Knowing our identity seems like it’s becoming harder and harder. I talk with people all that time that don’t know how to define themselves, who don’t really know who they are, or who will define themselves by what they do.

What you do is not who you are.

Our culture likes to look in all the wrong places to find identity. We have stressed individuality for so long now but now that we have it, it has not solved our identity crisis.

“We have unprecedented personal freedom, but our freedom is accompanied by a haunting sense of being lost.” Mark Sayers

When we can’t figure out how to find our identity by ourselves, we often look to others. But looking towards others for a sense of self and identity will not work either. Looking to your job to define who you are will not work. Looking to culture and celebrities will be a dead-end.

“Peers and society act as a mirror: we look to them to gain a sense of identity, yet they can only relay back to us the messages that we communicate to them.”

Our culture today is obsessed with image and the only way to find our true identity is to look inward and upward…not outward.

• Image does not define you.
• Success or failure does not define you.
• Your job does not define you.
• Your peers can not define you.

I’m sure we all know the answer as to whom defines and identifies us, but it’s so easy to forget or overlook.

Christ gives us our identity. Him and Him alone. We are His children and made in His image. All the identity and defining we need can be found in Him.

Who or what are you trying to find your identity in other than in Christ?

You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Acts 20:35b

We have all heard that verse or phrase that is better to give than to receive. And truthfully, as a child, I had very little understanding of this…most kids don’t. But as an adult and as a hopefully, ever-growing Christian, I see the power in this verse.

Lately, more than ever, I feel the Lord is cultivating my heart to be more generous. I can see it in my own life as well as my wife’s. Giving, however, doesn’t come naturally. I have to fight urges all the time to hold tightly to my “things”. That is not what God wants from us. Here’s the truth:

It’s all Gods.

Everything we have, own, want, need…it’s all his. It all belongs to Him. All our money, all our possessions, all our gifts and talents, and all our relationships are His. He created everything and therefore we don’t have actual ownership over anything. That is why I believe God wants us to hold loosely to our “things”. He wants a generous heart in all of us.

“Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:24-25

God does give us incentives in order to give, but it really isn’t about the incentive, it’s just about developing a generous and more Christ-like heart towards others. Here’s a lie people buy into: “I’ll be generous once I make just a little bit more money.” Ever heard that? Ever said that?

Here is the hard truth that a pastor friend used to say: “If you can’t be generous with $21,000, you won’t be generous when you have $41,000. And you can’t be generous with $41,000, you certainly won’t be generous when you make $141,000.”

We have to choose to be generous now with what we have now.

It’s amazing when you ask God to help you be more generous, how there are all of a sudden a bunch of random opportunities for you to be generous in. (By the way, this spirit of generosity isn’t just with money. A lot of times it is your time or a service, or a gifting or product that you offer.)

God has been definitely moving in my and my wife’s heart lately towards being more generous and more giving of our resources…cause the truth is, we are called to generosity.

How about you?

“Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.” 2 Corinthians 9:6

Has God been calling you to be more generous?

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.” Psalm 37:5-6

God wants to bless you!

He is not a cosmic cop waiting for you to screw up so that he can zap you. He is not a cranky old man that you should feel like you are always bothering. He is friend, loving father, protector, Savior.

He is faithful and also unchanging. And being that he is unchanging, he has a perfect track record with keeping his word. He will make your righteousness shine… You may be thinking, “well that’s great, but, I don’t feel very righteous…I’m not good enough to be lifted up.” Thankfully, that is not the truth. The truth is, because of what Christ did on the cross, we are all counted as righteous!

As Christians, our works don’t determine whether or not we receive blessings. We can not earn any of that. Our belief in Christ, makes us children of God and like any parent wanting to bless their own children, God wants to bless us. It brings him joy.

So trust him. Because he is worthy.

Matthew Henry’s Commentary for these verse adds that, God wants to take care of your reputation, and bring you out of your difficulties. Not only with comfort, but with credit and honor.

“Open up before God, keep nothing back; he’ll do whatever needs to be done: He’ll validate your life in the clear light of day and stamp you with approval at high noon.” Psalm 37:5-6 MSG

Freedom is something we all want. Sometimes we think we have it but we actually don’t. I believe there are two major keys to living a life of freedom:

1) Do what you were wired to do!

What are you passionate about? What are your deepest desires? What are your hopes and dreams? The first key to living in freedom is to do those things.

Nothing will make you feel more bound and caged, then when you are doing and pursuing things that you were not meant to do. A very good way to become burnt out and feel boxed in is to live against how you were wired.

I came to realize this truth: God isn’t going to make you do something that He didn’t hardwire in you. We have our passions and our gifts for a reason. He wants us to use them. Your gifts, however, are to ultimately to further His kingdom. God requires of you just one thing with the talents and desires that He gave you, and that is to be willing to give them back to Him. In my life, it was only when I was willing to give back to God the gifts, passions, and dreams that He gave me, that I found total freedom.

This leads me to my second key to living in freedom.

2) Surrender what you have been given.

The thought itself is somewhat counterintuitive. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the more “control” you have over our lives, the more “free” you will feel. But something that my pastor said really rings true: “The greatest of all illusions is the illusion of control.” The simple truth is that God is the one in control and not us.

I used to fear giving things up to God. I would hold on to my dreams and desires and keep them on a short leash. I would only ask God for help or guidance when I was stuck or at the end of my rope. I thought that if I gave up my desires and dreams, I would lose them, and that God would use me to do something that I was not passionate about. I now know that not to be true.

But Christianity is funny like that. Sometimes the most powerful beliefs we hold to, don’t seem to fit with common sense. In order to be exalted, you must be humbled. In order to be rich, you must be made poor. In order to be filled, you must be emptied. When struck down, you are to turn the other cheek and then go the extra mile.

So why surrender?

I believe a major reason is because we cannot be fully trusted with our gifts unless we are continually surrendering them to Him. Jeremiah 17:9 says, ”The human heart is the most deceitful of all things…” You may start with good and wholesome intentions with your talents and passions, but if you are not continually laying down your pride and laying down your gifts, it is only a matter of time before you get sidetracked. The benefits of trusting God with our passions, however, are well worth it. Verse 7 & 8 say, ”But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”

Surrender is not a sign of weakness. Surrender gives God room to work and will allow Him to use you in a mighty way. I’m sure we all want to “never stop producing fruit”, but the key is to always surrender what’s been given to you. Allowing God inside and amongst your gifts is so vital to living a life of freedom. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Cor. 3:17). You want Him with you. You are better off giving Him your desires, letting God be God, and because of that, living in joyous, complete freedom.

Remember, you are called to be free. And the only string attached to living a life of freedom is more of Christ.

“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 [NIV]

“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet,and it was distributed to anyone who had need.” Acts 4:32-35

We all have “things” in our lives that hold extreme value to us. If I were to guess the two biggest things, it would probably be our finances and our possessions. Those two things usually grip our hearts more than anything. Those two issues very much permeate believers in the Church today.

But what was so radical about the believers in that time?

Firstly, they were one in heart and mind… definitely need to work on that.

Secondly, and this is key, no one claimed their possessions as their own. Everything was Gods. That is a huge lesson to learn in our lives. How many of our valuable possessions can we say are Gods? How tightly do we hold onto our finances, our cars, our houses, our stuff?

We can see what happens when we put our “things” in their rightful place…God’s grace abounds in our lives. (God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them.) The truth is, when we radically give, we open up the door to allow God to radically move in our lives.

Let’s be known as a generous people. Let the truth sink in that our stuff is not really ours but Gods. Let’s give radically, being obedient to the leadings of the holy spirit, and then allow God’s grace to abound in our lives.

“When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 1:8

Ask yourself this question: Do I give God my best.

Honestly, I don’t always give my God my best. In fact, sometimes it is just scraps. Thank God for his grace and his love.

The verse above points to a powerful comparison. Now we are under a new covenant and so we are no longer sacrificing animals. Jesus become our ultimate sacrifice and forever covered our sins. But God does still ask us to offer our best to Him.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.” Romans 12:1

The truth is, we care so much more about giving our best to others than we do God. I know sometimes I do. We all try to make a great impression with people. We will put on the perfect outfit, a great smile, totally clean our houses (don’t look in the closets), go out of our way to be hospitable and make sure everything is in place. We want the person to feel loved, warm and welcomed. To show them respect, we want them to feel like they are getting our best.

But do we do that with our relationship with Christ?

I’m not sure if groggily reading the same line over and over again in our Bibles and try to pray to Him while slipping in and out of sleep is really our best. But sometimes that’s all I offer.

God deserves better. He deserves more.

If I’m going to give God my best, then maybe it means waking up a few minutes earlier in the morning so that I’m fully present in my time with Him. Maybe it means carving out specific times in the day and protecting those moments with Him like we would if it were any other person, appointment or meeting.

I can tell you that God will totally honor us giving Him our best. He loves blessing His children.

So today, think about what you’re giving God. Is it really your best or is it far from it. We are in no way ever going to be perfect with this but it is something worthy to strive for.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37

Are you giving God your best?

“What gets our attention determines our direction and, ultimately, our destination.” – Andy Stanley

It is a tough time that we live in. We are constantly bombarded with distractions. People, products, objects, companies, etc. are all vying for our attention. It is difficult to stay focused on who and what we need to in an environment like this.

What has your attention lately?

Is it bringing you life, health, wholeness? Or is it leading you down a path that you ultimately do not want to go down? Focus is not easy, it’s not free. It will cost us something. But when we focus on the right things, we will reap goodness from that.

“Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word.” Psalm 119:37

Let’s not focus and give attention to worthless things, let continue to keep our eyes fixed solely where they need to be.

Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil. Proverbs 4:25-27

“As your attention goes, so goes your life.”

What has your attention?

“I patiently waited, Lord, for you to hear my prayer. You listened and pulled me from a lonely pit full of mud and mire. You let me stand on a rock with my feet firm, and you gave me a new song, a song of praise to you. Many will see this, and they will honor and trust you, the Lord God. You bless all of those who trust you, Lord, and refuse to worship idols or follow false gods.” Psalms 40:1-4 CEV

Waiting on the Lord is usually not easy. We tend to struggle with the whole, “have patience and trust that He knows best” part. But truthfully, the waiting is important. The waiting is actually just as important as the other side of your situation. No one really enjoys this part of our journey with Christ but it is absolutely a necessary one. When life is heaving bombs at you, the last thing you want to do is just wait…but sometimes that’s exactly what we are supposed to do. Waiting, among other things, really has some benefits to it.

Waiting teaches trust and patience.

This is the most obvious one. Today’s culture is all about speed. How fast and efficient things can get done. We are insta-holics. If we can’t get what we want when we want it, we are out. Waiting, however, reminds us we are not in control, and forces us to face that reality.

Waiting reveals our true motives.

Waiting will reveal whether we are for real or not. Are we really willing to put in time and effort, the energy and trust, into what we are waiting for? Waiting will reveal whether what we are seeking is impulse or not.

Waiting is where growth happens.

It may seem slightly counter-intuitive but growth happens here. If life was always rainbows and lollipops, you would never need to trust in God. You wouldn’t really need to have faith in Him because you would just feel that you are doing a good enough job controlling your circumstances.

“Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14

Waiting builds your faith and confidence in God.

When God comes through for us, (He always will even if not in the way we were expecting) there is no greater feeling. As you put your full faith and trust in Christ during your waiting periods; and when you see Christ move in your life, that is such a confidence booster.

Whatever you may be facing today. Whatever trial or struggle you are going through, or whatever waiting room you find yourself in, continue to trust in God. Know that the season of waiting has a purpose and God has your best in mind. We are his masterpieces and he has promised to take care of us.

“May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.” 2 Peter 1:2

Sometimes we look at our situations, our circumstances, our past, our problems, our future and we become very uneasy. If we are honest with ourselves, sometimes we think that God just isn’t big enough to deal with all our troubles or worries. Sometimes we forget that he paid it all on the cross. Sometimes we look at our mountain and think that it is bigger than God.

Good thing that’s not the truth.

“I tell all of you with certainty, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ if he doesn’t doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.” Mark 11:23

The truth is God is big enough. He is capable and faithful to help you through any situation that will happen to you hear on Earth. I love what Craig Groeschel says in Altar Ego: “No matter what you have or haven’t done, God’s power is big enough to change you. There is no sin too great for God’s grace. There is no habit too big for his healing. There is no label too strong for his love…God’s power is bigger than your past.”

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Cor 12:9

Let that truth sink in.

Today, walk with this hope, God is big enough. In every single circumstance.

God is big enough.

“The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” Psalm 28:7 NLT

This has been the verse I’ve been resting in lately. The last few months have been a season of transition. Abby and I have made the move back home to NH and have both began new journeys in our careers.  But most times, transition is never easy. For those who feel unfulfilled in your job, it’s never easy. Not knowing what step is next is never easy. The period of waiting isn’t easy.

So what do you do?

What do you do when your strength is running out? What do you do when do don’t know what the next step is?

For me, I think the answer is trust. Trust God that He knows best. Trust that His strength will carry you through. Trust that He will never leave you, never forsake you, never fail you.

So, if you find yourself in a similar season of waiting. In a season where you don’t have all the answers, and where you don’t know what your next step is…trust.

Trust in God. In His strength, His plan, His love.

“Sometimes you have to believe God beyond what you can presently see.” ~ Pete Wilson

Trust.

“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:8 NLT

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ Matthew 22:37

Thank God for my relationship with Him, because I honestly don’t know how I would get through this life without His love, comfort, grace, peace, and joy. Being a child of God is a great place to be. We have access to unthinkable grace, unending love, unspeakable joy, and all the blessings of God. The only potential problem with being so blessed is our focus can get off of God and on what He can gives us.

I have been thinking a lot lately about my love for Christ. I wonder if nothing ever went “right” for the rest of my life…would I still love God just the same? It’s easy to love God when you feel life is great and things are working out the way you think they should. But what happens when problems arise? What happens when God doesn’t come through the way we think He should?

Do we love God just as much?

Do we still trust Him as much?

Is our hope in Him shaken?

Do we truly love God because He is God and totally worthy of our praise, or do we treat God as some cosmic vending machine and only love Him because of what we think He can give us?

“You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.” Revelation 4:11

I know that I needed this reminder to love God regardless of what I think He can do for me.

Seek His face and not just His hand.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:14-15

How’s your prayer life?

Is it active? Dormant? Nonexistent?

Having an effective prayer life I think is something that every Christian desires, whether they would admit it or not. Everyone wants to be a person who has their prayers answered. Someone who can pray for healing and get it, pray for change and see it, or pray for hope and feel it.

But realistically, I think a lot of us struggle with prayer. I think a lot of us don’t really know how to pray because we may feel like there is a certain we have to pray and it’s not how we are praying. Well, I think that’s only partially true.

I am not a believer that there is only one specific way to pray and if you don’t sound “spiritual” enough, than you can kiss an answered prayer goodbye. No way. Personally, I am not really a fan of the “over-spiritualized” prayer because, to me, it sounds less genuine.

So if you are struggling with prayer or with what to pray or how to pray, let me try to give you some suggestions on what may help your prayer life.

BE GENUINE.

Other people may not always be able to tell if your overly spiritually sounding prayer is for real or not, but you certainly are not fooling God. Just be real. If you can come up with all the “oohs” and “aahs” don’t worry, God’s really good at understanding what we are trying to say.

PRAY WHAT IS TRULY ON YOUR MIND.

Sometimes it is hard to stay focused during pray and that can be a reason why some of us don’t pray very much. There is specific agenda that needs to be covered in prayer. If what is on your mind in the moment  is how you are going to accomplish all your “to-do” list today, pray about that. If you have a bill due and the money isn’t quite there, pray about that. Don’t feel that, because your prayers aren’t about “spiritual” things, that you can’t pray about them. Pray what is on your mind.

WHEN YOU HAVE A NEED, PRAY GOD’S WORD.

This one can be powerful. I am not saying that there is a specific formula to use to get your prayers answered, but praying God’s Word back to him will definitely get them heard. There is so much good that happens when you start to pray God’s Word over your life. Steven Furtick adds:

“Reminding God of his promises isn’t about giving him new information. It’s about experiencing his transformation. By going back to the Word of God and recalling his promises and the pattern of his actions in the past, your audacity is stirred. Your desires are aligned with God’s purposes. The promises of God are woven into the fabric of your faith. And your motivations becomes his motivations. [Sun Stand Still]

Some of the most powerful and audacious prayers that were answered in the Bible, were from people who reminded God of His promises and His goodness and then saw their prayers answered. I think it’s wise to take note of that.

Whatever you may be going through and experiencing right now, have boldness when you pray. Know that God will hear you. Know that God is working behind the scenes for your good. Pray massive prayers that only God could answer, and base those prayers off of Biblical truths and promises.

We all deal with coming up short in our lives. If you are human, you will fall short. We make promises, then don’t keep them. We say were honest, but, in fact, just lied. We struggle with vices, addictions, consumption, the list goes on and on. Basically we have a sin problem.

No matter how genuine we intend to be, we will fall short. But how we respond to our shortcomings, can be one of the most important things about us.

Sin tends to throw people into a spiral of guilt, shame, unworthiness, and a feeling of being second-rate. And that’s just where it intends to keep you. One of the biggest traps that sin uses is one to make you feel like you are stuck because of your sin. You can’t move on, forward, or past the mistake.

Let me say again that this inability to move on where you stay in a state of constant shame and regret of falling short is a powerful tool that the enemy uses on us.

But the secret that the enemy doesn’t want us to know, it that sin doesn’t have power in our lives. Sin doesn’t have to keep us grounded for very long. Repentance is key. And it’s important to know what repentance means to learn how to respond when we fall short.

“Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” Revelation 2:5a

I love what Stephen Furtick says about this verse. He adds,

“This verse helps me think about repentance in a brand-new light. God doesn’t beat the Ephesians into submission through shame and guilt…Technically, the New Testament term for repentance means to “change your mind.” To align your thoughts with the thoughts of God…But we see from Revelation that repentance also means to get back to the top. Back to God’s perspective. His ways. His truth. His high calling and perfect plan for your life.”

After we sin God doesn’t say, “Stay there and sulk. Think about what you did for the rest of your life.” God says to us, “Get back up!” Turn around and get back to where you were and keep walking with me.” The truth is, if we are always looking back at what we did, we will never reach our true potential or calling for our life. Don’t let sin stunt your growth or calling on your life.

“They [the righteous] may trip seven times, but each time they will rise again…” Proverbs 24:16

We are the righteous. We are redeemed. We are set free from the bondage of sin because of what Christ did on the cross for you and me. Don’t live sin conscious, but live conscious of the cross.

So whatever you may be going through, whatever you have done and feel stuck in or trapped by, get back up. Don’t let your sin define you, let God’s grace be your identity. You are forgiven. You are worthy. You are set free.

Get back up.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Cor. 12:9a

“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”  Psalm 37:23-24

This Christian walk is not always an easy one. Those who led you to believe that everything would be sunshine and ice cream when you accepted Christ were unfortunately wrong. We will simply will have troubles in this life (John 16:33). But it is within those troubles that our lives differ. We have a hope. We have an anchor, a refuge and shelter to rely on, run to and rest in. Do not let the circumstances on your life and the fear it is producing to stop you from trusting God and living a life of faith he has called you to live.

Fear often times is a choice we make. We allow the anxiety and worry to saturate our decision-making and   from there on, choose our steps based on that fear.

I want to encourage you today to jump! Push that fear and doubt aside.

Whatever that jump may be for you…jump.

I promise you that if you feel God called you to do something, he WILL be there with you to help you. Regardless of how scary and daunting your calling or situation may be, he is holding you up and ready to catch you if you slip. To jump takes trust, commitment, and faith. But truthfully, it comes down to if you actually believe that Jesus is who he says he is.

My wife and I have recently seen God move mightily in our circumstances and seeing it has really boosted our faith and strengthened our trust in him. We were experiencing a lot of worry and anxiety and fear about what our next step would be and how our needs would be met. But during one of my quiet times one morning, I felt the Lord say to me…”Do you trust me?” I sensed him say, “John, I want you to just focus on seeking me and not the outcome you want…just me. Just truly seek me and I will take care of your situation. I know your heart and I know your needs.” He also brought this verse to mind (Matt. 6:25-33)

The truth that God shared with me that morning, is the same truth for you…Just seek Him and trust that he will take care of the rest. Because he will. He knows your situation and your needs. I promise.

Jump. He will catch you.

Jump. He will not let you fall.

Jump.

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” Psalm 55:22