To Be Known

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.” Psalm 139:1

What comfort it brings my soul to realize that I am known. The Lord knows me. He knows every intricate detail about me, things I don’t even know about myself. Be assured that the Lord knows you too!

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:14-15

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27

In my heart of hearts I can honestly say I am one of His sheep. Knowing this, allows me to lean on the assurance found in these two verses in John chapter 10, that Christ knows me! That word “know” used in both of these verses is the same Greek word (ginosko), meaning to know through personal first hand experience. Christ is saying that He knows His sheep in a very personal first hand, face to face kind of way. He is not saying that He knows us from afar. So often I think of Christ that way, that He loves me from a distance. But that is not what this is saying here. He knows me, up close and personal in a face to face, hand in hand, heart to heart, an intimate relationship kind of way. What a comfort!

“But whoever loves God is known by God.” 1 Corinthians 8:3

And again, that’s me. I love God! So, therefore I can be assured that I am known by God. As in the last two verses, it is the same Greek word "ginosko". I am known in an up close and personal way. In a way that requires a first hand relationship. 

“But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” Galatians 4:9

Paul is correcting the church in Galatia for not keeping themselves free from the things in their old nature. Since I know God and He knows me (as Paul says here) I should desire to keep myself walking in righteousness. However, just like the Galatians, I too find myself “turning back” when I should be fixing my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:2 ASV). I find myself “enslaved” when I should be walking in freedom. Because whom the son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36). Paul also uses that same Greek word here we have been talking about for the word known. 

I am known by Christ. Not in some small, superficial, surfacey kind of way. No, God knows me in a face to face, hand in hand, heart to heart, deep and intimate kind of way. In a way that I don’t even know myself, but I can trust that the one who created me and knows every minute detail about me will slowly but surely reveal to me just how fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) I really am. I thank God for the journey. Sometimes I wish He was quick to reveal His secret truths to my heart, but I somehow have a feeling that if He poured them out all at once instead of one by one, I would not be able to hold them all and most of them would fall through the cracks of my forgetfulness. So, in His amazing graciousness He slowly and methodically reveals one truth at a time so that each truth becomes part of my identity and I will no longer question who I am, but will rest in who's I am! 

Call to action
Let’s write these verses on the walls of our hearts so that we can rehearse them in our moments of doubt. May we learn to rest in the assurance that our Heavenly Father knows each one of us so intimately and completely. Let’s take some time each day this week to rehearse Psalm 139:1, John 10:14-15 and John 10:27. May the Lord reveal to our hearts how intimately, passionately and deeply He knows each one of us this week.

For more encouragement read: You Are Royalty, Masterpiece (Part 2), You Have Purpose, Love Series

Heavenly Father, I thank you that you know us. Thank you for knowing us on the deepest level possible. Thank you for not being afraid of the secrets we keep hidden and locked away in the inmost parts of our hearts where no person could ever possibly visit if they tried. But you’ve been there and seen every hurt and scar and you’re not surprised by any of it. Thank you for knowing each one of us face to face and heart to heart. We pray that you help us to believe you when you tell us that you know us. Help us to write these verses on the walls of our hearts so that they can become part of our identity. We pray all these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Identity Crisis?

Knowing who you are and how you are wired is a pretty substantial thing in life to know and understand about yourself. But what happens when you feel like everything you have always understood about your identity seems like it is taking a paradigm shift? What if you feel like your identity is no longer clear? What if you feel like you are going through an identity crisis?

This was me, questioning who I was, where I fit into life and how I was supposed to be a thriving member of society anymore. Let’s back up and understand how I came to this dangerous mindset. As you may or may not know, my family has been called to the mission field of Liberia, West Africa. Our lives had always been pretty routine and predictable. We owned our own home and honestly, it was a little piece of heaven on earth. We had bought our house knowing that we would be leaving it one day, and eight years later the Lord called us to sell everything and leave. Without hesitation we did. In this monumental act of obedience, I later came to realize that I had inadvertently wrapped up my identity in my routine, predictable and my comfortable lifestyle. So, when we left everything behind I unknowingly left behind my identity as well. I had mistakenly thought that when God called us to the mission field I had to leave not only the material life behind but also everything I had become up to that point. This thinking had started me on a slippery slope of questioning who I was and how I fit into the calling God had for our family. Please know that I never once questioned the call, I questioned how I fit into the call because I had left my identity behind. In other words, I assumed that because we were entering a new phase of our spiritual walk that I would no longer function in the same manner in which I had before. 

I praise God for His grace and mercy to bring me to a place of understanding in this area. You see, God never called me to leave behind my identity of being a wife, a mom, a spiritual disciple of my children, the educator of our kids (aka homeschooling) or any of those things. God as simply called me to add to it. When God calls us into new realms he doesn’t ask us to abandon who we are. In fact, that is the very thing He desires for us to take with us. God has shaped our identity in a special way so that as we are called out into moments of ministry that our uniquely shaped identity shines through to bring honor and glory to His name. Upon reaching this understanding it brought my heart such peace and clarity. So, was I going through an identity crisis? No, I had simply misunderstood God’s intentions for my uniquely designed identity. I had mistakenly assumed that He wanted me to leave behind my identity instead of adding to it. This is such liberty to my spirit because it allows room for growth, room for further stepping out, room for more doors to open up and room for more callings to come. I don’t have to become anyone else. All I need to do is grow in the person God has created me to be!

If you are struggling with your identity in Christ, know that you are not alone. But also know that He has uniquely wired you to do things that are specifically designed for you to do in the kingdom. Take comfort in knowing Jeremiah 29:11.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

For more reading on your identity check out the following posts: Who Am I?, You Are A Masterpiece, You Are A Masterpiece (Part 2), A Mother’s Commission

Father, I thank you for uniquely creating each one of us for plans and purposes you already have mapped out for us. Help us to know who we are in Christ and have full confidence in that identity. In the moments of our questioning help us to see things through your eyes. Direct us where to go in your word and to the right people in order to get the encouragement we need to search out our identity. Thank you for having a special place for us in the kingdom. We pray in the precious name of Jesus Christ.

You Are Royalty

Did you know that you are a daughter of royalty! If you can honestly say you are a child of the most high God, who sits on the throne, then you are unmistakably royalty!


"Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" John 1:12

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!..." 1 John 3:1



These two verses tell us that we are his children and that he lavishes his love upon us!
What a precious thing to think about, that we are daughters who are lavished in love by our Father! I can't hardly wrap my mind around the depths of God's love, sometimes His love simply overwhelms me.

Now that we have established that we are daughters, let's establish how that makes us royalty.  

"For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise." Psalm 47:7

"I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever." 
Psalm 145:1

As we can see God is the King and since we are his children this means we are royalty! Wow! I want you to soak in that for just a moment. Think about what that means for you. The next time you go to the mirror I want you to say to yourself "I am a daughter of royalty, I am royal!" Such a beautiful concept to think about. I had mentioned in an earlier post that God sees you beautiful and this is yet another reason why He sees you so beautiful. You are His daughter, His royal daughter!

I also want you to think about the responsibility that comes along with being royalty. Bear with me a moment as I explain some things here.

"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory..." 2 Corinthians 3:18

"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors..." 2 Corinthians 5:20

 "You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not in ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." 2 Corinthians 3:3

All of these things that I have underlined are responsibilities that we have in the kingdom. If I think about in the natural royal family in England and other countries some things immediately come to my mind. Royalty can not be mistaken for a commoner, or for a criminal on the street. They are distinguishable. They are marked, just as you and I are marked. We are marked to reflect the Lord's glory. We are marked to be Christ's ambassadors. We are marked to be a letter from Christ to the world. Royalty is unmistakable. We are not born into the kingdom of God just so we can blend into the world. We were established in God's kingdom to stand out, just like royalty. When we think of natural royalty, no one else can do their job. They were born for that purpose.  God created you; you were born into royalty for a specific purpose. No one else can do what God created you to do. 

As I pray for you this week, I pray that you are able to look in the mirror and call yourself royal! I pray that God continues to establish in your heart just how beautiful you really are to Him. I pray that you will embrace the responsibilities of royalty and show the world who God is by how you walk out your daily walk with Christ! Remember this week, YOU ARE ROYAL!