The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 18:2
As I was thumbing through my Bible the other day to find the scripture that went along with my devotional reading, I began to take notice of all the different items that I have tucked inside the pages throughout. There are torn portions of various church bulletins that I have jotted down notes on, pages from Our Daily Bread that are memorials to a special day, specific bookmarks that represent an event, and a cough drop wrapper that even years later still serves as a reminder to pray. Among the many other treasures are three scratch papers overflowing with what I call my Identity List.
Several years ago in a desperate cry for help, God began to flood my rough and rugged pathway with a steady stream of Light. This Light allowed me to take one step at a time, secure of His presence in my life. In my world of extreme uncertainty and heartache, I found Strength, Protection, Hope, Peace, … I found Jesus.
I started to make notes of scriptures that became my Identity List …
Jesus is my Strength and my Shield
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
Psalm 28:7
Jesus is my Trust
Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust.
Psalm 40:4
Jesus is my Refuge and my Strength … and Help
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1
Jesus is my Strength and my Song … and my Salvation
The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
Exodus 15:2
Jesus is my Lamp
You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light.
2 Samuel 22:29
Jesus is my Maker and my Husband
For your Maker is your husband–the LORD Almighty is his name.
Isaiah 54:5
Jesus is my Glue
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:17
Jesus is my Confidence
For the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.
Proverbs 3:26
Jesus is my Light
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you:
God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
I John 1:5
Jesus is my Anchor
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
Hebrews 6:19
This is just a small sampling of close to 75 scribbled hand written notes and scriptures that claim my identity with Jesus. When circumstances of life toss me around and I feel alone, helpless, and weak, I often open up my Bible to find these scraps of paper for a reminder of my Real Identity.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:25-26
Won’t you join me in taking Jesus off the note paper and truly allowing Him to be our Identity?
Until next time,
Debbie
I will, I do, I just said to someone else in an earlier email, “The main desire of my heart & goal of my life is to hear these words from Jesus, ‘Well done thou good & faithful servant……enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” That is my definition of success.
Hugs to you & Tim
Jerry
beautiful, debbie! just what i needed to hear!