{"id":672,"date":"2012-02-07T06:00:01","date_gmt":"2012-02-07T06:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/2012\/02\/identity-of-the-heart\/"},"modified":"2012-02-07T06:00:01","modified_gmt":"2012-02-07T06:00:01","slug":"identity-of-the-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/2012\/02\/identity-of-the-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Identity of the Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Weekly Overview:<\/h2>\n<p>So often we view God as an enforcer of religious rules. We see the commands of Scripture as a list of to-dos rather than a path leading to abundant life. But those perceptions aren\u2019t the truth of Scripture. Those beliefs are founded on misguided notions of God\u2019s character. God is after the heart. More than he wants us to do right, he wants us to see him rightly. He wants going to church, reading the Bible, worshipping, serving the poor, and living righteously to come from a heart filled with a true revelation of his loving-kindness. May your heart be wholly God\u2019s this week.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Scripture:<\/h2>\n<p><em>\u201cI have called you by name, you are mine.&#8221;<\/em> Isaiah 43:1<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"worship\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Worship:<\/h2>\n<h3>Jesus We Love You by Bethel Music &#038; Paul McClure<\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<div style=\"display: block; margin: auto auto 30px auto; width: 100%; float:left;\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: block; margin: auto; float: left; border: 1px solid #000000; background-color: #484846; padding: 2px; -moz-border-radius: 3px; -khtml-border-radius: 3px; -webkit-border-radius: 3px; border-radius: 3px;\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3TCWaNP96AA?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<h2>Devotional:<\/h2>\n<p>Many of us spend our entire lives just trying to answer one simple question: \u201cWho am I?&#8221; We look to our accolades and our strengths and weaknesses to define us. We look to other people to determine who it is we are. We allow circumstances and open or closed doors to tell us who we\u2019re supposed to be. We look everywhere but to the One who actually knows the true answer.<\/p>\n<p>But God says to you and me,<em> \u201cFear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine&#8221;<\/em> (Isaiah 43:1). 1 John 3:1 says, <em>\u201cSee what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.&#8221;<\/em> And in Ephesians 2:19 Scripture says, <em>\u201cSo then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>We need a renewing of our identity. We need to look at the word of God and choose to believe that we truly are who he says we are entirely. We need to let our Creator define the identity of his creation. You serve a God who has called you his child. Regardless of anything you\u2019ve done well or poorly, regardless of your successes or failures, you are first and foremost the redeemed child of the Most High God. It\u2019s time to anchor your identity to the unshakable truth of Scripture.<\/p>\n<p>You see, it\u2019s not enough just to know what Scripture says. It\u2019s not enough to be able to recite verses like,<em> \u201cwe should be called the children of God; and so we are.&#8221;<\/em> Until in your heart of hearts you believe the truth of Scripture, you will base your entire life on whatever it is you value most. If you value the opinion of man over God\u2019s word, your identity will be founded on the fleeting and fickle opinions of others. If you look to your circumstances to define you, then your identity will change with the passing of seasons. But if the identity you believe in your heart is founded on God\u2019s truth, then your self-worth, perspectives, decisions, insecurities, and beliefs will be unshakable and yield abundant life.<\/p>\n<p>Take time today to assess your own heart. Look honestly at your beliefs. Where are you looking for your identity? Place your trust in the truth of God\u2019s word that the identity of your heart would come from your loving Creator. May your time in guided prayer be marked by a powerful revelation of truth.<\/p>\n<h2>Guided Prayer:<\/h2>\n<div style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\n<p><strong>1. Meditate on the truth of your identity. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cFear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine&#8221;<\/em> Isaiah 43:1<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cSee what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.&#8221;<\/em> 1 John 3:1<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. What are you allowing to define you?<\/strong> What, in your heart of hearts, do you value above the truth of Scripture?<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Ask the Holy Spirit for a heart-level revelation of who you are in Christ.<\/strong> Open your heart to God that he might reveal to you the truth of his perspective. Align your beliefs with the truth of Scripture.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>It\u2019s absolutely critical to take an honest assessment of your heart when it comes to your identity. Don\u2019t let going to church, talking about Scripture, or even spending time reading God\u2019s word be enough. Take a look at what is actually sinking into your heart and changing your life. Don\u2019t rest until your life\u2014your emotions, actions, and beliefs\u2014align with God\u2019s truth. May you be energized and renewed to seek out the fullness of life God has in store for you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Extended Reading:<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=psalm+139&#038;version=ESV\" rel=\"alternate\">Psalm 139<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Weekly Overview: So often we view God as an enforcer of religious rules. We see the commands of Scripture as a list of to-dos rather than a path leading to abundant life. But those perceptions aren&#8217;t the truth of Scripture. Those beliefs are founded on misguided notions of God&#8217;s character. God is after the heart.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":636,"featured_media":675,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-first15"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Identity of the Heart<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Weekly Overview: So often we view God as an enforcer of religious rules. We see the commands of Scripture as a list of to-dos rather than a path leading to abundant life. But those perceptions aren&#8217;t the truth of Scripture. Those beliefs are founded on misguided notions of God&#8217;s character. God is after the heart.&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/2012\/02\/identity-of-the-heart\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Identity of the Heart\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Weekly Overview: So often we view God as an enforcer of religious rules. We see the commands of Scripture as a list of to-dos rather than a path leading to abundant life. But those perceptions aren&#8217;t the truth of Scripture. Those beliefs are founded on misguided notions of God&#8217;s character. God is after the heart.&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/2012\/02\/identity-of-the-heart\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"First15 Daily Devotional\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-02-07T06:00:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/450\/2021\/02\/4.04-550x367.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"550\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"367\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cdenison\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Identity of the Heart","description":"Weekly Overview: So often we view God as an enforcer of religious rules. We see the commands of Scripture as a list of to-dos rather than a path leading to abundant life. But those perceptions aren&#8217;t the truth of Scripture. Those beliefs are founded on misguided notions of God&#8217;s character. God is after the heart.&hellip;","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/2012\/02\/identity-of-the-heart\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Identity of the Heart","og_description":"Weekly Overview: So often we view God as an enforcer of religious rules. We see the commands of Scripture as a list of to-dos rather than a path leading to abundant life. But those perceptions aren&#8217;t the truth of Scripture. Those beliefs are founded on misguided notions of God&#8217;s character. God is after the heart.&hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/2012\/02\/identity-of-the-heart\/","og_site_name":"First15 Daily Devotional","article_published_time":"2012-02-07T06:00:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":550,"height":367,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/450\/2021\/02\/4.04-550x367.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cdenison","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/2012\/02\/identity-of-the-heart\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/2012\/02\/identity-of-the-heart\/","name":"Identity of the Heart","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/2012\/02\/identity-of-the-heart\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/2012\/02\/identity-of-the-heart\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/450\/2021\/02\/4.04.jpeg","datePublished":"2012-02-07T06:00:01+00:00","dateModified":"2012-02-07T06:00:01+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/#\/schema\/person\/ab397c9ca5ade37b7fc66fefa43eb0cf"},"description":"Weekly Overview: So often we view God as an enforcer of religious rules. We see the commands of Scripture as a list of to-dos rather than a path leading to abundant life. But those perceptions aren&#8217;t the truth of Scripture. Those beliefs are founded on misguided notions of God&#8217;s character. God is after the heart.&hellip;","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/2012\/02\/identity-of-the-heart\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/2012\/02\/identity-of-the-heart\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/2012\/02\/identity-of-the-heart\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/450\/2021\/02\/4.04.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/450\/2021\/02\/4.04.jpeg","width":5184,"height":3456},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/2012\/02\/identity-of-the-heart\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Identity of the Heart"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/","name":"First15 Daily Devotional","description":"Scripture, reflection, prayer and more","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/#\/schema\/person\/ab397c9ca5ade37b7fc66fefa43eb0cf","name":"cdenison","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/author\/cdenison\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/636"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=672"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}