//Finding your true identity//
\\1\\ Reflect on your past. all the things that have happened in your past, are obviously there for a reason. They are stories and experiences that came with choices that you had, that shape you to who you are. They are choices that come with a story that can be added to your testimony. These things show who you are. – Like I shared, I could have chosen to stay planted at church, or give into the pressures of the world after my parents got divorced. I chose the path that would lead me to eternal life with Jesus, because I knew that was what I should have done. It was a choice. It was MY choice.
{Ephesians 5:1-2} // {Philippians 3:8-9}
\\2\\ Good isn’t just for Sundays. Even though the culture tells you that it's enough to simply appear good, God calls you to actually be good. Going to church on a weekend lets say for wildfire and then going home and living an unfaithful life for the rest of the week isn't okay. Following God's guidance in some ways (being a good friend to others) but not in other ways (such as lying and gossiping) isn't enough. You need to ask God to take control of every area of your life - from your work to your relationships - and to transform you from the inside out. Then you'll have the power to live with integrity and grow into a truly good person - not just someone who tries hard to act the part.–we can’t live the hypocrite lifestyle
{Mark 4: 22} // {Mark 8:34-35}
\\3\\ Stop seeing church as a movie. Don't just consume our church's worship service like you would a movie, enjoying the emotional experience of it and then just moving on. Instead, invite God to encounter you in church and change your life as a result of that encounter. Open yourself up to all the possibilities of how God may choose to change you as you worship Him in church. LISTEN for God speaking to you, and act when He leads you. –God talks to you in the most random of, you need to let yourself be vulnerable.
{Mark 7:6-8}
\\4\\ View holiness accurately. Realize that holiness isn't about trying to achieve perfection, which is useless no matter how hard you may try. Holiness is about wholeness - growing into a relationship with God that allows you to be at peace with Him, yourself, and other people. Thanks to Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross, that relationship is possible right now, with all of your imperfections. If you trust Jesus, He will help constantly transform you, empowering you to grow more into the person God intends you to become. So let the fact that you can count on God to help you become more holy give you the confidence you need to pursue holiness. Unlike the culture's message that holiness is beyond your grasp, the reality is that you can become more holy every day. Keep in mind that each step away from holiness will cause you to lose more of your sense of self, but each step toward holiness will bring you closer to becoming who you really are - the person God meant you to be.
{Ephesians 3:16-21, 5:15-20}
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