The Man in The Mirror

CHAPTER 1 Not Sure Who You Are? “What we know matters but who we are matters more.” – Brene Brow Young people in every generation arrive at a point in life when the question arises, “Who am I?” That question seems to be linked to becoming meaningful and successful in the world. Challenges in this life are uncomfortable and difficult and we do everything we can think of to avoid them. The encounter of individuality and personal identity appears to be center stage in the world. Even those of us who are long past the age of adolescence may still be on a search for significance. In fact, the older you become the more desperate you may feel about your purpose and identity. After all, the untraveled road ahead of you is getting shorter. The exploration to discover who you are and what you’re supposed to do in life can be frustrating and for some, depressing. Most of us want to make a difference in life, no matter our race, ethnicity, age or gender! Never in my lifetime have I witnessed absurd confusion, delusional lies and deliberate fabrications in our world surrounding the issue of identity. Deceptive voices defy common knowledge, undeniable science and more importantly, the Biblical truth about the number of genders in existence. I am not a doctor of psychology or a certified therapist. I don’t need to be either to conclude that gender dysphoria is a psychotic condition. Sadly, much of it is rooted in deep rejection. There have always been two genders, male and female, right? I firmly believe that human uniqueness and individuality are very important concepts to each of us, and they should be. However, today’s modern culture places an overbearing significance and value on personal characteristics such as gender, race, ethnic background and age. The title I chose for this book, “The Man in The Mirror” has to do with the dynamic reflection and likeness of the King of Glory, Jesus Christ, as seen and experienced in the spiritual life, responses and world view of those born from above by faith in Him. It’s taken from James 1:23-25 (TPT) which says, “If you listen to the Word and don’t live out the message you hear, you become like the person who looks in the mirror of the Word to discover the reflection of his face in the beginning. You perceive how God sees you in the mirror of the Word, but then you go out and forget your divine origin. But those who set their gaze deeply into the perfecting law of liberty are fascinated by and respond to the truth they hear and are strengthened by it – they experience God’s blessing in all that they do.” (Emphasis mine). These verses may sound demanding at first glance. Truthfully, one who is born from above and filled with the Holy Spirit is very different than he was before Jesus Christ apprehended his or her heart. If you are saved by faith in Christ’s finished work, you are a “new creation man or woman.” And that’s who God sees in the mirror of His Word. He has observed the reflection of Jesus on your face from the very beginning of time. The new creation person is mirror image of God’s own Son. Jesus is the template for how to live and love, and His new creation people are formed in Christ’s likeness. Some sincere believers drift away from devotion to God because they forget who they are in Christ and how God views them. And it’s a very common scenario. We are most vulnerable when we forget who God made us to be in this world. Our creator has a specific identity and destiny in mind for you. It is only discovered within our union with Jesus Christ. What you believe about yourself is largely based upon what people have said about you when you were a child or a very young person. Your parents may have spouted off terrible names or made rash comments about you out of frustration because you didn’t measure up to their expectations. A teacher in school may have misunderstood you or just didn’t seem to notice you, so you felt useless and stupid. Maybe you grew up with very few friends, but you witnessed others in your age group who seemed popular and more accepted – making you feel “less than” other individuals. What you believe about yourself is crucial. How you view yourself, or how you believe other people view you can shape your destiny. We mistakenly amass false assumptions about how those close to us felt about us while growing up. Far too often we end up believing lies about our identity. Those deceptive falsehoods will derail your calling. “When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples saying, ‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ So, they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” From Matthew 16:13-18. Simon’s response to Jesus’s question about the Lord’s identity was brilliant! His reply to the question gave him personal insight about his own new identity. A revelation emanating from the question Jesus asked opened Simon’s spiritual eyes to first affirm Jesus’ identity, and then his own identity in relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus first declared that He, Himself, would be the foundation upon which the church will be established. And Jesus affirmed Simon by his own confession of faith in Christ. Jesus gave him the name Peter, a rock. Peter became one of the living stones who will partake of the very nature and likeness of the Cornerstone, Jesus Christ. In fact, Peter later wrote in I Peter 2:4-5, “Coming to [Jesus] as to a living stone (gr. petra), rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones (plural Gr. petroi), are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” His disciples are His spiritual offspring, fashioned after the likeness of Himself. The bond of partnership was established between Jesus and Peter to redeem the world. Jesus saves people. His partners disciple people. Peter received a glimpse of his own new identity when he became spiritually aware of Jesus’s identity! But Peter would face some hard realities about himself in the process of discovering the new man God was making. Peter would be tested. Jesus met with His disciples for their last supper together. Jesus served the bread and wine to them on Thursday, reminding them of His impending death on a cross after they ate. Peter was resistant when Jesus spoke of His soon coming crucifixion. Boldly, Peter even stated he would die with Him! But Jesus rebuked him and foretold that he would deny that he had any association with Jesus. That Peter would deny him not once, but three times before the rooster crowed twice the following morning. The rooster crowed, and Peter was personally convicted! I think most of us can sense the shame and judgment he felt when He did exactly as Jesus prophesied. He claimed out loud that he didn’t know Jesus at three different occasions during the night when three different women servants pointed him out. They had seen Peter with Jesus. He is one of His disciples! When Peter remembered what Jesus foretold of his denial, he broke down and began to cry. Sobbing, he was disgraced. His heart was broken. The conviction he felt was overwhelming.