I was to give a talk somewhere and i wrote this down, thought to share it here. It's not well arranged, haven't had time to fine tune it into a post but the points are clear enough.
There is an identity crisis in the world today, and so they call us the lost generation.
But we are not of the world. We are a part of this generation that is labelled lost, but we are in Christ, we are set apart, we are found in Him. Our identity is in Him and we are anchored in Him.
Instead of doing it for the gram(certain lifestyles) lets do it because of the cross... Lets live life because of the cross and not for an instagram post.
As blood bought children of God, we weren’t born to fit in; we were set apart to make a difference, to be misfits. We’re not here to be enslaved by the world’s standard, which is below the heavenly standard; we are here to be masters.
“God paid a high price for you, so don't be enslaved by the world.” 1 Corinthians 7:23
Yes we are here in the world, part it, but I noticed Royals and slaves may be best friends but they don't blend in. There is a glaring difference.
As children of the King of kings, we are royalty. We are gods, princes/princess born to reign, with a father who loves us fiercely.
We have the good life, don’t ever feel like it may be better outside, that others seem to be living the life and you aren't because you chose God. The good life is the God life. A life lived that is found in Christ. It may look glossy outside, like greener pastures, but they’re all shadows, those things are illusions, this is what’s real and lasting. We can't blend in even as we can't isolate ourselves.
Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Romans 12:2(msg)
The world, would tell you it’s right all the time, if you’re unaware of whom you belong to, you’ll end up believing it every time it sells an immature idea to you as the accepted norm.
We need to Push back and stand up to the world as intimidating as it looks when it defines who you should be. Hook your soul on Christ, the anchor that keeps you from drifting far away from who you are, the one that rocks you steady when the world threatens to sink you, because He is able to keep you, you will not sink in the face of these challenges. “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the Presence of His Glory with exceeding joy.” Jude 1:24
Stay anchored, Christ is able to keep us from falling and present us faultless to God.
When you are anchored, you may shake at the pressure, but you’re not going to drift away, because something stronger holds you, and it is when we are here that we become deeply rooted.
If you find yourself still held bound in a circle of addiction/falling into temptation, thats not the time to run away from God, thats the time to keep hearing His word, keep fellowshipping with Him, and as you stay rooted in His love, you're a picture of a man anchored, you're been pushed by your addictions/sin/habits(smoking, sex, lying etc) but you refuse to drift away and in staying put and hearing the word despite what was doing, you become even more deeply rooted, and I believe being rooted is a continuous process. You never get too mature for God, you grow everyday, you learn everyday, you're root sinks deeper everyday. The day you feel too big is the day you're setting yourself up to fall.
Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 2:7(amp)
Who are you? This new life we have? This separate life? The death, burial and resurrection of Christ, is the reason we can walk tall, confident in our identity. Christ made a way; He paid the price for us to be valuable, made it easy for our coronation as royalty. Why be anything less? Why strive to be a slave to the world, when you can effortlessly be royalty, ruling the world.
You are a child of the King, royalty, standing out and easily spotted in the crowd, not lost in it. The one who is aware of God’s love and basking in the identity it gives you. Or are you the one who follows the trends regardless, lost in a crowd of nothingness. Be bold and stand out.
You can’t have an identity in Christ and stay hidden… because we are as a city on a hill. Staying rooted creates sparks in us that eventually sets us on fire... A wild fire can't be hidden. The spotlight is on you when you stay.
Power, titles positions, awards, recognition are not authentic… they can be taken away. It’s the power that is in you that is authentic. It cant be taken away
They call us the lost generation, but lets show them that we are the found ones,
We have found ourselves in His grace.
We are found in His never leaving, never forsaking presence… when it’s us against the world, He’s got our back.
We are found in His peace… a peace that gives us sleep in the storm.
We are found in His faithfulness… His words that are life and true and unfailing
We are found in Kingship, we are royalty.
We are found in His throne room, seated at the place of honor in Christ.
We are found in His victory, that makes us more than conquerors, overcomers.
We are found in His name, so powerful it breaks chains and leaps us over walls and barriers.
We are found in Him and He is found in us, we are one with Him, His home, His identity… Christ like, we are gods.
We are found in His grace, His mercy…. His goodness
We are found on His table… feasting on His body and His blood, the communion.
We are found in His word… when we study to know and understand God for ourselves… when we drink of the life in His word and rest in the hope it gives, raising our faith to new levels.
We are found in being constantly high… praying in the Holy Ghost... Fellowshipping with Him.
We are found in worship… In worship you’re breathing the manifest presence of God. You can’t worship and worry at the same time. Worship is enjoying time in Gods presence, intimacy with God, and every intimate encounter has something depsoited in us, a unique seed that is planted and we birth change in our generation we stand out. In acts 4:13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.
When you worship, the presence is with you and the other world will recognize you as one who has been with Jesus
We are found in His love… that’s what gives us the audacity to be bold as a lion, to stand out. Because His love is the safest, surest place. We are objects of His relentless grace. And until we are found in His love, we can’t be truly found in all the other places I mentioned or in the world, because we will doubt when we are shaken or when we have questions.
