As moms, it is important to us that our children grasp the truth of who they are in Christ. We know they were created by a loving God who carefully chose their gifts, talents, and abilities because He has a plan and purpose for their lives. But they also have an enemy, and his goal is to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10) everything good about them so they don’t accomplish the purpose for which they were created.
One of the most effective ways he has discovered to sabotage their future, is by attacking their identity and making them feel unworthy of the purpose and destiny God placed upon their lives.
Do you know how I know this? Because I have experienced this unfair battle first hand since I was a little girl and I’m sure you have as well. It would be naive to think that our children are somehow exempt from experiencing the same attacks. I had no idea I was a part of a spiritual battle until I was an adult. But awareness is a powerful thing! And our children can have the advantage of awareness from an early age.
One of the best ways to help our children in this area is by modeling what embracing our identity in Christ looks like. If our children hear negative self-talk, self-condemnation, and harsh self-criticism come out of our mouths, guess what they will learn to say about themselves? Even if we are constantly affirming them and telling them how wonderful we think they are, they will default to treat themselves the way they see we treat ourselves.
The words that come out of our mouths stem from what we really believe about ourselves. Luke 6:45 says: “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
I have come a long way in terms of what I say about myself aloud, but I still battle thoughts about myself that stem from beliefs that don’t lineup with God’s truth. Romans 12:2 encourages us to “be transformed by the renewing of our mind.” One way we can do this is by believing and declaring by faith that we are who God says we are in Christ Jesus. Because of Him we have infinite worth and value! May you embrace your position and identity as a child of God today and always!
Your turn!
- Identify the specific areas in which you or your kids use negative self-talk.
- Look up verses that speak the truth to those specific areas.
- Print the verses and place them where you can see them as a reminder of what’s true about you and/or your children.
- Read and repeat them as often as you can to get God’s word in your heart.
- Memorizing the verses will be a powerful weapon to destroy wrong thinking about your identity.
