Be encouraged, ~cause Christ has given you benefits and privileges!!
If you are struggling to believe good things about yourself, you are not alone. Most of us at one time or another are plagued with negative thoughts like, “I’m not good enough… I can never truly be forgiven,” or “I am unlovable.”
But living with insecurity, fear and doubt means we are believing Satan’s lies about who we are instead of embracing God’s truth.
The Bible refers to Satan as the father of lies (John 8:44). He lies in wait, working overtime to steal, kill and destroy God’s children. He would love nothing more than to have you doubt your true identity, destroy your faith, and derail your future.
But armed with the truth of God’s Word, his lies become powerless. Faith in God grows, and an understanding of His plan becomes clear when you know what He has said about you. So, what exactly does the Bible tell you about who you are in Christ?
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.– Ephesians 1:46
In Christ – You Are Loved Unconditionally
God’s love for you knows no bounds. No one will ever know you as well as He does, and He loves you just as you are. You are His beloved creation. When He knit you together in your mother’s womb, He made you fearfully and wonderfully (Psalm 139:13-14).
You may have been disliked, rejected or criticized. That doesn’t matter. The One who knows you intimately and perfectly loves you deeply and nothing you do can cause Him to stop loving you.
Romans 8:38-39 says,
Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You can rest in His unconditional and unfailing love for you for now and for all eternity.
In Christ – You Are Forgiven
There is no sin that is greater than the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. He paid a dear price for your forgiveness, His very life. He didn’t do that so your past could be used against you. He did it to buy your freedom from any condemnation for sin. He didn’t do it for you to become a nervous perfectionist. He did it knowing we are human and that all of us have made mistakes and sinned. His forgiveness is always available. All we have to do is ask.
So, when Satan reminds you of your past, remember that the blood of Jesus covered every sin you have ever committed, and God no longer remembers your transgressions (Hebrews 8:12). You are forever a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
In Christ – You Are God’s Child
God is your Father and He will always be there for you. If your earthly parents have failed you, rejected you or abandoned you, the Lord still receives you and holds you close as His precious child (Psalm 27:10). You can put full confidence in Him to be a faithful, loving Father.
Earthly fathers and mothers are human. They are not capable of loving you perfectly, guiding you flawlessly, or being all that you need. That isn’t true of your heavenly Father, His love can fill you to overflowing. His guidance is so perfect that your very steps are ordered by Him (Psalm 37:23) and He can meet every need that you have.
As a child of God, you have no reason to fear lack. Matthew 6:31-32 says we need not ask what we will eat or drink, or what we will wear, because our heavenly Father knows that we have these needs.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? (Matthew 6:26).
In Christ – You Are Enough
God does not call perfect people. He doesn’t need to. He knows that the Holy Spirit living in His children gives them all they need to succeed.
Second Corinthians 3:5 says we are not competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.
When we rely on God’s strength and provision in every situation, we make sure that He receives the glory and not us. The Apostle Paul said he would boast in his weakness and trust not in himself, but in the power of the Holy Spirit at work in his life (2 Corinthians 12:9).
In Christ – You Have Eternal Life
Some of the last words Jesus spoke here on earth reassured His disciples that although He was leaving them, one day they would be together forever.
He said, “I go and prepare a place for you” (John 14:3) so that one day we will be with Him in heaven. Personal flaws and past failures are very small matters in light of the eternity you will be spending with Him. You can rest in the assurance that you have a home in heaven because of your relationship with Christ.
If you refuse to believe the lies Satan would have you believe and cling to the truth, you will find freedom—freedom from fear, freedom from guilt, and freedom to live the victorious life Jesus died to give you.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. (John 10:10).
Can God change your life?
God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life.