I am Noble and Lovely - Daily Devotional for Women by Anna Szabo of Online Discipleship for Women

Have you ever acted out of fear, anger, jealousy, or dishonesty? I know I have. Such behaviors rob us of personality congruence and cause us double-mindless, which results in a seared conscience. You can see how this works illustrated by my ITCEBO model. Let’s discuss what Colossians 3:12 means as it related to your identity in Christ. I’ll explain it and give you a Biblical affirmation “I am noble and lovely” to encourage you.

This daily devotional will reveal to you that no matter your past anger, malice, bad attitude, or sins, you are noble and lovely through Christ by faith.

READ: What is Faith?

The format of this devotional is “self-examination.” I’ll be sharing my personal story of how my own conscience was seared because I was so angry, and in my anger, I sinned; yet, I am noble and lovely by the grace of God through my faith in Jesus.

READ: Who is Jesus?

The reason why I chose the self-examination format for my devotionals is that whenever people tell me how I should think, I feel preached to, but whenever they share about their own faith journey and breakthroughs, I feel touched by their story. God uses their experiences to transform me.

READ: My Testimony

I trust that sharing my burdens and blessing with you in this Biblical devotional will encourage and empower you. I pray that you’ll be moved and inspired by my story of accepting God’s everlasting grace, stepping into His unconditional love, and giving Him all the glory. I pray that you may do the same thing.

I am Noble and Lovely #52Devotionals Devotions for Women  by Anna Szabo

Undignified and Dishonorable

I remember the Friday before Labor Day of 2016. I commuted for several hours from Decatur to Cumming, GA coming home from work. My regular commute to and from work was nearly 100 miles a day. I had two back injuries and was in pain. And I had a husband who was cheating on me and who admitted it, which caused so much emotional pain to compound my physical pain. If you don’t know my story, below are a few articles that will help you get to know me better.

My Story

What Does Narcissistic Abuse Feel Like?
Michel Szabo and Anna Szabo Wedding 5-14-2016 Verdi

It was a hot afternoon. I was exhausted. 

As I pulled into the driveway of our marital residence, Michel texted me that he was gone. He informed me that his plan was to spend holidays with friends in the mountains. I was left completely alone in the country house where I just moved to be with Michel, away from my life and friends in the city. 

Less than four months prior to that, I walked down the aisle and there stood Michel, with tears of happiness in his eyes, declaring his genuine love for me to the world. It was May 14, 2016. Our wedding day. I became “Missis Szabo.”

After the wedding, Michel abandoned our marriage and declared to me that his bicycle was now his wife he cheated on me with. He said that all he wanted was to be an IronMan and complete in Kona.

READ: The Narcissist Lacks Conscience

After we got married and I moved in with him, Michel was gone every weekend riding his bicycle from GA to AL and back. Hundreds of miles and dozens of hours spent with his bicycle… My hope for the Labor Day was to at least talk through our marriage situation. 

Now, Michel was gone.

Read: My Story of Rejection 

I was angry. I was irate. 

I felt mistreated, disregarded, abandoned, and deceived.

I felt devastated, desperate, and depressed.

READ: What Does Narcissistic Abuse Feel Like?

Driven by my rage, I texted Michel a middle finger picture accompanied by profanity. As a hot-tempered Russian woman, I told Michel in detail where he should go and how exactly to get there. 

What I said was mean. 

My words were filled with hatred and jealousy. Why? I was jealous because I wanted to be with my husband but he didn’t want to be with me. He consistently chose his IronMan obsession and his desire for praise and medals over our marriage.

Read: IronMan vs Marriage

My words and behaviors were classified as foolish vs wise, sinful vs godly, rough vs lovely, arrogant vs humble, undignified vs noble.

After texting “F.. you, as..ole, go to he..l!” to Michel, I cried in my car about who I chose to be. I was becoming a slave to sin. I didn’t like who was in my car and in my head. It was not the kind of person I wanted to be. I couldn’t imagine how my hurtful words were making their way out of my head into the universe to cut open the heart of the very man I loved and married just a few weeks prior to that Labor Day. 

Michel Szabo and Anna Stevens (Anna Szabo) wedding

Noble and Lovely by Nature

I was not raised in a church. My family wasn’t a Christian family. In fact, I was beaten, molested, humiliated, bullied, and rejected every day growing up. Read my article called Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers to understand my childhood background.

I say of the holy people who are in the land, They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.

Psalm 16:3

God was delighting in His people who were noble. I wasn’t. God was not delighting in me. I desired to glorify God. I desired to hear His voice. desired to obey God. Yet, I was consumed by anger provoked by the Spiritual Warfare I was lured into and battling every day.

Read: When Satan Comes at You Looking Saint

“Noble” is defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as having, showing, or coming from personal qualities that people admire, such as honesty, generosity, courage, high morals, righteousness, and ethics. 

Here’s how the Bible defines it.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Colossians 3:12

Why did I not clothe myself with the above qualities? 

That evening, I met with my pastor’s mother at Panera Bread in Cumming. I wept as she ministered to me. She taught me that I can be noble and lovely, meaning I can choose to walk in the Spirit and not in the Flesh, which would result in humility, kindness, compassion, and gentleness. And she gave me the “Marriage on the Rocks” DVD series to watch. 

“I can be noble and lovely” – I thought to myself – “not in my own power but through the power of Christ in me.”

The Spirit vs The Flesh

How could I go from being irate and harsh to being noble and lovely Watching that DVD series, given to me as a gift at Panera Bread, was thought-provoking but I needed a solid plan of action.

The Bible says in Colossians 3:12 that because I’m new in Christ, noble, and dearly loved by God as His child, I will choose to clothe myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

I realized that it’s because of Christ in me that I can choose to walk in the Spirit and not in the Flesh. With Christ, I can choose to be noble and lovely vs angry and harsh. I have a choice. I am not a victim in this spiritual warfare. I have spiritual weapons to fight for God’s victory! I have the Armor of God.

Those were my realizations.

READ: The Armor of God Prayers

When Christ died on the cross and paid for my sins with His blood, He made me blameless, righteous, innocent, holy, pure, and sinless. 

That’s called justification and has to do with the past. Justification is an event. I was justified the moment I accepted Jesus into my heart. Now, I was on my journey of sanctification.  It has to do with my present. Sanctification is a process of becoming Christ-like by using our free will: to submit to Christ and not to sin. Abiding in Christ results in being Christ-like.

READ: Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification

As God’s daughter, I was noble and lovely by nature in Christ already, and to show it with my behavior, I needed to clothe myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience every moment of every day. That Friday afternoon I didn’t do that. Then, I heard God’s voice.

READ: How To Hear God’s Voice

I listened to God’s wisdom. I understood that walking in the Spirit or walking in the Flesh is an everyday choice. With my free will, I choose daily to follow either one path or the other. I must choose to walk in the Spirit if I want the emotions and behaviors of the Spirit.

Can you relate to my story? 

Do you ever choose the emotions and behaviors of Flesh, even though you know God’s will for you is to walk in the Spirit? This is illustrated in detail by my ITCEBO model. Download it now in high resolution.

ITCEBO model by Anna Szabo: Flesh vs Spirit

Remember that you are noble and lovely in your identity as God’s child already. You are noble and lovely by the nature of Christ, not your fleshly nature. It is what God says about you. All you need to do is to proactively choose to clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

To help you remember your identity in Christ and to remind you of your power to walk in the Spirit, I created the Biblical affirmation below. Memorize it and practice it daily to prevent yourself from walking in the Flesh and having regrets.

I Am Noble and Lovely

"I Am Noble and Lovely" #52Devotionals

I am righteous. I am blameless.
I am innocent and holy.
I am pure and I am sinless.
I am noble and I'm lovely.  

Click to Tweet

How will you use this Biblical affirmation in your everyday life to have a congruent personality and clear conscience as you’re becoming Christ-like on your journey to sanctification? Let me know in the comments below. When you share your story, you give God all the glory. Your testimony can encourage and empower someone who’s confused, lost, in pain, or even suicidal. Share in the comments how God is working in you right now.

Today, I help women see themselves the way God sees them. From the Bible, I discovered 52 incredibly-positive things God says about us as His daughters. Those 52 precious discoveries turned into 52 Biblical affirmations I created to encourage and empower Christian women. To help share this life-changing information with you, I created an ebook called #52Devotionals. Download it now for free

Anna Szabo's 52 Devotionals ebook revealing 52 things God says about you

Read All 52 Devotionals

Fundamentals of God’s Grace

  1. I am forgiven1 John 1:9 | Ephesians 1:7
  2. I am acceptedRomans 14:3 | Romans 15:7
  3. I am  lovedJohn 3:16 | Romans 5:8
  4. I am healed: Isaiah 53:5 | Psalm 103:2-5
  5. I am blessed: Psalm 32:1-2 |Ephesians 1:3
  6. I am special and chosen: Genesis 2:7 | John 15:16 | 1 Peter 2:9
  7. I am justified and sanctified: Galatians 2:19-20 | Galatians 3:13-14
  8. I am alive: 1 John 5:12 | Ephesians 2:4-5
  9. I’m new and transformed: 2 Corinthians 5:17 | Ephesians 4:22-24
  10. I am noble and lovely: Colossians 3:12 | Psalm 16:3
  11. I am beautiful: Ephesians 2:10 | Isaiah 62:3
  12. I am holy: 1 Corinthians 6:11 | Ephesians 4:22-24
  13. I am worthy: Galatians 2:20 | 1 Corinthians 6:11
  14. I am righteous: Romans 3:21 | Romans 5:19 | Isaiah 61:10
  15. I am valuable: Luke 12:7  | Matthew 5:16
  16. I am anointed: 1 John 2:27 | Ephesians 1:13-14
  17. I am free: Romans 6:18 | Romans 8:1-2 | Galatians 5:1
  18. I am renewed: Ezekiel 36:26 | Galatians 5:22-23
  19. I am not alone: Isaiah 41:10 | Romans 8:28

New Identity In Christ

  1. I am a princess: Galatians 4:7 | Galatians 3:26
  2. I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Psalm 139:14|2 Corinthians 5:17
  3. I am a disciple of Jesus: John 8:31-32 | John 12:26 | 1 John 2:3-6
  4. I am a child of God: Galatians 3:26 | John 7:38
  5. I am a citizen of Heaven: Philippians 3:20 | Philippians 4:11-12
  6. I am God’s glory on display: John 13:31-32 | Ephesians 1:3-14
  7. I am God’s masterpiece: Ephesians 2:10 | 1 John 3:2
  8. I am a difference-maker: Ephesians 2:10 | Jeremiah 1:5
  9. I am light: Matthew 5:14-16 | Jeremiah 1:5
  10. I am a peacemaker: Colossians 3:15 | Matthew 28:19-20

Christ-Like Character Qualities

  1. I am wise: 1 Corinthians 1:30 | Isaiah 11:2
  2. I am clear and focused: 2 Timothy 1-7 | 1 Peter 1:13
  3. I am intentional: Jeremiah 1:5 | 1 Corinthians 7:17
  4. I am decisive: Proverbs 3:5-6 | Isaiah 30:21 | James 1:5
  5. I am powerful: 2 Timothy 1-7  | Philippians 4:13  | Acts 1:8
  6. I am disciplined: 2 Timothy 1-7 | Proverbs 3:11-12
  7. I am thoughtful: Romans 12:2 | Psalm 119:66
  8. I am prudent: Proverbs 14:8 | Proverbs 14:15 |Proverbs 22:3
  9. I am confident: Philippians 1:6 | Philippians 4:13
  10. I am courageous: Joshua 1:9 | 1 Corinthians 15:58
  11. I am victorious: Romans 8:28 | Romans 8:37

Biblical Outlook on Life

  1. I am kind: Ephesians 4:31-32 | Isaiah 54:8
  2. I am loving: 1 John 4:7-8 | John 13:34-35 | 1 Corinthians 16:14
  3. I am hopeful: Romans 12:12 | Romans 15:13 |Proverbs 24:14
  4. I am joyful: Romans 15:13 | Psalm 28:7
  5. I am grateful: Colossians 2:6-7 | Colossians 3:17
  6. I am strong: Deuteronomy 31:6 | Ephesians 6:10
  7. I am protected: Isaiah 41:10 | Isaiah 54:17 | 2 Timothy 4:18
  8. I am peaceful: 2 Thessalonians 3:16 | John 16:33 | Philippians 4:6-7
  9. I am patient: Matthew 7:7 | Proverbs 14:29 | Ephesians 4:2
  10. I am faith-filled: Isaiah 43:1-3 | Galatians 3:22
  11. I am gifted: 1 Corinthians 12:4 | 1 Peter 4:10-11
  12. I am creative: Exodus 35:31-32 | 1 Peter 4:10-11

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