Ektenos: Can you live without an identity?

Ektenos Story: Part 4

A Christian Yoga Instructor?

NO

Absolutely NOT.

Yogis are weird!

Christians hate yoga!

My husband is an elder!

These thoughts were all flying around my head when God led me to a Christian yoga instructor training course. Not only had I lost my professional identity, I was about to become something less than my mind could comprehend. God was breaking down the next door of my identity: pride.

I was proud of my accomplishments, my degrees, and my success. I wore them like a badge of honor and God was about to strip them all away. I still cared what other people thought of me over what God thought. Opinions mattered too much and I often would brag and boast about what I had done.

Twice in the Bible, God says:

“Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time”

I Peter 5:5-6 and James 4:6-7

Pride is my continual nemesis; it creeps up on me when I least expect it. Can you relate, my friend?

Where does pride come into your life? Pride is so sneaky it takes

something beautiful and turns it into a competition. Think about describing what your kids are doing. Are you sharing out of pure joy or a sense that they are accomplishing something and meeting your expectations of a successful child. What if you were just as excited when they did something wrong and we're learning from it? Do you share failures with equal measure of success?

“For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

1 John 2:16-18

Every sin is born in a heart of pride that says, “I’m going to do things my way instead of God’s way. I’m not going to submit to God. I’m going to be like God, like I know good and evil,” it’s Genesis 3 and it’s every single time we sin.

Is pride driving you to your identity? Can you live without it? Can you lay down the mantle of your accomplishments, goals and dreams and still know that you are enough because you are deeply loved by the Father? Can you do things that are “beneath you” because God asks you to do it? Guess what happens when you do?

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”. John 10:10

The thief is coming to rob your true identity in Christ. He shares lies and gets you to believe you need to accomplish more, be more, do more and exhaust yourself. You will have a lot of worldy success and be left empty. Humility is the true answer, running hard after God is the right decision and leaving the worldly identity behind is the abundant life that God wants for you.

Make a list of your "identities" and ask Jesus which ones should stay and which should go. Be prepared to be move if He tells you too.

Live without an identity and see what happens!

Ektenos: Stretch

Heart - Soul - Mind - Strength

We live in the now and the not yet!

In Christ,

Sandi