Good Morning Gorgeous,
It’s a brand new day. A fresh start. A new day to stand firm in the Word and know the answers to the tough questions.
I believe its critical for every believer to be able to answer the question posed in yesterday’s post: Who are you?
When called out publicly or questioned by a friend or when taunted by the enemy’s lies, it is essential that we stand firm and know exactly who we are, and what God says about us. As I shared yesterday, when John the Baptist was asked, “Who are you?” He quoted scripture and stood firm on the revelation from God about who he was.
After he answered the Pharisees and told them exactly who he was, they had another question for him….
Why then do you baptize?
Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
So first they asked him, Who are you anyway?
Then they followed with, Why do you do what you do?
This is another essential question for every follower of Jesus to grapple with and know.
John knew his calling. He was aware of his purpose. He knew the role God had for him, and he securely and with full passion walked in the purpose and destiny that God had predestined for him.
And as John lived out his calling, he continually pointed people to Jesus. John’s walk illuminated a path for people to not stay fixated on John, but to look ahead for Jesus. He continually invited them to set their eyes on the Lord.
And just as God has called you His child, His co heir with Christ, His chosen, His own, He has also breathed a divine calling into you and assigned you a holy destiny that in many ways looks similar to John the Baptist’s call.
We are all called to unique assignments and individual paths to walk out the call of God on our life, and yet there are some parts of the faith walk that we are all called to. For example, Jesus gave us all the great commission:
These are red letter words in the bible, directly from the mouth of Jesus:
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
So the call of John the Baptist is very similar for each faith filled believer.
Go forth and share Jesus. Go forth and reproduce disciples.
Live in such a way that people are drawn to Christ by your boldness, your courage, your passion, your love, your kindness, your gentleness, and all of the fruit that you bear because of your walk with Jesus.
And when people start to pay attention to you because your life is boldly on display, you can follow in John the Baptist’s example, and just point them to Jesus.
When people ask you why you make the choices you make, why you speak as you do, how you can be so sure, etc. Just point them to Jesus.
They may ask how you can be so kind, why you are so encouraging, how you can walk through the fire and not be consumed, how you can balance it all, where your joy comes from, and more.Just point them to Jesus.
And if you are living this faith walk out radically loving and sharing Jesus like we are called to do, people will ask you hard questions like they asked John.
Who are you?
And
Why do you do that?
Be ready to point them directly to the Light of the World just like John did.
“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’
John 1: 24-30.
You my beautiful friends are called by God, “His own” and you are equipped by God to live out a bold purpose filled, holy life that points everyone near you to Jesus.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Reveal to us fully who we are and what you have called each of us to do. Show us our individual assignments and make us bold and brave just like John the Baptist to declare you with passion and boldness and courage. Let us live in a way that is counter culture. Let our lives be radical and in such a way that people ask more questions. Let every answer we give be Holy spirit filled, covered in love, and point people directly to Jesus. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Yes Amen
“Just point them to Jesus” 💗
amen. xx