This summer, Steve and I had many wonderful moments with our grandkids. My heart is full. One memory sticks out in my mind of my little granddaughter Selah (age 6) singing and twirling to Hillsong’s new song, “Who You Say I Am.” If you haven’t heard the song, it’s well worth your time to look it up and listen to it—you can hear it right here: youtube.com/watch?v=lKw6uqtGFfo.
One of the lines in the song is “I am chosen, not forsaken, I am who you say I am.” The theme of the song is that because Jesus is who He said He was, He sets us free to be who He says we are. What a beautiful thought! His “I am” statements change your “I am” statements.
3 Statements God Makes about You:
You are chosen. Jesus said to the woman at the well, “I … am He” (John 4:26). He was referring to Himself as the Messiah, the anointed one who came to set people free. The woman at the well felt like an outcast, but after her encounter with Jesus, she walked away set free, having found a place of belonging in Jesus. The apostle Paul wrote, “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before Him in love” (Eph. 1:4). The apostle Peter echoes this concept, writing, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession” (1 Pet. 2:9a).
You are appointed and anointed. Jesus said, “I Am the vine”(John 15:5). He goes on to say that He has appointed us to bear fruit (John 15:16). Not only does He appoint us to bear fruit, but He anoints us for the work of bearing fruit (1 John 2:20, 27). In other words, whatever God calls you to do, He is empowering you to do it through the power of His Holy Spirit. You have purpose and meaning in your life because God has appointed and anointed you to be His ambassador to the world around you.
You are set free from your emotional baggage. Jesus said, “I Am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). All of us have emotional baggage, past messages that haunt our thinking. Here’s the thing: Jesus came to offer us not only eternal life in heaven but also freedom from sin and its effect. He came to set us free. The victory over your emotional wounds was won at the cross. “By His stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:5c). The key now is to stand strong in that victory. You, my friend, have been set free. Don’t wallow in the past. Face the truth of your past, but then move forward and stand strong in wholeness, empowered by the victory won at the cross.
Friend, His “I am” statements change your “I am” statements. Live in the truth that you are chosen, appointed and anointed, and set free. As you stand strong in the truth of who He says you are, I believe you are going to see Him do amazing things through you.
Becky Harling, an author, certified speaker, leadership coach and trainer with the John Maxwell Team, is an energetic and motivational international speaker inspiring audiences to overcome their greatest life challenges and reach their full God-given potential. Her most recent book is How to Listen So People Will Talk. Her husband, Steve Harling, is the president of Reach Beyond, a nonprofit organization seeking to be the voice and hands of Jesus around the world. Connect with Becky at beckyharling.com, Facebook or Twitter.
This article originally appeared at beckyharling.com.
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