Come & Dance with the King

I spoke at our women's ministry meeting in February this year, which was a BIG step out for me, despite my copious public speaking experience in 4H growing up {insert gratefulness for my mother's stubbornness and stick-to-it-ness here, although I wasn't at the time}. In fact, when I received the planning email regarding the need for a speaker, my immediate response was, ya...NO. Didn't even take a minute, no, a second, to pray about it and ask the Lord what He might want. After all, I just had a baby a couple months ago. I wasn't even getting a full night's sleep yet. I was busy with life. And besides, what would I have to say that all those women would actually want to hear? It simply wasn't an option. 

A funny thing happens when you tell God a big, resounding NO. I think sometimes He takes that as a challenge. Soon afterwards I began noticing Him chipping away at my hardened heart. There were a couple messages on the radio that hit home. I heard something here, read something there. The icing on the cake was watching the Veggie Tales movie Sweet Pea Beauty with my kids one evening {because God can even speak through a kid's movie, right?}. He had reached down and touched my heart with a message I knew I needed to explore and share with others. Right then I asked God for forgiveness, pulled out my phone, and wrote an email volunteering to speak. I knew if I didn't do it right then when I felt the conviction that I would ultimately fail and chicken out. 

In the weeks leading up to my talk, I was attacked by satan from many angles. I felt overwhelmed with life, like a failure as a mom, and I came down with a terrible case of strep two days before I was scheduled to speak. God needed to speak to me first and solidify all I was about to teach in my own heart. Before it got lost in the abyss of my mind, I wanted to write it down here. It loses a little something absent the delivery, but you'll get the idea. So without further ado, here it is...

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I began the evening with a clip from the movie Sweet Pea Beauty. It was the story of Snoodlerella {Cinderella}, who was the ugliest Snoodle in town. {If you haven't seen the movie, I'd encourage you to do so because this blurb won't do it justice. It's a cute movie with a powerful message for women of all ages.} She has always been told how unsightly she is, so she finds it very hard to believe that the King himself wants to dance with her at the ball. As they dance he proceeds to tell her that she's beautiful, wonderfully made, kind, and that he loves her, crazy hair and cumbersome graces included. She so desperately wants to believe what He says, but how can she know it's true? Because the King created her exactly the way she is, and He took such delight in doing so. 

Your Identity in Christ: Who God Intended You to Be

I’d like to invite you to dance with the King. Take a minute to glance over the Identity in Christ handout. What are your initial thoughts? Do certain ones stand out to you over others? 

My {Identity} in Christ

I am a child of God. {John 1:12}

I am a branch of the true vine, a conduit of Christ’s life. {John 15:1,5}

I am a friend of Jesus. {John 15:15}

I have been justified and redeemed. {Romans 3:24}

My old self was crucified with Christ, and I am no longer a slave to sin. {Romans 6:6}

I will not be condemned by God. {Romans 8:1}

I have been set free from the law of sin and death. {Romans 8:2}

As a child of God, I am a fellow heir with Christ. {Romans 8:17}

I have been accepted by Christ. {Romans 15:7}

I have been called to be a saint. {1 Corinthians 1:2, Ephesians 1:1, Philippians 1:1, and Colossians 1:2}

In Christ Jesus, I have wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. {1 Corinthians 1:30}

My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in me. {1 Corinthians 6:19}

I am joined to the Lord and am one spirit with Him. {1 Corinthians 6:17}

God leads me in the triumph and knowledge of Christ. {2 Corinthians 2:14}

The hardening of my mind has been removed in Christ. {2 Corinthians 3:14}

I am a new creature in Christ. {2 Corinthians 5:17}

I have become the righteousness of God in Christ. {2 Corinthians 5:21}

I have been made one with all who are in Christ Jesus. {Galatians 3:28}

I am no longer a slave, but a child and an heir. {Galatians 4:7}

I have been set free in Christ. {Galatians 5:1}

I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. {Ephesians 1:3}

I am chosen, holy, and blameless before God. {Ephesians 1:4}

I am redeemed and forgiven by the grace of Christ. {Ephesians 1:7}

I have been predestined by God to obtain an inheritance. {Ephesians 1:11}

I have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. {Ephesians 1:13}

Because of God’s mercy and love, I have been made alive with Christ. {Ephesians 2:4-5}

I am seated in the heavenly places with Christ. {Ephesians 2:6}

I am God’s workmanship created to produce good works. {Ephesians 2:10}

I have been brought near to God by the blood of Christ. {Ephesians 2:13}

I am a member of Christ’s body and a partaker of His promise. {Ephesians 3:6 & 5:30}

I have boldness and confident access to God through faith in Christ. {Ephesians 3:12}

My new self is righteous and holy. {Ephesians 4:24}

I was formerly darkness, but now I am light in the Lord. {1 John 1:5-7}

I am a citizen of heaven. {Philippians 3:20}

The peace of God guards my heart and mind. {Philippians 4:7}

God supplies all my needs. {Philippians 4:19}

I have been made complete in Christ. {Colossians 2:10}

I have been raised up with Christ. {Colossians 3:1}

My life is hidden with Christ in God. {Colossians 3:3}

Christ is my life, and I will be revealed with Him in glory. {Colossians 3:4}

I have been chosen of God, and I am holy and beloved. {Colossians 3:12}

God loves me and has chosen me. {1 Thessalonians 1:4}


 For some of you, this is old news. For others, maybe this is the first time you have read something like this. Either way, one thing is certain—we all live in a world that tells us these things are not true, or at the very least, makes them hard to believe at times. Whether it’s the unrealistic expectations we set for ourselves or believing what the world says we need to be, it’s very easy to feel overwhelmed, defeated, less-than, and like we can never measure up or quite get it together. And, ironically, that is exactly how I felt during the week I was preparing this message. God definitely needed to speak to me first!!

So what determines your worth? What is it for you? Is it a pat on the back, having the nicest clothes, the best behaved children, the most likes on Facebook, the cleanest house, eating the healthiest food, or having been so incredibly productive today? The world will tell you that you need to DO something to be significant, to fit in all the right categories, to know the right people, to look a certain way, to have the big house, to be better, have more, to work harder. Then you will finally be worthy. You will have arrived. 

So what do we do? We work two jobs. We put our kids in multiple extracurricular activities by age 3. We don’t have time to eat dinner as a family anymore because we are running every which way after school. We by things we can't afford to impress people we don’t even like. The result of that is feeling hurried, stressed, overwhelmed, guilty, and constant comparison to others, coveting what they have and trying to figure out how you can get it, too. And we don’t have time anymore for anyone, including our family, whom we’re supposed to love and care about. What an exhausting way to live. Maybe that resonates with some of you here tonight. Are you tired of the rat race? Are you ready for a change?

 The good news is that God says you don’t need to do anything to be significant, you already are, simply because He made you. You just have to BE YOU. Isn’t that wonderful? There are no checklists, no expectations, no if-onlys, no measuring up. And there is FREEDOM to be found there, my friends. Freedom, rest, joy, peace, purpose, permission to slow down, to stop comparing, and to enjoy yourself, exactly the way you are, how God made you.

So that begs the question, how do you get there? How do you look at that list and BELIEVE, truly believe, those things about yourself? The first thing is pretty straight-forward: simply choose to believe, like a child. In time your heart will follow your head. It might be a daily choice, or even by the hour or minute. This might be more difficult for those who have a painful or traumatic past. If that's the case for you, I'd recommend unpacking that with someone, whether that'd be a counselor or a trusted friend. Put the handout somewhere that you'll see it regularly, and spend time reading it over and praying about it.  Doing to will allow God to begin changing and healing your heart. Secondly, consistently spend time with the Lord in his His Word. As you get to know Him better, you will begin to see the world, and yourself, through His eyes. And finally, surround yourself with people who are seeking the Lord. You need others to come alongside and encourage you in your journey.

God Made You Special: What He Created You to Do

The fact is, you need to know who God created you to BE before you can do what he’s called you to DO. Otherwise we operate from a platform of lies, which will ultimately steer us off the intended path. What makes you unique? One of my favorite parts of the video clip is when the King talks about loving Snoodlerella's “cumbersome graces.” Even things that seem like mistakes or flaws to us are beautiful in God's eyes. 

What is something you are uniquely good at? Everyone has something: something you enjoy, something that comes very easily to you. Sometimes it’s hard to see it in yourself and you need help from the community of believers around you, and that’s ok! Choose a handful of people who know you and ask them what they think you are good at.  If you’ve got your “something,” how can you use that to better love those around you? Because that’s what God wants you to do: to love and seek after Him and love others. DO less and LOVE more. And when you truly accept and understand your identity in Him, you are free to do just that!

Speaking Words of Life: Encouraging Others in Truth

The enemy is lurking all around, just waiting for the opportunity to bring you down. To whisper that you’re not good enough. To tell you that you would be a much better mom if you just… To say that you’d be much happier if your life, or maybe your husband, looked more like hers. To make you doubt God’s goodness and that He has a good plan for your life. It’s a trick as old as time, yet we fall prey to it daily, just like Eve did in the garden. Call the devil on his lies, because that’s exactly what they are, and claim the truth found in Christ.

Accepting your identity in Christ produces freedom, joy, peace, thankfulness, rest & purpose. What a great gift to share!! Think of someone in your life who could use a reminder about who God created them to be, and make a point to encourage them in some way this week. We are all in this battle together, and a simple word of truth and encouragement is enough to change a person’s life.


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To be honest, that evening was a turning point in my life. Left to my own devices, I probably wouldn't have taken the time to flesh out that topic like I had to in order to speak on it. And God met me in that process in a very deep and personal way. I was finally able to look at that long list of truths about my identity in Christ and not only really see it for the first time but choose to believe it. Really believe it, in my soul, not just say I believe it. I felt like God was able to use me to speak the truth to a whole group of women that night, and I enjoyed it! I enjoyed preparing for it and talking about all the things I'd learned from the Lord. That experience woke something up inside me that has been dormant for a long time, and I felt energized, passionate, humbled, empowered and alive. 

Allowing the truth about who God created me to be to seep into my heart and mind enabled me to start to dream big dreams. I don't know where the Lord will lead in the future, but now I know that He can use me, and He will use me, if I'm just willing to step out and say "yes." Just say yes, even if it's scary as hell and I don't know what's coming next. He's already got that part handled. He merely requires obedience. I want to encourage and inspire women to live, really live, in freedom and hope in the Lord. To know who they are in Christ and for that to propel them forward, giving them the freedom and motivation to be who Christ created them to be. To use their unique gifts and abilities to further the kingdom of God. 

What about you? I think we were all destined for greatness, and all we have to do is step out and say "yes." Greatness may not be fame, fortune, or prosperity. Greatness may not even be big things. But God is calling all of us to do something, and even the smallest thing done in His name and for His glory is GREAT. 

Let's go do some great things together.