Identity and LifeGroup

From.. midtown.. family vacay.... and my own searching.. I have combined some thoughts/questions alongside some notes of what I've discovered in my quiet times. If you care to read, by all means. I had time today to blog this out. I continue to strengthen my relationship with God and wow, the idea of identity in Christ clicks now more than ever. He is doing some awesome things in my life - praise up.

Topic: Identity:
1)Describe who you are:
2)Describe what you think about who you are:
3)How do you think your view of self align with how God views you?
4)Do you TRUST God, how He made you, what he created you to do?

Three things we MUST know:
God is the Creator, God loves us, God is good aka Awesome aka Rad aka Stellar.

Identity issues stem from either Self-loathing or Pride:

The below terms as defended by dictionary.com/website:

"Pride: a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc."

"Self-Loathing: a pattern of thinking where individuals believe they are bad, worthless, evil, unsuccessful, unlovable, and/or incompetent"

Both are Sin. It's important to understand which way you come from and work through this with family. 1 Corinthians 12: 21-26

How does your self-pity/pride affect the family?

Ways we can transform our minds:
1) Experience divine power through relationships
2) Strive together toward maturity in Christ.

Ex. LifeGroup:
We have formed an authentic community in which we deeply trust each other. We spur one another onward toward spiritual growth through trying to be Christ-minded and we show that to each other in measures of love and accountability. We think believers need to seek greater understanding of sin's dynamic in their lives. We don't run away from sin issues but rather, we battle and overcome them together. We deal with the core/root issues - not ignoring the potential blind spots or obstacles that may stunt our spiritual well-being. Through our biblical community be it LifeGroup/Church fam as a whole - we must not forget the issues we often forget are issues: self-loathing and pride. We must strive (for ourselves as well as our brothers/sisters) to see seek identity in Christ. To experience this intimate community in the biblical sense, we must reveal ourselves in a way that is honest, free, thoughtful, and intentional.

"…knowing your identity in Christ so that you can make yourself known to others in a Christian community so that you can pursue a lifetime of growth in the context of community so that you are best equipped to glorify Christ by serving others… to understand our need for transformation, we must understand who we are currently, both as individuals and as members of the body of Christ"

Just some things I've been thinking about.