Identity Theft | Mind Games | Digging Deeper | Week of September 25th

1. The second most important thoughts I think are about myself.
Proverbs 4:23

2. Subtle shifts in how we view ourselves can transform our lives.
2A. Shift from an achievement identity to a received identity.  
2B. Shift from fickle love identity to fixed love identity.
2C. Shift from an acquisition identity to a co-heir identity.
Ecclesiastes 5:10

3. I am immensely valuable because of who God says that I am:
2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:4-5; Ephesians 1:4-5; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Peter 1:18-19

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." Proverbs 4:23

I am immensely valuable because of Who God says that I am.
I am his special creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17
I am loved and chosen to be adopted into his family. Ephesians 1:4-5
I am perfect and Holy. Ephesians 1:4-5; 2 Corinthians 5:21
I am his priceless possession. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Peter 1:18-19
I have a mission and purpose. Jeremiah 29:11

1. Read Proverbs 4:23. What does it mean to guard your heart? What are some ways you can do this?

2. Pastor Dave made the statement, “Every decision I make is rooted in how I view God and how I view myself.” How do you see this play out in your life?

3. What lies about your identity do you sometimes believe?

4. Read something to think about and discuss.

5. Have you ever thought about your God image before?

6. In what ways do you think it is possible for your image of God to be inaccurate or incomplete? 

7. Does your image of God line up with the person of Jesus?

8. Why is it important to have an accurate God image?

Dusty and I got married in June of 2004 and a month later we moved to Virginia Beach where Dusty was getting his doctorate in Clinical Psychology. We were there for four years, and it was such a rich time for us. It was rich in friendship, rich in figuring out who we were as a couple, and rich in learning more about who we were in the Lord. One of the most precious gifts during this time, and one of the most precious gifts to this day, was the gift of living and doing life with our dear friends Melody and Andy Yarborough. Andy was completing his doctorate with Dusty and we lived within a block from them. Andy was writing his dissertation on God Image and this idea blew my 25-year-old mind. I had been raised with the knowledge of God my whole life. I went to a Christian University for my undergrad and Masters, and I had never processed whether the ideas I thought about God were accurate or not. Was my image of Him true to His character? Our God image is often formed as children, and it may not be accurate: Mine was not fully accurate. Some things were accurate, and some things were not true of His character. I had been taught some things as a child that I just accepted as truth. I never questioned or thought them through. I never asked myself important questions like, “Does my image of God line up with the person of Jesus?” With Andy’s help, I started to look at my God image and I realized there were a lot of things I thought about God that were not accurate or were incomplete. I did not see Him as the loving grace-filled God that the Bible talks about because I was taught more about a God of judgement as a child and those ideas of God were the ones that had formed my image of Him.

Pastor Dave gave us a lot of scriptures at the end of his sermon that talk about how God sees us. This week, I would encourage you to read each of those scriptures daily and really meditate on what they are saying about you and what they are saying about how God sees you. Ask God to reveal to you His character and for the Holy Spirit to come in and heal areas where you may have an inaccurate image of Him. I am excited for you guys to begin this journey if you've never thought about this. It changed my life 18 years ago.  I am cheering for you guys!
Blessings,
Christie Braun
Adult Ministries Pastor