Becoming Who You Are , livre ebook

Becoming Who You Are Copyright © 2007, 2010 by Dutch Sheets
Published by Bethany House Publishers 11400 Hampshire Avenue South Bloomington, Minnesota 55438 www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan. www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Formerly published as Roll Away Your Stone .
Roll Away Your Stone manuscript prepared by Marcus Yoars.
ISBN 978-1-4412-1356-3
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
All emphasis, shown by italics, in Scripture is the author’s.
Cover design by Koechel Peterson & Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota
Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE,® Copyright © The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. ( www.Lockman.org )
Scripture quotations identified ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified HCSB are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible,® Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinis 60189. All rightst reserved.
Scripture quotations identified NIV are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION.® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations identified NKJV are from the New King James Version of the Bible. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture marked YLT is taken from Young’s Literal Translation, translated by Robert Young. Public domain.
“The principles in this book have empowered my spiritual walk. It is filled with keys that will unlock victorious living. I highly recommend that everyone reads it!”
Rick Pino, Fire Rain Ministries

“Becoming Who You Are is strategically written for the purpose of helping us know why we were created. If you are a pastor, leader, mentor, or a guide to someone, this book is a helpful tool. If you are on a journey of personal discovery, this book will serve as a compass that will help you in becoming who you truly are.”
Eddie James, Eddie James Ministries

“What a great book full of insight on how we stand in the way of God’s power being unleashed in our lives and how to get out of the way and experience the supernatural through God’s power.”
Stephen Arterburn Founder, New Life Ministries Author, Every Man’s Battle

“This book, filled with hope and inspiring illustrations, will fuel a passionate desire to break through your faith to a new level.”
Jim Burns , PhD Author, Creating an Intimate Marriage Host, HomeWord With Jim Burns
CONTENTS


Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Endorsement
P ART I T HE P ROBLEM
CHAPTER 1
The Break Heard ’Round the World
CHAPTER 2
Standing on the Promises . . . and Then Falling Off
CHAPTER 3
The Way We Were
CHAPTER 4
“Heaven, We Have a Problem”
CHAPTER 5
Mind Over Matter
P ART II T HE P ROVISION
CHAPTER 6
Back to Life
CHAPTER 7
The Being and the Becoming
CHAPTER 8
The Tattoos Are Still There
CHAPTER 9
You’ve Got to Be Kidding Me
CHAPTER 10
True Repentance
CHAPTER 11
Psuché’s New Home
CHAPTER 12
You Deserve a Break Today
P ART III T HE P ROCESS
CHAPTER 13
Wanted: True Disciples
CHAPTER 14
It Hurts So Good
CHAPTER 15
Divide and Conquer
CHAPTER 16
Big Plans for Psuché
CHAPTER 17
Sowing the Seeds of God
CHAPTER 18
Knowing Your Way to Freedom
CHAPTER 19
Wrapping Up What We’ve Learned

Notes
About the Author
Other Books by Author
Back Ads

CHAPTER 1
T HE B REAK H EARD ’R OUND THE W ORLD

I t was a moment few football fans will ever forget. And for those watching the Monday Night game as I was on November 18, 1985, it’s an image we’ll never shake.
The lights of RFK Stadium were shining brightly as the 5–5 Washington Redskins hosted the 7–3 New York Giants. Into the second quarter, star quarterback Joe Theismann had the hot hand, having completed seven of his first ten passes. Coach Joe Gibbs, sensing momentum, signaled in a trick play: a flea-flicker. Theismann handed off to his veteran back, John Riggins, who rushed toward the line; before being tackled, Riggins tossed the ball back to Theismann, who surveyed the field for an open receiver.
Not that he could’ve done anything if he’d found one. Hall-of-Famer Lawrence Taylor, one of football’s most feared defenders, had instantly sniffed out the ruse, steamrolled into the backfield, and knocked teammate Harry Carson into the QB. What followed was no normal sack. In one of the most wince-inducing, stomach-turning moments in sports history, Theismann’s right leg snapped in two; his tibia suffered an open fracture, and his broken fibula tore through his skin. To this day, players on both sides recall hearing what sounded like the firing of a shotgun. The crowd hushed to a near silence. As those on the field quickly backed away, everyone watching saw the grotesque, hideous image of bone protruding from sock.
That one play ultimately ended Theismann’s illustrious career. “I felt like it was just a broken leg,” he recalls, adding that he’d broken his leg years before and returned to the field only two months later. Yet this time the lasting damage was obvious. When he attempted comeback after comeback over the next two years, teams would take one look at his restricted mobility and turn him down. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t return to his original condition. [1]
D OWN FOR THE C OUNT
I’ve broken an arm, finger, little toe (yes, little toe), and nose perhaps just enough to empathize somewhat with the complications and potential frustrations of the healing process. You don’t have to be a football fan to know it takes more than a bandage and iodine to fix a compound fracture. The bone is set and placed in a cast, and doctors have to monitor its condition. If it’s not corrected right away, it can heal crookedly; eventually it won’t be able to bear weight, and over the long haul, may become entirely useless.
How many of us have felt the same way in our efforts to follow God? We asked Jesus into our heart and everything seemed different. The world went from a few muddy colors to highresolution, high-definition vibrancy. The Word was jumping off the page at us, and His presence seemed to be everywhere we looked.
Then we got sacked. And something got broken.
A sudden job loss revealed our lack of faith. A divorce mangled our self-worth and made us wonder if we could ever trust again. An unresisted temptation began an addiction to Internet pornography. An unkind comment resurrected our suppressed bitterness toward a parent. Or a long-term struggle we thought would simply vanish when we embraced Christ suddenly rereared its ugly head. Whatever single event or ongoing condition shook us out of our comfort zone, we began walking with a spiritual limp. Like a “good Christian,” we immediately ran a self-diagnosis, searched our Bible for a prescriptive quick-fix verse, and prayed hard that we’d never break in the same place again.
But then we did. Again. And again. And again. Maybe we even had people lay hands on us, intercede for us, or act as our accountability partners. And yet after the five-hundredth time of giving in, it felt like we had no strength left to fight. We were ineffective in duking it out with the foaming anger that ran rampant. We felt weak in battling our lust. We succumbed to overeating. A negative self-image kept us trapped in the maze of fear, insecurity, and despair. And, eventually, we felt like a hopeless cause an inept, ineffective Christian.
Naturally, it’s in this stage that the nagging questions begin questions that seem so unspiritual and disloyal to our newfound God and His Word. But questions that, nonetheless, are there and begin to eat away at our confidence and well-being. What happened? Why can’t we seem to be what God’s Word says we are? Why do some strongholds remain, much less our “petty” daily sins? Why is it so difficult to be truly free? Why are we perpetually broken? And why does it seem there are so many of us whom God refers to as “more than conquerors” struggling just to get by?
Why didn’t the lustful thoughts go away? Why didn’t the desire for narcotics leave? Why should we even need a bumper sticker that says, “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven”? Aren’t we supposed to be the ones who walk in victory over sin? Didn’t Christ, through His sacrifice, already take care of our weaknesses? Matthew 8:17 says He did:
He Himself took our weaknesses and carried our diseases. ( HCSB [from Isaiah 53:4])
I remember the frustration I felt while sitting across from a sobbing, frighteningly thin young girl caught in the awful web of anorexia. I just couldn’t harmonize my theology with her experience. She was a Christian. She didn’t want to die. She truly wanted to be free of her problem at least a deep part of her did but she couldn’t overcome it.
Then there are the many believers I’ve known or spoken with who’ve yielded to sexual temptation and paid dear prices. I recall one spiritual leader who fell prey to homosexual behavior and lost everything his marriage, his career, and eventually his life to AIDS. His mindset wasn’t the typical rationalizing, justifying, God-made-m