"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have
heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy
people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests
to arrest all who call on your name."
Acts 9:13-14 (NIV)
Acts 9:13-14 (NIV)
Just like the
believers in the book of Acts, we have a tendency to place a label on others.
We sometime go as far as to remind God what kind of an individual He is dealing
with just like Ananias, as if we know more than God. We label people based on
their past and what we have heard about them. Even after an individual has
given their life to Christ, we still hold their past against them and many
times we are watching with a close eye waiting for them to make a mistake so
that we can justify the label we have placed over them.
We do that so that we can feel good about ourselves thinking we are better but the reality is that we all have a past. Paul was known for the nasty things he did to the believers, dragging them from their homes and having those who resisted killed all in the name of serving God. Now that he was born again, how was he supposed to fit in the family yet the people already had labeled him as an enemy of the faith? How was he to change their perception of him? What was he to do to make them believe that he was a changed man?
We do that so that we can feel good about ourselves thinking we are better but the reality is that we all have a past. Paul was known for the nasty things he did to the believers, dragging them from their homes and having those who resisted killed all in the name of serving God. Now that he was born again, how was he supposed to fit in the family yet the people already had labeled him as an enemy of the faith? How was he to change their perception of him? What was he to do to make them believe that he was a changed man?
Paul simply forgot
about the past that God had already forgiven him about and he focused on where
God was taking him and who God was changing him to be. No wonder he was able to
write; Philippians 3:13-14 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet
to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and
straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for
which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
What have people labeled you? What do they call you? Do you find that as much as you are trying to move on in the things that God is calling you, your past is always brought before you? Do they still call you a thief or a loose woman, or a womanizer? Do not allow those labels to stick on you and deter you from fulfilling your God ordained purpose. The thing about a label is that it is always found on the outside. It does not determine the contents of the package. When a product is manufactured, it is only the manufacturer who has the authority to label the product he has created.
What have people labeled you? What do they call you? Do you find that as much as you are trying to move on in the things that God is calling you, your past is always brought before you? Do they still call you a thief or a loose woman, or a womanizer? Do not allow those labels to stick on you and deter you from fulfilling your God ordained purpose. The thing about a label is that it is always found on the outside. It does not determine the contents of the package. When a product is manufactured, it is only the manufacturer who has the authority to label the product he has created.
Only God therefore
has the authority to label you. There are 2 kinds of labels, one that is stuck
on the product and another that is printed or engraved on the product. Peel off
the different labels that others have stuck on you and as you endeavor and
continue to pursue God, expose the label that the Lord has engraved on you.
Just like Saul, though people may talk about you, forget those things that are
behind you and become Paul to fulfill the purpose that God has for you.
His label over you says that you are more than a conqueror; His label over you says that you can do all things through Christ who give you strength. He has called you the righteousness of God. That is what you are so focus on that and move on and don't focus on any other label that others may put on you! Peel off and burn all the labels that others have put on you believe the label that God has put on you and like Paul move on to do great things in His name!
His label over you says that you are more than a conqueror; His label over you says that you can do all things through Christ who give you strength. He has called you the righteousness of God. That is what you are so focus on that and move on and don't focus on any other label that others may put on you! Peel off and burn all the labels that others have put on you believe the label that God has put on you and like Paul move on to do great things in His name!
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