Speaker: Melissa Yong
We cannot live with strong purpose if we do not embrace our God-given identity. This applies both individually, and corporately. We are hindered from walking in the full power of the Spirit if we do not embrace BOTH God's Design AND our New Creation identity created in us the day we chose the Lord as our God.
We need to see God's design in all aspects of your life and embrace it.
Every part of you, down to the colour of your eyes was created for a purpose. Your family, socio-economic status as you grew up, the race you are - all of it is in God's design.
I talk often about a story about Amy Carmichael, a missionary around the turn of the century from India who wrote that as a little girl, she envied her mother's beautiful blue eyes. She would pray for blue eyes but wake up the next morning, disappointed. But when she became a missionary, she would one day find herself darkening her skin with pigment, putting on a sari, walking into the dark temples and carry out the little girls who were being forced to participate in sexual religious rites. They were being abused and often ill-treated, and it was she, with her brown eyes who was able to rescue them.
You might never know the reasons for all that you are and look like - but every single thing about you positions you uniquely for a role, influence and connections that no one else will have.
For those with tragic, difficult stories, I offer this: while we are not able to see the big picture, I propose that the mistakes and weaknesses of ourselves, and of our ancestors, as well as the work of the enemy have a big part to play in any brokenness or tragedy in our stories. God's great mercy is that He can use all of that brokenness to make something both beautiful and good to come out of it. Trust Him. He will both heal you and use your story to heal others.
We need to work on our character flaws in humility and obedience to God.
If we would turn to God about our character flaws, He will not only help you, but use the same struggles you have to become gateways to wisdom, experiences with the love and power of God, and enable you to relate to the people you were created to reach out to.
We need to know our Identity in Christ.
You are Beloved (1 John 3:1)
You are Accepted (John 1:12)
You are Righteous (2 Cor 5:21)
You are Powerful (Rom 8:16-17, Rev 1:6)
Our Full Identity is BOTH God's Initial Design AND Identity in Christ
We only live out our FULL identity and potential when we:
- Accept God's design with thanksgiving. Acceptance of this leads transformation as we relax into what we were created to be.
For example, Mum often talks about the transformation that occurred in her life when she found out that she was beloved by God. Previously, she had thought that she was ugly and felt rejected. After she found out her identity in God was as His beloved, and that this awesome, mighty God was at her side, she transformed from a painfully quiet girl who often cried into confident girl who was quite at home with telling strangers about the gospel and preaching in front of many people.
Accepting God's design for our lives allows us to blossom. - Walk closely with God in humility and obedience.
When we walking closely with God, we get to know His heartbeat, His love for the world, and His pressing desire to make them whole. All of us have been given a passion: something we're great at doing and love to do. Connecting this to the heart of God gives us a purpose to our passion.
When we then follow God in humility and obedience, we learn wisdom and walk in HIS power, not our own limited understanding.
Accepting God's design requires faith and trust, but it yields character transformation. Walking closely with God requires humility, obedience and some effort but it connects you to your purpose, and the power you need to get it done.
Daniel in the Plan of God
Daniel could have counted himself extremely ill-treated by God. He was violently carried away from his family, his country torched and ravaged, friends and family killed or separated from him - perhaps never to be seen again - to a foreign nation and uncertain future.
He could have tried to pretend to never be a Hebrew again since being one caused so much trouble in the first place. But from the very first chapter in the book of Daniel, we see him holding tightly to his identity as a Hebrew. The Chaldeans conquered each land with military force, then made sure that they would never rise against them by assimilating the vanquished into Chaldean culture until they lost their own roots and became just like the conquerors. This is what they tried to do to Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach and Abed-Nego.
Yet, they continued to observe the law of God - even when it was inconvenient to. They with wisdom and respect showed that they not only born of noble families, but noble in character also - which brings me to my next point: Daniel and his friends were brought into their position at the King's court precisely because of God's design in their family, appearance and skill-set.
Daniel 1:3-4 tells us that King Nebuchadnezzar instructed his eunuchs to find Hebrew young men from the King's line or noble families who were both good looking and smart. Daniel and his friends fit the bill to the T. They could have tried to deny their noble upbringing, or thought their smartness to be a curse because for these very things they were separated from their friends and families - but they accepted God's design for them. They could have rejected, railed and denied their captive circumstances, but they determined to make the best of them, and to honour God while they were at it.
So because of their acceptance of both God's design in their lives, and their identity as chosen people of God, they stuck fast to God, honoured Him and were empowered to interpret the King's dreams, move the Kings' hearts, and thus influence the nation's laws and destiny. O for more Daniels!
Daniel Chapter 5 tells us that Daniel became known as the one 'in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God'. Two different kings, in different empires made a decree that all should revere, and that no one should speak ill of Daniel's God because 'there is no other god that can deliver like this', and 'He is the living God, and steadfast forever' (Dan 3:29; 6:26-27).
This is the influence of one who is trusting, humble and obedient to the God who designed him and called him to be His child.
YOU are called to be like Daniel. Everything about you has a reason and purpose. Trust the Lord in all things about you, walk with Him in humility and obedience, and you will be able to live in the power of the Spirit of God and show the world that He is alive.
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