We are in for a treat on this Turn the Mic Tuesday! My sweet friend Anne Say is sharing with us a powerful truth and I am so excited to introduce her to you! Be sure to swing over and check out her blog and stay tuned as she will be featured on our Front Porch later this fall.
I looked at her life and wished it were mine.
She had a godly husband. I was a single mom. She had a beautiful home. I lived in a rental dive. The list went on until I sighed a prayer, “God, please change my life.” Discouragement and exhaustion had been flooding my soul. Everything I tried left me tired and confused.
But God. The most powerful phrase in scripture. But God heard my cry.
Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. Isaiah 65:24 esv
As I look back over the years to the day I barely breathed that prayer, I can see God’s hand leading me. He truly heard my cry and came to my rescue. It wasn’t until years later that all the pieces became visible. In that moment of comparison, He began the steps to change my life. I couldn’t see it until later. He didn’t text me to let me know He was on it. But I know that now, and this verse reminds me of many of those moments.
Maybe you think I’m crazy, but it all begins with a thought.
With a simple thought we affect our emotional health, our physical health, and most importantly, our spiritual heath. With a simple thought we can live that abundant life Jesus promised us, with joy, with peace, and with exceptional results.
Our thoughts about God, about ourselves, and our faith directly impact actions, our lifestyle, and our faith journey. It is the most important thing we control in our lives.
Mindset matters. What we think of ourselves matters. Most of the challenges which we face in our faith walk, even in our regular daily walk, are because we have a faulty mindset, specifically about our identity.
- Psalms 139:13 tells us that God created our inmost being; that He knit each of us in our mother’s womb.
- Job 10:8 tells us that God’s own hands shaped us.
- Ephesians 2:10 tells us we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We have Jesus, and we are called to be transformed into His image.
Picture a sponge. Let’s make it one of those sea sponges. Picture that sponge being dunked in a bucket of water. You are the sponge. Jesus is the water. When the sponge is pulled up out of the water, the water “leaks” out of each sea sponge uniquely. Our goal is to let Jesus be Jesus through us. Through our uniqueness.
We are dependent on God to clarify His design in our lives. God wants us to know all He has prepared in advance for us. He truly desires us to know those good works and equip us to go do them!
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 esv
Our understanding of who we are, uniquely and as part of God’s family, is the foundation for a successful Christian walk. When we know who God created us to be, quirks and all, we can begin to clarify the purposes and visions for our lives.
During my years as a single mom my identity had critical flaws that could have easily been attractive to reality show producers. Not having a clear understanding of who God created me to be allowed me to become an expert at several things.
- Struggling with the frequent barrage of pressures
- Not being able to advance in my career
- Attracting all the Mr. Wrong’s in my dating life
Matthew 7:24-25 became my heart’s desire.
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
As I cried out and pressed in God began bringing tools to me which helped me discover, embrace, and grow in my unique, God-given identity. As I discovered the beautiful way He made me my life began to change. One thought at a time, in my mindset.
- My self-acceptances increased.
- I ceased comparing myself to others.
- I began to get clarity on purpose and dream of things I could accomplish.
- Opportunities and resources began dropping into my life on a regular basis.
- My relationship with my husband, children, and extended family became rich.
I wouldn’t change a thing in my life, except that I learned these tools earlier.
Discovering who God designed me to be, complete with my skills, personality, and bucket list dreams, set me on a course that has rewarded me with a sense of purpose bigger than myself. Today my chief life purpose is to help you experience this same freedom which brings to you exceedingly, abundantly, beyond all that you can imagine.
You see, mindset matters. It can change your life when it is grounded in the truth.
Anne B Say is an author, speaker, and mindset identity coach. Anne’s passion for encouraging others to discover their identity and be their best was born out of her own journey. As a single mom, Anne knows the challenges of balancing work and home in a pressure-filled world. As a teacher she developed unique skills to help people set and achieve personal, individualized goals. She uses these well-honed skills in mindset identity coaching.
Through Mindset Matters videos, workshops, and books Anne shares resources and support to those desiring breakthrough in limiting belief systems. Those who participate say the process gives them a confident mindset and has transformed their personal and professional lives. The metaphorical pictures, honesty, and humor create an intimate environment for growing in identity and strengthening mindsets. Anne engages the audience in relevance and reality, providing practical ways for each person to embrace their journey and take the next step closer to peace, freedom, and abundant living.
http://www.youtube.com/annebsay
http://www.facebook.com/annebsaysharinghope
http://www.instagram.com/annebsay
http://www.pinterest.com/annebsay
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Thank you so much for sharing Anne’s words, Jen. I was only just reading a piece on rejection and it talked about a similar thing: the absolute necessity of rooting our identity in Christ and who He says we are, not what others or we ourselves say, or do to us and I’d also add not what the enemy speaks into us
This especially strikes a chord: “allow Him to be Himself through us”. In the moments I do that I’m left stunned and awed at His incredible love and power.
Yes Anna. And the enemy can speak some pretty nasty words to us. Thanks !
Anna, you are so right. Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy our productive thought process. It is ours to redeem it. Thank you for the reminder.
What a wonderful and true post! I love the idea of allowing Jesus to be himself through me-not trying to be Jesus to them. Thank you!