Beloved Identity Comes First
(8 minutes)
The next story we're going to look at is going to show us that we become what we behold. If we keep our current point of view, it will keep producing the same thing in our lives over and over again. Whatever kingdom we're feeding from and being intimate with will determine what is being produced in our lives.
We're going to look at the life of Jacob. He's been working for his uncle, Laban, for years and he has already married Leah and Rachel, and has had plenty of children. But we're given a significant statement in verse 25 about what happened before Jacob was inspired to leave his current situation, or change his point of view.
And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country. (Genesis 30:25 NKJV)
"Why are we getting this information? Why are we getting the moment that someone is born as a reference point for something that is fixing to happen? Well, who's Joseph? Joseph is Jacob's favorite. God is trying to tell you that before you change your point of view you need to start with, 'You are His favorite.' Joseph is Jacob's favorite. And this changing of the point of view is not going to take place until the favorite steps into being the favorite. That means there's some point of views you cannot receive until you realize how loved you are by Him. I can talk all the live long day about changing your point of view, but you will not receive it if you don't realize you are His favorite. You're not just a worthless sinner that He just tossed Jesus over so He could even look at you. Do you understand the scripture when it says that God so loved you that He sent Jesus? It does not say that He so tolerated you, and sent Jesus so He could then love you. But that's how the church teaches it. We've got to change that up. You think you're loved because Jesus showed up....you're loved because He was sent. You were loved before He was sent. He was sent because you are loved!" (Pastor Tim)
These words are priceless.
We will never be able to receive a Kingdom point of view until we step into believing that we are actually Abba's favorite. No change can happen until we start believing the truth about who we are, that we are beloved sons and daughters, and always have been.
We inherited such a horrible picture of who the Father is. American Christianity told us that God tolerated us, but when Jesus died, then He started loving us, but only if we stayed wrapped up in Jesus. Heaven help us if Jesus tripped or stepped to the side and we were exposed in the presence of God because that would be the end of us, because He only really likes Jesus and simply tolerates us. American Christianity relegated us to some kind of third wheel that got to tag along because of Jesus. You remember, don't you? You loved Jesus, but you were always unsure of how the Father felt. There was a constant cloud of disapproval. But our point of view was all wrong!
Abba has always loved us, from the very beginning. There was never a moment that we were not beloved sons and daughters. Jesus didn't come to make the Father love us. Jesus came because the Father loves us.
You are Abba's favorite!
And when you start being convinced of that truth, you will be ready to receive a Kingdom point of view. Why is it so important that we believe that we are loved before we receive Abba's perspective and point of view?
Here's a story that may help:
"In a small town there lived a couple, Anna and John. Anna, who had always struggled with shame and condemnation, was given a beautiful mirror by John on their wedding day. However, the mirror was dropped and suffered a small crack. Every time she looked into it, she focused only on the crack, which distorted her reflection.
John would always tell Anna how beautiful and perfect she was, but looking into her cracked mirror, Anna could never see what John saw; she only saw flaws and imperfections. Confused and saddened, John one day replaced the cracked mirror with a new, flawless one without telling her.
The next morning, Anna looked into the new mirror and for the first time, saw what John had always seen - a beautiful, perfect bride. She realized that the fault was never with her appearance but with the cracked mirror she was using to define herself."
Why is beloved identity so important?
Because if you continue to view yourself through a lens marred by shame and condemnation, you will never be able to see the truth about yourself or believe it when Abba tries to tell you. If you heal the mirror, you begin to see more clearly.
Believing you're beloved is what sets you free to see things from Abba's point of view. If you're not convinced that you're His favorite, you'll never really believe anything that He has to say.
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Worship: "I Am Your Beloved" by Jonathan David & Melissa Helser
Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place
Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!