don't have a college degree who feel like they are somehow second class citizens when compared to those of us with a degree. I also know people with degree after degree that don't feel they are qualified enough in ways I just don't understand.
It all boils down to identity and comparison. When I compare who I think I am to who I think someone else is, I easily fall into the victim thinking trap. The key word in the explanation given in that last sentence is the word "I". Listen to that sentence again. When I compare who I think I am to who I think someone else is, I easily fall into the victim thinking trap. I, I, I. When we focus on the great I in our lives it is so easy to be deceived in this world.
If I don't know my true identity then of course I'm going to feel insecure when I compare myself to someone who might have been able to do something that I wasn't afforded the possibility to do. It is as though all the abilities I have, all the qualifications God has given me has little or no worth to me just because I see someone with more worldly qualifications. That makes me feel inferior - why? Because I've been trained to let the world define who I am even when my status isn't being challenged in any way by others. This scenario gets even worse when someone or something comes into my life that really does work to challenge my identity. Then victim thinking really takes over in my life.
Jesus is a good one to compare ourselves to. His worldly qualifications didn't seem to mean a thing to those around Him. Even more profound than that is the fact those worldly qualifications didn't seem to phase Jesus in any way either. He knew who He was. Whether someone called Him rabbi, teacher, savior, even Messiah didn't seem to matter one bit to Him. He knows who He is and that's what God wants for us as well. Identity is such a powerful force as long as we choose an identity that can't be questioned and/or destroyed by this world.
The only identity that Jesus seemed to really promote and stand behind is "Son of God." In other words, Jesus seemed to view all He was doing in the light of being a child of God Himself. Take a look at what God says about our identity in Christ.
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - John 1:12 (NIV)
If I read this scripture right, we have just as much of a right to claim the identity of Child of God as Jesus did. Jesus didn't allow his qualifications to be anything in this world to sway Him from the fact that His connection to God sprang from one thing and one thing only - the fact that God called Him His Child. We have that same right because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. Jesus' identity as God's Child is all that mattered to Him - I believe that it should be the same with us as well.
All the worldly qualifications a person might have will mean nothing when they are laid in the ground at their death. It won't matter how many degrees a person has, how much money they have, how successful they were in their jobs, or how much good they did in this world. When that person's heart stops beating, qualifications will mean nothing to the world. When our time is up qualifications will mean nothing in our world either.
If, on the other hand, Heaven is real like I think it is, then there is something more important when it comes to identity that I think we need to grasp on this side of Heaven as best as we can. If Jesus didn't see it important to let worldly qualifications get in the way of walking out His life as the victor God called Him to be, then why should it be any different for us? Jesus' status before God didn't depend on His qualification - it depended on what God the Father said. It is exactly the same for you and for me.
Hey, go after as many qualifications as you want to in this life. Qualifications or the lack of them isn't the issue. What is the issue is, are you allowing those qualifications or lack there of to distract you in any way from the identity God promises when it comes to being His child? If you are letting your unquestionable identity as God's Child be traded for identities based on things that can be questioned then it will be almost impossible for you to live in peace when it comes to prosperity in your life.
There are a couple of things you can do today that might help keep victim thinking from taking control in ways that just aren't any good for you. First of all, stop comparing yourself to this world and start comparing yourself to Jesus. All the world offers is a temporary identity that will mean nothing when you are gone. Jesus offers the eternal identity of God's Child that can be a part of helping you be all you can be without sacrificing peace in your life.
Second, stop chasing things as proof as to who you are. Anything you can do to guarantee an identity is, again, a temporary solution to an eternal problem. Jesus has done all you need to give you an identity that will last long after your time here on earth is up. That identity as God's Child is all you need to be the victor we all want to see unfold in our lives.
Next time you feel under-qualified remember this, qualifications will never be enough to get you to where you want to be when it comes to identity. Jesus is all the qualification you will ever need. With the identity of God's Child as your solid foundation you can build an amazing life. That life will have real and lasting impact in ways you would have never been able to achieve with just worldly qualifications as your support.
Make this day one of the most prosperous you have ever had. Let God be the one who tells you who you are and believe Him. His gift of identity came at a high cost - a cost you will never be able to repay. Walk fully in the power of being God's child and let your victor status be all the qualification you need to see big things happen in and around you today.
It all boils down to identity and comparison. When I compare who I think I am to who I think someone else is, I easily fall into the victim thinking trap. The key word in the explanation given in that last sentence is the word "I". Listen to that sentence again. When I compare who I think I am to who I think someone else is, I easily fall into the victim thinking trap. I, I, I. When we focus on the great I in our lives it is so easy to be deceived in this world.
If I don't know my true identity then of course I'm going to feel insecure when I compare myself to someone who might have been able to do something that I wasn't afforded the possibility to do. It is as though all the abilities I have, all the qualifications God has given me has little or no worth to me just because I see someone with more worldly qualifications. That makes me feel inferior - why? Because I've been trained to let the world define who I am even when my status isn't being challenged in any way by others. This scenario gets even worse when someone or something comes into my life that really does work to challenge my identity. Then victim thinking really takes over in my life.
Jesus is a good one to compare ourselves to. His worldly qualifications didn't seem to mean a thing to those around Him. Even more profound than that is the fact those worldly qualifications didn't seem to phase Jesus in any way either. He knew who He was. Whether someone called Him rabbi, teacher, savior, even Messiah didn't seem to matter one bit to Him. He knows who He is and that's what God wants for us as well. Identity is such a powerful force as long as we choose an identity that can't be questioned and/or destroyed by this world.
The only identity that Jesus seemed to really promote and stand behind is "Son of God." In other words, Jesus seemed to view all He was doing in the light of being a child of God Himself. Take a look at what God says about our identity in Christ.
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - John 1:12 (NIV)
If I read this scripture right, we have just as much of a right to claim the identity of Child of God as Jesus did. Jesus didn't allow his qualifications to be anything in this world to sway Him from the fact that His connection to God sprang from one thing and one thing only - the fact that God called Him His Child. We have that same right because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. Jesus' identity as God's Child is all that mattered to Him - I believe that it should be the same with us as well.
All the worldly qualifications a person might have will mean nothing when they are laid in the ground at their death. It won't matter how many degrees a person has, how much money they have, how successful they were in their jobs, or how much good they did in this world. When that person's heart stops beating, qualifications will mean nothing to the world. When our time is up qualifications will mean nothing in our world either.
If, on the other hand, Heaven is real like I think it is, then there is something more important when it comes to identity that I think we need to grasp on this side of Heaven as best as we can. If Jesus didn't see it important to let worldly qualifications get in the way of walking out His life as the victor God called Him to be, then why should it be any different for us? Jesus' status before God didn't depend on His qualification - it depended on what God the Father said. It is exactly the same for you and for me.
Hey, go after as many qualifications as you want to in this life. Qualifications or the lack of them isn't the issue. What is the issue is, are you allowing those qualifications or lack there of to distract you in any way from the identity God promises when it comes to being His child? If you are letting your unquestionable identity as God's Child be traded for identities based on things that can be questioned then it will be almost impossible for you to live in peace when it comes to prosperity in your life.
There are a couple of things you can do today that might help keep victim thinking from taking control in ways that just aren't any good for you. First of all, stop comparing yourself to this world and start comparing yourself to Jesus. All the world offers is a temporary identity that will mean nothing when you are gone. Jesus offers the eternal identity of God's Child that can be a part of helping you be all you can be without sacrificing peace in your life.
Second, stop chasing things as proof as to who you are. Anything you can do to guarantee an identity is, again, a temporary solution to an eternal problem. Jesus has done all you need to give you an identity that will last long after your time here on earth is up. That identity as God's Child is all you need to be the victor we all want to see unfold in our lives.
Next time you feel under-qualified remember this, qualifications will never be enough to get you to where you want to be when it comes to identity. Jesus is all the qualification you will ever need. With the identity of God's Child as your solid foundation you can build an amazing life. That life will have real and lasting impact in ways you would have never been able to achieve with just worldly qualifications as your support.
Make this day one of the most prosperous you have ever had. Let God be the one who tells you who you are and believe Him. His gift of identity came at a high cost - a cost you will never be able to repay. Walk fully in the power of being God's child and let your victor status be all the qualification you need to see big things happen in and around you today.
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