Encouragement for Today- September 30, 2020

September 30, 2020 How to Find Your Strength and Identity in the Lord ALLI WORTHINGTON Lee en español “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 (NIV) Have you ever watched a time travel movie where the main character keeps going back in time to try to fix things, but when he comes back to the present, he’s made things worse? That’s what 2020 has felt like! It seems like we just find our footing with one crisis when another erupts. This turbulent world, turned upside down by calamities, catastrophes and contagions, is crying out for a generation of women … daughters of the King, filled with the Holy Spirit, who get their strength from God to live in a way that matters. We’ve all been deeply touched and changed by the adversity of this season. Your adversity may have included a broken relationship. It could have been a time of battling anxiety, illness, loss of someone you loved, financial hardships or even a pattern of thoughts that tore you down. Every woman’s battle is unique. What I know to be true is that our hearts have been fashioned to face and fight even the hardest of situations. We aren’t alone; we have God on our side. And we can’t ever lose sight of that truth because it holds the secret to our real identity. When we forget who we are in God, we are at risk of believing these lies from the enemy: How you look is the most important thing about you. What you do and what you achieve define you. You must prove your worth. You are responsible for everyone’s happiness. You aren’t going to recover from this. Each of these lies is custom designed to distract, discourage and depress us. Small and insignificant on their own, these lies compound over time until they feel true. As the constant day-to-day reminder of these lies wears us down, we begin to doubt who we are. To do all God has for us in this life, we must know who we are. And our uncertainty about our identity is precisely why the enemy’s lies trip us up. John 10:10 spills the enemy’s deceitful mission, but it also reveals God’s ultimate plan for us when we believe in Him and who He’s made us to be: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The truth is, we are in the direct lineage of the King of the universe. That is our true identity, and no lie of the enemy has the power to steal that from us. And because of that truth, our calling is clear. Our calling is to know Him, and our mission is to show Him. We’re not called to be people-pleasers but God-pleasers. We aren’t called to give up when times get hard but to give in to God’s will and draw strength from Him. The truth is, you can’t break a woman who gets her strength from God. If you are a believer, the Holy Spirit lives in you. We can’t keep walking around feeling powerless, like life is happening to us and we are victims. The Spirit of God lives inside us, empowering us every single day no matter what the world throws at us. And no matter what lies the world throws at you, the truth is that you are worthy of salvation because He saved you. You are worthy of love because Jesus loves you. You are worthy of more in this world because He empowers you. Being a woman of God isn’t about what you can do on your own. It’s about standing strong in who you are in Christ and what He does in and through you. We can partner with God and press into the future He has for us, no matter what that looks like, no matter what adversity comes our way, no matter what obstacles we face, no matter what. You are a daughter of the King, filled with the Holy Spirit, standing strong on the promise that God created you and called you to live life abundantly in Him. Lord, thank You for the comfort that comes from knowing You created us to find our identity and strength in You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. TRUTH FOR TODAY: John 3:17, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (NIV) RELATED RESOURCES: Check out Alli Worthington’s newest book, Standing Strong: A Woman’s Guide to Overcoming Adversity and Living with Confidence. If you’ve ever felt God nudging you to more, or if you have a dream or idea in your heart that He is leading you to, this is the book for you! You can’t break a woman who draws her strength from God. Discover God’s heart for you, find your identity in Him, and uncover where He is leading you in Standing Strong. CONNECT: Enter to WIN your very own copy of Standing Strongby Alli Worthington. To celebrate this book, Alli’s publisher will give away 5 copies! Enter to win by leaving a comment here. {We’ll randomly select 5 winners and then notify each one in the comments section by Monday, October 5, 2020.} REFLECT AND RESPOND: Identify how the enemy’s lies have held you back from God’s Truth about you. What would it look like to take those lies to God and release them to Him? © 2020 by Alli Worthington. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 Ministries thanks Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, for their sponsorship of today’s devotion. Click here to view our policy on 3rd party links. Proverbs 31 Ministries 630 Team Rd., Suite 100 Matthews, NC 28105 www.Proverbs31.org

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