What do you mean by know who you are? Simply this. We must know how the Lord sees us and who we are in Him. Do you know who you are with your parents? Do you know when they will fight for you and protect you? Do you know how they will back you as you try new things? This is how it is with the Lord also, yet to a much deeper degree. Know Who You Are In Him!

So just how do you know who you are in Him? The first way is you have to get to know Him. Invite Him into your life. Ask Him to make Himself real to you. Talk to Him and more important listen to His voice. Read the scriptures to find out how He talked to the people in the Bible. Find out the different ways He deals with different people. See how He comes to the rescue of His people and what He does to those who are hurting His own. Find out how He sees you by reading the Psalms. David was a man after God’s own heart. God protected him and honored him. Find out how he got close to the Lord. Look at the mistakes he made and see the love, compassion, grace and mercy of the Lord. Find out the truth for yourself and find a Friend who will never, ever leave you.

Do a search on the names of the Lord or find a poster that has them all on it. Look up the names and see what they mean. Did you know that the name Emmanuel means God with us? This means that He is always near. This is very comforting to me and meant a lot when I was going through some of the storms in my life.

Another thing I took great note of was David’s life. Here was this simple shepherd boy, yet the Lord made him a king. Not only that, but David was just a normal human being and he made some really bad mistakes all throughout his life. Yet, through it all, the Lord used him mightily and loved him so much that He said, “David is a man after my heart.” This gives me hope and strength. I know the Lord doesn’t see my frailties and weaknesses as much as He looks at my heart. It is His power, His love, His mercy, His grace, His tenderness, His loving kindness, His forgiveness, His majesty, His glory, and His Name that covers and protects me. What more do I need?

It is a Father-son, Father-daughter relationship. Here is an interesting question concerning women. Is this the only time we will ever be male and female is when we are on this earth? Jesus told the teachers of the law that in the spirit realm people will not marry, they will be like the angels. I believe that our souls are neither male nor female. Please follow me on this, because I don’t want to go beyond the scriptures here at this point. If this is true why are we male and female here?

Originally, according to scripture, mankind was created in the image of God, neither male nor female. God saw that Adam was alone, so He gave Adam a companion. He took mankind and separated him into two parts, male and female. Not only did he separate the physical body, but also the emotions. He made two from one, who in marriage could be joined again to be whole. A truly functioning marriage has the best of both and “the two shall become one.” The breaking of the hymen seals the covenant between the two. If these two will allow, the Lord will help them become one and function as they were created to be. Paul calls this a mystery, because he was using the illustration of marriage to also show the relationship between the church and Jesus. We are the bride of Christ and He is our husband. The two shall become one. We are to become one with Him in the way a husband and wife become one.

I don’t understand all of this nor do I need to understand it all to get some of the message. The male has a function and the female has a function while on this earth. Each part are equally important. The Lord set up this from the beginning and His purpose wasn’t to favor one over the other. Each will receive his or her reward for how we lived our lives. We can complain about what we don’t have or be egotistical about what we do have. This is the distraction that will propel us down the wrong path in our lives. IF we can understand WHY we are here, KNOW what our purpose is and then WALK in the path of our destiny, we will live a rich and rewarding life here on this earth no matter what the circumstances or situation we live in. God’s grace will be more than enough. When we understand who we are, we will be at peace and rest. We have a function and the Lord has a function. We need to know the difference. For some reason God likes being God and I am definitely okay with that. If there is no peace or rest in our life, then this is out of order. Let God be Himself in your life.

I so think of the stoning of Stephen sometimes. He wasn’t even focused on the pain it seems like he would have felt. He looks up to heaven and sees the Lord. He was so caught up in the glory of the Lord that the pain of this world didn’t have a hold on him. We know that he was aware of the situation because he asked the Lord to not hold it against them. Then he went to be with the Lord.

Scripture says that there was a man at this stoning whose name was Saul. It is interesting that this must have made a deep impression on Saul, so much that when the Lord met him on the road later, the first thing Saul says after seeing the bright light and hearing the voice of the Lord was, “Is that you, Lord?” I believe that the stoning of Stephen was the beginning of the opening of Saul’s/Paul’s eyes to the truth about the Lord. I wonder what he saw that day. What does it take for people around us to see the Lord through our lives? They are always watching and hoping for some better way. Will we show them the truth or complain about what we don’t have?

The scriptures are full of the names of men and women who did great things in the power of the Lord. They didn’t care if it seemed fair or not, they simply lived. If you are a man, then find out how the Lord wants you to function in your life. If you are a woman, find out how he wants you to function. Don’t look through the eyes of the flesh and judge, but judge righteously by the words of the Lord. Marriage can be one of the strongest things there is when there is unity, but it can also be one of the most devastating when there is competition and complaining. If you are single, then find your function in where you are. Live each day in Him. Let Him show you and lead you into a love that knows no bounds. How great is the love of the Lord? Endless! Know Who YOU Are!

Joseph