Note that you may need to search all folders to click the email confirmation, and the devotional may land in the “other” or spam folder unless it is moved.

Session 1: Who am I?

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” – Jeremiah 1:15 

“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.” -Psalm 139:14 

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” -Ephesians 2:10

I believe that God has made us each unique. Think about it. No one has the same fingerprint that you do! And He has put us on the earth for a reason. Once we meet God for ourselves and we experience His love, we are never the same. He changes us into something completely new, the person He intended for us to become. We become the best version of ourselves, through Him. 

“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!” -2 Corinthians 5:16&17

God didn’t make a mistake when He made you. In spite of all our flaws and imperfections, God created us to live out a purpose here on the earth. The sad thing is, many people don’t get to experience the love of God, and they don’t get to understand why they were created. That is one of the saddest things to me! But that is God’s plan for your life. First, He wants you to know how much He loves you. Then, He invites us into the work of sharing His love with others. 

Adopted by the Father

Sometimes, due to upbringing or culture, we can feel unwanted and/or insecure about who we are. But God doesn’t want us to feel this way at all! We are His kids, and once we accept Jesus, we are grafted into the family of faith. 

Grafted means that an old, dead branch is cut off from a tree, and a new branch from another place can be appended to that tree. 

“But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. 18 But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root. 19 “Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.” 20 Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. 21 For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t[f] spare you either. 22 Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. 23 And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. 24 You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong.” -Romans 11:7-24

Another way to put it is that we have been adopted by God into His family.

“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” -Romans 8:15

When I was just getting to know God, He began to show me how He was my true Heavenly Father. I didn’t have the best relationship with my earthly dad growing up, and God began to fill in all the holes in my heart. He showed me that I was worthy of love, and that He was my perfect Father and provider. I didn’t feel worthy of love, and I had a lot of hurdles to overcome to find true peace and confidence. This quote brought me hope when I was in that place: 

“God didn’t have one of you, and He wanted one of you, so He made one of you.” Fergus McIntyre

Know that you are not a mistake! Even if someone said those words about you, God had a purpose and a plan for you to be here. If you have breath in your lungs, God has something for you here on this earth. Decide not to miss it — it will probably be the best time of your life! 

Like a Fish Out of Water 

If you’ve ever felt like you don’t fit in, welcome to the club! As someone once told me, “normal is a setting on a dryer.” If you feel like a fish out of water most days, that’s because we were “made for another world,” in C.S. Lewis’ words. 

The good news is, God can fill us up with His love so we are full of godly confidence, peace, love, hope and joy. It’s His will for us that our hearts are healed and we are filled with the fruit of the Spirit so that we can go out and help to be “minsters of reconciliation” to a dying world. 

“And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,[d] so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” -2 Corinthians 5:18-21

How to Find Out Who I Am 

So, how do we find out more about what God wants for us? How do we know more about who God made us to be?

A pastor I listened to once said, “When you tell God who He is, He tells you who you are.” That stuck with me. When and how do we tell God who He is? In worship. We call Him almighty God, worthy to be praised. We call Him God most high, Creator of heaven and earth. 

Though worshipping God, along with prayer, reading His word, and hanging out with other believers should be a central practice for Christians, I don’t think we often realize the importance of spending time worshipping Him. After all, He is worthy of praise! But besides that, worshipping Him can change the atmosphere of a room and invite His presence into our lives. This is an essential for any Christian! 

When we make worship a lifestyle, we invite the kingdom of God into our hearts and lives. And where the Holy Spirit is welcome, He can do amazing things through us. But, it begins with us opening the door to Him in our lives, not just once, but day after day after day. Worshipping God keeps the fire afresh in our lives, and helps us stay connected to Him. Then, He can fill us up with His power, enabling us to do the “greater works,” He commissioned us to do. (John 14:12) 

Homework: 

Recommended reading:

Was this video helpful? Donate so others can watch!