What do you see when you look in the mirror? How often do you see your reflection in a mirror? Some studies say that the average person looks in a mirror 8 to 10 times a day. Other surveys say it could be as many as 60 to 70 times a day, whose image do you see? And what is our mirror? There are multiple mirrors in this world. Which one do you believe shows your true self? Mirror of social status? Mirror of wealth? Mirror of success? Mirror of television? Mirror of the media?
We are always beholding something. What are you looking at? What are you beholding? There is a principle in the Bible that we become what we look at. Where are your eyes focused in regard to who you are and your purpose in life? A. W. Tozer said: God wants us to recognize that human nature is in a formative state and that it is being changed into the image of the thing it loves. Men and women are being molded by their affinities, shaped by their affections and powerfully transformed by the artistry of their loves. You become what you love? You become what you chase after. In the unregenerate world of Adam this produces day by day tragedies of cosmic proportions!
The eye is the critical foundation in repairing and restoring your true image. The ear is the important key to building our image to reflect how God sees us but it all begins with the eye. The eye needs to be looking like a laser to what God says we are and that is revealed in the Bible. It is the real you and our true image.
James 1:22ff: Don’t I beg you, only hear the message, but put it into practice; otherwise you are merely deluding yourselves. The man who simply hears and does nothing about it is like a man catching the reflection of his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, it is true, but he goes on with whatever he was doing without the slightest recollection of what sort of person he saw in the mirror. But the man who looks into the perfect mirror of God’s law, the law of liberty (or freedom), and makes a habit of so doing, is not the man who sees and forgets. He puts that law into practice and he wins true happiness.
Another translation: If some fail to do what God requires, it’s as if they forget the word as soon as they hear it. One minute they look in the mirror, and the next they forget who they are and what they look like. 25 However, it is possible to open your eyes and take in the beautiful, perfect truth found in God’s law of liberty and live by it. If you pursue that path and actually do what God has commanded, then you will avoid the many distractions that lead to an amnesia of all true things and you will be blessed.
The Bible is a mirror that lets us see ourselves as God sees us.
The fundamental purpose of God’s Word is to give us true self-knowledge; it is a real mirror, and when we look at ourselves properly in it we see ourselves as God wants us to see ourselves. The assumption behind this is that the purpose of God’s revelation is for us to become transformed, to become the people God wants us to be, but this is impossible until we see ourselves as we really are. The problem with the distractions of this world, we have amnesia, we forget who we really are as God sees us and often do not have the slightest recollection of what the mirror of God’s Word is showing us.
2 Corinthians 3:17,18: Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Psalm 34:4-8: I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
We reflect what our eyes are focused on. Our image is determined by what we look at with our eye and hear with our ear. Don’t forget what the Word of God says about you or the world will delude you and beat down your true identity. Our eyes are critical to our spiritual growth.
The golden rule for your life and mine is this concentrated keeping of the life
open towards God. Trust Him, commune with Him, study His word, meditate and think about it. Build it into your heart so it can tear down the strongholds of wrong images in your mind. Be passionate about your relationship with Him. Christianity is about relationship with God. The relationship is reciprocal and mutual. No other religion claims this.
God is not a duplicator. Of the seven billion people on the planet earth not one has the same fingerprint. God is not a duplicator, a copycat, and a counterfeiter, but God is a Creator; God is an originator: God is a visionary. God only has one you. No one can ever be you. God only designed one you. He only has one blueprint that he masterfully used to make a masterpiece called you. God has designed you wonderfully unique and awesomely made as a true original. God has the most spectacular design for your life that is absolutely breathtaking and specific down to the littlest detail.
Who knows you better than God? He has loved you since the foundations of the heavens and earth. He created you. He formed you. He made you. He has had plans for you since the sun’s first morning light.
Psalm 139:15-18 (NLT): You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! 18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!
Jeremiah 29:11-14: 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
Seek God and His plans. Know how precious you are to God. Know you have value to God. Know you have a future and a hope. It all starts by knowing your identity in Christ and seeing from Scripture who you really are.
Look at the true mirror. Behold your God! Behold His Son! Behold your salvation and birth as a son! Behold who you really are!
I John 3:1.2a: Consider the incredible love that the Father has shown us in allowing us to be called “children of God”—and that is not just what we are called, but what we are. Our heredity on the Godward side is no mere figure of speech—which explains why the world will no more recognize us than it recognized Christ.2 Oh, dear children of mine (forgive the affection of an old man!), have you realized it? Here and now we are God’s children.
Have you realized it? You are God’s child, His son through the finished work of Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:4-7: 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants[c] for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
Satan, the god of this age, main goal is to blind you so you cannot see the light of the gospel, cannot see who you are in Christ and cannot see your worth to God. God has shined in our hearts and when people see us they should see a reflection of he glory of God.
Devil-the one who constantly throws accusations through you and about you, so you dwell on the wrong image of yourself. He is called in Scripture the deceiver, the accuser, and the father of lies. He wants you to look in the wrong mirror and become discouraged by what you see. He wants you to think you have no worth, and no value. He wants you to see sin instead of the Saviour from sin. Your value begins with the price God paid for you, which was to offer His only begotten Son Jesus to take your place on the cross; to suffer the torture and pain of the cross so your sin is paid in full and before the court of God you are declared not guilty. This is unfathomable love for you. Christianity is about reconciliation, restoration and transformation.
We are His image bearers. The fullness of God dwells in you as A Christian.
What does the mirror say?
World says you are rejected and ugly.
The mirror says you are lovely and accepted as His beloved.
The mirror says you are chosen.
The mirror says all the fulness of God resides in you.
The mirror says all your sins are forgiven.
The mirror says you are a new creation in Christ.
The mirror says you are justified by the blood of Christ and are at peace with God.
The mirror says God is your heavenly Father and you are His son by the new birth.
The mirror says you can cry “Abba Father!” to God.
The mirror says you are blessed all spiritual blessings in Christ.
The mirror says you are born again and seated in heavenly places with Christ.
The mirror says you are sealed with the holy spirit and have received the gift of holy spirt at the time of the new birth.
The mirror says you can energize the exceeding greatness of God’s power when you believe.
The mirror says you have been made righteous and completely complete in Him.
The mirror says you are an heir of God and joint-heir with Christ.
The mirror says you have an inheritance in heaven that is undefiled and will not fade away and is reserved in heaven for you.
The mirror says you are God’s most treasured possession.
The mirror says you are God’s masterpiece.
The world rejects all these truths and wants you to conform to their image. The world says your worthless and of no value. The world says you are a failure, a nobody, discarded and abandoned. Who do you believe? What mirror are you looking at?
Romans 12:2: Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God re-mold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.
Do not be conformed to this world. Do not let the world squeeze you into its mold but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Think according to the Bible and not according to the world.
2 Timothy 3:16,17: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God[b] may be complete, equipped for every good work.
All Scripture is God-breathed. He only wrote one book. Its words are spiritual life. Its words vibrate with energy and power. It is an immeasurable wonder that God has given us an inspired book containing the truth about himself and his ways and what he wills for our lives.
Often, we hear that God is silent or God does not care. “Don’t say God is silent when your Bible is closed.”
I don’t know who said or shared it first, but it’s clear this simple statement resonates with many, at least it has with me. These ten words rebuke our fear that God might be inactive or uncaring in the brokenness and messiness of our lives, and reminds us that he cares, he sees, and he speaks. But too often, we’re just not listening and our book has remained closed.
God is always ready to speak into our lives. We simply need to listen, tuning our ears and hearts to what he is saying in the book he inspired. When we open the Bible, we find more than 750,000 words breathed out by God himself for us.
Matthew 4:4: 4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Attention to diet is becoming more and more recognized as essential to nutrition and growth. A low condition of bodily health is produced by inattention to the laws of nature as to suitable diet….A low condition of spiritual health is produced by improper feeding or neglect of necessary food, which is the Word of God…The root of all evils which abound in the spiritual sphere at the present day lies in the fact that the Word and the words of God are not fed upon, digested or assimilated, as they ought to be.
Our physical diet is important, but what about our spiritual diet? How much of the Word of God are we feeding upon, digesting, and assimilating into our heart and soul? If we ever want to be spiritually strong and excel in our gifting before the Lord, we cannot neglect the spiritual food of the Bible.
Jeremiah 15:16: Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.
I Peter 2:2,3: As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
I promise you that if you set sometime aside every day to read and meditate upon the Scriptures, your life will be energized and transformed by the mighty power of His Word. There is life in the Word, and it will change the heart to become more like Him. There is light in the Word, and it will extinguish the darkness of everything that may hold us in bondage. There is comfort in the Word, and it will overcome the worries and fears of this age. There is wisdom in the Word, and it will guide our paths into the right way and help us avoid the obstacles set up to distract us and make us fall. There is healing in the Word, and it will restore our mind and body in complete wholeness. We need to open the book and let it speak to our heart. Pray that God enlightens your understanding and directs you to the words that you need to hear and believe. Just be faithful with being in the Word, as you will begin to realize that the more time you spend in the Word, you will begin to crave, desire, and cherish the time that it is just you and God in the Word. We cannot stand effectively for God without it. If we spend two minutes a week in the Word and twenty hours in front of the television, our spiritual lives will be out of balance. We will be anemic and weak spiritually, as our hearts will be receiving little nourishment from the words of God. It is like trying to put your life together without the training manual of life provided by your Heavenly Father.
People go through the journey of life looking for something that is useful, profitable, or advantageous for their life. They diligently search for principles of life that will help them accomplish their goals and make their life worth living. Nothing they could ever find is more useful, beneficial, and profitable for life than the God-breathed Scriptures. This Word of God boldly proclaims that every word contain in Scripture is profitable, and in the Greek this word means: useful, profitable, serviceable, helpful, beneficial, and refers to that which yields advantageous returns or results. It provides something that someone needs to attain a certain goal. God has set a wonderful purpose for us in our generation, and the Word of God is the vital tool that equips us to accomplish it. The benefit and usefulness of the Bible is fathomless and is so great that it cannot even be measured by human means.
A.W. Tozer said, “The Bible is not only a book which was once spoken, but a book which is now speaking.” God wants to speak to us today, and every day, through His Word. God’s word is not simply “once spoken.” God’s word is always “now speaking.”
We silence the sound of God’s voice in our lives when we leave our Bible on the shelf. Many have shared another popular statement: “Complaining about God being silent when your Bible is closed is like complaining about not getting texts when your phone is turned off.”
God is always speaking to us through His Word. But the Bible is clear we need special, God-given ears to hear him. The Scriptures call us to have “ears to hear” seven times in the Gospels, and seven more times in the beginning of Revelation. Unclog your ears from the noise of the world and listen intently to what He has to say.
Martin Luther rightly declared “The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on me.”
Hebrews 4:12a: For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective];
The Word of God lives and abides forever. It cannot be destroyed, diminished or overcome. It cannot be superseded. It will never fade or become obsolete. It is words from the heart of God and the power of God lives in every syllable. It is the Creator of the heavens and earth, your Heavenly Father speaking. It is life-giving communication.
We all want to know who we are. We seek and search and try to “find ourselves.” Many of us have taken personality tests and other assessments. But as helpful as those tests can be, have you ever stopped to ask, “What does God think about me? Who does he say that I am?”
In all your years as a Christian, have you asked this question about who you really are? God has a lot to say about what he thinks about us — a whole Bible full. But if we could summarize it in a short space, here’s how it might sound.
You Are Valuable
I am the Creator and you are my creation. I breathed into your nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). I created you in my own image (Genesis 1:27). My eyes saw your unformed substance (Psalm 139:16). I knit you together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). I know the number of hairs on your head, and before a word is on your tongue I know it (Matthew 10:30; Psalm 139:4). You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).
You are more valuable than many sparrows (Matthew 10:31). I have given you dominion over all sheep and oxen and all beasts of the field and birds of the heavens and fish of the sea (Psalm 8:6–8; Genesis 1:26, 28). I have crowned you with glory and honor as the pinnacle and final act of the six days of creation (Psalm 8:5; Genesis 1:26).
However, from the very beginning, you exchanged the truth about me for a lie. You worshiped and served created things rather than me, the Creator (Romans 1:25). You have sinned and fallen short of my glory (Romans 3:23). Just as I said to Adam and Eve, the penalty for your sin is death (Romans 6:23; Genesis 2:17). And in your sin, you were spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1). You were children of wrath, living as enemies to me (Ephesians 2:3; Romans 5:10). You turned aside from me. You became corrupt. There is none who does good, not even one (Psalm 14:2–3). What you deserve is my righteous judgment (Psalm 7:11–12).
And yet, in my great love, I gave my unique Son, that all those who believe in him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). While you were still sinners, Christ died for you. While you were still hostile toward me, you were reconciled to me by the death of my Son (Romans 5:8, 10). Sin doesn’t have the last word. Grace does (Romans 5:20).Now everyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved (Romans 10:13). You who have believed are born again (1 Peter 1:3). I have adopted you (Ephesians 1:5). You are children of God, heirs of God (1 John 3:2; Romans 8:16–17). You are no longer orphans. You belong to me (John 14:18; 1 Corinthians 6:19). And I love you as a perfect Father (1 John 3:1; Luke 15:20–24).
You Are New
In my eyes, you are a brand new creation. The old has passed away; the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). Sin is no longer your master, for you died to sin and are now alive to me (Romans 6:11; Ephesians 2:4–5).You are finally free from the slavery of sin and death. There is now no condemnation for you (Romans 8:1–2). All your sins are forgiven (1 John 1:9). All your unrighteousness has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7, 9). You are now righteous in my sight with the very righteousness of my perfect Son (Romans 4:5).You’ve been saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8). You’ve been justified by faith (Romans 5:1). You are utterly secure in me; nothing will be able to separate you from my love in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:39). No one is able to snatch you out of my hand (John 10:29). And I will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).
You Have My Spirit
You not only have a new Father, but also a new family of brothers and sisters (Luke 8:21). You are now part of the people of God (1 Peter 2:9). And together the life you now live is by faith in my Son (Galatians 2:20).Look to Jesus. Keep your eyes on him. He is the author and perfecter of your faith (Hebrews 12:2). Christ is in you by my Spirit, and you are in Christ (John 15:5; Colossians 1:27). Stay close to Jesus. Abide in him (John 15:4). For your life is found in him (John 14:6; Colossians 3:3–4). To live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21).Don’t live by your own power or understanding. No, live by my Spirit within you (Zechariah 4:6; Proverbs 3:5). Remember, I have given you the Holy Spirit to be with you and in you (Romans 5:5; John 14:17). The Spirit will guide you into all truth, help you to obey me, and empower you to do my work (John 16:7, 13; Acts 1:8; Galatians 5:16).
You Will Be Transformed
As you seek me and see more of my glory, I am transforming you into the image of my Son (2 Corinthians 3:18; Exodus 33:18). One day you will be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet sound (1 Corinthians 15:52). When Jesus appears, you will be like him, because you shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2; Romans 8:29).You will be delivered from your body of death through Jesus Christ, and your dwelling place will be with me (Romans 7:24–25; John 14:3). And I will wipe away every tear from your eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore (Revelation 21:3–4). You will drink from the spring of the water of life without payment, and I myself will make for you a feast of rich food and well-aged wine (Revelation 21:6; Isaiah 25:6). You will enter my rest, inherit the kingdom I’ve prepared for you, and step into fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Hebrews 4:9–11; Matthew 25:34; Psalm 16:11). But most of all, you will see my face and be with me where I am (Revelation 22:4; John 14:3).
You Represent Me
“Look to Jesus. Keep your eyes on him. He is the author and perfecter of your faith.”
Therefore, walk in a manner worthy of your calling (Ephesians 4:1). You are no longer darkness, but light in my Son. Walk as children of light (Ephesians 5:8). You are the light of the world, a city set on a hill (Matthew 5:14). I have called you (2 Peter 1:3). I have chosen you (Revelation 17:14). You are now a saint, a servant, a steward, and a soldier (Romans 1:7; Acts 26:16; 1 Peter 4:10; 2 Timothy 2:3). You are a witness and a worker (Acts 1:8; Ephesians 2:10). Through Jesus you are victorious (1 Corinthians 15:57). You have a glorious future (Romans 8:18). You are a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20). You are an ambassador for my Son (2 Corinthians 5:20).
I have only scratched the surface on what the Bible says about you. God is very personal when it comes to you. He thinks about you all the time. He cares about you immensely. Open the book and let Him speak to you and show you who you really are!
The greatest tragedy in life is when we turn our backs on God’s design and purpose for our lives. This tragedy hurts the heart of God for He knows what could have been. The story that never came to pass; the beautiful masterpiece that was left in the box. The awesome calling that faded away. He has written a beautiful story for our life, but when we pick up the pen and try to write the book ourselves, everything falls apart and crumbles before our eyes. Pray to God. Talk to God. Ask God to show you day by day His design and function and purpose for you on this earth. Pray to God that you fulfill every jot and tittle of it. It is glorious. It is immense. It is adventurous. It is the best. This purpose always has at its fabric that you have a heart of service to God and others. It begins with salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ and the new birth. No one can accomplish their destiny without the Lord Jesus Christ. God is with you every step of the way and He will help you, strengthen you and guide you into fulfilling His purpose He has for you in your generation. Don’t ever waste your potential, your purpose and your design on things, paths, ways that God never intended for you. Be all that you can be for God. Every cell in your body was designed for you to fulfill your purpose that God knew about before time began. Let God make your life count and ring as a gem of God’s glory throughout the halls of eternity forever. Every moment counts; every day counts; every week counts; every year counts, but we live with God one day at a time.
Romans 10:11: For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him [whoever adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] will not be disappointed [in his expectations].”
The glitter of the world with its man-made theories and philosophies will always let you down. It is like building your life on sinking sand. God will never disappoint. God will never let you down. Faith is a gateway to recovery and discovery. The truth about who you are will set you free. The Bible opens the prison door and obliterates self-condemnation and self-hatred. It enables you to love yourself because it shows you how much God loves you and what He has done for you.
It all begins with the call to salvation; the invitation of Jesus Christ to come and see. He is the Way, He is the Truth, He is the Life. Only he has the promise of life that is in Christ for now and for all eternity. You will not thirst again when you come to him for he is living water and holds the keys to eternal life.
I Timothy 2:3-6a: This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man[a] Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all…
The transformation of who we are, the restoration of our true image begins with the new birth in Christ. Repent of your past sin, turn to God, confess Jesus as your Lord, believe that God raised him from the dead and receive the gift of eternal life and complete salvation. This is the new beginning for our lives and then we let God build us through His Word. Think of yourself as God thinks of you. No other opinion is important. Look in the mirror of the Bible, the God-breathed Word to see the real you, the one that Jesus gave his life for. You have immense worth. You have immeasurable value. You are God’s treasure put on this earth to shine as a light. Never let the world convince you otherwise. Take God’s hand in this new adventure. Know that God loves you more then you will ever be able to comprehend, and He is here every moment for you. He is for you. He is your refuge. He is your strength. He is your helper. He is everything we ever need in life. He will never abandon you, never forsake you and never leave you. Now is the time to return to your loving Heavenly Father. Now is the time to make Christ your Lord and to be set free from every bondage and every prison that holds you captive.
Numbers 6:24-26: 24 The Lord bless you and keep you;25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;26 the Lord lift up his countenance[c] upon you and give you peace.
