Week 1: Who God Says You Are
Today’s truth: I am never alone.
Brant Hansen used to feel like a spiritual misfit because he doesn’t usually feel God’s presence. In fact, he wrote a whole book about it called Blessed Are the Misfits. In today’s video, Brant helps us understand how to know for sure that we are never alone, even when we feel lonely.
How does Brant know he’s not alone? He says, “All the way through the Bible… there’s this constant reminder, “I am with you always, I am on your side, I am with you. Be at peace, don’t fear, I’m with you always…” He wouldn’t have said that over and over if it wasn’t normal for humans to start to wonder, “Are You with me?”
… If you’re a believer, you’ve accepted God’s proposal, but there’s this engagement and this separation for the time being. You’re together, but not yet! … In the meantime, He said, “I am with you. I’m leaving you with my peace. I’m going to prepare a place for you…” I have to remind myself of that.
I think He anticipated this. I don’t think I’m alone… but we do need to know, we’re not alone! This is who we are! We’re not just ping-ponging around in an empty space… I know we feel that way, but that’s not who we are. God loves us. And He hasn’t abandoned us. And He wouldn’t have said over and over and over “Don’t worry, I’m with you,” if we weren’t going to feel like that.”
In week 1 of the World’s Biggest Small Group: Identity, we’re exploring and solidifying the truths about who God says we are. Here’s a verse to think on this week as we learn:
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!(Psalm 139:13-17)
Don’t miss out! This is just one day in a 15 day series on Identity. You can subscribe and get each day in your inbox below.
This is probably one of the most important messages in this series. I’m happy it came so early in the study. I like how Brant points out that God would not have given us so many verses telling us of His constant presence if we were not going to feel lonely and disconnected.
This lesson also reminds me of how important it is to reach out to others and remind them of God’s presence.
Yes!! Whether we are “feelers” or not, God is always with us and will never leave us. Trish- we need to vigilant and reminding ourselves and others of this truth. Good words 🙂
I totally agree! I think it’s been the most immediately applicable segment so far. I think it’s reassured me that even simple things, like sharing scripture on social media, could be the reminder that someone else needs in their current situation or season. A reminder that we will all go through waves in our faith at some point in our lives.
I remember when I lost my mother that, all of a sudden, 2 years later, I felt completely alone. I remember telling the people closest to me, “I don’t understand where my faith went to, I remember that I had it but where did it go?”. That was the hardest time of my life because I didn’t understand why God would leave me when I needed him the most. Why I didn’t feel my faith as I have since I was a child. It wasn’t until after my deep bout with depression that I realized He was there all along,… Read more »
I felt the same way only for me it was my wife. And it was in some ways worse because I was a caretaker for her also. And I sometimes feel so lost.
I feel like I’m going through this now, my dad just passed two months ago. After us only finding out he was sick two months before. I find myself struggling, I’ve asked questions and I don’t feel like I’m getting answers. And find myself just feeling lost.
Cindy, I am deeply sorry about your dad’s passing.
When I am processing grief (and everyday, really), I’ll read one bible chapter a day. And see what speaks to me at that moment. My bible is my compass when I feel lost. I’ll keep you in my thoughts during my evening prayers.
Sidenote:
I like Isaiah 41:10 (Look it up!)
Thank you
I feel alone ALL the time. Thank God for Psalm 23:4. I’m an introvert, so I bring a lot of that on myself, but lonely is lonely. I have to remind myself all the time that even when I’m not feelin’ It God is always there. Always. He is so faithful to we faithless humans. When Peter took his eyes off Jesus and started to sink, Jesus was like, “Dude, I’m right here. I didn’t go anywhere.” It’s one of my favorite stories. Sometimes we go away but God never does.
Every since Brant joined WAY-FM I have listened to him & can relate to a lot of things he has said about himself!! I’m a misfit & have a lot of issues I deal with & I think it would be so cool to be able to sit & talk with him one on one!! Thanks for today!!
I agree. Brant has a way of expressing what many of us feel. I think the reality is that we are all misfits in need of an amazing savior who in the process of sanctifying us- makes us whole and complete and the exact fit he designed us for!
I have listened to Brant on the Brant Hansen show since it was on air1 and now wayfm. i actually found wayfm because he switched networks. This was awesome to hear from a fellow introvert, I honestly believe that GOD uses him to inspire and shine the hope of the gospel to introverts directly.
Amen ! Sometime back, a brave Christian sister responded to my concerns about not “feeling” the Holy Spirit in my life. Her response was SO WHAT. Their JUST feelings. Choose to Trust what God’s saids and Not what You feel! That was a WOW statement to me that day. There have been times in my life and I feel so powerful strong and connected to The Holy Spirit , more times however, not so. I remind myself, SO WHAT, their JUST feelings. I am grateful my sister ministered like that to me that day. I use her example and reach… Read more »
This is exactly what I needed as I woke up asking God, “where are you in all of this mess.” I am a misfit in spirituality and in life in general. I have difficulty connecting and staging connected with people, my church, and God. So often I think He made huge mistakes when He created me. All to often I scream out in agony like Job, wishing I were never even born. And yet He keeps telling me that He is here, that He didn’t make a mistake in creating me exactly the way I am, and that He loves… Read more »
Christian, I am so sorry you are going through this pain. But I love the TRUTH you shared that God is continually reminding you of! I admire your fight to keep that truth in the forefront of your mind – because sometimes it really is a fight! This study has encouraged me so much. I hope it does the same for you. Thanks for sharing and for being a part of this along with me! 🙂
I LOVED Brant’s message on ‘feeling ‘ God with us! I also enjoy listening to him on the radio. He is so spot on and tuned to God’s and our human nature. I’m a.widow and have felt extreme loneliness at missing my husband. Most days I did not ‘feel’ God’s presence, but I can look back and see his work in my life as I’ve continued on this journey walking out my faith each day ( even when mine was weak and I had to rely on God’s faith and strength.) Listening to the Wayfm has helped me feel the… Read more »
The best part of Brant on the radio is that he is so humble with out “trying to be” attitude. He has a real passion for what he does and that can not be faked nor replaced. On this message of feeling, i have a question, how many times to we pick our feeling definition? i know for myself that to many times i pick what my feeling is just to give a label so i can move on and so many times i am wrong. Listing to Our God will help us to get out of ourself’s and not… Read more »
I am such a misfit right now! I almost feel guilty that I am because of my upbringing and people’s expectations of me. In my mind I know my God is with me but I am missing feeling His presence. I agree with Brant, that more people are not feeling Him like they think they should. How great is the church body when we recognize this in others and encourage each other
Yes!!
I love all the crew at Way-FM because they often address all the issues that I have dealt with. It took me a while to learn that it’s okay to ask questions. In religion we are often told we are not to question however this is not God. God wants us to seek Him for the answers. In Proverbs He says to seek my wisdom like hidden treasure. It was my questions that sent me on a quest for truth. I went through a lot, the journey was up and down but the outcome has been awesome. It’s sad but… Read more »
I continuously feel alone. Alone in marriage, alone in parenting. And now alone in a divorce I didn’t want. But I know God is here with me and has some great plan for my future that will knock my socks off. Until then I’m trying to get out and make new friends and try new things. God is here all the time just waiting for me to acknowledge Him.
Kristine I’ll be praying for you.
As I walked my dad during his cancer battle, I kept reciting Romans 12:12. “Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.” Paul was onto something when he said to pray without ceasing.
I enjoy listening to Brant for his honesty and his ability to relate to what his listeners are feeling (during our faith journey).
For me, when I’m suffering, I feel God’s strength “acutely.” I know He is walking with me 100%. The real challenge… is when everything is going well. That’s when I feel a loneliness from God. And when that happens, I turn to scripture and trust.
I work third shift 5 days a week, so I am always on a night schedule. This makes it hard to engage in any small groups or actual church service. That is why I joined this small group. I needed to have some sort of interaction in the word besides my own quiet reading time. This is only my first week in the worlds largest small group, but I am enjoying it.
So happy to have you here, Lizz!!
What insight! Brant has a great way of really getting across a message that we all need to hear. He does this consistently on his program and of course again right now on this video. I always feel better after some minutes of listening to what Brant shares.
Over the years since I have found my faith in Christ, I have not been able to fully park my skepticism aside, not completely anyway. I still struggle with some things in my faith, as I think I am expected to. That is part of the faith journey is even though you have doubts or skepticism or questions that you still believe. This video really spoke to me as I often feel like the “misfit” because I don’t continually “feel” God. But even when that is the case I still have faith that God is with me, which I think… Read more »
This lesson reminds of God’s constant presence through and in all situations. We are never alone.
Great topic, this is why I-think God has been working on me about not relying on my human emotions and relying on my spiritual emotions. He wants me to stay connected with him through the His word. Thank you so much for this message