Have you ever felt like your spiritual life is missing that spark? That your connection with God’s word could be deeper, more personal, and directly relevant to your daily struggles and triumphs? In the latest episode of “The Satisfied Soul,” Sarah delves into a transformative conversation that may just be the answer to those quiet yearnings for clarity and direction in your faith.
As a pastor and clinical therapist, Sarah brings a unique blend of spiritual insight and practical psychological wisdom to the table. This episode is a heartfelt exploration of what it truly means to be made in the image of God, as stated in Genesis 1:26-27. It’s about more than just biblical knowledge; it’s about discovering the divine attributes within ourselves and learning how to live them out in our everyday lives.
Imagine carrying the qualities of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control wherever you go. These aren’t just lofty ideals; they’re tangible traits that can guide your actions, influence your relationships, and bring about mental healing. Sarah encourages listeners to engage with God’s word actively, seeking out the characteristics of the divine and understanding that these same qualities are woven into the fabric of our beings.
But it’s not just about recognizing these qualities; it’s about putting them into practice. The episode touches on the challenges we face when others rub us the wrong way or treat us poorly. It’s a reminder that even in those tough moments, there’s an opportunity to see the image of God in everyone – and to respond with the same grace and love that He extends to us.
The podcast isn’t just a monologue; it’s an interactive experience. You are encouraged to participate in Bible studies, to identify God’s attributes, and to reflect on how these can be manifested in their own lives. It’s a call to action to use our free will to choose kindness, compassion, and understanding.
As the episode draws to a close, Sarah leaves us with a powerful thought: this year is a chance to utilize the qualities God placed in us, to not waste time waiting for others to change, but to take the initiative to grow and improve ourselves.
So, if you’re ready for a journey that intertwines faith with actionable steps towards mental and spiritual well-being, listen to this episode of “The Satisfied Soul.” Let’s shake off the boring, find a love for His truth, and discover a satisfied soul in our everyday life. Because when we start to operate in His image, our lives begin to transform in the most beautiful ways.
Remember, you are loved, seen, and capable of reflecting God’s image in this world. Tune in to this episode and let the transformation begin.
_____________________________________________
Listen to the Podcast HERE
_____________________________________________
If you prefer reading, here is the full transcript:
Welcome. You’re listening to the satisfied soul, where I help believers untangle messy theology. As a pastor and clinical therapist, I am passionate about helping people discover how God’s word is intended to bring direction, safety through boundaries, mental healing, and help you enjoy your Christian journey. Join me as we shake off the boring of God’s word, find a love for his truth, and discover a satisfied soul.
We are made in the image of God.
> Sarah: We are made in the image of God. Genesis 1:26 through 27 says, “then God said, let us make human beings in our image to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground. So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God, he created them. Male and female, he created them.”
God says his qualities are, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.
Galatians 5:22 through 23 says, “but the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. There is no law against these things. Those who belong to Christ have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to the cross and crucified them.”
There. He says that these are his qualities and that he gives them to us and they’re in us. So in order for us to operate in them, we need to put our selfish stuff to the side, nail them to the cross.
That’s verse 24. “In his image” means those qualities live in us.
The Bible also says that God is knowledgeable, compassionate, forgiving, understanding, emotional, friendly, a, good listener, reliable, present, dependable, determined, merciful, fair and gracious. There are many other attributes and qualities of God that are listed in the Bible. Every time you pick up the word of God, it is him.
I actually do a Bible study with ladies where I ask them to look for the qualities or characteristics or attributes of God, because everything in this is the red thread that leads us back to Christ, and they are a triune God. So you can read any passage and identify what the attribute of him is because he’s trying to share who he is with us in his word. All of them live within each person because we were made in his image. So every single thing that you are able to identify in the word of God as an attribute of God is also within us. Every person has these qualities in them.
It is our free will that determines whether or not to put them into practice, knowing that every person has them because they are made in the image of God.
Have you ever run across a person or have someone in your life that has rubbed you the wrong way or treated you badly, and you can’t figure out how to see their presence as a positive in your life? This has happened to me lots of times. I have people that have very negative attitudes, and I just think there’s got to be some good in there, because in reality, there is. God created them just like he created me. With all these attributes, with all these positive qualities within them, they may not be operating it in the moment because they’re consumed with possibly their own selfish desires. It could be because they have not put it into practice. Their free will has, caused them to focus on what they want.
Kind of like, during my last podcast episode, I was talking about Lot’s wife. She was consumed with her past and couldn’t look to the future, couldn’t look to the present or the positive that was ahead of her.
Lots of people have the same issues. They’re consumed, by themselves, that they cannot display those qualities that God has innately put inside of us. So what you need to do is think of that person and come up with things that you love about them, because they were made in the image of God with his attributes, and they are precious to him, no matter how they are currently behaving. It may be difficult.
You may think about that person and go, gosh, I really just cannot see anything that’s good about them. But if you just ask the Lord to point something out, he will, even if it’s as small as. I like the way you do your hair. I love that you show up to work on time. I love that you turn all your notes in on time. I love that you think of others ahead of yourself. I love that you put this project together without being asked anything. It shows a quality of God because they are designed in his image.
Begin to pray for God to show you how to love them the way he loves them, and to help you identify those character qualities within that person. If you know you are weak in any of those character qualities, ask God to help you grow in that area. Chances are you have rubbed someone the wrong way or treated them badly because you lack strength in using that quality that is in you.
So there are times that somebody’s going to rub you the wrong way. I remember years ago, a woman rubbed me the wrong way because she just, bulldozed over me, saying really hateful, nasty things and treating me really badly. And I thought to myself, do you know who you’re talking to?! And at the same time, I saw Christ right behind her with his hands on her shoulders, saying, “this is my daughter too. I love her just as much. She has the same qualities in her that you have in you. Look at her the way I look at her. Use my eyes to see past what’s coming out of her mouth.”
(But in reality, chances are we’ve done the same thing to somebody else.)
And whether we were given grace in that moment or not, if we are behaving in a certain way, look back at those qualities of, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Look back on the qualities of being knowledgeable, compassionate, forgiving, understanding, emotional, friendly, a good listener, reliable, present, dependable, determined, merciful, fair and gracious. And see if there’s any of those that you are lacking or are lacking in meaning. You may have some of them and you may see them, but they’re not very strong. Then ask God to help refine those, to do whatever he needs to grow them, to restructure them in a way that was, better for you, in a way that you can use those qualities in all settings. Because they’re in us. We just need to know how to put them into practice to operate in them.
This year is new, and it’s time to utilize those qualities God placed in us better than the year before. Do not waste the year thinking everyone else has to make the changes because they are the problem. If your free will is choosing not to operate in any of those qualities, even tiny ones, then you are also the problem, and that needs to be corrected. You need to remember that God is for you and he is for another person as well. It is not just the Sarah show. It is not just name any person. God is for each person. He created everyone in his image. He created them to be like him. So we need to put that into practice. We need to operate in his image.
Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “this means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old self is gone and a new life has begun.”
Thank you so much for listening to today’s show. If you left a rating or review of my show on Apple Podcasts, thank you so much. I read them all and it touches my heart that you took time out of your day to spend it with me and leave that feedback. Make sure you come say hi on Instagram because I love connecting with my listeners and meeting new people in the online world. If you’d like to give back. You can support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing it with a friend, or you can donate on my website at www.pastorsarajane.com.
Until the next time you’re here, just remember that you are loved and seen.