Receive Identity First: Strength Through God's Love

``What if what if the reason that we don't feel strong isn't a discipline problem? It's not that you're not doing enough, doing the right things. You don't need another book, another podcast. What if it's not a discipline problem, but it's actually an identity problem? That's what we're gonna talk about today. [00:04:24] (18 seconds)  #IdentityNotDiscipline

We assume that strength comes from trying harder, from finding better motivation, from from the new system, getting more discipline. So we look for the new book, the new podcast, the new coach, the new method, the new color theory or whatever it is or system. But scripture keeps pointing us in the opposite direction. Says strength doesn't start with what you do for god. It starts with who you are to him. [00:04:41] (27 seconds)  #StrengthFromWhoYouAre

Most plans say start with where you are and push towards where you wanna be. Where are you? Figure it out. Do more. But God says, start with who you already are. Live from there. Because if we start out with pressure, reps instead of love, we end up burning out. [00:05:08] (20 seconds)  #LiveFromIdentity

We burn out. And then we end up avoiding God. The one that can strengthen us, the one that gives life, we go, man, I'm I'm burnt out. I'm gonna avoid God. I'm not I can't come to church right now. I can't get in the word or anything. We avoid God instead of enjoying him. We turn relationship, which which is what we're intended to for, strong relationship into religion. [00:05:28] (23 seconds)  #RelationshipNotReligion

But if we start with identity and I wanna talk about how to do this today. If we start with identity, the pressure lifts. We start to feel empowered actually, and obedience starts to flow naturally. So how does that happen? How does God actually rebuild strength in people that feel worn out, burned down? [00:05:51] (20 seconds)  #ObedienceFromIdentity

It starts with receiving love from the father. We're going back in into the beginning. The beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry here on earth and he's baptized. There's this moment where the heavens break open as he enters into our world, identifies with us, becoming a human, embracing limitation, and he's baptized, identifying with us fully. We we often talk when we do baptisms right over here, we we talk about baptism being us identifying with Jesus. Perhaps baptism was Jesus identifying with us fully. He became human. He entered into our world. [00:06:11] (37 seconds)  #ReceiveFatherLove

That's what god speaks. In that moment, he has two images. A bruised reed, it's bent, it's damaged, but it's still standing. It's weak. Maybe you feel that today. You're weak. You can't stand up the way that you want to, that you were meant to. [00:08:50] (17 seconds)  #BruisedButNotBroken

Even though the world says these are these are disposable, a cracked reed had no use. A smoking wick usually snuffed out, thrown away. But god says his servant does the exact opposite. He doesn't finish off what's failing. He doesn't discard what's struggling. He protects. He restores what is weak. And this isn't god being soft on things or people. This is God's strength aimed at restoration. [00:10:06] (27 seconds)  #GodRestoresTheWeak