Stephen Kendrick - Defined: Who God Says You Are

Copyright 2019 by Kendrick Brothers, LLC

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

978-1-5359-4892-0

Published by B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

Dewey Decimal Classification: 248.84

Subject Heading: GOD-WILL / CHRISTIAN LIFE / SELF-REALIZATION

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Also used: New American Standard Bible ( nasb ), copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

Also used: English Standard Version ( esv ), ESV Text Edition: 2016. Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Also used: New International Version ( niv ), NIV copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Also used: New Living Translation ( nlt ), copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Also used: New King James Version ( nkjv ), copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Dedicated to Our Loving Parents

LARRY and RHONWYN KENDRICK

Dad, you have been a hero to us from the stage, from the stands, and from the shadows. Your influence and your legacy run deeper than you know. Thank you for speaking the truth in love over us, introducing us to our heavenly Fathers heart, and blessing us with your wholehearted support, counsel, and prayers. Great is your reward in heaven!

Mom, we thank God for the wonderful mother that you are. Your love, sacrificial service, gracious hospitality, and unceasing prayers have blessed us and so many others for decades and laid up countless treasures in eternity. Our identity in Christ was formed early because of the influence you and Dad had on us.

We love you both so much!

Stephen and Alex

Introduction

Stephen Kendrick

O ne of the most powerful and life-changing books in existence is the New Testament book of Ephesians. Filled with hope, it is deep, mind-blowing, and very rich. Its six short chapters express Gods amazing heart of compassion, how He can meet us where we are, powerfully change us from within, and beautifully redeem our lives for good and for His glory.

For many years when I tried to read Ephesians, my eyes would seemingly glaze over. I would get lost in some of the concepts and skip over sections I didnt understand, not grasping the bigger picture or how to incorporate it into my life. Then a few years ago, something unexpected happened to my family that completely turned the light on for me and unlocked the book in living color.

We adopted a little girl.

Throughout the process of adoption, our new daughters journey began to surprisingly parallel the concepts in Ephesians. The entire book began to make sense to me for the first time at a deep level. All the truths became more powerful in light of it, and its now one of my favorite books of all time.

This experience was so profound, in fact, that Ive been walking others through Ephesians and showing them how God can use it in their lives. Im grateful I can now share our adoption story with you and take time to dive into so many incredible truths from Scripture. Ill begin by going back to the defining day when our adoption began.

Early one morning, my wife, Jill, and I were flying to New York to approve the final master of a movie called Courageous that my brother and I had produced, before it was released in theaters. While on the plane, I was praying and reading in the Gospel of John, specifically Jesus words in chapter 10 about how a shepherd will love, protect, and lay down his life for his sheep. I was thinking about my role as a father that morning and how I could better shepherd our four little children at home. In the course of my reading, God suddenly caught me off guard and spoke to my heart very clearly. I turned to Jill, feeling a bit surprised, and said, I think God wants us to be open to adoption.

My wife smiled and was already ahead of me. I didnt realize she had been quietly praying for years that God would turn my heart toward adoption, but she had not told me because she wanted it to be of God, not of her. I picked up my pen and wrote the word adoption next to the key verse God brought to my attention that day, then dated it.

Fast-forward two years. After wed completed mountains of adoption paperwork, an email popped into my phone with our first referral. I was elated. Staring back at me was the picture of an adorable, eight-month-old girl, along with the question, Do you want to adopt this child?

She logically lined up with everything we were asking for, but there was a problem. I dont know how better to explain it than to say a dark, uneasy heaviness came over me. I felt a strong lack of peace that I wrestled with for hours, wondering what was wrong with me. Am I afraid? What will happen to this girl if I say no?

I called a friend who is an adoption consultant, asking for help. This is too big of a decision, Stephen. If its not a clear yes , then its a no . So with a measure of guilt, I sent the agency an awkward email and closed the door. Jill cried.

Over the next few weeks, two more referrals came. Each was a beautiful, precious child. Each was followed by an emotional battle of research, prayer, and indecision. The willingness was there, but no peace. No yes.

More awkward emails followed.

Our adoption agent said it wasnt uncommon for parents to turn down a referral, maybe even two. I had already struck out three times. The fear of man started to kick in. What will others think if I keep turning away these precious orphans knocking on my door? Didnt we say God wanted us to adopt?

A fourth referral arrived. But again, no peace.

I turned it down. Jill cried.

It was heart-wrenching. An experience that was supposed to be a joyful journey for us had become a traumatic roller coaster, and I sincerely wanted off. The next month, the agency didnt send us any referrals and, to be quite honest, I was relieved.

Then came March 2013. A fifth referral landed in my in-box.

When I saw it, I dreaded opening it.

She was a two-year-old girl whod been abandoned in a large city in China, diagnosed with a deadly heart condition. Her physical situation was more severe than any of the other children wed considered. And yet when we saw her picture, an unexpected peace came over both of us, like Colossians 3:15 talks about. It was as if God was saying, This is the one youve been waiting for.

After research, we discovered that her birth mother likely couldnt afford her daughters surgeries and had to face the brutal decision of either keeping her and letting her die or giving her up to save her life. She left her on a street corner wrapped in a red blanket (which in China means good luck and I love you), along with the papers describing her needed surgeries.

Despite all the potential complications, something seemed very right about making this specific little girl a part of our family. Her file stated her date of birth as February 14, 2011. Jill responded with, She was born on Valentines Day with a broken heart. So with peaceful hearts and joyful tears, we sent a welcoming email and locked her in. All was well.