Are You Fit for the Fight?
An 8-day Devotional to Overcoming Fear and Living Courageously.
DEVO DAY 3 | TRUST GOD IN YOUR TRUE IDENTITY
“Fear is present when you believe God isn’t.”
I stood waist deep in the pool, extending my arms to Eden, two-years-old at the time. “Jump, Eden. I’ll catch you!”
She stared at me with furrowed eyebrows.
“How do I know you’re going to catch me?” She asked skeptically.
“Because I told you I would.” I replied.
“Mama, how will I reeeeeaaaaally know you’ll catch me?” She was looking for hard evidence, a guarantee.
What did she want? A signed contract?
After going a few more rounds like this, I resorted to my final offer: “Eden, you will know I am going to catch you when I do.”
She mustered up as much courage as she could and jumped. In her little mind, it probably felt as if she was jumping into the grand canyon.
With a huge smile, she shouted, “Again mama!”
Blind faith.
Could it be that some of us are nervously standing at the edge of an unfamiliar opportunity waiting for evidence that we won’t fail?
If this is you, read this very carefully:
“For we live by believing and not by seeing.”
Another translation says, “For we live by faith, not by sight.” The other day someone said to me, “I’m just going on blind faith!” My response was this verse you just read. All faith is blind - that’s the point.
I’d like you to replace the word “faith” with “trust.” You see, Eden didn’t trust me fully to catch her. She trusted me to feed her and do many other things for her, but this was a new level of trust for her.
Most likely, you trust God with many things where he has proven himself faithful, but too many of us stop taking risks because we stick with what we know has worked in the past.
I believe God is looking for people who will step out into a new level of trust so that he can accomplish greater things through them!
Is that you?
It takes no faith to hear the voice of the enemy.
It’s funny (not funny) how we will hear the voice of the devil all day and never ask for confirmation. But we need 48 confirmations to know for sure if God is really speaking to us.
A friend compliments and encourages us… we question it.
The Bible says that God is for us and with us… but we’re not so sure.
We have a dream that gives us hope… it was probably the pizza we ate.
We sensed God give us a strategy… but maybe we just made it up.
This really isn’t an acceptable way to live when we are called, “people of faith.
How does the enemy dupe us?
He rides in on truth! He gives us evidence to prove his case: you are all alone, not enough, and overwhelmed.
Example: You lose your temper and get angry with your teenager (been there) and then you hear this inner chatter, “You did some permanent damage there. She’s not going to trust you anymore. You’re a terrible mom.”
Do you see how the enemy used something that was true (small “t”) to prove his case? It may be true that you lost your temper (and need to apologize) but it’s not The Truth (capital “T”) that you are a terrible mom.
Almost all fear can be categorized into one of three fears:
I’m all alone.
I don’t have enough help.
I don’t have what it takes.
What do they all have in common? A perceived separation between us and God. Somehow, he’s not with us, helping us, or empowering us.
Remember, the enemy will ride in on truth to make these fears “true” for you. This is where you have to renew your mind…. Again! (See Day 2 Devotional for an intentional exercise to renew your mind.)
INSTRUCTIONS FOR DAY THREE - 5 Steps to Trusting God in Your True Identity
1. Identify which of the three fears is most common for you.
Read the list again carefully. Think back to the most recent time that you were under pressure and distressed (maybe that was today.) Which of the three fears was this negative emotion based on?
2. Create a negative “I AM statement.”
Considering the fear you just identified, I actually want you to put words to the lie that the enemy is working overtime to convince you of. If you were to put this in an “I AM” statement, what would it say? Example: I am (a terrible mom, dumb, disorganized, lazy, hard to love, etc.)
3. Identify the root.
What is the earliest memory you have of feeling this way about yourself? If you can think of a time, ask Jesus to show you that memory with him in it. This can be really hard, depending on what the memory is. Ask Jesus to recover your heart in that memory. Find him in the memory and watch him comfort you and maybe other people in the memory. Forgive the people involved if any level of offense comes up (refer back to Day One for this forgiveness exercise if needed.)
4. Take the lie to the cross.
In your mind’s eye, take the I AM statement and write in on a piece of paper. See Jesus on the cross. Considering the fear that you identified in step one above, walk up to the cross and ask him,
“Jesus, I feel (all alone, I don’t have enough help, or I don’t have what it takes.) Please tell me the Truth: (Are you with me? Are you helping me? Do I have what it takes?”)
Listen and take in what he says. Hand him the piece of paper with the negative “I AM” statement and observe what he does with it. Take a moment to watch him deal with that paper all the way to completion. Don’t move on too fast. What did he do with it?
5. Ask Jesus for Your New Truth!
Now, this is where you get to exercise faith. You are going to ask him what he says you are (think of it as a new name - a Truth label). Simply listen for his answer with ease and write down the first thing you hear. Ask him, “Jesus, what do YOU call me?”
I’ve done this exercise a handful of times and when God gives me a new name or attribute, I choose to walk fully in it. I agree with it, whether I have evidence of it being true or not.
He called me a “Fire Starter,” so that’s what I do and it’s who I am. I choose to walk in that. I choose to execute that. I could walk in the accusation of the enemy, but I know where that leads - nowhere of eternal value! I don’t even hear the criticism of the enemy anymore because I have decided to believe who God says I am!
From my experience of “jumping off ledges with God,” I have discovered two things:
1. The definition of success is obedience. My job is to obey and when I do, I am successful, regardless of the outcome. God’s job is to work it out after I take the leap. When I take a step, he takes a bigger one. He rarely moves the way I thought he would, but always better than I could imagine. See Ephesians 3:20.
2. Taking a step of faith in our false identity is disobedience. I choose to execute obedience from my true identity. I believe that I honor God when I believe I am who he says I am. I choose to be exactly who God says I am.
There is no failure available when you obey God from your true identity.
Tip: Refer back to Day Two (the previous chapter) and execute those Belief Cards if you haven’t yet! This will help you begin the process of living by faith and not by sight!
