PEEL THE LABELS
By Pastor Suresh Dass Joseph
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Dear reader, it is with great joy that we bring you the word of God. I want to talk to you today about “Peeling off negative labels.” Throughout life, people constantly stick labels on us, telling us what we can and cannot become, and sometimes this is good. People speak faith into us; they encourage us. But then there are times when people stick negative labels on us. You cannot stop the negative comments, you can’t prevent the negative labels, but you can choose to peel them.
Wrong labels can limit how far you can go in life. Like a brake, it will keep you from rising higher. Labels like, “You are just average, you don’t measure up, you are a low achiever” can hold you back from your full potential.
Some people have the strength, energy, and education, but what is holding them back are the wrong labels they wear. The longer we wear them, the less they describe our past and the more they determine our future.
The good news is that we serve a supernatural God. He can do what medicine cannot do. He’s not limited by your education, your background, or the family you come from. He’s not moved by the things people have spoken over you. He’s not up in heaven all worried, trying to figure out how to get you to your destiny. He knows the end from the beginning. He is called the alpha and the omega. He already has solutions to problems you’ve not even had. He’s all-powerful and all-knowing. People may have tried to push you down, but if you peel off those labels and agree with God, he’ll push you up. He’ll take you where you could not go alone, and you don’t have to figure it all out.
In the Bible, we read about Saul, who was going about persecuting and threatening Christians. On his way to Damascus, he had an encounter with Jesus. His life changed, and he became a Christian himself. But the people around him labeled him a persecutor, a threat, and a violent man. Saul found his new Identity through Jesus and changed his name to Paul. People didn’t love him, yet he felt the love of the Heavenly Father. He made mistakes and failed in the past, but he can now succeed in the future. Though people rejected him, he was chosen by God.
Paul knew that all the wrong labels from people did not match his new Identity through Christ. Like Paul, we, too, are offered the wrong labels by people, but we can choose not to accept them. Labels are for bottles, boxes, and packets, but our true Identity is in Jesus.
In the scriptures, we read about Gideon (Judges 6 &7). The children of Israel were suffering greatly and coming under attack from the Midianites and Amalekites. Their produce from the earth, including their animals, was continually being taken from them. God came to Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty man of valor.” God said, He was going to use him to save Israel. Gideon was amazed to hear that. All these years, he was carrying the labels, “I am from the weakest tribe, I am the least in my father’s house, etc.”
Gideon was even more fearful when God said He would use Gideon and 300 men to defeat this vast enemy army of the Midianites and the Amalekites. He didn’t think he could do it. So God told him to go and listen to what the enemies were saying. Gideon went at night and heard two men talking. They talked about a dream they had, saying God had delivered them in the hands of Gideon.
Soon after, God caused the enemy army to be defeated, and Gideon won the victory.
Here are 3 things we can learn from Gideon.
1. God called Gideon a mighty man of strength, power, and bravery. Before God could use him, He wanted Gideon to know that he was not what people said he was but what God said about him. People put some labels on him, but God gave him his true Identity. He could only go so far with the labels, but now, with his Identity, he could accomplish his dreams. The scripture says, “I can do everything through Christ, who strengthens me.” Your labels speak of past performance. Your Identity shows your position in Christ.
2. God caused him to hear what two men were saying about him. Gideon’s fear turned into faith when he heard them talking. In the same way, you can feed your faith by listening to the words of encouragement and faith. The Bible is full of inspiration and faith-building words. It says, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God.”
3. With only 300 men, Gideon had to trust God to come through for him. God defeated the enemy army, and Gideon was victorious. In the same way, we are to remove those negative influences from our lives. Be careful in what we are watching or listening to. Stay away from people who try to label you. You can choose to stop them from putting the wrong labels on you. Listen to what God says about you. He says, “You are a new creation, deeply loved, masterpiece, chosen and redeemed, a child of God.”
I believe all this is possible through a relationship with Jesus.
God bless you.
