Becoming Her: Living From ‘I AM’ Instead of ‘I Was.’

You are not who you were…

But a lot of us are still living like we are.

“I was hurt…”
 “I was left…”
 “I was the one who didn’t get it right…”

👉 Maybe not in pigtails anymore… but still carrying it around in a ponytail.

But God didn’t say “I WAS.”

👉 He said I AM.

And if He lives in you…

you don’t have to keep living from your past.

👉 I AM rebuilt… I AM.
 👉 I AM chosen… I AM.
 👉 I AM free… I AM.

🎧 Listen now at shepherdsvillage.com/podcast or on your favorite streaming platform

📞 Need prayer? 855-822-PRAY

#ShepherdsVillage #ShepherdsVillageUniversity #ItsASingleMomThing

Transcript

Single Mom Identity Reset;

SPEAKER_00 0:00

It's a single mom thing. The show for single moms. This is shooting. Happy humor. It's a single mom thing. The simple thing that stops you.

From I Was To I Am;

Guided “Here I Am” Exercise;

Breaking Inherited Labels And Lies;

I Am Declarations For Freedom;

Rewrite The Story Behind Your Desire;

Taking Back Authority From Lies;

Generational Impact And Daily Practice;

Prayer And Next Steps

SPEAKER_01 0:16

Notice how easy introduce yourself up. What you've been through. Like I was hurt. I was left. I was the one who struggled. I was the one who didn't get it right. And before you know it, you're not just remembering your past. You're living from it. Well, maybe not in the pigtails anymore, but you're still carrying it around in a ponytail. And somewhere along the way, that I was didn't just become that happened to you. It became who you believe you are. Hey ladies, welcome back to another episode of It's a Single Mom Thing. It is your girl Sherry, and today, girls, we are going to talk about something that might just shift the way you see yourself. And my guess is it is even going to shift the way you speak about yourself. Can I get an amen who is ready to go? Because listen, here's what I've been thinking about. Welcome to my head. Believe it or not, I'm going all biblical here for a second. When Moba when the when Moses asked God, who should I say sent me? God didn't say I was. And I'm sure he didn't say I will be. I am fairly certain that God replied, I am, meaning present, active, and right now. And then you see it again when God called on Samuel. When God called on Moses, their response wasn't a resume of where they've been. No, it wasn't a list of everything they lacked either. They simply said this, here I am, not perfect, not ready, just present. So I wonder how many of us, and this includes me, are still saying, I was. While God is calling us to live from the I am. So today, listen, we are going to unpack that. What it really means that the great I am is this. It lives in you. You know that. If you're a Christian, you know the great I am. The Lord Jesus Christ lives in you. How those words you put after I am, now listen, that is how they are shaping your life. And how to stop. We're going to talk about today how to stop identifying with your past so we can start becoming the woman God is calling you and I to be right here, right now. Right here, right now. Yes. Because listen, you don't have to. Ooh, girl, this is good. Don't miss this. You do not have to wait to become her someday. I'm going to say that again. You do not have to wait to become her someday. No, girl, you can start becoming her the moment you say, and you can raise your hand. Here I am. God is present and so are you. So let's do something together right now. And we're going to do a little exercise right here in the beginning. So I want you to pause for a second and I want you to take a look at your life as it is today. The stress, the pressure, the situation you're in, the thing that keeps you up at night, the thing or things. Now here's the truth. And I'm going to say it with love. And I've had to say this to myself. Your current situation, sister, it didn't just happen overnight. Oh no. It is a reflection of what you've been believing about yourself. Sometimes without you even realizing it. Here's what I mean by that. Those quiet, unnoticed, I am statements. Do any of you say any of these? I am overwhelmed. I am stuck. I am always behind. I am doing this alone. I am, I am, I am. Do you hear that? You may not have said them out loud, but somewhere inside your soul has been agreeing with them. And over time, they started shaping what your life looks today. So hear me, and I say this gently because I have had to have this conversation with myself. This is not shame, but let me tell you what this is. This is power, and this should get you curious and should get you excited. Because if your life has been shaped by what you've been believing, then girl, that means it can look different. But okay, but before we run ahead, before we try to fix everything, before we start unpacking all of the problems, I want to do something bold with you right now. Raise your hand if you're ready. Okay, it is time to one drop the suitcases, all of them. And I mean the past, the labels, the pressure to figure everything out. Who is ready to release that? Because when you set it down for a second, because God doesn't introduce is what I'm gonna tell you about. God doesn't introduce himself as I was the God who helped you back then, or yeah, well, I will be the God that shows up someday. You know better than that. You know he says what I am right here, right now, in the middle of your mess, in the middle of your questions, in the middle of your life as it stands today. I am, and if he is I am, girl, then that means your access to him, your strength, your clarity, your next step, it is not in your past. And it is not waiting in your future either. It is in this moment. Can I get an amen? So, all right. I want you to experience this, not just listen to this. Okay, so if you can close your eyes for a second, unless you're driving, keep them open, girl. Come back to six minutes and 36 seconds and pick up right here. All right. So those of you who can close your eyes, I want you to take a deep breath in. Okay, and let it out. Now, with your eyes closed, I want you to picture yourself. Not who you were, not your afraid you or afraid of who you might be, but you right now, sitting here, standing here, in this moment with me. And I want to challenge you, instead of saying I was hurt, I was left, I was the one who didn't make it, I want you to flip your script, and I want you to simply say these three words. Here I am. And then I want you to say it again. Here I am. No fixing, no explaining, no defending, no justifying, just present. So now feel this. God's not waiting for a better version of you to show up. He meets you in the I am of your life. And maybe the goal today, if you came into this podcast with a goal, maybe you didn't have a goal, but let's put one out there. Maybe the goal today isn't to figure everything out. Maybe it's not even to solve every problem, maybe it's not even to rewrite your whole story overnight. Maybe it is just simply this to stop living from I was and start showing up in here I am. Because girl, everything changes the moment you meet God in the same place, you meet God in the same place, He already is. And where is he? He is right here, right now, in your I Am. This didn't start with you. Now stay with me here for a second, okay? Because we're going to go a little deeper, okay? Because this thing, this identity struggle, listen, hear me out. It didn't start with you. Some of what you've been believing about yourself, girl, it was handed down from one generation to the next. What they said about you, what they believed about themselves, what they couldn't break free from, and without even realizing it, you inherited it. But hear me clearly, you are not who they said you are. You are not even bound to who they believed they were, because your story doesn't start there. No, girl, it goes all the way back to the beginning. In the beginning, you were made in his image. Not broken, not lacking, not less than. You were created from the I am. But somewhere along the way, you and I listen, the lie entered in the same lie from the very beginning. And it sounded like you're not who God says you are. And instead of standing in truth, well, we fell for it. We traded truth for doubt, identity for insecurity, authority for agreement with lies. And if we're honest, sometimes we've been in it so long. We don't just live in bondage, we get comfortable there. I know that's right. And I know that some of you gotta be like, yeah, why is that? We do things, we repeat the same, the same I am statements, we expect the same outcomes, we stay in the same cycles because it feels familiar. But Jesus didn't come just to sit with you in that place, he came to set you free. And the word says who the sun sets free is free indeed. Not halfway free, not someday free, free. F-R-E-E. So if you are free, if I am free, that means that you and I are free to think differently. You are free to speak. Listen to me. I'm getting all passionate about this. You are free to speak differently. You are free to be who you were created to be. Yes, girl, yes, doesn't that excite you? You're not who they said you are, you are not who you've been through, you are who God says you are. So today, listen, you don't have to keep repeating what was handed to you. Close your hands, turn around, no. Today, you get to choose what comes out of your mouth next. Because when you know who you came from, you stop agreeing with what you're not, and you start declaring who you are right now. And that's where we're going next. The I am. We're gonna do some I am declarations, and I'm sure some of you have done this before. This is not new, but I hope that this concept maybe is new to you. So now, this is where it's all gonna change. Listen, not out there, not someday, but right here, right now, we are gonna do something in this podcast right now. Here I am. Listen, because if you are free, if I'm free, if we're created in his image, if the great I am lives inside of you, then what you say after I am matters more than you think. This isn't just words, ladies. This is agreement, this is identity, and this is direction. Because the words you put after I am, dot dot dot, listen, they're either going to be building your life or they're gonna be boxing you in. So today, we're not gonna say what we feel. We are going to say what is true. So get ready to repeat. Even if you're in your car, people are gonna be looking at you like, what is this girl talking about? I don't care. Let them see it. I want you to say with me who you are. I am. Things like I am rebuilt. I am now what's important when you go through these statements, you have to start with an I am and you end with an I am. So let's continue. I am restored, I am. I am chosen, I am. I am covered, I am. I am favored, I am. I am blessed, I am. I am confident, I am. I am love, I am. I am peace, I am. I am possibility, I am. I am abundant, I am. I am in a perfect relationship, I am. I am strong, I am. I am free, I am. The I am in you has just agreed with God the I am, and so it is. So now I'm gonna take this one step further. Because you probably heard it said before. You can help the person behind you, the one you know you used to be. But what if I told you that person is actually still sitting right here? It's you, the version of you that still has doubts, still has desires, still has things in your heart that haven't come to pass yet. I know I got some. So today we're going to do something a little different. I want you to think about something you desired for a long time, something that keeps coming back up, something maybe that you've pushed down, talked yourself out of, or explained away. And I want you to be really honest with yourself. Why hasn't it come to pass? Now, I don't want just the surface answer, okay? We're going to do a deep dive. I want the real one. Is it maybe? I don't know, and you know what it is, but could things like this. I grew up poor, my parents abused me. I'm a foster child. I was adopted, I'm not worthy to receive, I'm not good enough. I always mess things up. I don't have what it takes. This just doesn't happen for people like me. Or maybe does it sound like I didn't have a model of what healthy looks like. I've always had to survive, not dream. I never saw this done before. Okay, I'm glad you're getting real, because now we can get even more real. Because here's what I want you to see. That right there is an I am statement. You didn't even realize you were doing it. It may not sound like one, but it's what you have been believing, and it certainly has been what you have been receiving too. And now we're gonna take it back. So let's take that word, let's say the let's use the word worthy. You've been saying, I'm not worthy, I don't deserve it. But today, listen, today you are going to rewrite it, and it's gonna sound simple like this. So we take that one word unworthy, and we're gonna take it to worthy. I am worthy, I am. Your I am, you declared you're worthy, is agreeing with God's I am. Not because of what you've done, not because of where you came from, but because of who you came from. So now let's make this real for you. If your thought was my parents abuse me, that may be a part of your story. I don't know to some of y'all listening, but listen, it is not your identity. So you say, I am safe, I am. Or maybe you say, I am protected, I am. If your thought was, I'm a foster child, I was adopted, that may be your beginning, but it's not your definition. You say, I'm chosen, I am. I am wanted, I am. Now, if your thought was, I grew up poor, then you don't carry that as a limit either. You rewrite it as truth, and this is what it sounds like. I am provided for, I am, I am abundant, I am. Maybe you got the thought of I always mess things up. Don't keep rehearsing your failure. Declare, I am learning, I am, I am capable, I am, and keep saying it over and over and feel that shift in your spirit. Do it with your eyes closed, feel it, embrace it, and when it the thought comes back during the day to challenge that, get pause for that cause and say it again. And here's what's happening when you do this: you're not just saying something nice. Girl, you are unlearning the lie. I like to say it, you are untying the lie, you are reclaiming your authority, you are stepping back into the power God already gave you. Because the truth is that power was never, never, never, never, never taken from you. It was handed over through agreement. And now you're taking it back. But hear me, this isn't just about positive thinking. This isn't just about saying nicer things to yourself. No, this is about what Jesus already did for you. Jesus died for you, he forgave you all of your sins, past, present, and future. Not some of them, not most of them, all of them. So that means this you are not disqualified, you are not held back, you are not stuck because of your past. And then he said something bold. You will do even greater things than I did. He didn't just save you, he empowered you. So then the question becomes if he did all of that for you, if he paid for it, if he restored it, if he gave you access to it, will you step into it? Will you believe it? Will you speak it? Will you live like it's already true? Because you don't have to earn this, my sister, but you do have to choose it. So today I want to ask you, are you willing to rewrite those I am statements as you're breaking agreement with the lies, as you're stepping into who you really are? I want you to feel this because he already did it for you. Now the question is, will you do this for you? Will you stop repeating what broke you and start declaring what he restored? Will you stop agreeing with what held you back and start walking into what set you free? Will you walk out of the jail cell that you have put yourself in that has a door wide open that doesn't have a lock on it, that doesn't have a key to it, the door is wide open. Will you walk out and set the captive free? Because that's what he did for you. Because once you see this, listen, you can unsee it. From this moment on, it will be a choice, your choice to go back to what was handed to you, to go back into that jail cell or stand in what was always yours. That's powerful. And when you choose, I am, it won't just shift you. Oh no, listen, this is it gets so much bigger and better than that. It will shift your home, your children, your conversations, your confidence, your future, because people don't just hear what you say. Oh no, they will feel who you believe you are. So imagine this. You start showing up as I am confident, I am, I am peaceful, I am, I am secure, I am. Your kids see that, your coworkers feel that your environment responds to that. Because this isn't just about you, this is generational. You're no longer living from what was passed down, you are creating what gets passed forward. Oh, can I get an amen? Yes, girl. And if it all starts with two words, I am. And so, what I want you even to do is I want you to take time this evening. before you go to bed or when you wake up. And I want you to sit with yourself with your eyes closed. I want you to think about that thing that you've been desiring. Whether it's a perfect relationship, whether it's a career, I want you to step into that moment with here I am. And I want you to speak those I am statements into it. I want to see, I want you to see who you are, what you sound like, what does it feel like? What does it look like with who you're talking to? What is it that you're doing? Here I am and feel it and embrace it and know it. That this is who you are and this is what your life looks like. What you want it to look like. So what's coming from there will come right to you in this moment. So let's just take a moment together. If you can just pause and take a deep breath and let it out. We've done a lot of work today girl and let me pray a little prayer over us. God I just come to you right now for every woman listening every mom every heart every story you see her you know what she's been through you know what's been said over her you know what she's believed sometimes without even realizing it and God right now we lay it down every lie every label every I was that has tried to define her we lay it all at your feet and in its place we receive truth God remind her right now that she was made in your image that she is not forgotten she is not disqualified she is not too far gone she is yours and because of what Jesus did she is forgiven she is free she is restored not someday right now so God I pray that something would rise up in her a boldness a confidence a knowing that she doesn't have to wait to become something new she can stand right where she is and say here I am and from that place Lord teach her to speak life to declare truth to choose her words differently and in doing that begin to see her life differently God break every agreement with lies silence every voice that is not from you and replace it with truth so strong that she can't help but walk in it. And as she leaves this moment Lord and as she steps back into her day let her carry this with her that she is not who she was she is who you say she is. In Jesus' name amen. And ladies if this stirs something in you felt you felt something shift or maybe you just need someone to stand with you in prayer we have a 24 hour prayer line and there's someone on the other end who would love to pray with you call at 855822 pray. You don't have to carry this along and if this episode spoke to you girl you need to share it with another sister who needs to hear it because you are never never known who is still living in the I was and who needs to step into the I am shoulder to shoulder right there with you. Because you don't have to become her someday you start becoming her the moment you say here I am becoming her living from I am instead of I was have a wonderful week and remember it's a single mom thing not a single thing instead thanks for listening to It's a single mom thing.

SPEAKER_00 25:56

I hope you enjoyed our time together if you have more questions on how to have a relationship with Jesus or need prayer visit us at www.shepherdsvillage.com backslash prayer. For more information and resources check out our show notes