Letting God's Word Define You

Self-image might very well be one of the most difficult issues girls and women deal with. We compare our insides to other peoples’ outsides, and if you’re like me, we come up short every time. The real measure we should use is God’s word.

Last night, I had the pleasure of speaking to our church’s youth girls and women about self-image. Each gal received a gift: “IT IS WRITTEN.”

Jesus Himself combatted Satan’s lies with God’s word in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-10), telling him, "It is written..." before quoting scripture. Eventually, He just tells Satan, "Away with you!" We can too! 

So as our evening came to an end, we listened to "Mirror" by Barlow Girls, an with a permanent marker wrote scriptural truths about how God sees us and who we are in Christ around the outer edge of the mirror, leaving the center clear.

Then we took a dry erase marker and wrote a truth we specifically needed for the moment.

Now, when we look in the mirror, we no longer see our reflection. We see God’s truth. The center writing can be changed as different scriptures become particularly relevant to address a mindset, struggle, or circumstance.

Here are the scriptures and the key words we used to represent them, starting with “IT IS WRITTEN” in all caps at the top.

Scripture	Words for Mirror
I Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’”	Beauty/heart
I Peter 3:3-4 “…let your adornment be…the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very  precious in the sight of God.”	Gentle/quiet spirit
Proverbs 31:30 “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”	Fear the Lord
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”	God’s workmanship For a purpose
Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”	His image
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”	New creation
Psalm 139:14 “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.”	Wonderful Marvelous
Luke 12:7 “Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”	Valuable
Psalm 8:3-5 “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.”	Cared for
Romans 8:15-17 “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” & Revelation 19:16 “And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KINGOF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”	Adopted Heir Princess
I Corinthians 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”	His temple
Romans 9:25 “As indeed he says in Hosea, ‘Those who were not my people I will call “my people,” and her who was not beloved I will call “beloved.”’”	Beloved
Psalm 16:8 “I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.”	Unshaken
I Timothy 4:7-8 “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”	Value godliness
Ephesians 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…”	Powered by the Spirit
2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”	Sufficient in His grace
Psalm 23:1-4 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…”	Fearless
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”	In His thoughts
Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”	Celebrated
Romans 8:38 “I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”	Inseparable
2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”	Transforming
2 Corinthians 5:20 “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”	Ambassador
Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”	Redeemed
I John 5:14 “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”	Heard
I Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”	Special
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”	Strong
Philippians 1:6 “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”	In progress

Perhaps you need to make your own “It Is Written” mirror. Or go ahead and use a dry erase marker to write these truths around your bathroom or full-length mirror (if you live at home with your parents, get permission first!). Or maybe your daughters need to do this with you, or a teenage girl you know, or your ladies’ Bible study, or your church's youth and/or women's ministry. Feel free to take the idea and run with it!

Lord, may Your word define us as we become more wholly Yours each day.

Shauna Wallace

Holy His