Identity: Seeing Yourself Through God’s Mirror
Bishop Henry Fernandez Preached on 5/4/2026Romans 8:27-29
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37:47
Summary
Bishop Henry Fernandez addresses the modern identity crisis, urging believers to stop seeking validation from social media or past trauma and instead see themselves through the mirror of God's Word. Using Romans 8, he emphasizes that God searches the heart and uses all life experiences-even the painful ones-to conform us into the image of Christ.
Key points
- •Identity must be rooted in God's Word rather than social media validation, past mistakes, or current struggles.
- •God searches the heart and mind, knowing our true essence even when we cannot articulate it ourselves.
- •Every experience, including failures and trials, is used by God to conform believers into the image of Christ.
- •The mirror of the world reflects physical appearance and societal standards, but only God's mirror reveals our eternal worth and purpose.
- •Bad decisions and hardships do not define a person's future because God is able to turn harm into good for those who trust Him.
Scripture
Purpose
Faith
Trials
Restoration
Character
Life application
This week, stop measuring your worth by social media highlights or past traumas; instead, spend time in the 'mirror' of Scripture to affirm who God says you are. When facing a setback, pray over the situation as an act of spiritual warfare, trusting that God is working it for your good.
Reflection questions
- In what areas of your life are you letting your struggles or past mistakes define your identity instead of God's Word?
- When you look in a physical mirror, do you see a person defined by their brokenness or a person being shaped into the image of Christ?
- How have you seen God take a 'bad' situation in your past and work it for your ultimate good?
- What social media narratives or cultural ideologies do you need to stop listening to in order to hear God's voice more clearly?
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Full transcript
0:34Amen. Father, we thank you
0:37for the words that you
0:40have put in my spirit to speak [music]
0:42to your people this morning.
0:44Bring revelation truth to your people.
0:47Open the eyes of our understanding.
0:51And we give you the praise, the honor,
0:52and the glory in Jesus' name. Amen. Give
0:56yourselves a hand. You did excellent.
0:59Amen. You may be seated in the presence
1:02of the Lord. For just a few moments, if
1:04you would give me your undivided
1:07attention.
1:09You are now aware that in the month of
1:12May, today is the first Sunday
1:15of May.
1:17And so we've we've introduced to you a
1:21new title for the month. And the title
1:24of that of this series is I know I am.
1:31I know
1:32I am. Please say it with me. I know I
1:36am.
1:37Well, we left the three dots there
1:39because it's an incomplete
1:42sentence.
1:44Cuz in reality, you have to complete it.
1:49You have to be the one to declare
1:52publicly who you are.
1:56Or perhaps I need to have a follow-up
1:59question, and that is do you know who
2:02you are?
2:04Do you know?
2:06If I was to ask you, "Who are you?" are
2:09you able to articulate that very well?
2:14So, today's message from our series is
2:17titled identity,
2:21seeing yourself through God's mirror.
2:26Identity.
2:28I firmly believe that as I was preparing
2:30this series, one reality became
2:34undeniable to me,
2:36and that is our society
2:39is in an identity crisis.
2:44People are searching for identity in
2:47their struggles, in their past mistakes,
2:51cultural ideologies,
2:54and social media validation.
2:57They're searching for their identity in
3:00their struggles. What will I become
3:04after I go through my struggles? What
3:07are you going through right now?
3:10What are you battling right now in your
3:12life?
3:13For some,
3:15it is the loss of their job, their
3:17livelihood.
3:19Spirit Airlines is now bankrupt.
3:22Closure. That's it.
3:25That's a struggle.
3:27Some people are struggling
3:29um some medical crisis in their lives.
3:31Some people, it's relationship. You're
3:34on the verge of a divorce or the verge
3:37of a breakup, a relationship that you
3:39thought would have resulted in marriage.
3:43Some of you, your struggle is with your
3:45children.
3:47They have just strayed away from the
3:50path that you have brought them up
3:52under. What's your struggle?
3:55Some people are trying to find your
3:57identity in your struggles, your past
4:00mistakes. Will I
4:02um you know, get past the stuff I did
4:06years ago? Will I overcome it?
4:09Uh will people hold me hostage to my
4:12past? Some of you, the issue is, will I
4:15allow my culture or the culture that I'm
4:19living in to define who I am?
4:22And then others, will I allow the
4:25narrative of social media to dictate my
4:29worth?
4:32One of the things that social media is
4:34doing to us today, it is literally
4:36destroying us. It is we're using social
4:39media to define our worth.
4:42You see pictures, you see all these
4:45comments, and all of a sudden,
4:47with social media, people are bold now
4:50to speak out, and everybody has got
4:52their own ideas,
4:54their fears, their thoughts.
4:57And unfortunately, many of us are buying
5:01>> [clears throat]
5:01>> most of the lies
5:03that are on social media. You see,
5:05social media has trained to many to
5:09measure their worth through the opinions
5:11and highlights of others.
5:14And yet, we all have the mirror,
5:18the mirror or mirrors in our homes. We
5:21have it all over, at the workplace, in
5:24the bathrooms. We all have those mirrors
5:28around us, and still never truly see
5:33ourselves
5:34for who God says we are.
5:37It's amazing. Many of you right now, you
5:40came to church this morning, and prior
5:42to coming to church, there was a mirror
5:44in your house.
5:46And you stood before the mirror, and you
5:48dressed yourself and you made sure your
5:50hair was done properly. You made sure
5:53your eyelashes were on. You you
6:02You don't believe me? Look down your
6:04row.
6:06There's a whole bunch of them on your
6:07row.
6:11>> [laughter]
6:12>> You know,
6:13for guys, you made sure you you just
6:16shave and you're looking good.
6:19At work, you take a bathroom break and
6:21you go in the bathroom and you know how
6:23you ladies are. Before you come out the
6:25bathroom, you see, guys are like this.
6:27We just stand in the mirror. We go like
6:29that. But what is it with these women?
6:31You got to go
6:34Let Let me leave that alone. Let me
6:35leave that alone. Let me leave that
6:37alone.
6:40And you know I'm telling the truth.
6:43I don't know what is it with
6:45Anyway,
6:47let me get That was not on in the notes.
6:49It was not. I promise you. God did not
6:52give me that part. I just threw that
6:54part in.
6:56But why is it we tend to have mirrors
6:59around us, but fail to see who we are?
7:04I believe it's because physical mirrors
7:07only reflect our physical appearance.
7:11But only God's word will reveal
7:15who our true identity is.
7:19You see, you will never become the best
7:20version of yourself until you first know
7:23who God says you are.
7:28You got to go to the book. You got to go
7:30to the word of God. Now, let me take a
7:32minute here and break down these verses
7:35in Romans chapter 8.
7:38Let's begin at verse 28. It speaks about
7:43God knows you internally.
7:46He knows you internally. Bible says God
7:49searches the heart and understands even
7:54what you cannot articulate. Verse 27, it
7:59says the one who searches hearts knows
8:03how the spirit thinks. The one who
8:07searches hearts knows how the spirit
8:11thinks.
8:12What do you think about yourself?
8:16What do you think about yourself?
8:18Is it based on how you feel?
8:21Is it based on what someone said about
8:23you?
8:24Here's a good one.
8:26What do you think about yourself?
8:28Is it based on the trauma you went
8:31through?
8:34Cuz let's not kid ourselves. Every
8:36person in this room have been through
8:38some trauma.
8:40Every person.
8:42Every person watching, you've been
8:44through some trauma.
8:48And the word of God says it is the
8:50spirit of God who searches
8:53THE HEART OF EVERY PERSON.
8:57Even if society says you are no good,
9:00you're worthless,
9:01God is the one who defines who you are.
9:07And the last time I checked, the Bible
9:08says you are the apple
9:11of his eye. How many of you believe
9:13that?
9:15You see, he also allows everything in
9:18your life to be consistent with his
9:21perfect will for your life. He allows
9:24everything. Please hear this this
9:26morning. GOD ALLOWS EVERYTHING in your
9:30life
9:31to be consistent
9:33with his perfect will for your life.
9:35Now, I get it. Some of us, we've done
9:38stuff out of the will of God.
9:41We've been places where God never told
9:43us to go.
9:45We've dated people we had no business
9:47dating.
9:49We've married people we have no business
9:52marrying.
9:54See, notice something about five people
9:56said amen. You better watch it.
9:58Hopefully, you're not sitting next to
9:59your spouse now.
10:01We have spent money
10:03s
10:05when we should have been saving.
10:08Come on now.
10:11We have made decisions
10:13that have caused us
10:15to go to prison.
10:18We have made decisions
10:20that has disconnected us from our
10:23children.
10:25We've made decisions that broke our
10:28parents' heart to the point where some
10:31of you you're dealing with guilt because
10:33your parents died
10:36and you know you were wrong.
10:39You never had an opportunity to
10:41apologize.
10:43We've all made some dumb
10:46decisions.
10:48But God
10:49always allows, even when it's bad
10:52decisions,
10:54all of your journey in life
10:59is consistent
11:02to what God purposed for your life.
11:06Everything you've been through,
11:09though you've made some dumb mistakes,
11:12or it is the perfect will of God, you
11:15couldn't stop it, you couldn't change it
11:17because God purposed it for you.
11:19Everything is going to work out for your
11:23good.
11:26IF YOU CAN EMBRACE THAT, THEN I PROMISE
11:29YOU YOU WILL NOT LIVE IN DEPRESSION.
11:33IF YOU CAN EMBRACE THAT EVERYTHING
11:35THAT'S HAPPENING TO YOU IS FOR A REASON.
11:39PLEASE HEAR ME.
11:41Everything that happened and is
11:43currently happening to you, it's for a
11:47reason. AND JUST BECAUSE IT HAPPENED
11:50DOESN'T DEFINE WHO YOU ARE.
11:55>> [applause]
11:55>> YOU'RE BROKEN. YOU'RE HURT.
11:58Had a lot of losses. That's okay.
12:01It's okay.
12:03But God's going to use it to perfect his
12:06will in your life. Jeremiah 17:10 says,
12:09"I the Lord search the heart and examine
12:12the mind." Here's where it gets really
12:15technical here, because if God knows
12:17your heart, listen. Listen. And I know
12:19some of you you don't want to go to
12:20church.
12:22You don't want to give your life over to
12:23God cuz you feel embarrassed. And then
12:25of course, you know, there's some church
12:26folks who will make you feel that you're
12:28unworthy to go to their church.
12:32Let me tell you what Jeremiah says. He
12:33says, "The Lord search the heart." See,
12:36I don't care how bad you are, if your
12:38heart is pure.
12:42Let that settle in your heart for a for
12:44a moment. IF YOUR HEART IS PURE, GOD IS
12:48THE one who search your heart and
12:50examine your mind. Do you know how many
12:53bunch of Christians who sitting up in
12:55church for 30-something years
12:57and their heart is bad?
13:02I know you're going to be mad with me
13:03now this morning.
13:05There's a lot of bad ungodly people out
13:11in the world who are better than some of
13:14us in the kingdom.
13:17>> [applause]
13:20>> You should see the faces in some of
13:22these people.
13:25Because man looks at the outward
13:27appearance. See, this is how we've
13:29defined people, how they dress. Oh, they
13:32come to church like they got it all
13:34together. You're in your nice outfit and
13:37your makeup or whatever and you're
13:39looking good and people assume you're a
13:42good Christian.
13:44But what's in your heart?
13:47What's in your heart?
13:50When God search your heart, is your
13:52heart pure?
13:54Is your heart pure? Are you genuine? Are
13:57you loving? Are you kind? Are you full
14:00of yourself?
14:06>> [laughter]
14:08>> I don't care how you look at me. I'm
14:10going to tell it like it is.
14:14I'm just the mailman. I'm going to
14:16deliver the letter.
14:19You see, you must not
14:22confuse who you are
14:26when it comes to what God wants to do in
14:29your life. Verse 28 of Romans 8 says,
14:34you can benefit from every experience in
14:37your life. The scripture says, all
14:39things work together for what? For good.
14:41All things. So, maybe what you're
14:44experiencing now is not good, but it
14:48will work out
14:51for your good.
14:55IT MAY NOT BE GOOD CURRENTLY, but it's
14:58going TO WORK OUT FOR YOUR GOOD.
15:01THAT'S WHY YOU KNOW, I you know, we had
15:03what? Five or six people who came up
15:05here a moment ago, work for Spirit
15:06Airlines. That's a bad thing. The first
15:08thing came in my mind when I woke up, I
15:10think it was Friday or Saturday morning
15:13when they made the announcement that
15:143:00 a.m. that morning Spirit Airlines
15:17went out of business. The first thing I
15:18thought about, honestly, was the people
15:21who lost their jobs.
15:24Mortgages need to be paid.
15:27Right?
15:29Rent needs to be paid. Kids need to go
15:32to school. Some of them have to now
15:34think of sending their children to
15:35college.
15:37Right? Nobody wants that. They didn't
15:39ask for it.
15:40Didn't ask for it. See, we Christians
15:42need to stop this madness and try to
15:45make people feel like they're sinning
15:47and doing stuff when bad things happen
15:50to them.
15:53>> [applause]
15:53>> Some of these people who stood here, I
15:56guarantee you they have confessed Jesus
15:59as their Lord and Savior and probably
16:01living more holier than some of us who
16:04sitting up in here talk about we
16:05righteous.
16:08>> [applause]
16:10>> You see, stuff happens to the good and
16:13the bad, the unbeliever and the
16:14believer.
16:17But I guarantee you those of you came
16:20down here.
16:21You lost the job. I get it.
16:24But it's going to work out for your
16:25good.
16:28It is going to work out for your good.
16:32YOU CAN'T SEE WHY. YOU DON'T KNOW WHY
16:36GOD WOULD ALLOW IT.
16:38But it's going to work out for your
16:39good. I told you if you've been
16:41following this ministry a long time, I
16:43was working
16:44for a company. I think I shared the
16:47testimony. I won't go over all of that,
16:49but working for this company, Carefree
16:51David Travel, and so forth and and and
16:53and and one day all of a sudden the the
16:56building burned down. Just completely
16:58burned down.
17:00Completely burned down.
17:02I didn't know what I was going to do. I
17:03was the only one working.
17:05My wife didn't even have a job yet.
17:07Lord, what am I going to do?
17:09How am I going to handle this?
17:11I got rent to pay. By the way, when I
17:13came to Listen,
17:15don't be sitting up here like Bishop
17:17just woke up one day
17:19and got blessed.
17:28I was a hustler from Brooklyn.
17:33>> [applause and cheering]
17:39>> When we came here, I'm This is true
17:41story.
17:43We came to Florida all because I said
17:46God told me to come here.
17:50One week after my marriage, I pack up
17:53and came here.
17:55Didn't know where was going to go.
17:58In Whispering Palms in Lauderhill Lakes,
18:01I got to the apartment. That's where we
18:03stayed for about two or three years.
18:05I pulled up in that office,
18:08knocked on the door, and went in and saw
18:10this Hispanic woman, and told her we
18:12just flew in to Florida.
18:16Two suitcases, $150,
18:19and a pound of roast beef
18:21cooked.
18:24That's it.
18:27BECAUSE GOD
18:29TOLD ME
18:31TO COME.
18:33I DIDN'T ALLOW MY CIRCUMSTANCES TO
18:35DEFINE who I am.
18:37You couldn't tell me I was broke.
18:40Why? BECAUSE WHERE HE LEADS ME,
18:44I'm going to follow him.
18:47He's not going to leave you out hanging
18:49when you trust him.
18:51And I told that lady, I ain't got no
18:53money for this apartment.
18:55I was specific. We didn't have no kids.
18:58I told her I want two bedrooms.
19:01It's what I want. Two bedroom, two
19:03bathrooms.
19:05And the woman says, "Well, you got to
19:07put your down payment." I said, "I don't
19:08have any."
19:11She said, "Well, you can't" I said,
19:12"Ma'am, I don't have it. I don't know
19:14where I'm going to sleep tonight. I just
19:16got married
19:17and I need this place. I don't know no
19:20anybody in Florida."
19:2341 years ago, let me tell you something,
19:26you better have You better have a car.
19:29If you've been in Florida long enough,
19:32to this day, the public transportation
19:35is
19:39So, where are we going to go?
19:40And the woman said to me, "Sir, I I I I
19:44I'm not supposed to do this. I can lose
19:46my job,
19:48but I'm going to let you and your wife
19:49go in the apartment
19:51and I'm going to give you 30 days
19:53to come up with the deposit,
19:56pay that month's rent,
19:58and the following month."
20:02And I said, "Yes, I'll take it."
20:04We got into the apartment, no furniture,
20:07no mattress, nothing.
20:10Nothing. You couldn't tell me
20:12that I was broke.
20:14You couldn't tell me
20:16that I didn't have it
20:18because I did not let my situation
20:21define
20:27>> [laughter]
20:28>> That's how I started. That's how we
20:30started.
20:32And you know what? God worked it out
20:36that I was able to get a little
20:38something
20:39and was able to come up with the money
20:42and pay the people and live in that
20:45apartment, and then life life hit. You
20:49know, stuff happens.
20:51Uh
20:52several months later, I'm back at square
20:54one again. I don't know who this is for.
20:57I'm back at square one again
20:59and I'm saying, "God, really? All things
21:01work together for my good? Why am I
21:03going through this up and down, this
21:06seesaw, if you're with me, cuz you see,
21:09people have lied to you. You think
21:12because you're a Christian, every day
21:15must be Sunday in your life. Every day
21:18must be sunshine. Many are the
21:20afflictions of the righteous, but I
21:23don't care how many they are. God's
21:25going to deliver you out of them all.
21:30That's what you need to pay attention
21:32to.
21:33It's not THE AMOUNT OF PROBLEMS YOU
21:35ENCOUNTER.
21:37Will God deliver you out of them?
21:40And months later, I came from work one
21:43day and saw an eviction notice on my
21:45door.
21:49We're going to evict you out of here.
21:51Cuz you didn't pay the rent.
21:53Glory to God. Do you know what an
21:55eviction notice is, man? That's the
21:57worst thing you can come up to your door
21:59and see. But yet, I trusted God. I took
22:02the eviction notice off, prayed over it.
22:05You can call me crazy. See, some of you
22:07don't know how to fight.
22:10You don't know how to fight in the
22:11spiritual realm. I took that notice off,
22:15put it on the table, laid my hands on
22:17it, and said, "God, you're going to make
22:19a way somehow. God, I am the
22:23righteousness of God, the seed of
22:25Abraham. God, YOU DID NOT SEND ME FROM
22:28BROOKLYN, New York down here to be
22:30homeless. You're going to make A WAY. I
22:33TRUST in you, God. My faith is in you."
22:41Because all things are going to work
22:43together for your good. Genesis 50:20
22:45says, "You intended to harm me." Yes. Oh
22:49God, the devil intended to harm you, but
22:52God intended it for your good. SO, GOD
22:56SENT ME HERE TODAY to talk to a few of
22:58you. You are going through something,
23:01and you know what? There are people
23:03fighting against you. There are people
23:05working against you. Let me tell you
23:07something. They used to say in the
23:09Caribbean, you dig one hole,
23:12you better dig two.
23:15Cuz honey, you going to go in both of
23:17them holes. Because when God IS WITH
23:20YOU, WHO can be against you? AM I
23:24TALKING TO ANYBODY in this room?
23:27>> [applause]
23:29>> WHEN GOD IS COVERING YOU, YOU DON'T HAVE
23:31TO WORRY WHEN PEOPLE ARE COMING AGAINST
23:34YOU. STOP WASTING YOUR TIME TRYING TO
23:38WORRY ABOUT THE ATTACKS AND WHERE IT'S
23:40COMING FROM. LEAVE THOSE PEOPLE ALONE.
23:43DON'T CALL THEM. DON'T BLAST THEM ON
23:46SOCIAL MEDIA. DON'T WRITE ANOTHER TEXT.
23:49YOU PRAY FOR THEM AND LIVE YOUR LIFE AND
23:52WATCH WHAT GOD IS GOING TO DO IN YOUR
23:56LIFE.
23:59Don't you worry about people. Don't
24:01worry about your enemies cuz they
24:03intended for harm.
24:06You let them do their stuff. I don't
24:09care if it's witchcraft.
24:11CUZ SOME PEOPLE ARE DABBLING IN
24:12WITCHCRAFT. YEAH, THEY GOT YOUR PHOTO
24:15AND STICKING PINS AND DOING ALL KINDS OF
24:18STUFF. YOU CAN STICK ALL THE PINS YOU
24:20WANT ON MY PHOTO. AIN'T NOTHING GOING TO
24:23HAPPEN TO A CHILD OF GOD THAT IS COVERED
24:26BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.
24:31>> [cheering]
24:32[applause]
24:32>> GLORY TO GOD.
24:35STOP WORRYING ABOUT WHAT FOLKS ARE
24:37TRYING TO DO TO YOU.
24:39I DON'T CARE.
24:41Don't you allow people to intimidate you
24:43and make you think that they have the
24:46power to conquer you. I don't care what
24:48they mix up. I don't care what they give
24:50YOU TO DRINK. IN FACT, IF YOU MESS WITH
24:52ME, I'LL DRINK IT RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR
24:54face and STILL LIVE.
24:58CUZ YOU WILL EAT DEADLY THINGS AND
25:01NOTHING SHALL HURT YOU. THAT'S THE WORD.
25:05SOMEBODY GIVE GOD PRAISE UP in here.
25:08That's the word.
25:09>> [applause]
25:11>> See, everything
25:13that takes place in your life
25:15can be used to better your life. So, you
25:17got to pay attention.
25:20Every hurt and people who hurt you,
25:25don't worry
25:26cuz God can use the hurt
25:29for your good.
25:31THEM PEOPLE WHO LIED ON YOU,
25:34GOD CAN TURN A LIE INTO A BLESSING.
25:39OH, y'all not hearing this today.
25:42Yes, he can.
25:43SO, YOUR JOB, MY FRIENDS, is to make
25:46sure you pay attention
25:48to what God is doing in your life. Your
25:50mistakes don't define you.
25:52Your pain doesn't disqualify you and
25:56your past doesn't cancel your future.
26:01Don't you walk with shame
26:04and thinking that your past can
26:05disqualify you. No, God is working in
26:08your life even when life circumstances
26:12are trying to break you.
26:14Got to believe that verse 29, only God
26:17designed your identity.
26:20Only God. Cuz notice what verse 29 says,
26:23to be conformed
26:26to the image of his son.
26:29This is where it gets good.
26:31Can you remove this table for me,
26:32please?
26:34To be conformed
26:36to the image
26:38of his son.
26:42Whose mirror are you looking into?
26:49Cuz
26:51whoever's mirror you're looking into
26:54will define who you are.
26:59Because
27:00what God is doing, verse 28, all things
27:03are working together
27:05for the good to those who love God and
27:08are called you are loved and you're
27:11called.
27:12And he's doing that so that you be
27:15conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
27:20There's no brokenness in Jesus.
27:23There's no deficiency in Jesus.
27:26There's no lack in Jesus.
27:30In him you live and move
27:33and exist. So, whose mirror are you
27:35looking into?
27:38Come on, men, MEN, MEN, MEN!
27:41WHOSE MIRROR
27:43ARE YOU LOOKING INTO?
27:47WHEN YOU LOOK,
27:48DO YOU SEE
27:50YOUR BROKENNESS,
27:53THE PAST MISTAKES,
27:55THE BAD RELATIONSHIPS,
27:57the stuff that YOU'VE DONE,
28:00YOUR CHILDHOOD TRAUMA? DO YOU SEE THAT
28:04and that alone?
28:06Or do you see a man that God is shaping
28:10to become the best version
28:13of himself?
28:16Do you see what people have done to you?
28:20The molestation.
28:22Is that what you see?
28:25The relationship that didn't work out.
28:29Is that your identity?
28:31Because last time I checked, that's not
28:33the image of Christ.
28:37See, some of you
28:39only want to see Jesus with the thorns
28:41on his head.
28:44The nails in his hands and feet.
28:47Some of you just want to see blood.
28:49Why is it every year
28:53all you talk about
28:56is the blood
28:59that poured out of your life
29:02based
29:03on the injustice that people did to you?
29:07Notice when Jesus died on the cross and
29:09after coming off the cross,
29:11he didn't focus on the blood. He didn't
29:13focus on the nail prints. He didn't
29:15focus. That was cuz that was a process.
29:19That was a process.
29:22Some of you are still looking in the
29:24mirror and all you see, men, all you see
29:29is what the divorce did you.
29:33How she left you.
29:36Betrayed you.
29:38How your children treated you.
29:41What you see, you never had a father.
29:46So, because you never had a father, you
29:48decided not to be a father.
29:52Cuz that's the excuse. Cuz that's how
29:53you see yourself. HOW CAN I BE A FATHER
29:56TO MY CHILDREN WHEN I NEVER HAD A
29:58FATHER?
30:00CUZ THAT'S THE MIRROR you're looking
30:02into. That's how you see yourself.
30:04That's your identity.
30:07It's your brokenness. You made some
30:09mistakes
30:10and your name is in the system.
30:14You have a bad police record or whatever
30:15it is.
30:17You robbed people.
30:19You sold drugs at one time. Whatever you
30:21did.
30:23Why is it every time
30:26you look at yourself
30:28all you can think about is the stuff you
30:30did as a man?
30:33And you've allowed that to define you.
30:35So, that's your identity.
30:37So, now you think the only woman you can
30:40get
30:41is a woman who's a prisoner herself.
30:44Been beaten,
30:46bad relationship, because that's your
30:48self-worth.
30:50As a woman, how do you see yourself?
30:55What's your identity?
30:57When you look, I'm not talking about the
30:59mirror of the world.
31:01I'm not talking about going on social
31:03media, and the moment you see a girl and
31:05another woman, and she's on the beach
31:07with her phone, and she's doing
31:09everything, and she has on these two
31:11piece and and flat stomach and
31:13everything, and you go into the mirror,
31:15AND YOU'RE KILLING YOURSELF
31:18TO LOOK LIKE HER.
31:23Because you are defined by social media.
31:28You don't accept your age. You don't
31:30accept your size.
31:32You don't accept your beauty.
31:36You can't even pay certain bills,
31:39all because you're extracting money from
31:42your necessity
31:45to look good.
31:49Because when you leave your house,
31:50society has to see you
31:53based on their definition of success.
32:01Is that your true identity?
32:05That's how you see yourself, young
32:06people.
32:08Young people, young girls,
32:11is that your identity?
32:14Where you stand in the mirror,
32:18and you are affirmed
32:20based on
32:21outer definition of what sexy is.
32:27You almost have to
32:28walk around naked
32:32because that's trending.
32:36Cuz that's how you Cuz
32:38men tells you
32:41that's what catches my attention.
32:45Is when I see the short skirts.
32:52The real tight
32:54clothes.
32:57We We laugh, but it's true.
33:01So, these young girls, watch this.
33:05You dress to impress.
33:08Because you feel if you stand in the
33:11mirror
33:12and you look good
33:15outwardly
33:17that that guy is going to accept you.
33:21And so, you find these men like flies
33:26coming around you.
33:28Because they like what they see. Here's
33:30the problem with that.
33:32That is why you end up with junk.
33:38>> [music]
33:40>> Because
33:41you never gave him an opportunity to see
33:45the real you.
33:49He's going after
33:51the lustful you.
33:55And trust me
33:58when he gets it
34:02>> [laughter]
34:05>> See, once Come on. Now, don't shout me
34:06down.
34:09Once he gets that lustful part of you,
34:12because that's all
34:14to him you're worth.
34:17It's over.
34:19He's not trying to build a life with
34:21you.
34:23He's not trying to
34:26go forward in the future with you.
34:28It It's It's how you present yourself
34:33to him.
34:35And I worry about the next generation.
34:37Why?
34:38Because the image
34:40we are projecting
34:43is not our true identity.
34:47We've lost it.
34:51We've lost it.
34:56Who are you?
35:00Henry
35:02meaning you.
35:04You put your name.
35:05Who are you?
35:10How does God see you? See you? How does
35:12God see you?
35:15Who are you?
35:16Whatever your name is.
35:19What's your identity like?
35:23Is it based on what you're going
35:24through? Is it based [music]
35:27on what other people are saying? Who are
35:36I know
35:38that it is the spirit of God who
35:39searches the heart and mind.
35:43Here's where I close with it.
35:46Cuz he knows
35:49in my heart
35:51I'm not proud of myself.
35:55Not proud of the decisions that I've
35:56made. I'm not proud
35:59of how I carried myself. Not really
36:01proud of it.
36:04But God, you know my heart.
36:07I want to be the man. I want to be the
36:08woman that you've called me to be.
36:11That's who I want to be. Bow your heads
36:14with me.
36:18Who are you?
36:21I'll pray with [music] you and
36:24Pastor Brian is going to come. I promise
36:26you he's not going to keep you long if
36:28you could just hang in there.
36:32I hope you answer the question today.
36:36That you can fill in the blank and
36:38complete the sentence.
36:40I know I am
36:43a child of God
36:46filled with promise. Father,
36:48I ask your blessings upon your people
36:50today.
36:52That the sermon that I've given
36:55that somehow
36:57it has transformed them.
37:00I pray for every person
37:02who's doubting themselves
37:04doubting who they are, whether they're
37:06here or they're streaming.
37:08That they'll begin to recognize
37:11that they are special, they are unique.
37:13Regardless of their past circumstances
37:15or present situation
37:19you love them.
37:20There's still purpose for them.
37:23Help them to see themselves exactly the
37:26way you see them.
37:28That they are blessed
37:29full of purpose.
37:31I pray now for the salvation of many.
37:35That they'll surrender their lives to
37:37you
37:38and they'll give you all the praise
37:40and all the glory.
37:42In Jesus name. Amen. Come on, let's give
37:45God a hand of praise.