Take Another Look - Sarah Jakes Roberts

Devotional

Day 1: Sewn Fig Leaves and the Lie of Self-Covering

When shame enters the story, humanity’s first instinct is to hide. Adam and Eve stitch together fig leaves, believing their nakedness—their vulnerability—disqualifies them from God’s presence. But covering ourselves never restores connection. True freedom comes not from hiding our brokenness but bringing it into the light of the One who sees and still calls us His image. Every self-made covering whispers the serpent’s lie: you must fix yourself to be worthy. The gospel says you’re already clothed in divine dignity. [04:16]

“Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.”
(Genesis 3:7, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been stitching fig leaves—hustling to cover insecurities, mistakes, or pain—instead of trusting God’s gaze? What would it look like to bring that exact area to Him uncovered today?

Day 2: Statues in Enemy Territory

Ancient kings placed statues in conquered lands to declare ownership. God plants you—His living image—in places hell claims as its own. Your neighborhood, workplace, and relationships are territories where His likeness is meant to reign. The enemy distracts you with self-doubt, trauma, or shame because your mere presence as an image-bearer disrupts his lies. You aren’t just surviving a battlefield—you’re occupying it. [40:59]

“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth…”
(Genesis 1:26, ESV)

Reflection: What “territory” has God entrusted to you (a relationship, role, or space) where He’s asking you to stand as His image-bearer? How does this shift your purpose there?

Day 3: Unveiled Faces in the Mirror of Glory

Moses’ face shone after beholding God, not after perfect behavior. Transformation happens not by fixing your gaze on your flaws but by staring at His faithfulness. An unveiled face isn’t a polished one—it’s a raw, honest posture before God. He doesn’t demand you “clean up” before coming close. Your anxiety, doubt, or regret can’t dim His glory; His light sears through the veil when you dare to look up. [32:05]

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”
(2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV)

Reflection: What mask have you worn in God’s presence lately? How might taking it off—even just naming it—create space for His glory to reshape you?

Day 4: From Simon to Peter at the Coal Fire

Jesus meets Peter not at his triumph but at his lowest—grilling fish by a fire mirroring the one where he denied Christ. Three times Peter’s failure echoes; three times Jesus rebuilds him. Restoration isn’t a lecture but a question: Do you love Me? Identity isn’t earned through perfect loyalty but received through relentless grace. Your worst moment isn’t the end of your story—it’s a doorway to deeper dependence. [49:15]

“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’”
(John 21:15, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you let failure define you more than Christ’s restoration? How might His “Do you love Me?” redirect you from shame to purpose?

Day 5: The Curse-Breaker’s Gaze

Generational cycles persist when we stare at the curse instead of the Curse-Breaker. The serpent wants you rehearsing your family’s patterns, your addictions, or your fears—but fixation fuels reflection. Shift your eyes to the God who walks into graves and calls dry bones to dance. Every chain breaks not by your strength but by beholding the One who says, I make all things new. Your history isn’t your destiny; His gaze is. [21:13]

“And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.’”
(Luke 24:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: What “grave” have you been staring at (a habit, hurt, or history) that God is asking you to turn from? How can you fix your eyes on His resurrection power there today?

Sermon Summary

Genesis 3 shows the enemy going after identity by going after attention. The serpent does not start by taking dominion from the woman. The serpent starts by painting an image, shifting her eyes, and making her stare at something God never meant to define her. Genesis 1 had already set the bar: humanity was made in the image of God before humanity ever produced anything, performed anything, or proved anything.

God reveals himself against a world full of many gods, punitive gods, volatile gods, gods who only let royalty bear their image. Yahweh comes different. God says every human being, regardless of station, gender, color, class, history, or future, is made in his image. The image of God is not a reward for good behavior. The image of God is the baseline dignity God put on humanity from the beginning.

The image also exposes why dehumanization is so demonic. Oppression has to make people less than human in order to treat them any kind of way. But someone else’s perception cannot change God’s reality. God made humanity in his image, and that truth has to change how people see themselves and how they engage the unhoused, the broken, the ashamed, and the person who does not yet reflect what they bear.

The distinction between bearing and reflecting becomes the heart of the call. A soldier can put on the uniform before learning how to embody the branch. In the same way, humanity bears God’s image, but discipleship teaches the believer how to reflect it. Reflection is not automatic. Reflection requires staring at God long enough to love what is seen.

Genesis 3 reveals that what has attention shapes action. Shame makes people small. Fear makes people shrink. Doubt makes people build a life around what might go wrong. Praise becomes a sacrifice because praise lays down what the mind is drawn to and turns the face back toward the One who can make broken pieces whole.

Second Corinthians 3:18 names the pathway: unveiled faces behold the glory of the Lord and are transformed. An unveiled face is not a perfect face. It is the real face, anxious, depressed, confused, wounded, still willing to come into God’s presence without pretending. God does not expose broken places to condemn them. God exposes them to make them over.

The image also carries kingdom territory. In the ancient world, an image marked the territory of a king. God’s image bearers are placed in families, jobs, ministries, industries, and dark places as extensions of his authority. Jesus restoring Peter shows that failure does not erase identity. Jesus meets the one who went backward, asks for love, and sends him back to feed sheep.

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Key Takeaways

1. Image comes before performance The image of God is not something earned after fruitfulness, holiness, or visible maturity. God placed dignity on humanity before humanity had done anything to prove worth. That means failure can distort reflection, but failure cannot erase the image God established first. [12:41]
2. Attention determines spiritual reflection Genesis 3 shows that the enemy does not need to destroy a calling if he can hijack a gaze. Shame, fear, and doubt become powerful because they train the soul to mirror them. Freedom begins when the eyes shift from the curse to the Curse Breaker. [20:13]
3. Unveiled faces get transformed An unveiled face is not a polished face, but an honest one. God transforms what is exposed, not what is hidden behind strength, performance, or church language. The presence of God becomes safest when brokenness stops pretending and starts beholding. [31:25]
4. Territory follows faithful reflection The image of God is not only private formation, it is kingdom representation. God places image bearers in territories where his authority must be seen, felt, and established. Dominion becomes dangerous without reflection, because kingdom assignment requires looking like the King. [40:10]
5. Jesus restores without shame John 21 shows Jesus meeting Peter in the very place where Peter tried to go backward. Jesus does not rehearse Peter’s failure, weaponize his denial, or make him beg for identity. Love repositions Peter, and the call returns with the words, “Feed my sheep.”

## [49:35]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:06] - Take Another Look
[06:26] - Genesis Against Many Gods
[08:56] - Every Person Bears God’s Image
[16:00] - Bearing Versus Reflecting
[19:32] - The Enemy Hijacks Attention
[23:26] - Praise Shifts the Focus
[29:04] - Beholding God for Himself
[31:25] - Unveiled Faces Get Transformed
[40:10] - Image Bearers Claim Territory
[42:30] - Shedding Loved Identities
[45:38] - Jesus Restores Peter
[58:43] - Kingdom Representatives in Dark Places
[60:40] - Prayer for False Identities
[76:10] - Feed My Sheep

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Genesis 1:26-27
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. [08:56]

Genesis 3:5-7
“For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. [19:22]

2 Corinthians 3:18
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. [31:25]

John 21:15-17
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” [49:33]

Observation questions

In Genesis 1:26-27, what does God give humanity before humanity does any work or proves anything?
In Genesis 3:5-7, what details show that the woman’s attention shifted before her actions changed? [19:32]
In 2 Corinthians 3:18, what happens as people behold the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces?
In John 21:15-17, what does Jesus ask Peter repeatedly, and what assignment does Jesus repeat back to him? [53:20]

Interpretation questions

If humanity is made in the image of God before doing anything, what does that suggest about the difference between dignity and performance? [12:41]
Genesis 3 ties sight, desire, and action together. How does this help explain why shame, fear, and doubt can become shaping forces in a person’s life? [22:05]
Second Corinthians 3:18 says transformation happens with an unveiled face. Why might honesty before God be necessary for real change? [32:27]
Jesus restores Peter by asking about love and then sending him to feed sheep. What does that reveal about how Jesus handles failure and calling? [50:33]

Application questions

What has been getting too much of your attention lately—shame, fear, disappointment, other people’s opinions, success, or something else—and how has that been shaping what you reflect? [20:13]
Where is it hardest right now to believe that image comes before performance? Is it in your past, your habits, your family story, your work, or your spiritual life? [13:03]
An unveiled face is an honest face. What do you most want to hide from God or from others right now, and what might it look like to bring that into God’s presence without pretending? [31:48]
Praise is a sacrifice because it shifts attention. What is one practical way to turn your attention back to God this week when your mind starts spiraling? [23:50]
Many people bear God’s image but still reflect what they have been through. In what area do you feel tempted to reflect your wounds, your trauma, or your insecurity more than God’s character? [57:31]
Jesus did not shame Peter for going backward. Where do you sense Jesus inviting you to stop rehearsing your failure and step back into love and obedience? [53:34]
Family, work, ministry, and everyday spaces can become kingdom territory. What specific place in your life may be asking for a clearer reflection of God through you right now? [54:44]

Sermon Clips

62s

“But there are some people who refuse to allow someone else's perception of their humanity to become their reality. said there are some people who refuse to believe that your perception of their humanity is their reality. That means regardless of how other people see me, it doesn't change the fact that I'm still made in the image of God. You may dehumanize me with your perception, but your perception doesn't change God's reality. I'm made in the image of God whether you like it or not. And when I embody that reality, it changes how I show up in the world. One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is not falling for the bait of your dehumanization.”

50s

“Shame says be quiet. Shame says you can't do that. Shame says you'll never be good enough. And little do you know it, you start backing up. You start getting smaller because the more I stare at my shame, the more I begin to reflect what shame says about me. That's why I can't get free because I'm trying to look at the shame and ask shame to let me be free. But you can't look at shame and tell shame to let you be free. You gotta take shame into the presence of God. Shame, I want you to take a look at who my God is. Shame, I want you to take a look at what God does with broken pieces. Shame, want you to take a look at what God has done with girls like me in the past. You gotta learn to take what has taken your attention and shift it towards the presence.”

55s

“That's why the enemy tries to get your attention at a young age. Because if I can get your attention, I can shift your reflection. And you won't reflect that you were made in the image of God. You will reflect that you came from the community. You will reflect that you came from shame. You will reflect that you came from brokenness. And that is why generational curses continue to exist because we keep looking at the curse when instead we need to look at the creator. We need to look at the one who can break the curse. I can't afford to focus on the generational curse. My focus is on the curse breaker. The curse will break when I focus on the curse breaker.”

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