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Morning Devotion: Identity matters. As a man or woman thinks, so are they. 

If you want to destroy a person or people group, convince them they are nothing, less than, not valuable, inferior, not intelligent, like wild animals, and not capable. Convince them to disagree with God. Convince them they are superior to others (racism/sexism). Lead them into pride (insecurity/inferiority or arrogance/superiority). That is the tactic Satan used with Eve. She was already made in God’s image, yet he sowed doubt to who she was in God. We must know who we are. 

People say Eve was targeted because she was weaker. I disagree. I believe Eve was targeted because she was the one chosen to give birth to life. Anything sown in a woman has the potential to be multiplied, bring forth life. The devil loves death. So target the one chosen to birth life and multiply what is given. If you turn the one chosen to protect life against the one chosen to birth life, you can destroy humanity. Since then women have been some of the greatest targets of abuse, sexual abuse, male violence. Every 30 seconds a woman is trafficked, every 9 seconds a woman is beaten, domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women—more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined (Domestic Violence Stats Org). 

If you can convince someone they are not who God says they are, they will rise to the level of their thinking. They will act out what they believe. 

Our words are powerful. They are more powerful than we understand. Our agreement is powerful as well. When we agree with God, we empower His work in our lives. When we agree with what is not God, we empower a disempowered devil. 

I hate verbal abuse, harsh sarcasm, and put downs. Why? Because each word is sowing a seed for hell. If not rebuked, refuted, uprooted, rejected, that word places a target on that person for destruction. 

The power of life and death is in the tongue,~Proverbs 18:21. 

It is no wonder we have generations of people okay with killing, murder, hatred, slander…we were taught in school we evolved from apes. Not we were created in the image of God (Genesis 1). 

Animals are not like God (created in His image). They lack the identical capabilities for reasoning, morality, and so much more. Animals will kill to get their way, “Survival of the fittest.” They will mark their territory and attack anyone who crosses. They will (some) kill their young. We were created higher than the animals. Yet if we believe we are just like the animals at the zoo, we will behave not much better than zoo animals. 

Who do you believe you are? What voice rings the loudest? Does it align with what God says? 

When you ask most people who they are, they respond with what they do or what they have or their martial status/children? Yet we are human beings, not just human doings. 

Who we are is children of God (if we are in Christ), created in the image of God, ALL deeply loved. When we operate out of this identity our behaviors begin to look similar to our Heavenly Father. We thrive when we agree with God. 

You are deeply loved sweet friends. Praying you and I live out of who God says we are. We are nothing more and nothing less. God bless you! 

Erin Lamb