Just Be Yourself!

It’s been too long since I posted anything on here, so I thought I might post a summary of what I shared Sunday morning at Becoming Shiloh this year. (For those of you who don’t know me, Becoming Shiloh is a music festival I help organize every summer in the North Thompson Valley. www.becomingshiloh.com)

Identity:

The serpent was clever, more clever than any wild animal God had made. He spoke to the Woman: "Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?"

The Woman said to the serpent, "Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. It's only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, 'Don't eat from it; don't even touch it or you'll die.'"

The serpent told the Woman, "You won't die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you'll see what's really going on. You'll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil."

When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she'd know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate. -Genesis 3:1-6, The Message

The original attack in the garden was about identity- Eve’s identity and God’s identity. First: God’s- “Did God really say?” In other words, “Isn’t God a liar?” The enemy attacked God’s identity, and convinced Eve that God might not really be good, and might not be looking out for her best interests.

Second: Eve’s- “You’ll be just like God...” The enemy was attacking Eve’s identity by causing her to doubt what God had said about her. Eve is created in God’s image, and here the clever serpent convinces her that she’s not like God yet, but she could be if she ate the fruit.

It’s one of the main attacks the enemy brought against Jesus when he spent forty days in the wilderness. The attack was “If you are the Son of God.” Jesus had just been baptized and God had spoken: “This is my Son in whom I’m well pleased.” 

Don’t try to prove your identity. What if Jesus had given in? Trying to prove your identity causes you to act outside of your identity. God wants you to be you.

Every person on the face of the planet ever in history has been completely unique. You are the only one who can fulfill the destiny God has planned for you. Don’t compare yourself to others, even if they have similar gifts. Don’t try to be like them.

When God finished creating each thing, He said “It is good.”

God created you exactly how He wanted you- and you are GOOD.

This example works better in person, but I am about 5’5”, I have dark brown hair and brown eyes. I speak English. If I were standing in front of you, talking to you right now, would I have to prove this? Wouldn’t it be plainly obvious? You would just have to look at me and hear me speak to know that these things about me are true. We spend far too much time as Christians trying to ‘prove’ who we are. I believe it is an attack that the enemy still brings against us- asking us to prove ourselves- and it wastes valuable time and energy on something silly and unnecessary. Just be you, no matter what that looks like, or if it looks different from everyone else. God created you to be you.

Let your gifts flow naturally, even if it looks different from everyone else. 

People burn out and break down trying to fit into moulds.

And as a church, we try to make everything neat and tidy- we shy away from different ways of using gifts, and we try to make them fit our formula for ministry.

Be who you are. Don’t let other people dictate how you walk out your journey with the Lord.

Well, I think that’s enough to chew on for today, I’ll post the rest in the next couple of days. This is only about half of the message I shared at Shiloh. :o) Hope you enjoyed it.