Only God's Mirror Identifies Us

The Mirror

James 1:22-25

James 1:22–25 NKJV

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continue in it, and not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

The Salar De Uyuni is a salt flat in Bolivia that covers more than 4,000 square miles, and during the rainy season, a thin sheet of water makes it the largest mirror in the world. It’s so large it can be seen from space and creates startling images with its reflection of the sky and surrounding mountains. But like most watery mirrors, it doesn’t reflect the perfect image.

Mirrors have been used by humans for thousands of years to aid in their daily tasks. From helping us to groom and dress ourselves to help us see around corners and as a tool for all sorts of tasks, mirrors have played an integral part in human history.

In ancient times, polished stones were used as mirrors. The oldest known example of a mirror was the one found in France, which dates back to around 6,000 B.C.E. These early mirrors were used for a variety of reasons, such as for grooming, for healing rituals, and for divination.

In the Middle Ages, mirrored glass was invented in Venice. Mirrors were still expensive and only available to the wealthy, so it was used in religious ceremonies, for decoration, and as a status symbol. By the late 1500s, the production of mirrors had spread to other parts of Europe and their use had become more widespread. The development of the silvered–glass mirror in the 1700s revolutionized the production of mirrors and made them more affordable. This new type of mirror was created by coating one side of a sheet of glass with a reflective material, such as tin or silver. This technique made mirrors easier to produce and allowed them to be used in more everyday contexts. The invention of the silvered–glass mirror led to further advancements in the production of mirrors, such as the use of mercury in the 1800’s which allowed for the creation of higher quality and more durable mirrors. The invention of the silvered–glass mirror also led to the development of the modern–day mirror. In the late 19th century, the first plate glass mirrors were created. This type of mirror was cheaper and more durable, making it ideal for a variety of uses. Today, mirrors are ubiquitous in our lives. We use them for a variety of purposes, from decorating our homes to helping us groom. Mirrors are also used in a variety of industries, from healthcare to aerospace. The history of mirrors is an interesting one, and it is fascinating to witness how the development of mirrors has evolved from ancient times to the modern era.

Today, there’s many different types of mirrors for many different purposes. You have

Safety mirrors (Car Rear view, in prison)

medicine mirrors (Dentist)

Scientific Mirrors used in astronomy and other science fields

Decorative mirrors They can make a room appear larger than it is.

they have distorting mirrors at amusement parks that make us look funny shapes and sizes.

The mirror came to be I believe because man had a desire to see himself. We wanted to know what we look like and that evolved into an obsession with the way he appears to himself.

The problem is mirrors only shows us a reflection of what is in the physical. A physical mirror can only show us what is in front of it.

A perfect mirror allows us not only to look at our reflection, but also see it accurately. A perfect mirror allows us to see ourselves the way God Created us and what He created us to be.

When you look in the physical mirror it can’t show you how to fix things that will last for all eternity, it is a temporary fix. ( speak of image and body change)

But, God’s word is a mirror that show you the perfect reflection. It tells us how to fix the right man. the spirit man.

Who Are you?

We all have an image of ourselves that we got from mirrors and the things friends and family say they see when they look at us. Mirrors and people cant give us an accurate reflection of who we are. People look in mirrors and take pictures or videos of themselves to get mental images of their physical features. Do you realize it takes faith when you do that. It takes faith to look at a mirror or photo and say, that is me. How do you know for sure that is you? We accept that what we see in the mirror is who we are and if we see something we don’t like, we try and fix it.

When we look in mirrors we are seeing a reflection we see by faith, believing it is us, but that representation only reflect us, it is not real. We have to have faith we have hair on our head, we don’t know for sure. You are saying yes I do have hair, I see it in the mirror, but you actually saw a reflection of the hair on your head. Then you say but I can feel it with my hands and maybe you have, but you still haven’t seen it. It is faith we believe what we see is accurate.

Many Christians are so caught up on the physical realm and their physical body, they don’t accept there is any realm of reality except what they can see, taste, hear, smell or feel. Because we can’t physically see our spirit, we give up trying. We get frustrated and say its hopeless, I don’t really understand spiritual things. Well its because we look in the wrong places Sisters and brothers.

I have been to the Gym and seen the big mirrors on the walls so you can see the muscles you’re building and how to sculpt our bodies. But when I look into God’s mirror He tells me in 1st Timothy

“For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.”

God’s Mirror The Right Mirror

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63, NKJV)

If the words Jesus spoke were spirit and life, then the word of God is not just a book; it is a look into the spiritual realm. It a spiritual mirror Believers must use to see spiritual truths.

When you want to see if your hair is combed you look in a mirror and trust that what you see is true. In the same way, if believers want to see what our spirit looks like we must go to God’s word and see what God say’s about us and trust whatever He says about us is the way we are. whether we feel it or not.

We may feel our hair is combed but that feeling has nothing to do with whether it’s actually combed. Someone can come along minutes later and with thier words, convince you your hair is jacked up when it really isn’t. We don’t go off our feelings then, we going to find the first mirror or now we use our phones, and see for our selves and trust what we see is true.

It is the same thing with the spirit man. We read the bible and I know many of you have read, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil 4:13)

We have read it and we know it intellectually, but many believers don’t feel it. I know this because when I see believers including myself at times, come against problems and they feel like Man I don’t have any power over this. Truth is it don’t matter how we feel if we are going by what God’s word says in John 6:63 The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” This is spiritual truth sister and brothers.

Just as we look into a mirror to see our physical self, we look into God’s word to see our spiritual self.

When we make Jesus Christ our lord and savior of our life, there is a transformation that takes place on the inside. Most Christians know this in their minds but very few of us has really gotten an accurate mental picture, or perception of who we truly are in the Spirit. Because we don’t have accurate information about who we we are in Christ, we only operate on the information we do have so we naturally act out of our old selves. We act out of the old abilities instead of the new found abilities we have in Christ. This is where so many Christians miss God’s best for them.

Most Christians want to do the right things but we feel we aren't equipped, as we don’t have the ability. I have heard Christians pray for more power and anointing when according to the word of God, we already have it. all believers do.

Someone sitting right in here today is saying, I don’t have no power, I’m not righteous, I don’t feel as I have any spiritual gifts. It has nothing to do with how you feel, its all about what you BELIEVE!

Many Christians are perishing form lack of knowledge.

As adopted members of the family of God, believers receive both the privileges and responsibilities of being children of God.

When we look into Gods mirror, we can learn how we truly look and our true identity. When we look into God’s mirror His word comes alive because it is inspired by God and is God breathed. God’s word is Alive and you can find yourself in His mirror.

Sense knowledge contacts the physical, but revelation knowledge shows us what God sees. When we look in the mirror of God you can say, “I am who God says I AM”. You identify or find yourself in the word. Revelation knowledge is how God changes people’s identities. God’s mirror can show several things at once unlike a physical mirror. In other words, God can be talking thousands of years ago and all of a sudden you read it and the Holy Spirit will tell you he wrote that for “YOU”!

We can look in God’s mirror and see that Jesus found Himself in the bible (God’ Mirror).

We as believers know Jesus was God manifested in the flesh. We know his deity but Philippians 2:5-8 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Jesus was not born quoting scripture, He had to grow up as a child, then a teenager, and a young man: And in Luke 2:52 we see that “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Jesus studied the scriptures and places that referred to Him. Because Jesus is called “The word” as John 1:1 Say’s “ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” we can find Jesus throughout the word. To find yourself in Him, we have to find ourselves in the Word of God brother and sisters, Jesus will walk off the pages and into your life! When you see who he is, He will tell you who you are.

If you have lost your Identity of destiny, it can be found in Christ.

The Apostle Peter had an experience just like that in Matthew 16:16-18 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church,

In other words When Peter recognized who Jesus was, Jesus said Peter, you didn’t get that from man or your five senses, it was a revelation from God. Only God reveal spiritual things. Jesus is not finished with us when we get the revelation of who He is. Jesus will always have something more to say to. Jesus has more revelation for you. Jesus want you to know who you are and what he has planned for you. Jesus said, “Thou art Peter and Peter was changed by this experience. He discovered his identity and thought about it daily. We can see later on that Peter’s identity was challenged by his own failure when he denied Jesus. Sisters and brothers God’s revelation of your Identity will always be challenged, but the Word is still true. The word will bring you through every challenge victoriously. You can see that Peter’s identification was clearly realized in the book of Acts.

The Bible is More than a book its a Mirror

God gave us a mirror that we can use to fix whatever is wrong in our life in the Physical and the Spiritual realm. We must get in God’s mirror and see ourselves as God sees us and learn Who we are, Whose we are, and the things we are able to do in Christ.

Ephesians 4:20-24 “But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

God’s Mirror is the only mirror that that can show you the New man you became when you became born again. You have a new birth and a new identity you need to learn.

Most Christians are perishing for the Lack of Knowledge, they don’t know who they are in Christ so they continue to be guided and directed by their feelings or emotions. Spiritual truth cannot be perceived by feelings. It can’t be seen by a physical mirror. The word of God is the only way to tap into it and a lot of Christians don’t look in the right mirror to see what God’s word say about them and because they don't know who they are in Christ they miss out on everything God’s word has for them.

Staying in God’s mirror will teach you about the new you and what you can do and how to live in this life.

James 1:25 “25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

God’s Mirror is the perfect law of Liberty and if you continually look in it and memorize it and Believe it, you will be blessed in all you do.

When we look in God’s mirror we can learn how to dress up the new man.

We need to dress up in Christ because it is in Him that we are made righteous and that is what we must acknowledge. It is what we call putting on the new man.

When we dress up in God’s mirror we don’t still wear the same clothes and smell the same way. You won’t wear the same shame, guilt, or oppression anymore when you dress up in the righteousness of God.

Just about anywhere we go now a days we see mirrors. They all over.

The good thing about God’s mirror is it can stay with you at all times. When you study God’s mirror and learn to memorize what it say, you can alway do a check up of yourself and remember Who you are and not what the world say your are.

We need to learn to see the world through God’s lens and realize we are at war. The bible teaches us in Ephesians 6:12 “that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” God’s mirror shows us we have the Armour we need to fight this war, but we looking in the wrong mirror.

Intellectually you may know this but, do you truly believe it.

We believe what physical mirrors show us but we need to see what is in the Spiritual and believe it.

God’s Mirror is timeless, The truths in scripture are never outdated and are still applicable for any situation we may face.

God’s Mirror is a trustworthy Guide. It is adequate for every need. Gods word as we read in John 6:63 are spirit and Life and we need to study and memorize it so we can always remember our identity.

We should meditate on it day and night so we can be confident in our identity and be blessed in all we do.

I came today to tell you how you can make sure you stay in God’s mirror and be blessed in all you do. As a believer we need to memorize God’S word and what it say we have and what we can do. John15:7 says, If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”

When you memorize Scripture it equip you with little compact mirrors that you can use to

1. give you confidence in your identity and abilities in Christ. Memorizing Scripture aides us in Renewing our mind from what the world tells us we look like. Acknowledge every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. It help you identify with Christ and trust that you are a new creation. Philemon 1:6 says that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.”

Sisters and Brothers, if we really get the vision or image that our spirit man is complete, it would change many of our emotions and actions. God has given believers everything we need but we must be committed to Looking in His mirror.

2. Memorizing Scripture Strengthen your faith because faith comes from hearing the word of God. It happens when you hear it in your head.

3. Memorizing Scripture makes meditation possible at times when you can’t read the bible and meditation is the pathway to deeper understanding.

4. Memorizing the word shape the way you view the world by conforming your mind to God’s viewpoint on everything. Ephesians 4:23-24 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

5. Memorizing Scripture makes God’s word more readily accessible in in overcoming temptations to sin because God’s warnings and promises are the ways we conquer the lies and deceitfulness of the enemy

6. Memorizing Scripture provides matrix for fellowship with Jesus because he talks to us in the word and if the word is in your mind we can talk anywhere and anytime. Abiding in the word of God, Staying in His mirror takes root and bear fruit of faith and holiness. Obedience. But, it is a process. 1 John 5:19 “ We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”

The word of God conquer the devil and without the word of God we have no defense.

Memorizing scripture makes the connection with the word to the Brain and our hearts more constant, more deep and more transforming.

In closing Talk.........