Sunday, October 4, 2015

Pastor's Ponderings, October 5, 2015

Rafiki: The question is, who... are you?

Rafiki was a mandrill in Disney's 1994 animated feature film, “The Lion King.”  He asked the main character, “Who are you?”  This is the question that we have to ask ourselves when the world attempts to define who we are.  We have to agree with what God says and not what the world says. We must say, “I am what God says I am.  I am made in His image. I am strengthened with Him and not limited by my resources, other people, my past, my thoughts, my failures, or my successes.  I am designed for greatness and excellence.  I am not a prisoner or a servant, but an heir and friend of the King. I am chosen and not rejected. I am blessed not cursed. I am rich and prosperous, not poor and failing.  I am healthy, not sickly.”

I recently officiated the wedding celebration of my middle daughter. In attendance were several stellar high achieving professionals. While speaking with many of them, I noticed that they were able to confidently articulate their goals, not boasting, but they were clear eyed and focused.  They had not allowed their past successes to limit their future possibilities, nor their past mistakes to defeat their future goals.

I gleaned some important truths from this group. God wants the entire body of Christ to know who they are. We must have a sense of purpose forgetting those things that are behind us and pressing onward to fulfill our purpose in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13, 14).

We limit ourselves when we say, “I can't.”  When we decide that we are destined to fail, we are not recognizing that we are tapped into God’s Almighty power (Philippians 4:13).  He has unlimited wisdom and unmatched resources. We have been sold a bill of goods and accepted the believable lie to limit ourselves, our potential, and the Almighty God.

The Bible warns us not to base our decisions upon our own understanding of the facts (Proverbs 3:5-6).  We ought to be seeing the invisible, doing the impossible and infinitely expanding our territory with the power and direction of an infinite God.  But how?  Don’t let your own understanding guide you.  Ask God for His wisdom and He will show you His path of success (James 1:5).


This week, let us praise and thank God for who He is, what He is doing and how He sees us.  Let us continue to study and obey His word so we can truly know who we are in Christ.

Philippians 3:13, 14
New International Version (NIV)
13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:13
New International Version (NIV)
13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Proverbs 3:5-6
New International Version (NIV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

New International Version (NIV)
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.





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