I THINK IDENTITY IS A HUGE WORD, AND ESPECIALLY AS BELIEVERS, BECAUSE IT'S HOW YOU VIEW YOURSELF. AND I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE OUR GOD TELLS US A LOT OF THINGS ABOUT US, AND I THNIK THERE'S THREE WAYS TO DEFINE IDENTITY IN THAT I SEE PEOPLE USE IT, OKAY? SO THE FIRST WAY IS INSIDE OUT.
WHAT DO I SAY ABOUT MYSELF? WHAT. .
. HOW DO I FEEL? WHAT DO I WANT TO DO TODAY?
I THINK Y'ALL KNOW, SOME DAYS I FEEL GREAT. SOME DAYS I LOVE WHAT I SEE. SOMEDAYS I HATE WHAT I SEE.
SOME DAYS I LOVE MY LIFE. SOME DAYS I'M LIKE, "THIS IS THE HARDEST LIFE IN THE WORLD. " IT'S GONNA BE A ROLERCOASTER, RIGHT?
AND IT'S GONNA GO UP AND DOWN. THE SECOND WAY YOU CAN DEFINE YOUR IDENTITY IS FROM THE OUTSIDE IN. WHAT DOES THE WORLD SAY ABOUT ME?
AND I WOULD SAY THIS IS EVEN MORE DANGEROUS BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT WANT TO TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN'T DO, TELL YOU YOUR TRUTH. AND SOME PEOPLE DON'T LIKE HAPPY PEOPLE, SOME PEOPLE DON'T LIKE SAD PEOPLE, SOME PEOPLE DON'T LIKE RICH PEOPLE, SOME PEOPLE DON'T LIKE POOR PEOPLE, AND THEN SOME PEOPLE DON'T LIKE PEOPLE. Y'ALL KNOW THOSE PEOPLE.
SOME PEOPLE JUST DON'T. SO IF I'M IDENTIFYING MYSELF AS WHAT THE WORLD SAYS ABOUT ME, THEN IT'S ALWAYS GONNA BE FICKLE, AND IT'S GONNA BE UP AND DOWN. AND THEN THERE'S THE CORRECT WAY, I THNIK, TO DEFINE YOUR IDENTITY.
WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT ME? GOD SAYS I'M REDEEMED. GOD SAYS I'M LOVED.
GOD SAYS I'M A SAINT THAT SOMETIMES SINS. LIKE, THE DIFFERENCE IN THAT PERSPECTIVE SHIFT, WHEN YOU LOOK AT YOUR LIFE AND YOU KNOW, I WAS MADE FOR A PURPOSE, ON PURPOSE, LIKE, I AM UNIQUELY MADE TO DO SOMETHING THAT NOBODY ELSE CAN DO. AND I THINK WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT AND WHEN WE START SAYING THAT.
. . IN ROMANS IT TALKS ABOUT GOD IS FOR US.
IF GOD IS FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US, RIGHT? LIKE, GOD IS FOR YOU IN EVERY SINGLE SITUATION IN YOUR LIFE, AND THAT INCLUDES WHY HE MADE YOU EXACTLY LIKE YOU ARE. AND EMBRACE THAT AND REMEMBER THAT, AND OUR DAYS BECOME A LOT MORE SUCCESSFUL.
