FAITH IS A VERB

Have you ever told someone to believe in him/herself?
 
You are looking at their eyes, their fear, their sense of self in a situation, and you know - you know absolutely - they don't see and feel in that moment what they ought, what is real. You tell them at that moment that they really need to believe what you say, to lay claim to the truth about themselves, to shake off feelings of doubt, of insecurity... And you are right!
 
How about the flip side - ever told someone (or just seen and noted) that they are not who they think they are? Someone basing 'self' on perceptions and perspectives that are not true, just not real?
 
The Bible tells us a story about a God who created life, the earth beneath and the people on it. Then it lays out the truth about who this God is, and who people truly are, and what lies within, what is true without, and where it has come from, where it is going. We come to this 'report' with different languages, different experiences, different perspectives, different feelings.
 
Day in, day out, our experiences change, our feelings about 'self' and others change, our fears ebb and flow. It is here we so desperately need that 'anchor' (Heb 6:19-21), that 'door' (John 10:9), that safe place (Col 3:3), that healing touch (Is 1:18), that future (Jn 11:25-26), that true, new, pure, safe and 'secret name'. (Rev 2:17)
 
'We take captive every thought and make it subject to Christ...' (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)