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Jesus first, everything else follows.

Seek the Kingdom, all will be added.

Where do you anchor your identity?

What's comes first and foremost? Is your existence anchored in eternity or tied here in transitory times and seasons?

Fixing your hope to fleeting things will leave you at the will of the waves. Circumstances come crashing in, relationships falter, situations switch and suddenly your securities are awash with uncertainty.

Yet there is an anchor for the soul that never fails.

“This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us.” (Hebrews 6:19–20 NLT)

Attach your outer existence, every part of it, to a sure place inside God’s sanctuary.

Here behind the curtain, the winds do not blow, the waves do not crash, the world does not change.

He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Practice must be attached to prayer.

Identity connected to eternity.

Many people fail to appreciate the importance of this statement.

Do you?

You hear God’s voice, but brush it away with the words,

“It’s probably just me.”

The idea for a book you should write bubbles up in your spirit, but you think,

“Why would anyone want to read that, after all it’s just me”

God dumps a dream in your heart with His Heavenly Mack truck but your mind cowers like Moses,

“It’s just me, Lord, I can’t speak”

Gideon too suffered “just me” syndrome.

“Who am I?” he asked, and proceeded to answer, “the least among the least – just little ole’ me.”

Even Esther said, “It’s just me and I have not been called” before stepping to the plate.

Dear friend, get a God perspective.

God saw in stuttering Moses the deliverer of His people.

In Gideon, a great and mighty warrior.

When you say “just me” what does He see?

His workmanship, created in Christ for good works prepared before the foundation of the world.

More than a conqueror, the image of His Son.

A water-walking, faith-talking, devil-slaying OG!

“Just me” is a formidable force.

A mighty man or woman of valour.

Let’s get perspective and agree with the Father.

Step up, step out, and fearlessly find your voice.

Each morning I listen for a word.

Today the word is “grounded”.

Miles Olsen defines being “grounded” clearly and powerfully:

“…to be deeply, fully present. Someone who is grounded is truly here in this moment. They are not preoccupied, distant, split off from themselves and what is here right now due to fear, insecurity, or whatever mental or emotional chatter might carry them away from the present.”

That’s deep, but I want to draw the idea to the surface.

What practices ground you?

The hubbub and hurry of 21st Century society doesn’t lend itself well to a sense of presence. We have to practice, and find practices, that ground us.

This daily write is one of my grounding practices.

I get still, listen to my heart, and let my head follow to see what the day has to say.

What started as a way to hone my communication and writing skills has become a daily ritual that ministers to my soul. Even if no one else reads the words, their value lands with me. The process of crystallising my experience into words keeps me aware that this (and every) moment is one to savour.

Treasures within

Friend, you have treasures within you.

Songs to sing, pictures to paint, books to write, poems to recite, truths to declare, experiences to share.

Don’t wait and don’t worry.

Let your creativity flow and connect with the Creator within.

Even if to an audience of One.

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love.” (Ephesians 3:17 KJV)

Tell me

What practices ground you in the moment? Connect you to the life of Christ within you?

What routines and rituals could you establish that will help you remember every day who you really are?

It’s scary to do new things.

Sometimes it’s scary to continue.

The unknown and the unfamiliar disguise themselves in garb far more menacing than the puppetmaster behind the veil. Classic wizard of Oz.

When fear looms, and your heart frets, find your courage.

God is not only the One who was.

He is and will be.

What will He be?

Whatever you need!

“Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our God: and let the LORD do that which is good in his sight.” (1 Chronicles 19:13 KJV)

Satan draws lines on the ground, growling fantasies of failure if you dare take another step in the direction of your dreams.

Let me remind you today where that old snake ends up when you make your move.

“And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.” (Romans 16:20 NKJV)

Amen.

You know, it’s pretty wild when you think about it.

Massive elephants, strong enough to uproot trees, get held back by a tiny rope.

When they’re little, they’re chained up with something they can’t possibly break. They try and try, but no dice. Eventually, they just give up. Fast forward to when they’re grown – someone swaps that chain for a flimsy rope, but the elephant doesn’t even try to escape.

In its mind, if it couldn’t break free as a baby, it sure can’t now.

Psychologically, this is called learned helplessness.

Conditioning, rather than physical restraint, keeps adult elephants from escaping.

Circling the Stake

Why am I sharing this?

Something happened this week that triggered my thinking.

I found my mind circling negative thoughts and accusatory presumptions.

Round and round and round and… yep, round and…

Like that elephant tied to a tiny stake in the ground.

So I figured, since this is futile thinking, I need to follow the rope.

It’s no good tugging at the string, you have to pull up the stake.

I knew that somewhere in the past the enemy must have driven a stake into my thinking and tied me to a false identity in a certain arena.

Identity Stakes

See, in life, satan seeks to drive stakes in our thinking that tie us to diminished thoughts about who we are. Often through traumatic experiences and words of diminishment.

We tie our sense of identity to these stakes.

Stakes of rejection, shame, misrepresentation, humiliation, fear… his wicked stake bag is not lacking.

“You’re not good”

“You’ll never be anything”

“You always fail”

“You’re dirty”

“You’re worthless”

“You’re an imbecile”

By nature, they puncture the surface, fix themselves, and the pain of the lie leaves us sensitive and defensive.

In later life, events trigger amplified feelings that prod those sore points. Instead of just a word spoken, or a thoughtless action, a minor infringement feels like a direct attack on your identity.

Follow the rope

When you’re circling those stakes, following the rope leads to the place they were originally driven in.

Anger and indignation often lead back to rejection.

Guilt and self-abuse often lead back to shame.

Follow the rope.

Pull up the stake.

The term “stake in the ground” is a phrase popularized after the Civil War. Stakes were used to mark the boundaries of homesteads.

The phrase “to pull up stakes” means to move on.

It’s time to move on. You have a new home, a new identity.

Secure your heart and mind to the glorious truths of who you are in Christ.

Initially, it might feel futile, but God’s Word has the answer and no lie of the devil can ultimately stand against its power. Truth trumps a lie every time. Pound these truths into your thinking as you would a stake into hard ground. Drive them deep, child of God.

Download this free booklet and drive deep your new Identity Stakes.