Ever since my oldest son was about 2, his favorite movie has been The Lion King. When he was younger, we watched it over and over again, daily. As a family, we pretty much know just about every word and song. It's become one of my favorites actually.
But no matter how much I've seen this movie, there's one line that hits me every time…side note, I know you’ve probably seen this movie, but just stay with me…Simba’s uncle, Scar, has killed his father, King Mufasa, out of jealousy. And in an effort to steal the throne, Scar convinces Simba that it was his fault. Scar tells Simba that the only way that he would be able to escape judgement is to run away from his home, and never return. So Simba, believing his uncle’s lie, ran away from home. Later in the movie, Simba is all grown up. He’s not an lion cub any longer, but he still believes the lie that Scar told him. He feels the pain of having killed his father, and he's convinced that he can never go home. But one day, Simba has an encounter…this is where it gets good!... He has a vision of his father, Mufasa, in the clouds. And Mufasa tells him to “Remember who you are; you are my son, and the one true king.” (Hahn, Allers & Minkoff, 1994).
Those words, spoken from a father to a son, are so powerful. And I believe that this is what our heavenly Father says to us…
“Remember Who You Are.”
Just like Simba, we’ve all grown up believing certain lies that have been spoken over us. So much so, that we have become disheartened, and we don’t even know who we are.
You see, Simba was always the heir to the throne. Regardless of his uncle's accusations against him, and regardless of the fact that he ran away from home, his authority never changed. There was nothing that Scar could do to change that. So what did he do? He chose deception instead. Scar knew that if he could scare Simba, make him feel like an outcast, and make him believe a lie, Simba would never assume his position.
And this is what our enemy has done to all of us. He can’t revoke the words that God has spoken over us. He can’t stop the will of God from manifesting in our lives. But, the enemy knows that what we believe can absolutely hinder the will of God from manifesting in our lives. So what does he do? He does whatever he can to pervert our minds. And we must understand that his focus is deception. If he can get us to believe that we are powerless, then powerless we’ll be. But our Father says “Remember who you are.”
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. (Romans 8:15-17 NLT)
Remember that you are a child of God. You are an heir to His glory, along with Christ.
The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. (Romans 8:11 NLT)
It is the Spirit of God, that enables us to walk in our purpose. His Spirit, empowers us to do what our natural abilities won’t allow us to. This is the same Spirit that was with David when he defeated Goliath.
…And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward… (I Samuel 16:12-13 NKJV)
David didn’t defeat Goliath because he had the latest military equipment. In man’s eyes, David was not prepared for this fight.
Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. “I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again. He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine. (1 Samuel 17:38-40 NLT)
David knew that he could not win this fight through his own abilities, and he knew that he definitely could not win while pretending to be someone else. David knew that who he was, was enough. He knew that it was the Spirit of God that would make him victorious.
David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! (1 Samuel 17:45-46 NLT)
David was a person, just like we are. But what gave him the ability to kill a giant, and what gave him the ability to be victorious over and over again, was the Spirit of God. The same Spirit that is within us.
But what the enemy does is try to convince us that we aren’t enough. He tries to convince us that we don’t have what it takes. He tries to convince us that we can’t do the things that God has called us to do.
And this is tricky. This is why we can so easily fall into his traps. Our enemy does not always outright lie to us, but often, he twists the truth. He speaks to us the things that are almost true, or partially true. This is what he attempted to do when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness.
Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’ ” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’ ”(Matthew 4:5-7 NLT)
The devil tried to deceive the Son of God using scripture. What he said was the truth. He did not outright lie to Jesus. And like Jesus, we must realize this when the enemy speaks to us. Although it might sound like truth, it is not the whole truth of what God says about us.
The word of God says that we can do all things through Christ.
I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:12-13 NLT)
Yes, we can do all things, but it is only through Christ that we can do so.
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5 NLT)
Our relationship with Christ is what gives us the authority and ability to walk in His will for us.
This is something that I have to constantly remind myself. I often battle the lies of the enemy, reminding me that I do not have the ability to do what God has asked me to do. The enemy reminds me that I don’t have what it takes. But he doesn’t tell me the whole story. Because the truth, is that without the power of the Holy Spirit, I can’t do what God asks of me. On my own, I don’t have what it takes. I don’t have the wisdom and ability to write these words to you. I am not capable, and I battle with the fear that I will run out.
But then I am reminded that it was not my own desire that brought me here. I am reminded that it was God that called me. I am reminded that I was never good enough to begin with; I never was qualified to be where I am today. It is only through the grace of God that I have a testimony to share at all.
Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. (Zechariah 4:6 NLT)
I constantly have to remind myself that it is not through my own abilities that I do what God asks of me, but by the Spirit of God. And once I remind myself of these things, a sense of peace comes over me. Because I’ve felt the weight of living in purpose through my own strength. It’s a weight that is too heavy to bear. But when I remember that it was never me in the first place. When I look back at what God has done, I am reminded that He always comes through. And I am reminded that He never runs out.
When we walk in purpose, God will always provide for the things that we need, when we need them.
And God will always give us a vision that is bigger than our abilities. The evidence is shown throughout scripture. We will never be who we are called to be on our own. God wants us to be completely dependent on Him, knowing that we need him in every aspect of our lives. But we must understand that walking in our calling requires a true relationship with Him.
We can not fake our relationship with God, and expect His power to back us up.
In Acts 19, there was a group of Jews that attempted to cast out demons, but their efforts failed. Lets see why…
A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered. (Acts of the Apostles 19:13-16 NLT)
The scripture says that they tried to cast the demons out using “…the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches…” (v. 13). But look at how the demons responded. They said, “ I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” (v. 15) The demons were not fooled. They knew that these men had no power, and that they had no authority to cast out demons, because they had no real relationship with Jesus. They were trying to access the same power of the Holy Spirit that Paul had access to, without having the relationship with Jesus that Paul had.
And our enemy knows this about us. More than not knowing who we are, the enemy knows that we will never have access to the power of God without a true relationship with Him. This is why his efforts are also focused on preventing us from having an intimate relationship with God.
When we don’t take the time to cultivate our personal relationship with God, our access to His power is limited.
Our relationship with God should be our first priority. This is the secret to living in the fullness of God. David knew this, Paul knew this, and even Jesus knew this. Although He himself was God, Jesus put His relationship with his Father in heaven first. Before He walked on the water, he went to the hills to pray.
Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. (Matthew 14:22-23 NLT)
Jesus also prayed before He was crucified.
Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Matthew 26:36-39 NLT)
Yes, Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully man. He needed to stay connected to the Father in order to have the strength to complete His assignment in the earth.
And if Jesus needed the Father’s help, how much more do we need the strength of God in our lives. He is the only one that can empower us to live the life that He has for us. Without this relationship, we have no power, we can do nothing.
Prayer,
Heavenly Father, thank you for choosing me. Thank you for pursuing me, and thank you for reminding me of who I am today. I am your child, and the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, lives inside of me right now. I am not powerless. I can do all things through Christ. Holy Spirit, remind me that access to your power involves developing an intimate relationship with you. Forgive me for not always making you the number one priority in my life. Today, I make the decision to put you first. I know that I can not accomplish your will in my own strength, but I know that with your Spirit, I can do whatever you ask of me. I need your presence. I need your strength. I don’t want to walk through life another day without you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
ReferenceHahn, D. (Producer), Allen, R. (Director), & Minkoff, R. (Director). (1994). The Lion King [Motion Picture]. United States: Walt Disney Pictures.
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