So many of us are running a race to win the affection and approval of those around us. Did you ever stop to consider how much of your own identity you might be sacrificing to live up to some standard that others have prescribed for you? If we are solely living to ensure that other people love us, we give them the power to determine our self worth. There’s a better way. When we recognize that our identity is rooted in our status as wholly created by God, we can enjoy the spiritual benefits of forgiveness, a personal relationship with God, and the knowledge that our life matters, not because others say it does, but because God says it does. 

Our guests this week share about the goals and expectations they had for happiness and fulfillment, laced with presuppositions about what would actually bring them that happiness—only to find that God was showing them that their happiness and worth would ultimately spring through their identities as His beloved children. 

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:

Jesus Calling Podcast

Jesus Calling

Jesus Always

Jesus Listens

Past interview: Amanda Jane Cooper

Upcoming interview: Carlos and Alexa PenaVega

Nik Nikic and his son Chris

Ironman

1% Better: Reaching My Full Potential, and You Can Too

Brittany Maher 

Cassandra Speer 

Her True Worth

Her True Worth: Breaking Free from a Culture of Selfies, Side Hustles, and People Pleasing to Embrace Your True Identity in Christ

Isaiah 48 NIV

Interview Quotes:

“Everybody else was so hung up with whether or not he could finish [the Ironman]. We just were pursuing God's will in our life, and we thought that that's what God put into our hearts and in Chris’s heart when he set that goal for him to be a world champ.” - Nik Nikic

“Everybody, no matter what their means are, can achieve amazing things, whether it's work or education or a better marriage or whatever it is. It's a process and it is just about being happy about getting a little bit better each day and just becoming a better version of yourself every day.” - Nik Nikic 

“I became so disheartened by those false messages, that unless our makeup, hair, body are perfect by culture standards, only then am I worthy. And I found myself very entrapped in that culture of trying to meet that internal longing to be worthy of the space I take in this world with external means.” - Brittany Maher

“When I lost that job, it really felt like I had lost myself, if I'm being totally honest, and God really met me in the middle of that.” - Cassandra Speer 

“Prayer and reading the Bible is like breathing in and breathing out. You can't have one without the other. And we have to partner with God's Word and His truth so that we can write it on the tablets of our heart and know just exactly what He says about us.” - Brittany Maher

“We're created by God to actually need affirmation. When we look for that affirmation in other places is where sometimes we allow our worth and our value to rise and fall on if we're being praised or not.” - Brittany Maher

“People's opinions change, seasons change, relationships change, social media algorithms change. We cannot place our value and our identity in these things because they're movable. If we place our value and our worth in the affirmation of others and not in God, we will fall when their opinions shift.“ - Cassandra Speer 

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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!

Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7 

Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw 

Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C 

Peace for Everyday L