Today’s Affirmation: Certainly God is with me.
Order, punctuation and tone reflect and direct so much meaning. Do we state this affirmation with an exclamation point or a question mark? Do we state this with a hint of doubt in our hearts and minds or with complete confidence? Do we ever really have 100% certainty?
This affirmation was drawn from Exodus 3:12. God is telling Moses to go to Pharaoh to ask him set His people free. God said…”Certainly I will be with you…”
God is saying this in response to Moses’ question in 3:11 “Who am I that I should go…”
It does seem easier to say “certainly you don’t mean me God” instead of “God certainly you are with me”. Why do I find it easier at times to be certain He is NOT calling me instead of certain He IS?
Like Moses, we feel so ill equipped at times or just not quite ready. Do we say who am I or do we say here I am.
Exodus 3:14 God says “I AM WHO I AM”. Tell them I AM has sent you.
Yes He has. He has sent us. Instead of us responding “Who am I?” I pray we say Here I am! I am who I am.
- Have you ever felt called to something but, like Moses, felt like “who am I” to do this?
- Like God, can we find confidence in the statement “I am who I am”?
- Are you sure that who you are is good enough and can be used by God to complete His mission?
- Are you certain God is with you? What more do you need for certainty?
Certainly God is with us when He has called us to a task. I am who I am and it is good enough because God is with me. Certainly.
Tom Raines
Christian Affirmations 4 Life
When I heard, Tom, about the church I currently pastor from my wife seeing it on the net, I liked what I heard but failed to follow through immediately. I wanted to move. Had desired to move for a couple of years. But in the back of my mind was this nagging question: can I do it? I had never been in a “new” church before and this one was less than a year old. Could I lead it? Could I make the transition from coming into older situations and take on the challenge of a newer one? “I am” incapable of it. “I AM” is more than adequate. I had to trust the latter instead of the former. Good thoughts today.
Thanks Bill, I am amazed today at how slight a difference can mean such a vast difference. What appears to be “close” is really not in the same universe . Love the I AM vs I am. I will reflect on that for a while!! Have a great day!
So true from both of you, I am struggling this week. It is time for ” i am” to turn it over to the great, “I AM.”
Thanks Patsy, I can relate and do struggle with holding on too tight to I am. As with yesterday, I am must die so the I AM can rule. Moment to moment I pray we turn it over!!
Gosh this is timely and wonderful. Ya know Tom the older I get the more focused on God I become and the less I think about me…but still, if faced with a challenge, I get weak in the knees, certain that I’ll fail. Thank you for reminding me that truly it’s in Him I put my faith.
Hi Tomraines,
We do walk in faith, and faith is ‘the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not yet seen’ the Bible says.
Sometimes we may have to test the water so to speak. If we are afraid of so called ‘failure’ we may never step out. Is anything really a failure? We will not always succeed at what we try. We may get rejected today, but maybe not tomorrow. The apostles saw that. In one town they would be beaten and harrassed and then in the next town people were more ready to hear and respond to Christ. It took a lot of courage for Paul to keep talking and proclaiming the message of the gospel .
I do think it takes a process to get us into a place where we are ready and willing to do God’s will. Once fear and aprehension subside it is alot easier. Once our pride is put under it gets easier. Once we reach the bottom it gets easier. Once our reputation is no longer an issue it gets easier. once we are ready to be fools for Christ it gets easier.
For me, this has certainly taken a long period of time and I’m not altogether sure that I have it all under control. I think what I do know is that God will help me pick myself up if I need to. I will be strengthened for the next move that I make for Him. In my experiences with Him and for Him I will learn something worthwhile. I will come out more equipped. I can’t say that I have had any real success in my attempts to minister and function in the body of Christ. But, I feel that I have matured and grown in myself. I feel more ready today than I have ever felt before to reach out and minister to others within and without the Body of Christ.
Can we ever say that we are totally adequate? I sorta feel not. I think with God it’s a moment by moment thing. When we need it is when we are more likely to get it from Him. I think about it that way with the blogging that I’m doing. If I wasn’t blogging I don’t think I would be experiencing the flow of words and thoughts that I sometimes get. I’m thinking that some of what I say when I blog has to be coming from God through his Spirit.
Have I ever made a fool of myself? Embarrased myself? You bet! Maybe more than I would have liked to. Did I grow from these experiences? I think so. I also got hurt several times. I also pulled back for a period of time. I was discouraged for a period of time. I let things go for a period of time. But I CAME BACK! No doubt through God’s grace and mercy!
Linda I so agree with so many points here. I too feel this blogging and words are a joy and so much is written by the Holy Spirit through us. Please keep writing and I am glad you are back. You can be there to support me when I feel like a fool. Love your line above of being a fool for Christ. No fear except in Him. Keep in touch and keep writing!