You vs. I

A battle of YOU vs. I

Exodus 3:14 — And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.”

Revelation 12:10 — Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.”

Is it just me, or do the negative internal statements we say to ourselves come out as “you” statements and the positive internal statements come out as “I” statements? For example:

“You’re a loser” vs. “I’m doing a good job”

“You’ll never be worth anything” vs. “I’m growing every day’

“You’ll never be liked or accepted” vs. “I think I have some interesting things to offer”

“YOU ARE…”

I find myself defaulting to “y0u” statements when speaking negatively (if not verbally, then mentally) about the person that I am, but I gravitate toward “I” statements when feeling good about myself. Do you relate? I don’t believe this is by accident. I believe it reflects the battle between darkness and truth.

I believe that those negative, disparaging “you” statements are the voice of the devil, who the Bible calls the accuser (Revelation 12:10). He circles in our head, disparaging us and accusing us of being lesser than the high calling of God, convincing us that we are unworthy, incapable, and beyond help or hope. Perhaps that is why negative self-talk can take the form of “you” statements. The voice isn’t originating from within ourselves, though it echoes in our head. The voice is the external shout of the devil who is intent on destroying the light within us. The devil is intent on distorting our identity to prevent us from stepping into the calling God has on each of our lives.

It is a battle of you vs. I.

“I AM…”

As a Christian, I have been made in the image of God. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I have been restored and am being conformed to Christ. I am coming into alignment with the I AM - God. Perhaps the words of light, not condemnation, take the form of “I am” because they reflect the truth of I AM in me. I am not perfect, but I am on a journey of becoming more and more like Jesus, who is I AM, the Father of lights who empowers me to speak words of light to myself. The I AM tells me that…

I am more than a conquerer.

I am the salt of the earth.

I am the light of the world.

I am healed by His stripes.

I am loved.

I am redeemed.

I am chosen…

…not because I’m some amazing person, but because of the amazing I AM in me.

Case Study

It is in Exodus 3 that God calls Himself I AM. Specifically in Exodus 3:10, God gives Moses an assignment: “Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

Moses, like many of us (myself included), questions his qualifications for the task. He questions whether he is worthy to complete the assignment, asking, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11).

In response, God assures Moses with the promise of His presence. God equips Moses with an identity - Moses, a man sent by I AM. I believe that God’s assignments are partnership opportunities built on the promise of His presence and the power that comes from our identity in Him, the I AM in us, the One who goes before us and clears the way. I am who I am because of God the I AM in me.

When the assignment seems too big (like it did for Moses) or the accusatory “you” of the devil seems too loud, we can find our true identity in the I AM who strengthens us, sends us, and equips us for every good work. Self-hatred, low self-esteem, and lack of confidence must bow to the I AM.

The devil is an accuser but God the I AM is a deliverer. Through Moses, God promised deliverance for the Israelites. Moses, despite his fear and lack of confidence, obeyed God and trusted His voice, partnering with the I AM to facilitate the promised exodus. We get to participate in the miraculous plans of God when we heed the empowering voice of the I AM like Moses did, rather than the defeating voice of the devil who sows doubt.

Do you see the power of the I AM in you? When you feel worthless and insecure, listen for the truth of the I AM vs. the lies of the devil. God wants to use us for great works. We must rely on the I AM to tell us who we are and to be our portion as we follow him step by step. Moses was able to deliver the Israelites from bondage only because of the great Deliverer in him, God the great I AM. The Deliverer empowered Moses to deliver His people. We are made in His image. I believe that God deposits tasks within us that we might mirror Him and display facets of His character to the world. God the Deliverer called Moses to deliver.

What facet of God’s character is He trying to birth in you? Are you running from assignments out of fear, low self-image, or due to the devil’s lies? God desires that we mirror Him to the world. But we must first understand the I AM and His power in our lives.

As New Testament Christians, we have been crucified with Christ; we no longer live, but Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:20). The power of the I AM lives in us as believers. His identity consumes us if we’ve given our lives to Him. We are new creations and reflections of Him who remade us (II Corinthians 5:17). Today and every day, let’s look to the I AM and root our identities, our self-talk, our thoughts, and our lives in Him. When the devil seeks to disparage us, we must remind ourselves of the I AM in us.