Back in Christmas 2008, my wife and family and I, along with many extended family members, had congregated at my mother's house for the season's festivities.
My dear mother of Afro-Caribbean decent is an unusual woman as women go; I won't get into that fully here, but a distinctive of her character is the fact that she has a very magnanimous heart, and on this particular Christmas she had bumped into a couple of slightly dodgy looking lads from a local care home, and had decided to invite them to join us to share our Christmas dinner.
The day went uneventfully, but a bit of my dear mother must have been transferred into my brother and I and we were both anxious to make these guys feel at home, we ended up in conversation, and the young man I conversed with began to express to me some of his pain.
I remember as I listened to this guy explain the hopelessness and worthlessness he felt, longing to give this guy a sense of his own worth.
I spoke animated with emotion and real faith in what I was saying knowing the possibilities harnessed in a human life are limitless, if we'll only see what were worth.
James Allen in his book 'As a man thinketh' makes the poignant statement; "The will to do springs from the knowledge that we can do.
" But it wasn't to long after this conversation, that I was struck with the thought, if what I said to this guy were true for him, it was also true for me.
And isn't this the rub, I became keenly aware of my own feelings of inadequacy, my own limiting beliefs and my own fears of the unknown.
The sense that I myself wasn't living up to my fullest potential carried with it two compelling emotions, one of dissatisfaction and frustration, the other of possibility.
If I simply applied what I'd said to that kid to my life, what would my life look like, who would I be, what could I do, what would I have.
The Church I began to attend after recently re-locating back to London had a practice which I was most unfamiliar with, prior to the pastor delivering the sermon, he would make a declaration, along with the congregation the first few words of which were "This is my Bible, I am what it say's I am, I have what it say's I have, I can do what it says I can do.
This morning I will be taught the word of God etc...
" Some of you may be familiar with this from ministries like Joel Osteen's.
At first the ritual just seamed like, well, a ritual, but as I began to contemplate the significance of these words it struck me that I needed in my life to establish, 'what does Gods word say I am, I have, and I can do.
' So many Christians can site the negative side to these statements, which is why I guess so many of us are stuck with unproductive, unfruitful lives, but applying this in the spirit it was intended; a positive confession, a prayerful declaration to set the tone for out receptivity to Gods word with a view to practical application.
I decided to look at these points and here's a brief overview: Who, does God's word say I am? First of all Gods word says I am created in Gods image and likeness (Genesis Ch 1v26).
And in the Psalms, David says "We are fearfully and wonderfully made.
" (Psalm 139v14).
As New Testament believers, Paul says if we are in Christ we have become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians Ch 5v21).
And that we are a new creation, (2 Corinthians Ch 5v17).
God calls his people 'His Children.
' (1 John Ch 3v2).
We know from scripture being His child also makes us 'joint heirs with Christ.
' (Rom Ch 8v17).
The Bible goes on and tells us He calls us His friends.
(John Ch 15v14-15).
This means we are intimately connected to our creator.
And we are more than Conquerors.
(Romans Ch 8v37).
Who am I? I'm an amazingly created being, with God like characteristics and features, despite my many shortcoming, faults and failings, I am newly created into His righteousness, and I am therefore also his child and a joint heir with the Son of God, who has made me His friend.
And in Him has enabled me to over come every spiritual obstacle and called me therefore more than a conqueror.
What does God's word say I have? Gods word gives me an assignment, to be fruitful and multiply fill the earth and subdue it.
(Genesis Ch 1v29).
With an understanding that every place that the sole of my foot shall tread on, God has given to me.
(Joshua Ch 1v3).
I'm blest with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
(Ephesians Ch 1v3).
And as we said earlier I'm a joint heir with Christ therefore I have an inheritance, of more value than any rich relative is capable of leaving me.
(Ephesians Ch 1v11).
God's word tells me His blessings are for this life and the life to come, immeasurably more than I could ask or think.
(Ephesians Ch 3v20).
If I accept what Jesus came to give me I have life and that more abundantly (John Ch 10v10).
What does God's word say I can do? So in light of this, how should we then live? What does Gods word say I can do? It says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
(Philippians Ch 4v13) He says I have authority over the birds of the air and every thing that moves upon the earth.
(Genesis Ch 1v28) It says I have overcome (1 John Ch 2v13).
It says I can make it.
(Philippians Ch 1v6).
It says I can say to this mountain to be removed and it will be.
(Matthew Ch 17v20).
What does it mean practically? It means I can live a life free from worry and fear; I can live a life that isn't dominated by limitations and 'in the box thinking.
' I can accomplish what God has put me on earth to accomplish.
And God will be with me, a friend who sticks closer than a brother.