--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The less I can depend on circumstances to…" description: "\"“The less I can depend on circumstances to define my identity, the more I must look to the Lord to reinforce His thoughts concerning me and to impress ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/steven-furtick-3394_identity_the-less-i-can-depend-on-circumstances-t_1208726.png" --- # The less I can depend on circumstances to define my… ![“The less I can depend on circumstances to define my identity, the more I must look to the Lord to reinforce His thoughts concerning me and to impress them into my heart until I respond as if it’s second nature:” quote by Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/steven-furtick-3394_identity_the-less-i-can-depend-on-circumstances-t_1208726.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/steven-furtick-3394_identity_the-less-i-can-depend-on-circumstances-t_1208726.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/steven-furtick-3394_identity_the-less-i-can-depend-on-circumstances-t_1208726.png) > ““The less I can depend on circumstances to define my identity, the more I must look to the Lord to reinforce His thoughts concerning me and to impress them into my heart until I respond as if it’s second nature:”” [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Identity should be grounded in divine truth rather than fleeting circumstances, shaping one's thoughts and responses as a natural habit. **In simple terms:** Find identity in God, not circumstances. Key Takeaway Cultivate God‑centered self‑image. Themes faith identity spiritual growth Mood reflective encouraging Type spiritual motivational When to use this quote - personal crisis - career setbacks - relationship challenges - decision making Key Concepts theology self‑concept habituation Questions to Reflect On - How can you daily remind yourself of your divine identity? - What habits reinforce this identity? A Different Perspective Relying solely on external factors can lead to instability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Depend Circumstances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depend-circumstances-2199585/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Look Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-lord-1814274/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Reinforce Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reinforce-thoughts-3654289/) [Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts/) [Thoughts Concerning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts-concerning-3654290/) ## Related quotes > [Remind yourself, in whatever way is personally meaningful, that it is not in your best interest to reinforce thoughts and feelings of unworthiness. Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/remind-yourself-in-whatever-way-is-personally-meaningful-that-it-is/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [When all the thoughts are concerning one thing and the person loses interest in other things, the melancholy begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-linnaeus/when-all-the-thoughts-are-concerning-one-thing-and-the-person-loses/) [Carl Linnaeus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-linnaeus/) > [How we live our lives does not,unfortunately depend on us alone.Circumstances,good or bad,constantly intervene.A person close to us die.A person not so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/how-we-live-our-lives-does-not-unfortunately-depend-on-us-alone/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [Real happiness is not vulnerable, because it does not depend on circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/real-happiness-is-not-vulnerable-because-it-does-not-depend-on/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [Happiness does not depend on your circumstances; it depends on your will. It's a choice that you make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/happiness-does-not-depend-on-your-circumstances-it-depends-on-your/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [You must bear in mind that each law is circumstantial. It does depend on the circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/you-must-bear-in-mind-that-each-law-is-circumstantial-it-does-depend/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Happiness is not something far away and unattainable, and its manifestation does not depend on circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laine/happiness-is-not-something-far-away-and-unattainable-and-its/) [Laine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laine/) > [“I must look for the Lord's reflection in the sea; otherwise all I see is water.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rogers/i-must-look-for-the-lord-s-reflection-in-the-sea-otherwise-all-i-see/) [Matt Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rogers/) > [Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goddey-wilson/therefore-i-will-look-to-the-lord-i-will-wait-for-the-god-of-my/) [GODDEY WILSON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goddey-wilson/) > [Do not fight the thing in detail: turn from it. Look ONLY at your Lord. Sing. Read. Work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-carmichael/do-not-fight-the-thing-in-detail-turn-from-it-look-only-at-your-lord/) [Amy Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-carmichael/) > [“Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/look-to-the-lord-and-his-strength-seek-his-face-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Look down on me, you will see a fool. Look up at me, you will see your Lord. Look straight at me, you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-manson/look-down-on-me-you-will-see-a-fool-look-up-at-me-you-will-see-your/) [Charles Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-manson/) > [Father God, we just ask You to open Your wide, wide arms and look down upon us, Lord, and lead us, and let us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norma-mccorvey/father-god-we-just-ask-you-to-open-your-wide-wide-arms-and-look-down/) [Norma McCorvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norma-mccorvey/) > [I do here speak it before the court. I look that the Lord should deliver me by his providence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hutchinson/i-do-here-speak-it-before-the-court-i-look-that-the-lord-should/) [Anne Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hutchinson/) > [When I am in the cellar of affliction, I look for the Lord's choicest wines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-rutherford/when-i-am-in-the-cellar-of-affliction-i-look-for-the-lord-s-choicest/) [Samuel Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-rutherford/) ## More by Steven Furtick > [“I tend to be one of those people who takes great pride in calling it like I see it. I say things like, “I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/i-tend-to-be-one-of-those-people-who-takes-great-pride-in-calling-it/) [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) > [Nothing gets stronger without resistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/nothing-gets-stronger-without-resistance/) [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) > [The goal of faith isn't to take away your fears but to leverage those fears to create bolder belief. Faith leads you past your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/the-goal-of-faith-isn-t-to-take-away-your-fears-but-to-leverage-those/) [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) > [“What makes you think you have to turn your life around before you can completely commit your life to God? What makes you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/what-makes-you-think-you-have-to-turn-your-life-around-before-you-can/) [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) > [“God gives people the exact experiences he wants them to have in order to shape the specific destiny he's designed for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/god-gives-people-the-exact-experiences-he-wants-them-to-have-in-order/) [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) > [“The only people who are completely sure they've heard from God are either clinically insane or under the influence of hallucinogens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/the-only-people-who-are-completely-sure-they-ve-heard-from-god-are/) [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) > [Jesus will always move away from religious drama and toward the needs of people who are hurting. Jesus will always go out of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/jesus-will-always-move-away-from-religious-drama-and-toward-the-needs/) [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) > [Prayer is the arena where our faith meets God's abilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/prayer-is-the-arena-where-our-faith-meets-god-s-abilities/) [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) > [If the size of your vision for your life isn't intimidating to you, there's a good chance it's insulting to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/if-the-size-of-your-vision-for-your-life-isn-t-intimidating-to-you/) [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) > [Most of the time, it's not until we embrace our limitations that God can start to use us beyond our limitations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/most-of-the-time-it-s-not-until-we-embrace-our-limitations-that-god/) [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) > [The difference between a vision and a daydream is the audacity to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/the-difference-between-a-vision-and-a-daydream-is-the-audacity-to-act/) [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) > [“I will not let the discouragement of what I’m going through make me forget the benefits of belonging to the God who has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/i-will-not-let-the-discouragement-of-what-i-m-going-through-make-me/) [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) > [Audacious faith is the raw material that authentic Christianity is made of. It's the stuff that triggers ordinarily level-headed people like you and me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/audacious-faith-is-the-raw-material-that-authentic-christianity-is/) [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) > [Love is not words, it's actions, and love isn't feelings, it's a decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/love-is-not-words-it-s-actions-and-love-isn-t-feelings-it-s-a-decision/) [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) > [I choose to believe that the same God who intervened to bring his Son back to life intervened on this day in history to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/i-choose-to-believe-that-the-same-god-who-intervened-to-bring-his-son/) [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) [Explore all 132 Steven Furtick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) ## More Identity quotes > [I don't doubt that straight white men have identity issues and identity complexes and struggle with defining themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/i-don-t-doubt-that-straight-white-men-have-identity-issues-and/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [You have expressive nationalism, I mean very identity driven, which shaped each other a lot of that in the Middle East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subrahmanyam-jaishankar/you-have-expressive-nationalism-i-mean-very-identity-driven-which/) [Subrahmanyam Jaishankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subrahmanyam-jaishankar/) > [Family over friends, because real friends are family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-over-friends-because-real-friends-are-family/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think everybody, or the great majority of human beings, have this aspiration to become other: to live a different identity, at least for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-everybody-or-the-great-majority-of-human-beings-have-this/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [The language we share is at the core of our identity as citizens, and our ticket to full participation in American political life. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/the-language-we-share-is-at-the-core-of-our-identity-as-citizens-and/) [S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/) > [Tell me how much a nation knows about its own language, and I will tell you how much that nation knows about its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ciardi/tell-me-how-much-a-nation-knows-about-its-own-language-and-i-will/) [John Ciardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ciardi/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“In the worldly life, due to maadakta (intoxication of the ego of ‘I am Chandubhai’), one has completely lost awareness of everything about one’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/in-the-worldly-life-due-to-maadakta-intoxication-of-the-ego-of-i-am/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“At the moment, then, of Man’s victory over Nature, we find the whole human race subjected to some individual men, and those individuals subjected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/at-the-moment-then-of-man-s-victory-over-nature-we-find-the-whole/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [She might be without country, without nation, but inside her there was still a being that could exist and be free, that could simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-maas/she-might-be-without-country-without-nation-but-inside-her-there-was/) [Sharon Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-maas/) > [“Self-realization or self-knowing or awakening is about knowing/ becoming conscious of our true nature and living in harmony with the universe in an ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-vazhakunnathu/self-realization-or-self-knowing-or-awakening-is-about-knowing/) [Thomas Vazhakunnathu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-vazhakunnathu/) > [“There are some things that one individual can do for another, and there are some things that one race can do for another. But,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/there-are-some-things-that-one-individual-can-do-for-another-and/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [“Why were there no words that spoke positively about being concerned about the self? Why was there only negative connotation in terms like "selfish",…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-dalton/why-were-there-no-words-that-spoke-positively-about-being-concerned/) [A.J. Dalton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-dalton/) [Browse all 11,949 Identity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The less I can depend on circumstances to define my identity, the more I must look to the Lord to reinforce His thoughts concerning me and to impress them into my heart until I respond as if it’s second nature:”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steven Furtick" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/the-less-i-can-depend-on-circumstances-to-define-my-identity-the-more/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Identity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/the-less-i-can-depend-on-circumstances-to-define-my-identity-the-more/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/steven-furtick-3394_identity_the-less-i-can-depend-on-circumstances-t_1208726.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/steven-furtick-3394_identity_the-less-i-can-depend-on-circumstances-t_1208726.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/steven-furtick-3394_identity_the-less-i-can-depend-on-circumstances-t_1208726.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The less I can depend on circumstances to define my identity, the more I must look to the Lord to reinforce…” — Steven Furtick", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Steven Furtick", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The less I can depend on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/the-less-i-can-depend-on-circumstances-to-define-my-identity-the-more/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/the-less-i-can-depend-on-circumstances-to-define-my-identity-the-more/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```