Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.
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"Christians who have forgotten who they are or, worse yet, who have allowed their roles to change their identity have given up a part of their relationship with God. They have given up a connection through identity that is the very conduit of God’s Power for this world. When we have taken on the role of victim as part of our identity we have, in many ways, forfeited the power of Christ’s work in our lives."
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 22.
How many times have you forgotten the name of someone you should never forget? I hate to admit it but I’ve forgotten the names of some very close friends at times. It is so frustrating when important things slip from my memory? Now, I'd like you to think of something really wild. Have you ever looked into the mirror and not known the face of the person staring back at you?
What a horrible event that would be. To not know who you are to the point where you don’t even recognize your own reflection has got to be a scary place to be. When it comes to identity, I’m sad to say that even the reflection in our mirror doesn't tell the entire story. Take a look at today’s Bible reading.
"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NIV)
The old adage, “Seeing is believing…” doesn’t hold completely true when it comes to who we really are. The image you see in the mirror isn’t all you are now or all you are going to be when we meet Christ face-to-face. Today’s reading isn’t saying that we can’t know who we are today, it is saying that we can only see a portion of our identity on this side of Heaven.
Child of God, as an identity, covers a wide swath when it comes to who we are. Does anyone truly know what it means to be God’s Child? Just from this Bible verse alone I would have to say, “NO!” The fullness of what it means to be God’s Child is something we will not fully know until we step over the line to eternity.
Sadly, most of us are limiting ourselves to only what we see, know and can experience when it comes to who we are. That’s what it means to allow the roles we play to spell out who we are. When we do this we give up on the Heavenly Power of God to make our roles be all they can be in our lives. Roles are like a mirror - they might give us a glimpse into who we are but they can never tell the entire story.
Today is your chance to live a life of being fully known. Our reading today has that wonderful promise in its closing words. Though we might not fully know who we are, we are fully known as God’s Child - our identity is secure in the hands of the one who made us. Living from that place of power is what makes a victor’s life have impact even when it feels like life is holding us back. Life can’t hold the victor back. Throw off that victim thinking today and live fully known in all you do.
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