What Do You Allow to Define You?

The Anvil
by Jeff Johnson

In a barn sat a large heavy block of iron. Its top was flat and smooth and on one side stuck a cone like shape. A man saw the unique piece of iron sitting along side the road at one time and thought it would be useful somewhere around his farm so he brought it home and set it his barn. It had sat there gathering dust until one day a new owner of the barn began using it to rest his saddle on after ridding his horse. This continued for sometime until the barn began to settle unevenly and needed to be propped up by something underneath one of its back corners. The owner of the barn looked around and saw the strange block of iron. He thought the block of iron was exactly what was needed to make the back corner of the barn level again. The owner of the barn jacked up the corner of the barn up and set the large block of iron under the corner and then slowly let the barn’s corner to rest on the iron block. The large block of iron sat there for sometime again until the barn burned to the ground in an unfortunate accident. Now another man had seen this block of iron in the ashes of the barn and took it. This same man owned a house on a large lake. Eventually the man became very wealthy and bought a large boat but the dock he had wasn’t big enough so he built a larger dock and used the large block of iron as a dock anchor for his big boat. The iron block sat there many years tied to one boat after another. The wealthy man that owned the dock then went bankrupt. Eventually the dock began to rot and fall apart sending the block of iron to the lake bottom. It sat there with no particular purpose in the dark depths.
There then was a long harsh drought at the lake. The lake level dropped drastically exposing the iron block. Four young men seeing it sticking out of the muddy muck brought it to the lakeshore. There they rinsed it off and scrubbed it down. Needing cash, one of them got the idea to sell the iron block on ebay. They all agreed.
A man who worked metals saw the block iron on the Internet. It reminded him of a block of iron he had made for a particular purpose. It somehow found it’s way off the back of his pick-up. He had never forgotten that block of iron for it was perfect for what he made it for. With the sweat and blood money of life he bought the block of iron. When the man saw it he shook his head, it was his block of iron but he could tell it was used for a lot of things it wasn’t intended for. He brought the iron block into his shop. Placed it on a hard rock of stone and said, “Now I’ll show and remind you what you were intended for.” He took black rod of steel out of a glowing orange burning furnace and laid it on the flat smooth surface of the block of iron. The end of the hot redden rod radiated. The man hammered the rod with his heavy steel mallet and as he did sparks of unstable metal retreated to the ground below. Back and forth from mallet to furnace, the rod began to flatten and soon took the shape of a blade of a sword. When the man was done shaping the sword with his mallet, he baptized the blade of metal in a bath of water. The bath filled with hot bubbles and then discharged a cloud of steam vapor. Immersed in water for a while the blade cooled. The man then took the blade out of the water and looked back at the block of iron and smiled, “You see you were born to build with me.”
The man then went to a moving sharpening stone and as the two worked together, the blade became sharp enough to show a reflection of the master.

What do you allow to define you? Is it the possessions you own? What you dress like? Is it your friends you hang around with? Is it your current job? How others treat you? How you feel about yourself or what emotions you feel?

What do you allow to define you? When you allow something to define you, you are being controlled by that something.

The Spirit of God had our pastor say this statement. You see if it makes sense to you.

“Fear not man (that includes yourself) who can destroy your body but fear He who can destroy your soul in hell.”

Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; they can not touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Not even a sparrow worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to him then a whole flock of sparrows. If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will openly acknowledge that person before my Father in heaven. But if anyone denies me here on earth, I will deny that person before my Father in heaven.”

We often fear things that don’t really matter when it comes to our soul. If we allow people or things to control our lives and not God to guide and direct our lives - we are on the path of destruction but if we fear and/or highly respect God and He will save our soul and give us peace no matter what comes.

Jesus said, “Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.” Matthew 6:21

When we put things higher then God and hold onto things (even worries and anxieties), and/ or leave God out of our thinking - we are allowing those things to control us.

Jesus said, “If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will find it.” Matthew 10:39

Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. So I tell you, don’t worry about everyday life- whether you have enough food, drink and clothes. Doesn’t life consist or more then food and clothing?” Matthew 6:24

Jesus continues in Matthew 6:31 “So don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.”

Matthew 5:3 Jesus says “God blesses those who realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.”

In simplicity, God made you. Life started by Him and begins with Him. Your real purpose and life are in Him. He defines you and without Him you are lost.