Victory in Jesus

by Kris
(Pearl, Ms, USA)

Who defines you???

From whom do you draw your identity?

Are you flying high when the boss says "great job!", only to crash and burn when your spouse tells you that you have disappointed him/her? Do you fill with confidence when your parents are pleased with you and then feel totally inadequate in the company of more beautiful or successful friends?

From whom do you draw your identity?

Some draw their identity from their parents; some from their spouse; some from friends; still others draw their identity from employers, church leaders, society, or media.

Any of these sources can be validated as "good" judges of who you are.....or can they?

Scripture says this about you

You are God's workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)
You are dead to sin (Romans 1:12)
You are not alone (Hebrews 13:5)
You are growing (Colossians 2:7)
You are His disciple (John 13:15)
You are victorious (I John 5:4)
You are chosen and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12)
You are set free (Romans 8:2; John 8:32)
You are more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37)
You are safe (I John 5:18)
You are part of God's kingdom (Revelation 1:6)
You are healed from sin (I Peter 2:24)
You are no longer condemned (Romans 8:1, 2)
You are not helpless (Philippians 4:13)
You are protected (John 10:28)
You are born again (I Peter 1:23)
You are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
You are delivered (Colossians 1:13)
You are victorious (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Scripture also says this about anyone who attempts to define you:
"The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

While those around you can attest to what you DO (or don't do), only GOD ALMIGHTY can attest to who you ARE. After all, He created you.

I have been guilty more than once of allowing someone to tell me who I am based on their feelings about me. I believe we can all identify with this.

You cannot be all things to all people. Someone will always be disappointed in you. While some may think you are absolutely amazing, you will always fail to meet someone else's expectations.

How can it be that you are "perfect" according to one person and "horrid" according to another? It can't be. All people (even the nicest, most well intended ones) judge you based on how you meet their expectations.

Only God himself can define WHO you are. There is definite victory in THAT! Rather than focusing on trying to
"be good enough" or trying to please someone in your life, focus instead on being all GOD intended you to be. Likewise, rather than relaxing and basking in the glow of public approval, remember that God looks on your heart and that “All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Bottom line is, when we all get to heaven, NONE of us will have crowns waiting on us that someone else put there. NONE of us will approach the throne of grace and say "Hi Jesus, my boss told me to tell you that I am the best employee he ever had."

The most beautiful part of seeking God first and striving to be all HE created you to be is that you will also grow into the person that those closest to you need you to be.

You are truly victorious in Jesus, everything else is circumstantial.

Father God,
Help me to seek YOUR face as I go through life. Help me and guide me to become the person YOU created me to be. Remind me to not draw comfort from others' approval and, at the same time, to not be discouraged when people others' disapprove of my actions. Help me to always remember that you place people in my life to help me grow into the person you designed, that I am not perfect, and that something can always be learned from criticism. Help me Lord, to focus on You and what Your Word says about who I am. I am Yours.
Amen

Until next month,
(((hugs)))
K

Comments for Victory in Jesus

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Will the Earth Be Destroyed? NEW
by: Arthur

I would like comments from the group on what the Bible says will be the future of our planet Earth? when the end time comes will the Earth be destroyed or preserved and kept for faithful mankind?

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Can You Really Trust the Bible? NEW
by: Lloyd

5 Reasons Why You Can Really Trust the Holy Bible as a Letter from God

Believe it or not, God has "written you a letter" and it is a fairly long letter, in fact it’s made up of 66 small books. The Bible is actually a gift from God, one for which we can be truly grateful. This unique book reveals things that we could never find out otherwise. For example, it tells us about the creation of the starry heavens, the earth, and the first man and woman. The Bible contains reliable principles to help us cope with life’s problems and anxieties. It explains how God will fulfill his purpose and bring about better conditions on the earth. What an exciting gift the Bible is! Not that long ago it was common to walk into virtually any home and see a big family Bible open on a table. It was read daily and consulted in times of trouble and in need of wisdom. The very laws of the land were once based many on the principles found in the Holy Bible. However now we have entered the age of scepticism where almost the Bible and old fashioned wisdom and even the very existence of God is being questioned…

1. The first reason you can trust the Bible is that it is the "best seller" year after year. Even very popular books never reach the circulation of the Bible. If you have a copy of the Bible, you are far from alone. In whole or in part, the Bible has been published in more than 2,300 languages and thus is available to more than 90 percent of the world’s population. Do you know of any book that has been translated into that many languages? Many popular best sellers are translated at most into a few common languages. On the average, more than a million Bibles are distributed each week! Yes not each year but each week. Billions of copies of either the whole Bible or part of it have been produced. Surely, there is no other book like the Bible. But then isn’t that what you expect about a book that claims divine authorship?

2. Second – the Bible claims divine origin. With modern technology we can send message from earth to outer space. Is it not reasonable then that God can do it the other way around? Using angels and prophetic dreams the Lord directed faithful men to write the Bible. The Bible "is inspired of God." (2 Timothy 3:16) "Men spoke from God as they were borne along by holy spirit." (2 Peter 1:21) To illustrate: A businessman or a statesman might have a secretary write a letter. That letter contains the businessman’s or statesman’s thoughts and instructions. Hence, it is really his letter, not the secretary’s. In a similar way, the Bible contains God’s message, not that of the men who wrote it down. Thus, the entire Bible truthfully is "the word of God."—1 Thessalonians 2:13. Now just to illustrate that, imagine inviting some 40 people into one room and telling them a very simple story they had never heard before. Say a story something like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Then sixteen years later you invite those same 40 people back to the same room and ask each one, one by one to tell you the story you told them some sixteen years ago. Would it not be true to say that they would probably come up with forty different variations of that story? Some would get the number of dwarfs wrong; maybe say there were five or nine dwarfs not seven. Others would get the name of Snow White wrong, maybe calling her Snow Bright, etc, etc….you get the idea. Now here is just one of the most amazing details of the Bible. All forty writers are in "total agreement". There is "no" contradiction between any of them over a period of not sixteen years, but sixteen hundred years! Such a long period of time there was no way they could have meet up with each other and fabricated the same stories. Moses never knew the Apostle Paul but they both agree on the same points, etc. The harmony and accuracy of the Bible convinces us that only God could have produced such a book. Yes the Bible was written over a 1,600-year period. Its writers lived at different times and came from many walks of life. Some were farmers, fishermen, and shepherds. Others were prophets, judges, and kings. The Gospel writer Luke was a doctor. Despite the varied backgrounds of its writers, the Bible is harmonious from beginning to end. The first book of the Bible tells us how mankind’s problems began. The last book shows that the whole earth will become a paradise, or garden. All the material in the Bible covers thousands of years of history and relates in some way to the unfolding of God’s purpose. The harmony of the Bible is impressive, but that is what we would expect of a book from God. The Encyclopædia Britannica calls the Bible "the most influential collection of books in human history." It has had the widest influence and effect on history of any sacred writings. Hence, it is fair to say that no person can be viewed as completely educated if he has not read the Bible.

3. Third - The Bible and Science agree. You only have to go back about 500 years ago and most people thought the earth was flat and if you got too close to the edge you would fall off. However long before that God inspired a man named Isaiah to write down that the earth was a globe or a circle. (Isaiah 40:22) So even though the Bible is not a science textbook, the Bible is scientifically accurate. It even contains information that was far ahead of its time. For example, the book of Leviticus contained laws for ancient Israel on quarantine and hygiene when surrounding nations knew nothing about such matters. The Bible accurately said that the earth ‘hangs on nothing.’ (Job 26:7) Of course, the Bible is not a science textbook. But when it touches on scientific matters, it is accurate. Is this not what we would expect of a book from God?

Next time I will post the 2 other reasons why you can Trust the Bible as the Word of God

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Wonderful NEW
by: Anonymous

Hello,

This is my first time on this site, but Kris your devotion was exactly what I needed. I tend to be very hard on myself. No one is perfect and all I can do is to ask God to draw me near to him.

God bless you

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awesome NEW
by: blossom

Hello, this is my first time on this site, and I can tell you that this lesson is for me and I thank you. God is God and there is no one like him, he stands alone. We should all strive to live our lives pleasing to the will of God and no one else. Thank You.

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wavering NEW
by: Gregory Mosesm

The relationship each one of us has with Jesus Christ is so personalI plan on sticking it outand I know I need my faith to growplease pray for meI see victory in spirit and in the physical.

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Self Love NEW
by: Debbie

And help me to love and accept myself as you love and accept me Lord.

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My needs NEW
by: ...

I, without actually realizing it, battled with insecurities for quite some time. I needed the approval and acceptance of others in order for me to feel good about myself. God gave me the understanding one day through John 4th chapter that if I continued to look to the things and people of the world for fulfillment I would never be fill. He helped me to understand that all I had to do was ask him and he would fill me. He would deposit a well of water inside of me, which would spring up into everlasting life. I understand that this water which he was referring to was his Spirit. I understand that I no longer have to look to the world or to people with my hands opened, expecting to receive something; for all that I needed is already deposited on the inside of me through Jesus Christ, My sweet savior.

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INSECURE NEW
by: Anonymous

I have always based my life on what other people think of me. I take everything to heart. Too sensitive. This whole lesson had my name written all over it.

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Chuck NEW
by: Kris

Oh chuck.
I am so sorry that you did not get the report you'd hoped for.
Please let me know how you are doing so that I can better pray for you!
Kris

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Thank you NEW
by: Chuck heath

Last week had bad report on my lungs. Fear drove me to the internet. Found you ! Your teaching on fear changed me, report stated nothing there ...lm sold on your ministry!!! Learning all I can.

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Thanks! NEW
by: Kris

Thanks for reading and commenting!
I appreciate your input!
I pray that you DO seek God's will for you life above all else!
Blessings,
Kris

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I KNOW WHO I AM NEW
by: Anonymous

thanks Kris,for the beautiful devotion for this month.i enjoyed reading all that we are and can be in Jesus,i,m striving to be who he want me to be,and do what he want me to do.

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Thanks for the reminder!
by: Jane

Hi Kris!
I love your devotions each month and am so glad that you are recovered from radiation and writing again!
Thank you for this reminder! It IS easy to base my worth on what the people in my life think of me...or say of me.
I am God's child, but only because of HIS GRACE!
What a great thought to carry into the weekend!!!!
Thanks again!
Jane

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