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The Person in the Mirror: Becoming Who God Sees · HAVE FAITH LET IT BEGIN®

• 0:22
  You guys are out of control. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to this special
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  edition of In-House Half-Faith, Let It Begin. We are hoping that you're enjoying
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  your series and your week with us.
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  This is a Wednesday episode, and we are continuing the series,
• 0:37
  Becoming, episode two, The Person in the Mirror.
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  Again, my name is Angel Santana. This is Half-Faith, Let It Begin,
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  and we are Registered Trademark Podcast, and we want to thank you for making
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  that happen together with us.
• 0:52
  You know, yesterday we began our series, Becoming, the person God always knew I could be.
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  We talked about how God often sees our potential long before we do.
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  Today, we ask you a question.
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  When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
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  Not physically, not spiritually, not emotionally, not mentally, who do you see?
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  Do you see someone blessed or someone broken,
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  do you see someone capable or someone who consistently feels inadequate do you
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  see someone loved by god or someone still carrying labels from years ago today
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  we're talking about the person in the mirror.
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  I think one of the greatest struggles we face is not seeing ourselves the way God sees us.
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  Instead, we see ourselves through the eyes of our past, through our mistakes,
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  through our failures, through our disappointments, and sometimes through our,
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  well, through the opinions of other people.
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  You ever notice how one negative comment can stay with you for years?
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  Hmm, someone tells you that you're not good enough, You're not smart enough.
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  You're not talented enough.
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  And even after they've forgotten what they said, you're still carrying it.
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  I know I carried labels. Labels that told me that, well, what I couldn't do.
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  Labels that told me who I couldn't become.
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  Labels that whispered I wasn't qualified.
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  For a long time, I believed them.
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  The problem with labels is that if you're not careful, they become your identity,
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  you stop saying i made a mistake i start saying i make mistakes,
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  you stop saying i failed and then you start saying i'm a failure,
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  those are two very very different things because what you do is not what who
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  you are your worst moment is not your identity.
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  I think about that for a second. I didn't go blank. I just had to think about
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  that. Your worst moment is not your identity.
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  Your biggest mistake is not your identity. Your past is not your identity.
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  God has never looked at you and said, that's all you'll ever be. No, never. Not once.
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  When I look back at my life, I realized there were years when I didn't believe
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  in myself. Years when I questioned whether I could really make a difference.
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  Years when I thought ministry was something other people did.
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  Years when I thought leadership belonged to someone else. Years when I thought my story was too messy.
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  My past was too complicated. My mistakes were too long, too big.
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  And yet, here I am hosting a podcast.
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  I'm attending pastoral school, sharing God's words with you,
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  encouraging people all over the world.
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  Not because I'm special. My mother says I am though, but because God refuses
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  to let my past define my future.
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  One of my favorite stories in the Bible is Gideon. When God called Gideon a
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  mighty warrior, Gideon couldn't believe it.
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  Why? Because Gideon wasn't seeing himself the way God saw him.
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  God saw potential. Gideon saw insecurity.
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  God saw a purpose. Gideon saw weakness. And I wonder how many of us are doing the same thing today.
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  God is calling us forward, but we're still looking backwards.
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  God is speaking purpose, but we're still listening to old labels.
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  Maybe it's time to stop arguing.
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  Maybe it's stopped. Yeah, maybe we should stop arguing. That's a good one.
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  Maybe we should stop arguing with God about who he says you are.
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  Maybe it's time to believe in him. How about that? Today, I'm gonna give you a challenge.
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  I want you to do something for me, for yourself. Today, the next time you look
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  in the mirror, stop focusing on what's wrong.
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  Stop focusing on what you wish you could change. Instead, ask yourself,
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  what does God see when he looks at me?
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  Because I promise you, he sees more than your mistakes. He sees more than your
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  fears. He sees more than your doubts.
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  He sees a child. He sees purpose. He sees possibilities.
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  He sees someone still be coming.
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  So I close with this. The person in the mirror may not be perfect,
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  but neither were Moses, David, Peter, Paul, and God used them anyway.
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  So stop measuring yourself by who you used to be and start thinking about what
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  God is doing for you and start thinking about God for who you're becoming.
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  What do you want to be? Let's pray. Heavenly Father, help us to see ourselves through your eyes.
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  Remove the labels that do not belong to us and replace them with the truth of
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  who you say we are. Help us walk confidently.
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  Help us walk confidently in our purpose and trust that you are still shaping us every day.
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  We pray this unto you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Tomorrow,
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  we're going to talk about the doors.
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  Yeah, I think I'm going to label it the doors. The doors I almost didn't walk
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  through. How about that?
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  Oh, and trust me, this one might change the way you look at fear forever.
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  So until then, God loves you. God believes in you. God trusts you,
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  and he's never going to leave your side.
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  And never forget to have faith. Let it begin.