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Have you ever been asked "Who are you?" Not just what your name is or what school you go to, but who you really are and what you see yourself as? I was asked this recently by one of my favorite preachers, Joyce Myer. I have always been a fan of what she believes and speaks about as I feel that she always teaches and inspires me to get closer to God. Unfortunately, the society we live in today revolves around the idea of what we are not and attempts to give us steps to try and be that ideal person that we wish we were. When I see a picture and wish to be more like someone I am not, I am letting the devil win. As someone who is guilty of this, a simple question becomes more complex and challenges me to think in a deeper way. I know that I am a dependable, responsible, hard-working, & social, yet I find myself thinking about what I am not. I have learned that the more time I spend thinking about who I wish I was, I minimize the qualities that I know I am. I challenged myself and I challenge you to write down 5 things you are. The devil hates when we love ourselves and he especially hates when we write it on paper to remind ourselves daily. I know that the devil does not deserve my thoughts of what I am not because God chose me for who He knows I am. This very idea helps me realize that when I latch onto the good in me, there is no room for the devil to distract or trap me in what I am not. Through God's word, I am reminded that there is more good in all of us than bad and all it takes is a change of thought to realize that.

Personally, I consider myself a people pleaser and do things that I know will make others happy. This habit and idea I have created has caused me to think and do things that I am not. When you choose to spend time focusing on the things that you aren't to make someone else happy, you create a habit of performing things with no passion or joy. Strengthen the strengths you know you have. Instead of living up to others expectations of what they think is right, focus on what you love and be happy with it.

Think of yourself as a tree. When you take care of your roots with water and food, you will see a strong trunk, branches, and beautiful fruit. We are all like a tree in that we need to be fed positive energy to produce strong branches as well as feel confident in who we are in order to produce beautiful fruit. Do you want to be a weak tree with broken branches and no fruit because you choose to let society define who you are? Or a tree with strong roots with fruit that is bruised or rotten because of the way you portray yourself? A tree that is rooted in Christ is guaranteed to have strong branches and fruit that show Jesus. Who you are is a daily choice. It is a conscience effort every morning to root yourself in who Christ knows you are. The devil doesn't deserve to win and the stronger you get the smaller he becomes. A confident and God filled man or woman is dangerous and unstoppable. Today, I challenge you to ask yourself, "Who am I" and how can I grow stronger in Christ.