Prior to understanding my new identity in Christ, I spent a lot of time trying to prove who I was and wasn’t to people. A need to prove who you are is a result of low self-esteem. When you know and have accepted who you are, there will be no need to prove that to others. I truly thank God for helping me grow and develop in the arena of confidence and identity. I have found great joy in being who He has made me to be and now spend less time thinking about what others think!
The only way to truly fulfill God’s will for your life is to be delivered from people. Delivered means to be set free. You need to be set free from others’ opinions. You can’t control what others think about you and it’s not your responsibility to try and make them think differently. Your only responsibility is to fulfill the will of your Father. When Paul was on the road to Damascus, he had an encounter with Jesus. Look at what Jesus said to Paul in Acts 26:17 AMPC Choosing you out [selecting you for Myself] and delivering you from among this [Jewish] people and the Gentiles to whom I am sending you. Jesus told Paul that He would first need to deliver Him from people so that He could in turn send him to them. You will never be able to fulfill God’s will if you are concerned about the thoughts and actions of people.
My hope and prayer are that you will be like Paul. Heed God’s voice and be delivered from people to go forth and be exactly who He has created you to be. There is great joy that accompanies being authentically you! If you are dealing with low self-esteem, I encourage you to read and meditated on Psalm 139.
Prayer for the Journey
God, thank you for creating me in your image. My life is not a mistake and I am here because it pleased you to create me. Help me to not be concerned about what others think about me. It is only your opinion of me that matters. When you look at me, you are pleased. If you are pleased with me, then I too will be pleased with who I am in you.
In Jesus Name, Amen!