I Am Who He Says I Am

I am who He say's I am. Now, let’s be real here. We can say the phrase all we want. I am who God says I am. We can say it and say it, but deep down, we don't believe it. We're too caught up with our own negative thoughts about ourselves. "I've done this, I'm too (insert negative comment here)". I've been listening to Pastor Steven Furtick’s series on Crash the Chatterbox(check it out if you already haven’t! totally worth it!). To summarize , it talks about how often times we get too tangled up in our own thoughts or "chatter" and that holds us back, because we begin to listen to the chatter more than what God says about us.
I can tell you that this chatter has been present in my life, and it always will be, because it’s an everyday battle that you have to fight against. It may not be easy, but we are fully equipped to do so! We have Gods word, and through this we can find what God says about us! Not what society says about you, not what your boss says about you, not what your teacher says about you, and not what the enemy says about you. GOD, it’s about what God says about you! It's the only thing worth listening to.
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The chatter says you are so filthy in sin, that you can't be forgiven....God says you ARE forgiven.  

Matthew 26:28
The chatter says no one loves you....God says "I love you!"  

John 3:16
The chatter says you were born without a purpose....God says you have a purpose! Ephesians 1:11
The chatter says you are worthless....God says you are full of worth and value! 

          Matthew 10:31                  

The Chatter says you are ugly….God says you are beautiful!  

Song of Solomon 4:7
The chatter says you are weak.... God says he gives you the strength. 

Phillipians 4:13 

The chatter says you are alone....God says you are never alone.  

                                      Deutoronomy31:6                                           

The chatter says you are rejected….God says  you are accepted!  

        Romans 15:7                 

 The chatter says you are a captive….God says you are set free! 

Galatians 5:1
I am who He says I am…I am a child of God!  

John 1:12
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I am who God says I am. I am defined by Him and no other. What society wants to say about who I am is irrelevant because I've found my true identity in Christ. It can be hard to silence your own thoughts, but when you look for the truths that God has spoken over your life, it makes it a whole lot easier. It's about time that we realize that sometimes our biggest enemy is comfortably sitting in our own heads. I don't know about you, but I'm sick and tired of letting my own negative thoughts get the best of me. It's time to fight back! Defeat the lies with the truth! I am who HE says I am.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Phillipians 4:8

 With Love, Michelle ♥

Ps. I'm back! Hopefully you guys didn't miss me too much! I know that you guys had some really great reads thanks to my bestie Diana. Just so you know, I'm gonna be posting a lot more than she is in the next little bit. She's getting crazy busy just as I did. 

Spring Cleaning

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By definition spring cleaning is a thorough cleaning of a house or room, typically undertaken in spring. This is pretty awesome, winter is such a downer and you can start getting messy with all the socks and coats and dirty boots everywhere. It's a time to take the chunkiness and black clothing out of our wardrobe and bring in the light fresh colours. It's a time to clean the floors and walls and remove any unwanted furniture piece to make room for new space.

I think it's time to not only spring clean our homes and rooms but time to spring clean our lives,thoughts and dreams. We all need it even if you think otherwise. Here are a few tips to get you into the spring cleaning mood! 

Here we go!

1. Sit down and reflect.

Yes I know that sounds kind of boring and useless but I swear it really gets you going!! Get to think on this past season of winter. What didn't you like? Was it laziness? Lack of self-control? Too judgmental? Etc

2. Write them down!

Writing things down makes the situation real and visible to the eyes. If you just think of it you might never change it because it was never actually real just a thought of your imagination. So write it down and make it real on paper.

3. Blueprint.

The plans God has for us are so much better than the plans we have, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have plans and goals for the future or simply to be a better you in Christ. So you've thought and written down the things you would like to change. Now write down how you can change them WITH God at your side. Don't try to write plans excluding God ;)

4. Actually spring clean.

Nothing gets you more motivated than cleaning your living space. Seriously throw away everything unwanted or that should be thrown out (you know what that is) and let it go. It's time for more space and less clutter.

5. Letting go of certain people.

This one is probably one of the harder ones. Breaking off a friendship or relationship is tough but sometimes it's the only way to bettering yourself. Deep down inside we know exactly who we need to let go of and sometimes we just don't. And these people might not actually be present in your life but they live in your memory as if they were. So bye bye to negative people even if that means you'll be alone, it's worth it trust me!

Now for the last tip! Drum roll please!

6. Spring clean those thoughts!

Yup there is such a thing as cleaning your thoughts. Sometimes our thoughts can be so negative and sometimes just mean to you and to those around you. Pray to the Holy Spirit to clean all thoughts of impurity, lack of self-worth, and judgement out the window. Allow Him to place thoughts of love, compassion, worthiness and reverence towards The Lord and His people.

I am no expert on this nor do I go to school for this, but these are just tips that I'm going to start doing in myself as of now. I hope you join me on this spring cleaning spree and feel alive! Not numb like my fingers do in this cold Canadian winter (which doesn't seem to end!). Know that God will be with you every step of the way and this cleaning might get messy, quite ironic. It might open drawers you have been wanting to keep shut and out of sight, but it's time to clean those drawers no matter how painful and throw away everything hurtful or unnecessary in there. You'll laugh, cry and get angry but at the end, everything will be gone and clean and smelling like lavender Pinesol!

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12: 1-2

With Love & Grace - Diana C.