When God Rebuilds a Woman (week 1: day 2)

Welcome to the first week of diving deeper into the IM.Possible conversation. This season we're talking about rebuilding from the inside out, which is necessary to experience real healing and real growth. Each week, I'll be giving you some tools to assist you with your rebuilding process. These tools are rooted in the word of God, which gives us hope, strength, and power. So, let's dive right in.

Week 1: Day 2- Day Two: Identity & Transformation

When God rebuilds a woman, the rebuilding doesn't often start with our circumstances or the people around us. Instead, it begins within our own minds. Theres a lot of things we start believing about ourselves and our lives that, not only aren't true, but also go against what the word of God says about us.

Rebuilding requires us to know who we are. Not just our worldly titles such as mom, wife, daughter, nurse, student, etc., but our identity in Christ. Who does He say we are, and how does He see us? When God looks at us, He sees a reflection of himself (Genesis 1:26-27). And that is so powerful when you think about it. How can such an amazing God see so much worth inside of me when I've messed up so many times? How does my shameful life reflect such goodness in the eyes of God despite my flaws? Well, it's pretty simple according to 1 Samuel 16:7, which says, "The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”

Of course it's easier for us to focus on our flaws, our mistakes, and our trauma. We are human, and our pain can bring about shame, regret, guilt, low self-esteem, lack of self-worth, and so many more negative feelings. But the not-so-great choices we've made in life, our mistakes, and even the offenses caused by other people, do not define who we are. That is why it's so important to renew our minds, which cannot be done alone. We need God to do the renewing.

When we talk about rebuilding, we're talking about transformation, and transformation is accomplished through saying, "Lord, here I am. I relinquish all control. Have your way!" Transformation is a result of sacrifice. In fact, the bible calls it becoming "a living sacrifice". Read Romans 12: 1-2 for more details, but in a nutshell this scripture urges us to let go, choose God, and in return He will make us new by changing the way we think. And to take it even further, He will also show us His will for us which is completely opposite of what we've settled for all this time... It says His will is "good, and pleasing, and perfect (Rom 12:2)."

Just think, the reason why we keep repeating cycles and finding ourselves back in the same type of situations time and time again, may simply be because we're attempting to rebuild and transform on our own terms. We've pictured the life we want, the type of relationships we want, and what it looks like to start over... But how many times have you stood before God and said, "Here's my life... Whatever you want to do, Lord do it." Without your two cents? Without your requests? Without needing to know the how?

How many times have you really handed over the steering wheel of your life without grabbing for it when God begins to take you into a direction that you're unfamiliar with? Or have you even gotten that far? Maybe you start grabbing at the wheel before He can even press on the gas. I mean, let's be for real. Letting go of control can be scary, even when you're handing that control over to God. But we have to remember He loves us more than we could ever imagine. He wants to transform you. He wants to renew your life completely. All He wants is what's best for you and He always will, but it's up to you to not only seek Him, but to also allow Him to do the work only He can do.

I urge you to continue diving deeper into Identity & Transformation by looking into the listed scriptures below. Leave a comment and tell us what revelations God has revealed to you during your personal time of study.

Scriptures to Dive Deeper:

• Romans 12:2

• 2 Corinthians 5:17

• Ephesians 2:10

• Isaiah 43:18-19