Kingdom Calling Blog…

 

Come on be honest, how many times have you looked at a friend or someone you admire and wished that you were more like them?

You take a look at their social media feed to see how many followers they have, you compare their likes on Insta with yours and somehow always end up feeling less significant.

You start to compare what they have, look like, their confidence, their ease around people, how funny they are and automatically start to think less of yourself.

Have you ever felt like this?

Well it’s no different in church and we are often guilty of comparing ourselves to those around us who appear to be, as we perceive anyway, better than us! They are on fire for God, freely and confidently stepping out in their gifts, bringing words on a Sunday morning, singing in the spirit or speaking in tongues and we immediately feel less ourselves and that the way they are is the way we should be!

However, you will be relieved to know we are ALL part of the body of Christ and God designed it that way so that we would ALL have our individual but crucial part to play and no-one could boast.  We ALL have different gifting’s and are at different stages in the development and use of these gifting’s.

1Cor 12:12-14 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

In my post (Mirror, mirror on the wall) I reminded you that God never makes mistakes and He hasn’t made a mistake with the way He created and uniquely gifted YOU. So, the most important thing for you to understand is NOT to compare yourself to anyone else!

1Peter 4:10. “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

Comparison is the biggest thief to what God has called US to uniquely be and I think it is one of the biggest obstacles to being used by God.

I have been guilty of comparison myself and even though I felt I had dealt with this in my life, it can sometimes rear its ugly head and catch me off guard. We think we have brought all those horrible thoughts to God and apologised to Him for our doubts about not being good enough or as good as (fill in the blanks) only to have these thoughts sneak back up on us and tap us on the shoulder!

I have been fortunate enough to be involved in some fantastic teams in the last few years, on my God adventures, and usually at the first team meeting or training session I have often found myself sat there smiling on the outside whilst on the inside I am doing battle with thoughts that have been running through my mind like this…

Why am I here? What can I offer to this amazing team? They are all so gifted. I think they have made a mistake asking me to be here. What if I don’t hear from God? What will they think of me? I bet they’re all wondering why I’m here.

Does any of this sound at all familiar to you?

The bible says when we have thoughts like this, negative thoughts about ourselves, lies, that they are not from God because He only has amazing thoughts about us and thinks we’re the ‘bee’s knees’. So, if they are not from God, they can only come from one other source and that’s the liar, the enemy of our faith, who seeks nothing more than to derail us from our calling and being used by God to accomplish His purpose and plans through us.

The best thing to do when you realise that you are hearing wrong things about yourself is to take every thought captive and be ruthless with them. 

2Cor 10:5-6 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Recognising when wrong thinking comes into your head can take practice especially if you have been having these negative, untrue thoughts for so long that they have become your false identity. It can then become really hard to recognise them as lies and you have to repent from them (which means to change your thinking). Once you fully understand the nature of God and know that His thoughts about you are only the very best you will begin to recognise the false thoughts as the lies they are!

Rom 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Eph 4:23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.

Once you have taken captive the wrong thinking and recognised it as a lie, called it out, you need to change the record and start speaking, declaring the truth over yourself! I recommend typing out bible verses and putting them up round your mirror so you have to look at yourself as you say them!

Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

Lev 20:26 I am a saint, set apart.

Gen 1:27 I am created in the image and likeness of God.

2Cor 6:18 I am a daughter of the living God.

Song of Sol 6:3 I am His beloved.

Rom 8:17 I am Co-heir with Christ.

Or simply say, “I do not need to be like anyone else, I was created to be me and I‘m the only me there is. I am made in your image and you do not make mistakes. No-one else can be me or bring what I can bring. Thank you Dad”.

This is my prayer for you:

Heb 13:21 May he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.

 

What’s your Key? Series

Part 1 You’re Invited 

Part 2 My Sheep Hear My Voice

Part 3 Is That You God?

Part 4 Stepping Out

Part 5 Choose to live…Courageously

Part 6 Who’s your Courage Buddy?

Part 7  The Small Stuff Matters

Part 8 Mirror, Mirror On The Wall

Part 9 You Are So Much More Than Your Likes