I AM A CHILD OF GOD.

Now let me just start by saying, no I’m not angry, but yes I am yelling this because there is power in this statement and it shouldn’t be whispered. The statement “I am a child of God,” became a takeaway from the Hillsong youth conference Encounter, which I attended last weekend in Paris. I would probably go as far to say that this has been a concept that God has challenged me on this year.

I have posted blogs about how we are established in God, that we have a purpose in him, that we don’t need to be afraid, and in them I have stated that we are children of God and the power of that. However, after attending this conference I felt like it needed to be talked about again. If we don’t grasp this, if we speak about this with timidity, we will be easily crushed in our spirit.

Part 1: He is therefore I am.

This was the title of the conference. Everything referred back to this statement that God is therefore I am, which I find so amazing because it goes much deeper than the French philosopher, René Descartes’, proposition of, “I think therefore I am.” Now granted he was solely describing his existence in this phrase, if this was all there was to life it would be a sad existence. We are much more than our thoughts. Our existence was established before our thoughts were.

God gave himself so many names, so many job descriptions, to show us that he fits into every facet of our lives. There are so many religions, with so many gods, but my God is all that is. What he establishes – is.

Psalm 139:13-18 I am a child of God.

He is the Creator therefore I am creative. (Nehemiah 9:6)

He is holy therefore I am holy. (1 Peter 1:16)

He is all-powerful therefore I am powerful. (Psalm 66:7)

He is the Father therefore I am his child. (1 John 3:1)

(and many, many, many more…)

I AM A CHILD OF GOD!

Part 2: One more time.

Have you ever watched a movie where there is the underdog kid who is so quiet and timid, but there is that one scene where everyone cheers them on and they suddenly get all this courage and confidence, and do something that they wouldn’t have before that moment? That was what it felt like to be in a room full of over 100 people of varying ages, shouting with conviction, “I AM A CHILD OF GOD.” Saying that with all timidity does nothing, “i am a child of God,” oh I’m sorry did you say something?! No! This is not a time to be fearful, or timid in who you are because when you become adopted into God’s family you become A CHILD OF GOD, that is something to be bold and loud about! Because what will overcome you when you are a child of God? (1 John 5:4) No, we are not overcome; we overcome (!) because he has already won.

So I will say it over and over and over again, “I AM A CHILD OF GOD! I AM A CHILD OF GOD!” one more time, “I AM A CHILD OF GOD!” Nothing can stand against me. I don’t have face-to-face conversations with the enemy; they will always be foot-to-face because God has crushed him. (Romans 16:20) As a father he wants us to succeed for that reason he will build new roads in the wilderness and let new rivers flow in the deserts. (Isaiah 43:19) Meaning that he will make a way where there is none and he will provide for us to walk down it.

When I’m scared I say, “No. I AM A CHILD OF GOD.” When I feel unloved, “No. I AM A CHILD OF GOD.” When I feel stained, “No. I AM A CHILD OF GOD.” Whatever it is that comes against me to bring me down I will remind myself who I am. And I will say it with my head high, voice raised, and with victory!

He is therefore I am. He is the Father therefore I AM A CHILD OF GOD!

(John 1:12)

(Galatians 3:26)

“God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.” (Galatians 4:5-7)

one more time…. I AM A CHILD OF GOD.

Victory

In bible school we sang the song “Les océans” by Julien Adam. This is a great song and I always enjoyed singing it at bible school. However, it wasn’t until recently that I actually took the time to reflect upon the words of the song.

Verse 1:

L’ombre et la peur peuvent m’entourer,
Shadows and fears can surround me
Les éléments se déchaîner,
The elements run wild
Le Dieu de victoire se bat pour moi, pour me délivrer.
The God of victory fights for me, to deliver me.

We live in a world that is full of darkness, fear, and pain: these things bombard us on a daily basis. It is so easy to allow them to dwell inside us, but we need to focus on the Light, the victor. So the shadows, fear, and elements can surround me and be out of control, but I know that the God of victory fights for me. He has already won, so I have no reason to fear the outcome (I know what it is!)
(Psalm 119:105, 1 Corinthians 15:57, Deuteronomy 3:22)

Verse 2:

Rien ne saura lui résister,
Nothing will resist him.
Rien ne pourra le faire plier,
Nothing will make him bend.
Le Dieu de victoire a pris la croix et l’a terrassée.
The God of victory took the cross and was struck down.

Sometimes I forget who God is. I forget that he is I am. That no matter what happens he will not grow weary, no matter how impossible he says look at me. The laws of this earth do not bind him. So when I say, “this is impossible” he says, “I am. With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Exodus 3:14-15, Matthew 19:26) I know that God will not weaken, his passion for me, to save me, to strengthen me, continues: it didn’t end at the cross. (Isaiah 40:25-29)

Verse 3:

Les océans peuvent s’agiter,
The oceans can move
Leurs vagues sur ma vie se briser,
Their waves break over my life
Le Dieu de victoire élève sa voix pour tout apaiser.
The God of victory raises his voice to calm all

Mark 4:35-40

We don’t always see what God is doing, so many times it is so easy to have fear. All we see are the waves mounting. When looking up at the waves they seem very big, but have you ever been in a plane and looked down? Everything that we once thought were big look much smaller. God is looking down and when he sees the waves he laughs and says, “I’m bigger! Trust me.”

Isaiah 55:8-9

I need to remind myself that he is bigger and that he is all-powerful. Creation listens to his voice. Three words and the storm was quieted. So the waves can come because I know that God calms the storms and he is not overcome by the storms.

Chorus:

Le Dieu de victoire est à mes côtés,
The God of victory is at my side
Sa main me soutient au cœur du danger.
His hand upholds me in the heart of danger.
Je vivrai pour lui marchant par la foi,
I will live for him walking by faith
Le Dieu de victoire habite en moi.
The God of victory lives in me

I’m just going to focus on the third line. What does it mean to walk by faith? Maybe I should break it down more… What is faith? In Hebrews we find the definition of faith. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being sure of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1) I know that God is always working in my life whether I can see it or not. So the walking by faith is me continuing to move forward knowing that God is always working and moving in my life and trusting in him through my doubts because I am sure of him even though I can’t see him and all that he does.

I will fear no evil for you are with me. (Psalm 23:4)

Wherever I go

Well here I am, only a few more days before I have to leave DÉFI. It has been a great experience, I am so thankful to God for bringing me here. The community, friends, and experiences that I have will not quickly leave my thoughts. Here I have been challenged to grow, learn, and depend on God and his purpose for my life. Now I have to turn the page and start a new chapter.

You know what is hard about turning the page? Not knowing what is on the other side. I’m really comfortable where I am: I know when my meals are, I know where I’m going to sleep, basically what I’m going to do for the day, and who I will see. But now I have to turn the page and I don’t know what is going to happen.

I have ended this chapter at a cliffhanger. Going to Lyon is a scary prospect. When I think about going to Lyon it causes knots to form in my stomach, tears to well up in my eyes, and my stress levels rise. I have a date for a test, but no time, and I have nowhere to live yet. But through all the uncertainties, I have one assurance – God.

I was looking through my bible for some encouragement this week and I found these two verses. I chose to dwell on these verses because of two common words – strong and courageous.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Ok so let me give some context to these verses. The first one is Moses speaking to the children of Israel. They have been wandering in the desert for 40 years and now they are finally going to leave! But Moses doesn’t want a repeat of last time (which got them stuck in the desert for the 40 years), so he reminds them to put their focus on God.

The next verse is God talking to Joshua. God knows that what Joshua is going to have to do to reclaim the land that God has given them is going to be difficult. He knows how easy it is to lose focus, so he is encouraging Joshua to continue to focus on him. No matter how impossible, or possible, the situation seems “the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Being courageous is the act of having courage, and courage is “the ability to do something that frightens one,” or “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty.” There is great purpose (I believe) with putting “Be strong and courageous” before everything else: it is focus. As I have been told many a time before, what you focus on you give power to. The verses begin with “Be strong and courageous,” because it is meant to be motivational and have the people that are being spoken to focus on who they are meant to be. The next parts of these verses then go into removing the fear that weakens courage and strength. Then they end with why we can be strong and courageous and have no fear. Because “the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Right there focus change!

When I focus on God, my fears fade. Why? Because I know that my God cares for me and provides for all my needs (Matthew 6:31-34). He is all-powerful. There is nothing in this world that is too hard for him (Jeremiah 32:27). He knows that there are things that we face that frighten us. He gets that. But through them he says, “Be strong and courageous [because I am the Lord, the God of all mankind and I] the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

There is no need to fear because my ally is God, and he doesn’t leave me and he won’t abandon me; he always goes with me. Where? Wherever I go! And right now, as I wait, I know that he is working and he is moving in my life. He is enough for me. While I wait I will be strong (Colossians 1:11) and courageous (Psalm 56:3), by simply living each day, putting one foot in front of the other trusting that I won’t fall, but that my foot will rest on his solid ground (Psalm 18:30-36).

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27:14