Articles
Remembering Who You Are
There are at least two beings who know your name at any given moment: Satan and God. Which being do you want to acknowledge you and associate with. Associating with the Creator of all things means that He knows your name and we choose to recognize our value to Him. When you look in the mirror there is a temptation to become prideful or repulsed by what we see. As God’s children, the words, “I am a beloved child of God” should be firmly rooted in our hearts and minds.
1 Peter 5:8 says that we need to be sober minded and vigilant because God’s adversary, the devil, is like a prowling lion seeking someone to devour. Satan uses the world as a trap to ensnare us, but many times we are the ones who will set the trap ourselves. The way we perceive ourselves is going to affect our relationship with God because it will be reflected in our attitudes and actions. If we are too hard on ourselves, it can cause us to feel unlovable and unforgivable. Ephesians 2:8-10 reads, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” Our faith has led us to be saved by God’s grace. We are His workmanship, created to guide others to His saving grace by loving others the way He loved us.
We can also lose sight of God’s will for us if we become too prideful. Pride can lead to hypocrisy because it creates a stubborn heart. Matthew 23:23-24 reads, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!” Hypocrisy makes us feel that we are doing the will of God, when we really are following the will of the devil. Aside from hypocrisy, pride can also cause us to reject righteous discipline and correction. Proverbs 15:32 (NIV) says, “Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding.”
We rise above the devil’s traps when we focus our hearts on God above (Phil. 3:12-14). We should make sure that we are loving ourselves in a way that recognizes that we are the precious children of God! Satan calls us by our temptations and sins, but God’s call to do good works is louder because we are recognized as His precious children. Are you ready to answer God’s call?
