Original Design

REST CONTENTED IN GOD'S LOVE

So one day last week, it was sunny.  Just the one day...So I decided to go for a walk in the woods.  There was a lot going through my mind about a lot of what we were talking about in classes this week and so I just went to get away and be alone and just think.  So I just kept walking not knowing where I was going but just sticking to the path and I happened to stumble upon this beautiful tree.  I was hooked. All I wanted to do was just look at it.  I don't know what it is, but I love trees.  I especially love the ones that are just in the middle of nowhere. There is just some kind of joy and contentment that comes from them. 

This past week was freedom week.  The basic premise of freedom week is simple - FREEDOM.  It is really looking into who God made you to be.  A big part of that is breaking down the strongholds that are created in our hearts by the enemy and allowing God to tell us who we are and who we will be instead of believing the lies the enemy tells us.  It really brought to light all the lies that I tend to believe about myself and it is so encouraging to know that those aren't true, that's not what God thinks of me.  So that is what we were prayed for.  We were able to all be prayed for in a small group in the chapel and just hear from God who He created us to be and what those strongholds in our lives are.  It's called "Original Design" and we've talked about that a lot here.  

Original Design - who God says that I am.  These are the things that God thinks of me, these are elements of the person that God has created me to be:

I AM RELIABLE, DETERMINED, POSITIVELY AGGRESSIVE

I AM COMPASSIONATE, EMPATHETIC, CONCERNED

I FEEL OTHERS PAIN

I WORSHIP GOD IN PRACTICAL WAYS

I SEE THE BEAUTY OF THINGS FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

I AM A BEAUTIFUL SUNSET - RELIABLE, DEPENDABLE

ALWAYS SETS IN THE WEST BUT ALWAYS A DIFFERENT COLOR

I BRING JOY

I CAN SEE GOD MOVING IN EVERY SITUATION

I AM A PEACEMAKER

I AM A SPEAKER OF TRUTH IN LOVE

I AM KNOWN AND LOVED BY GOD

GOD WILL PROVIDE WHAT IS PERFECT FOR ME

That is who God created me to be.  Now the important part is truly believing that all of those things are absolutely 100% true because they come from God.  It's so easy to lose sight of that.  It's so easy to sink back into the lies that the enemy tells because his plan is that we would not reach our original design.  But God's design is perfect and good and right.  Everyone has an Original Design.  It is different for each person but that is the beauty of it.  God created each one us differently and He knows what is perfect for each of us and He will give us opportunities to be that person.  I don't know if I became completely free from the strongholds in my life because as with everything else in my life...freedom is a process.  It will come.  I just need to wait.  REST CONTENTED IN GOD'S LOVE.  It is when I am in that place that I can be all of those things that He created me to be, because those things come from God.

I am here for a reason...I came to learn more about who I am and who God is and this is just the beginning of this journey and I can't wait to see where it takes me.