Daily Devotional
Luke 1:36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
There is a natural tendency for us as humans to define people based on their situation. We see several examples of this throughout the Bible.
Although men may refer to you by your situation, it does not have to define you. In Acts 3, the lame man at the gate “beautiful” was not referred to by name, he was referenced based on his situation. Similarly, the woman with issue of blood in Luke 8:43-48, that is what she was called as no reference was made to her name as well. The same was true of the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17. What all these Bible characters have in common is that they were all referenced based on their situation, but they never allowed it to define them.
Another example of someone in the Bible who did not allow her situation to define her life was Elisabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. What was particularly significant about her situation was that she and her husband were regarded as being righteous in the eyes of God in Luke 1:6 and they prayed for years to bring forth a child. It seemed as if their prayer would not have been answered as Elisabeth was of old age and still without a child. Added to the difficulty of her situation was the fact that the Bible said she was called barren; she suffered the indignity of being referred to by her situation. Even if she was not called that to her face, it would have been done during conversations where she was not present and may have been the first thing that came to mind when others saw her. The good news is that she never allowed her situation to define her. She changed the narrative by believing what God said about her situation through her husband. As a result, she conceived and brought forth a son.
It does not matter how your situation looks or the label men put on you as a result of it, it does not need to define you. You can change the narrative by believing the word of God concerning your life. Not only was this what Elisabeth did, it was what changed things for the lame man, the woman with the issue of blood and the widow of Zarephath. It is not what men say that determine your life outcomes, it is what you choose to believe.
Life Application: Change the narrative by believing God and aligning yourself with what He has spoken.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for being the final say as it relates to who I am and what my life will be. May I never allow what men say to define me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Daily Devotional 
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