Is there a way I can speak of the Lord’s faithfulness throughout my life to someone I meet today? Lord, may I be sensitive to the opportunities I may have with people I meet today. (Lectio, May 27, 26) Are you struggling to do your part in God’s unfolding story?
We long to play our part in God’s unfolding story—but how can we step into that calling if we do not truly know who we are? So many of us have allowed others to define us. Our identity became shaped by labels spoken over us—some careless, some wounding, some simply untrue. We learned to live as the version of ourselves others expected, not the person Christ redeemed.
Yet in Christ, we put on our true name. A name rooted not in brokenness, but in belovedness. A name spoken by the One who formed us, called us, and set His Spirit within us.
Today is the day to lay down every false label, which are the things that are the opposite of what He says we are.
God said we are special, chosen, lovely and unique, we are strong, courageous, smart, kind, compassionate, trustworthy, giving, dedicated, loving and have self control.
Today we release the labels/identities that were never ours to carry and to step into the truth of who Christ says we are.
Image by ChatGPT
Romans 12:2 instructs us not to conform to the pattern of the world. What patterns was Paul telling us not to confirm to? The patterns are the labels placed upon us. Paul said to transform through the renewing of your mind so that we will no longer be captives of the false narrative.
We can find comfort in transforming from who we thought we were to who we truly are because God’s truth empowers us, it sets us free, and is anchored in His unconditional love.
When we begin to walk in the identity God gave us before our birth, we become strengthened to take our rightful place in His unfolding story. Shame loses its grip. Fear loosens its hold. And we find the courage to share our lives—and our faith—with others. Once we are no longer held captive by our false narrative, hiding from who we are, we can speak openly of who Christ is within us. With confidence, humility, and joy, we step into the role God has written for us in His great and beautiful story.
Today is the last day of 2025. Where do we go from here? Typically, we rehash the year, with little thought to what aspects of ourselves we should leave behind and what we should carry forward. We get caught up in New Year resolutions, which do not focus on how we intend to become a more mature Christian, one who surrenders and intentionally becomes more obedient, leaving the old person behind and redefining who we are in Christ. The main focus is not just to review the past year, but to intentionally decide which aspects of ourselves to leave behind and which to strengthen, especially in our spiritual walk as Christians. The emphasis is on becoming more mature in faith, surrendering old habits, and redefining ourselves in Christ.
Relinquishing Self: The Word or the World
The world feels like the Stranger Things series – we are lodged in the upside-down place, which is in opposition to the Word of God. Our upside-down world is a world that opposes the Word of God. Chaos reigns, and our leaders are deciphering the Word to support their world of greed and influence. It feels as if we cannot stop the onslaught of destruction; that is exactly what Satan wants us to believe. He not only wants to dim the light, but He wants us to think that darkness is our preferred choice. This is one of the most deceptive lies that darkness cannot be extinguished. We are to live according to biblical principles rather than worldly values. John 1:5 NLT unveils the truth: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
As active Christians, we can stop the dimming. We can stand up to the evil around us. It requires that we commit ourselves to the Word differently than we have in the past. Our New Year’s resolution is not about losing weight, exercising more regularly, or sleeping undisturbed for eight hours. It is about reading the Bible, staying in the Word, and checking daily to ensure we are following the Word, not the world. It means we must put on all the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) every day. We must be aligned with the sword of the Spirit and be ready to wield it as needed. Francis Frangipane (The Power of Covenant Prayer) reminds us that “His Word is the eternal sword we raise against wickedness.” We must become a house of prayer and act according to the Word. It means we must pray throughout the day and night. It does not require lengthy prayer but simple, continuous communication with our Lord. We must also seek to help others in greater ways than donating money. It means we must care for the elderly, poor, sick, widows, and children.
Becoming Warriors through Renewed Strength
Life as a Christian is a responsibility. We are responsible for what goes on in the world. God has given us the titles of ambassadors, disciples, and teachers. These are active roles; no one possessing these titles sits and pontificates about the challenges that lie ahead. The positions require action.
What should we do as Christians? There are so many things going on in the world, do we succumb to the chaos of the day and by doing so contribute to the darkness it is producing, or do we spread the light through the world through the Word of God, expressed through our actions, intentions, and deeds?
Looking forward to the intentions of an actively committed Christian requires some thought. I’m certain there are parts of you that you would like to leave behind and parts that you would like to continue to develop.
An easy way to keep track of your transition is to make a chart and list the parts of your character that you wish to eliminate, leave behind, and those elements you wish to strengthen to deepen your faith. This will become a daily reference point to ensure that you are leaving the old you behind and actively developing the new.
Chart This
Things I want to leave behind …
Things I want to strengthen…
…a haughty heart.
Learn to maintain a humble heart before the Lord.
…focusing on self and the things of this world.
Focus on the Word and how it applies to daily living.
Action Items for Closing Out 2025
1. Reflect and Chart Your Growth
Make a chart with two columns: “Things I want to leave behind” and “Things I want to strengthen.” Use this as a daily reference to track your spiritual growth and personal development.
2. Prioritize Spiritual Commitment
Focus your New Year’s resolutions on deepening your faith, not just on typical goals like fitness or sleep. Commit to becoming a more mature Christian by intentionally leaving behind old habits and embracing new ones.
3. Stay Rooted in the Word
Read the Bible regularly and ensure your actions align with its teachings. Make daily checks to confirm you are following the Word, not the world.
4. Equip Yourself Spiritually
Put on the “armor of God” every day. Be ready to use the “sword of the Spirit”—the Word of God—to stand against negativity and evil.
5. Maintain Continuous Prayer
Pray throughout the day and night. Focus on simple, ongoing communication with God rather than lengthy prayers.
6. Serve Others Actively
Go beyond financial donations. Actively care for the elderly, poor, sick, widows, and children in your community.
7. Accept Responsibility
Recognize your role as an ambassador, disciple, and teacher. Take active steps to address challenges and spread light through your actions, intentions, and deeds.
8. Relinquish Self
Identify parts of yourself to leave behind and areas to develop further. Use your chart as a daily tool for self-assessment and growth.
Shema: Hear and Obey Devotional, Day Four Devotional, YouVersion App
I awoke this morning, and when I opened my YouVersion App, this is what appeared. Shema: Hear and Obey, day four devotional.
Luke 12:32 may be one of the most breathtaking verses in all of scripture. Jesus looks at His followers—fragile, fearful, unsure—and says, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”God doesn’t just allow us into His Kingdom—He delights to entrust it to us. The phrase “good pleasure” carries the weight of resolve. This isn’t a reluctant gesture. It’s a determined one.
So why do so few of us live like heirs? We’ve confused our kingdoms with His. We chase influence, clarity, and comfort—mistaking them for Kingdom. But Romans 14:17 tells us the Kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. These aren’t casual, manufactured virtues—they are costly, Spirit-wrought realities shaped in surrendered lives.
Trust roots us in Kingdom life, though it rarely grows in certainty. Many know the promises but miss the Person behind them. We crave plans and answers, but obedience rarely provides that kind of certainty. It often feels like walking blindfolded. That tension isn’t a flaw—it’s part of the formation process. God isn’t making us comfortable. He’s making us new. Ephesians 4 says the life He leads us into means a new mind and new self.
This is the battleground of real faith. John Kavanaugh, a Catholic priest and ethicist, once traveled to Calcutta to work with Mother Teresa, hoping to gain perspective on where his life with God was headed. When he asked her to pray for him, she replied, “What do you want me to pray for?” “Clarity,” he said. “No,” she answered. “Clarity is the last thing you’re clinging to—and you must let go of it.” When he asked why, she smiled and said, “I’ve never had clarity. What I’ve always had is trust. So, I will pray that you trust God.”
Mother Theresa’s message is that trust is more important than certainty, and that God is forming us through faith, not comfort. Christians are encouraged to let go of the need for charity and instead trust God’s guidance.
Scripture tells us, “The eyes of the Lord run throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is fully His”(2 Chronicles 16:9). He’s not scanning for perfection. He is looking for a Shema *heart. One that is soft enough to listen, brave enough to obey. When He finds it, something happens…
He moves. And the Kingdom moves with Him.
In closing, I wish you well, knowing that the Kingdom belongs to all of us. Strengthening our Christian resolve to become more like Christ, to hold back the darkness and spread God’s love, is not just our resolution for 2026, but our resolution that grows stronger until we reach life eternal.
Romans 14:17 NLT ensures us that living a life of goodness and peace and joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit: For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness, and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Shema is a Hebrew word meaning here and listen, and it refers to Judaism’s most central prayer, ‘O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One’ (Deuteronomy 6: 2). More than just hearing, the Shema implies deep understanding, heeding, and active obedience to God. Hearing and listening in the literal sense are deeper than just hearing and listening. It means hearkening and internalizing. Fundamentally, it is truly hearing God’s voice in His commands, encompassing love, teaching, and remembrance. The Shema is a powerful call to holistic devotion. Uniting, hearing, understanding, and acting in loving and serving our God. (AI Overview)
This is the season to internalize the church that is in you because the Holy Spirit resides in you. Daily prayer and communication with God, the direction of the Holy Spirit, whose voice becomes more recognizable as you study, pray, and listen will lead to the gift of the Kingdom in you will be a prevailer of light that cannot be quenched by darkness, rather you serve to break up the darkness and usher in the light of God that replaces wickedness.
In closing, consider leaving behind your haughty heart, focusing on self and worldly things. And, strengthening and maintaining a humble heart before the Lord, focusing on the Word and its daily application.
“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” ~2 Peter 3:18, ESV
Focus on the PEACE Christ provides and not the chaos of the day. One empowers and the other steals your strength.
Stolen strength feeds evil. Evil seems to be emboldened days. If we all take back our strength and abide in the peace of Christ, following his laws, we can overcome the evil of the day. We are all part of one body, let us focus on the peace of Christ.
During my nightly meditation, I reflected on peace—what it is and how to experience it—and God clarified this for me.
Whenever you do any of the following and trust in God’s Word—not simply say them but believe them—you will be at peace.
When you forgive, you are at peace.
When you give from your heart, you are at peace.
When you look at you day with no regrets of what could have been or what you lost, you are at peace.
When your prognosis is not what you wanted and you give the condition to God, no holding back, you are at peace.
When you wake up in the morning and praise God for another day, you are at peace.
When you listen to the news and rebuke the chaos, relying on God instead of succumbing to evil, you are at peace.
Prayers about peace.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Job 22:21 Agree with God and be at peace; thereby good will come to you.
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Jude 1:2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Connectusfund.org. 50 Inspiring Bible Scriptures on Peace
Our morning devotional is written to lighten your concerns, anxiety, and fears.
The Amplified Version of Aaron’s Benediction reads:
“¶The Lord bless you, and keep you [protect you, sustain you, and guard you]; ¶The Lord make His face shine upon you [with favor], And be gracious to you [surrounding you with lovingkindness]; ¶The Lord lift up His countenance (face) upon you [with divine approval], And give you peace [a tranquil heart and life].’”
Numbers 6:24-26 AMP
As long as we belong to God, our Father, we can survive any challenges that lie before us. We reside in His refuge, and He gives us peace in whatever storm tries to overwhelm us.
He protects us, sustains us, and gives us new mercies every morning. He gives us divine approval and peace greater than any peace we can expect or imagine.
This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice in our hearts and not be dismayed by the trappings of this world. Though chaos surrounds us, it cannot influence who we are in Christ.
The Lord promises to be with us when we are broken-hearted. He may not remove the circumstances, there are lessons in all aspects of life, just as there are consequences to some of the circumstances we experience.
The upside is – we can rest in knowing He will help us navigate the path as we walk through it. He will remain close and show us a way through, a way of escape, and we will continue down the path of righteousness.
The Lord is with us in the best of times and the worst of times. He will never leave us or forsakes us. There is comfort in knowing He is always with you.
Lisa’s Daily Inspirations 