{"id":684,"date":"2012-02-09T06:00:01","date_gmt":"2012-02-09T06:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/2012\/02\/be-who-you-are\/"},"modified":"2012-02-09T06:00:01","modified_gmt":"2012-02-09T06:00:01","slug":"be-who-you-are","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/first15\/2012\/02\/be-who-you-are\/","title":{"rendered":"Be Who You Are"},"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>\u201cFor you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother\u2019s womb.&#8221;<\/em> Psalm 139:13<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"worship\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Worship:<\/h2>\n<h3>You Know Me by Bethel Music &#038; Steffany Frizzell<\/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\/cVVlMQved8k?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<h2>Devotional:<\/h2>\n<p>God will never ask you to be anyone other than who you are. He\u2019s not asking you to be just like other believers. He\u2019s not asking you to copy those around you that seem to be well-liked or accepted. So often we view God as a parent who spends all his efforts trying to fix us on the outside that we might keep up appearances. But it couldn\u2019t be more the opposite. God doesn\u2019t spend time trying to cover up who we are. Rather, he devotes himself to uncovering who we truly are\u2014who he made us to be.<\/p>\n<p>Psalm 139:13 says, <em>\u201cFor you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother\u2019s womb.&#8221;<\/em> God formed you wonderfully and uniquely. He gave you a personality and calling all your own. He sees past all the exteriors we create to try and fit in. He sees through all our efforts to cover up what makes us unique and different. He sees us for who we really are. And he is calling us to cast down our facades and live out of the revelation that we are already, right now, fully loved and accepted by our Creator.<\/p>\n<p>Discovering your identity begins with a journey with God to your heart. If you\u2019re wondering who you truly are, you need not look past yourself, but rather, with the Holy Spirit, take an honest look at yourself. Don\u2019t shy away from your insecurities. Don\u2019t shy away from that which makes you different. Allow God to reveal how he sees you. Allow him to reveal to you the true desires of your heart. And allow him to lay a secure foundation for you built on his unconditional love that you might live vulnerably and honestly.<\/p>\n<p>Allow God to fill you with the courage to be yourself today. Stop trying to change yourself to fit in to the expectations of others. And live with your identity and value securely founded in the love of your heavenly Father.<\/p>\n<p>Spend some time in guided prayer looking at your heart with the Holy Spirit. Allow him to reveal how he sees you. Ask him how he has formed you and made you unique. And allow him to empower you to be yourself today. May your time in guided prayer be filled with freedom and courage as you cease striving to be someone that you\u2019re not.<\/p>\n<h2>Guided Prayer:<\/h2>\n<div style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\n<p><strong>1. Meditate on God\u2019s call for you to be who you are.<\/strong> Allow Scripture to fill you with a desire to live honestly.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cFor you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother\u2019s womb.&#8221;<\/em> Psalm 139:13<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cAs in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.&#8221;<\/em> Proverbs 27:19<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. In what ways are you striving to be someone you\u2019re not?<\/strong> How are you seeking to keep up appearances rather than live honestly?<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal how he sees you.<\/strong> Ask him to fill you with courage to cast down any facades and be who you truly are.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Matthew 6:21 says, <em>\u201cFor where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.&#8221;<\/em> If you choose to place value and identity on what God says about you, then your heart will find freedom that transcends the ways and cares of the world. Treasure what God says about you. Store up his words and truth over you. Let them be your source of hope and life. May your heart be with your loving, kind heavenly Father as you seek to find freedom to live as you truly are today.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Extended Reading:<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=matthew+6&#038;version=ESV\" rel=\"alternate\">Matthew 6<\/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":687,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-684","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>Be Who You Are<\/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. 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