I talked to a man recently.
He told how his business is down, how the pandemic has set him back, and his company is making changes.
His retirement is in jeopardy on and on. When he got finished, I was depressed too.
I was ready to give up. Oh, it was a problem. He’s looking in a distorted mirror.
He sees himself as washed up, disadvantaged, nothing good in his future. that’s pulling him toward lack, struggle, mediocrity.
I told him what I’m telling you, you have to get a new mirror.
God’s word, the right mirror says, many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the lord delivers us out of them all.
It says when the enemy comes like a flood, god will raise up a barrier.
It says your latter days will be better than your former days.
If you’ll see yourself that way as a victorious, not a victim, then even in tough times, you’ll stay confident, hopeful, expecting god’s favor, knowing that he didn’t bring you this far to leave you.
He hasn’t failed you in the past. He’s not going to start now. Have an image of victory.
You’re not weak, defeated, overcome by problems. You’re a warrior. You’ve been armed with strength for every battle.
You are full of can do power.
The forces that are for you are greater than forces that are against you.
Don’t go through life looking in distorted mirrors, mirrors that are magnifying the wrong things, causing you to see yourself as small, limited.
Joel, this problem’s too big. I’ll never overcome this sickness. Never get out of debt. Never break this addiction.
The reason the enemy is trying to distort your image is because he knows who you really are.
He knows you’re a giant killer. He knows you’re made in the image of god.
He knows you have seeds of greatness. Don’t let his phony mirror keep you from stepping into your greatness.
Don’t let a wrong self image. Keep you from leaving your mark. How much further will you go?
How much happier will you live?
How much more confidence will you have if you’ll get rid of the distorted images and start seeing yourself the way god sees you.
This is what the Israelites had to do.
They had been in slavery for many years, and god brought them out, parted the Red Sea.
They were headed toward the promised land. In the desert, they didn’t have a temple where they could worship.
A big building, they had a tent or what they called the Tabernacle where they would meet.
Before the priest could go into the altar area, they had to wash their hands and feet in this large bowl of water at the entry of the tent.
What’s significant is how this bowl was made.
Exodus 38 says Moses made the large washbasin from the bronze mirrors he melted down from the Israeli women.
Mirrors in that day weren’t made out of glass. They were made out of polished bronze.
They would be so shiny that you could see your reflection.
The Israelite women got these mirrors from the Egyptians as they were on their way out of slavery.
God calls them to have favor with their captors, and they gave them their gold, silver, and fine clothing.
These mirrors were valuable to the women. Had nothing special for all these years.
Now they have these nice bronze mirror, then Moses comes along, says, give me your mirrors.
I wanna melt them down and make a bowl where the priest will cleanse themselves.
He could have said, give me your pots and pans, give me your hammers and chisels.
I’ll make the wash basin out of that. But god said to the women, give me your mirrors.
When these women looked in the mirror, they saw former slaves.
They saw tired, defeated, unqualified people steering back.
You can imagine being in bondage for years, working night and day, mistreated.
Those mirrors only reminded them of all they’d been through, how unfair it was, how unattractive, inferior they were.
God showed up and said, give me those mirrors. He was saying, give me your image.
You can’t become who I created you to be looking in those mirrors, let me have them.
Notice what god did he melted down the bronze mirrors, signifying I’m melting down anything that does not reflect who I need you to be.
um, melting down the shame, the heartache, the guilt, the unworthiness.
The next time you see this mirror is gonna a bowl for cleansing.
Meaning, I’m washing away the negative things of the past. I’m washing away what the enemy tried to do.
Washing away mistakes you’ve made, the bad breaks, what wasn’t fair, and I’m gonna give you a new way of seeing yourself.
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