Just Be You...

         Several weeks ago, before schools had even been forced to close because of the Coronavirus, ​I was contemplating what to write as I felt the Spirit of God had been prompting me to do. I was thinking of the things that were happening in the world in general at the time and I realised then that it is indeed a scary time we’re living in. I felt thankful to God though because I believe that He has been opening up my eyes to some things that I need to be aware of. In this way I know how to pray because I understand what we’re up against in these last days.
          But the most poignant thought that came to my mind then was the fact that as children of God we need to know our God. It’s not about position or title or being in the forefront, it’s about fulfilling God’s purpose for each of our lives. I can’t be someone else, God doesn’t expect it and no one else can be me. We need to understand and embrace who we are in Christ. Who does God say that you are? I realize that for several months even a few years I have been literally declaring each day what God says about me. I am blessed, I am redeemed, I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, etc. But maybe I have simply been reciting what He says about me. Do I really believe it? Am I actually living it? I’m afraid I will have to say “no” to both questions. It started being about knowing and declaring who I am in Christ but I’m afraid my declarations have become nothing more than mere recitations of who I hope I am not who I believe and know I am. 
          Someone said something to me some time ago that resonated in my spirit when I heard it. She said that I am the answer. No, she doesn’t mean that I am a god or that I am greater than God. You see, Christ is living in me and He is the true answer that the world needs. But I am representing Him, therefore I have so much more to offer the world because of Him. It wasn’t a statement that says that I am going to be this or that but it’s a statement of fact that I am the answer. Every child of God is. We need to really understand that God has deposited so much in us and that we have the answer that the world needs. That statement made me actually feel bolder, more confident, as I understood who I am in Christ from a different perspective.
          As I contemplated all of this I thought of David. He was described as a man after God’s own heart. David, I believe, knew who he was. Even though his family may not have treated him as important, after all when the prophet Samuel came to anoint a king from among Jesse’s sons, David wasn’t even initially invited to the event. He was left in the field to tend the sheep (1 Samuel 16:2-11). No one expected him to be important enough to be there. Yet, He was the one God wanted and had chosen. David had developed an intimate relationship with God while doing his job as a shepherd. He watched how God helped him defeat a lion and a bear as he defended his sheep. He knew the God he was serving. So, you can imagine, when he went to deliver some food to his brothers on the battlefield and found out about Goliath how incensed he became that this “uncircumcised Philistine” could be so bold as to defy the army of God. He probably even wondered why the Israelite army was so scared when they had God on their side. But he wasn’t scared. David knew his God. He knew what his God could and would do and he knew who he was in God. He didn’t see himself as incapable of defeating this giant. Even when king Saul’s armor was too big for him, almost as if to prove his incompetence in defeating the enemy, he wasn’t deterred. He knew his God and he knew who he was in Him and he understood that God didn’t expect him to be someone else; He didn’t expect him to be king Saul or one of the other experienced soldiers. God expected him to be himself and use the weapons he knew to use – five smooth stones (1 Samuel 17:1-50).
          So, let’s put this into perspective. Who does God say that you are? What is God saying about you? What does God expect of you? And better yet, what has God deposited in you? You may not see yourself as important, but you are. Others, even those who claim to know you well, may not see you as important, but you are. As I said earlier, don’t try to be anyone else but yourself. Use what God has given you. Use the tools that God has deposited in you because whatever comes your way, God has already equipped you to handle it.