I am tired.
I am lonely.
I am scared.
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I am confident.
I am able.
I am energized.
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I am unable.
I am [my diagnosis].
I am what they say.
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I am supported.
I am loved.
I am in community.
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Which words give you energy? Which words sap your strength? Which words cause you to reach out to others? Which words lead you to self-pity? Worth thinking about....
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On the flip side, have you ever studied how God talks about Himself?
"I am the bread of life" (John 6:48)
"I am the light of the world" (John 8:12).
"I am the gate for the sheep" (John 10:7).
"I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11).
"I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25).
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
"I am the vine; you are the branches" (John 15:5).
"I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades" (Revelation 1:18).
"I am making everything new" (Revelation 21:5).
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Revelation 22:13).
"I am coming soon" (Revelation 22:20)
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Jesus also says things like, "I am thirsty" (John 19:28). Most of the time, though, when He said, "I am," He was talking about His enduring character, His enduring nature as God. He talked in present tense, about who He was, about what he could do. Could we learn from this? What we are is because of what the eternal I AM made us. What we can do, what I am is because of I AM.
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If He is the bread, I am energized.
If He is the light, I am light.
If He is the gate, I am on a path.
If He is the Shepherd, I am directed.
If He is the resurrection, I am eternal.
If He is the truth, I am true.
If He is the vine, I am able in His strength.
If He is the life, I am living.
If He is Creator, I am creative.
If He is eternal, I have purpose.
If He is coming soon, I am living with hope.
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I AM because of I AM!
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*This post was inspired by Ashley LeMieux's "I Am" podcast.
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