Why is it so easy to believe the lie, "You will never be good enough, no matter what you do, so why even try?"
Why does he constantly scream this at me?
Constantly.
Every waking moment, no matter what I'm doing, it's always there.
Why is he so consumed with making sure I believe that I'll never succeed at anything?
What is he afraid of?
Me.
He, is afraid, of me.
He knows that God has something amazing planned for my life, and it scares him so much that he will tell me anything to prevent me from doing what God has planned for me to do.
He will stop at nothing to prevent me from seeing who I really am:
I am a daughter of the King!
I am a child of the Most High!
I am good enough because of what Christ did for me!
There is freedom in truth, and this I know to be true:
The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me because God anointed me. He sent me to preach good news to the poor, heal the heartbroken, Announce freedom to all captives, pardon all prisoners. God sent me to announce the year of his grace— a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies— and to comfort all who mourn, To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion, give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes, Messages of joy instead of news of doom, a praising heart instead of a languid spirit. Rename them “Oaks of Righteousness” planted by God to display his glory. They’ll rebuild the old ruins, raise a new city out of the wreckage. They’ll start over on the ruined cities, take the rubble left behind and make it new. You’ll hire outsiders to herd your flocks and foreigners to work your fields, But you’ll have the title “Priests of God,” honored as ministers of our God. You’ll feast on the bounty of nations, you’ll bask in their glory. Because you got a double dose of trouble and more than your share of contempt, Your inheritance in the land will be doubled and your joy go on forever. “Because I, God, love fair dealing and hate thievery and crime, I’ll pay your wages on time and in full, and establish my eternal covenant with you. Your descendants will become well-known all over. Your children in foreign countries Will be recognized at once as the people I have blessed.” I will sing for joy in God, explode in praise from deep in my soul! He dressed me up in a suit of salvation, he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo and a bride a jeweled tiara. For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers, and as a garden cascades with blossoms, So the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom and puts praise on display before the nations. (Isaiah 61:1-11 MSG)
Monday, October 5, 2015
This Grace I Stand On
This grace I stand on is amazing!
It is complete.
It is sufficient.
It is powerful.
It is appointed.
This grace I stand on has saved me.
It has humbled me.
It has given me confidence.
It has freed me.
This grace I stand on is never ending.
This grace I stand on says, "I see you. I see your failures, your disappointments, your ugliness, and I want it. I want to wade with you through the filth and dirt that is in your life, and help you to see a way out. There is nothing that you can be dealing with that I can't help you out of. There is nothing that you could have done in your past that I can't cover. If you let me, I will take your hand and lead you through this life with unconditional love and support. All you have to do is believe and ask Me for help. I will take your brokenness and make it beautiful. I will love you, every part of you, and there is nothing that will change that."
This grace I stand on is unexplainable.
It is unfathomable.
It is beyond comprehension.
This grace I stand on is love.
It is complete.
It is sufficient.
It is powerful.
It is appointed.
This grace I stand on has saved me.
It has humbled me.
It has given me confidence.
It has freed me.
This grace I stand on is never ending.
This grace I stand on says, "I see you. I see your failures, your disappointments, your ugliness, and I want it. I want to wade with you through the filth and dirt that is in your life, and help you to see a way out. There is nothing that you can be dealing with that I can't help you out of. There is nothing that you could have done in your past that I can't cover. If you let me, I will take your hand and lead you through this life with unconditional love and support. All you have to do is believe and ask Me for help. I will take your brokenness and make it beautiful. I will love you, every part of you, and there is nothing that will change that."
This grace I stand on is unexplainable.
It is unfathomable.
It is beyond comprehension.
This grace I stand on is love.
This Sweet Interruption
Family. Friends. Sports. Music. Food. Movies. Phone. Career. School. Success.
Calling, texting, always plugged in.
Reading. Quizzing. Always Studying.
Practice. Game. Always training.
Round and round, up and down, back and forth. Never ending, always losing.
Surrounded on all sides, people rushing by.
Running here and there.
Never alone, but never connected
Wondering why I try anymore. What’s the point?
Round and round, up and down, back and forth. Never ending, always losing.
But, then God brings His sweet interruption
He stops the horror movie merry-go-round that is this life, and shows me a better way.
He quiets the madness
He stills my soul and awakes it to sing His song of peace.
His whispers of unfathomable love and acceptance drown out the roar of the world.
He reminds me I’m never alone.
And I find peace. I find rest. I find love. I find Him, in this sweet interruption.
Perfection
Ever since the Garden of Eden, we have been made to feel that we are not enough. In Genesis 3, Satan tells Eve, “You will not certainly die, For God knows that when you eat from it (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Let’s take a closer look at this… “When you eat from it”, - If you buy this product, wear these clothes, drive this car, etc., “you will be like God,” - You are not like God, you are different, you are not enough.
Ever since that moment, we have been chasing perfection.
We live in a society obsessed with perfection. The global beauty and personal care industry is projected to have $270billion in revenue in 2017, with $155b being spent on cosmetics alone. In 2013, $12b was spent on cosmetic procedures in the US alone, with $7b spent on surgical procedures, and $5b spent on non-surgical procedures, like Botox, microdermabrasion, laser hair removal, etc.. The beauty and personal care industry spends an average of $67.5b on advertising every year, so it's no wonder that we are constantly bombarded 24hrs a day with the message that we are not enough. We will never be fit enough, healthy enough, pretty enough, rich enough. Are we driving the right car? Living in the right neighborhood? Sending our kids to the right schools? Do we have the right job? The right hairstyle? The right clothes? Wearing the right makeup? It’s no wonder that we as a society have a hard time admitting when we have done something wrong. When all we hear from society is how we are not enough, or that we are doing something wrong, why would we want to readily admit that we have personally failed in some way? And so, we constantly are searching for perfection in an imperfect world.
In Hebrews 10, we are told 5 times that all the sacrifices and burnt offerings and prayers in the world will not make us holy(perfect).
**The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason {it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.} 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.4 {It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.}
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
6 {with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.}
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, my God.’”[a]
8 First he said, “{Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—}though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; {again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. }12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
It is nothing that we can do, because what needed to be done was accomplished through Christ, through His sacrifice. Because of His sacrifice, we ARE holy, we ARE enough!
**Romans 5:1-8
1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
In the scope of eternity, it doesn’t matter who you are wearing, or what you are driving, what matters is what’s on the inside.
**Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 1 Peter 3: 3-4
All my life, the world, and even some of those closest to me, have made me feel 'never enough.' Never thin enough. Never smart enough. Never pretty enough. Never enough for love. Never enough. Never. Enough.
ENOUGH!
I. Am. Enough.
I am loved. The King of Kings, the Creator of the universe, is jealous for me! He longs to spend time with me. He values me. This kind of love is overwhelming. Unearned love. Loved just because you exist. Loved because I am enough.
In Him, I am more than enough, I am:
-Perfect
-Worthy of love and affection
-Loved inspite of myself
-A daughter of the King
-Valued
-Destined for greatness
I. Am. Enough.
**For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
Hebrews 10:14
In Him, I am enough. In Him, I am perfect.
Ever since that moment, we have been chasing perfection.
We live in a society obsessed with perfection. The global beauty and personal care industry is projected to have $270billion in revenue in 2017, with $155b being spent on cosmetics alone. In 2013, $12b was spent on cosmetic procedures in the US alone, with $7b spent on surgical procedures, and $5b spent on non-surgical procedures, like Botox, microdermabrasion, laser hair removal, etc.. The beauty and personal care industry spends an average of $67.5b on advertising every year, so it's no wonder that we are constantly bombarded 24hrs a day with the message that we are not enough. We will never be fit enough, healthy enough, pretty enough, rich enough. Are we driving the right car? Living in the right neighborhood? Sending our kids to the right schools? Do we have the right job? The right hairstyle? The right clothes? Wearing the right makeup? It’s no wonder that we as a society have a hard time admitting when we have done something wrong. When all we hear from society is how we are not enough, or that we are doing something wrong, why would we want to readily admit that we have personally failed in some way? And so, we constantly are searching for perfection in an imperfect world.
In Hebrews 10, we are told 5 times that all the sacrifices and burnt offerings and prayers in the world will not make us holy(perfect).
**The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason {it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.} 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.4 {It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.}
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
6 {with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.}
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, my God.’”[a]
8 First he said, “{Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—}though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; {again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. }12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
It is nothing that we can do, because what needed to be done was accomplished through Christ, through His sacrifice. Because of His sacrifice, we ARE holy, we ARE enough!
**Romans 5:1-8
1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
In the scope of eternity, it doesn’t matter who you are wearing, or what you are driving, what matters is what’s on the inside.
**Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 1 Peter 3: 3-4
All my life, the world, and even some of those closest to me, have made me feel 'never enough.' Never thin enough. Never smart enough. Never pretty enough. Never enough for love. Never enough. Never. Enough.
ENOUGH!
I. Am. Enough.
I am loved. The King of Kings, the Creator of the universe, is jealous for me! He longs to spend time with me. He values me. This kind of love is overwhelming. Unearned love. Loved just because you exist. Loved because I am enough.
In Him, I am more than enough, I am:
-Perfect
-Worthy of love and affection
-Loved inspite of myself
-A daughter of the King
-Valued
-Destined for greatness
I. Am. Enough.
**For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
Hebrews 10:14
In Him, I am enough. In Him, I am perfect.
Love, Relationships and Relying on God
To be honest, the thought of being in a relationship scares the crap out of me!
Like clammy skin, feel like I'm going to puke, scared! The thought of opening myself up to that level of trust and love scares me like nothing before. To be that vulnerable, open to being hurt, crushed even...I don't know if I can do it! I'm afraid I will sabotage myself to keep me from getting to that place where I could get hurt. Love is scary as hell! I don't know if I can give someone else that kind of control over me! I don't know if I'm that strong.
"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."
I know.
But...
It's ok to be scared. It's ok to doubt, to question. It's ok to rely on God! Let me say that again, it's ok to rely on God! That's what makes us human, our need for Him. If I had it all together, no doubts, no insecurities, I would have no need for a Savior. I would never know the all-encompassing love of the Father. The Father, who, before I was even thought of, saw me. Saw my doubt, my insecurities, my stubbornness, my pride, my dishonesty. God saw my multitudes of sins that Satan kept laying out before Him, showing Him how utterly unworthy I am to be loved, He saw all that and still chose me. Chose to give me life instead of death. And He didn't just save me from death, but offered up in my place His own Son to take my punishment. How can you comprehend this kind of love? It's so overwhelming! How do you even begin to repay a debt like that?
You don't.
'He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.' Micah 6:8
So I will justly live, showing mercy to others and myself, and humbly walk hand in hand with God, trusting Him all the way. Because, if I trust God, then I have nothing to fear and I have every reason for joy. And the question “But what if I suffer?” instead becomes “What am I so afraid of?
Here's my heart, Lord. Speak what is true.
You are strong, You are sure.
You are life, You endure.
You are good, always true.
You are light breaking through.
Like clammy skin, feel like I'm going to puke, scared! The thought of opening myself up to that level of trust and love scares me like nothing before. To be that vulnerable, open to being hurt, crushed even...I don't know if I can do it! I'm afraid I will sabotage myself to keep me from getting to that place where I could get hurt. Love is scary as hell! I don't know if I can give someone else that kind of control over me! I don't know if I'm that strong.
"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."
I know.
But...
It's ok to be scared. It's ok to doubt, to question. It's ok to rely on God! Let me say that again, it's ok to rely on God! That's what makes us human, our need for Him. If I had it all together, no doubts, no insecurities, I would have no need for a Savior. I would never know the all-encompassing love of the Father. The Father, who, before I was even thought of, saw me. Saw my doubt, my insecurities, my stubbornness, my pride, my dishonesty. God saw my multitudes of sins that Satan kept laying out before Him, showing Him how utterly unworthy I am to be loved, He saw all that and still chose me. Chose to give me life instead of death. And He didn't just save me from death, but offered up in my place His own Son to take my punishment. How can you comprehend this kind of love? It's so overwhelming! How do you even begin to repay a debt like that?
You don't.
'He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.' Micah 6:8
So I will justly live, showing mercy to others and myself, and humbly walk hand in hand with God, trusting Him all the way. Because, if I trust God, then I have nothing to fear and I have every reason for joy. And the question “But what if I suffer?” instead becomes “What am I so afraid of?
Here's my heart, Lord. Speak what is true.
You are strong, You are sure.
You are life, You endure.
You are good, always true.
You are light breaking through.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
No More Looking Back
Why do I look back?
Why do I look away?
Why do I look anywhere but in my Savior's eyes?
What am I afraid of?
Why do I insist on looking through the lenses of Satan's lies, which only reflect back my own inadequacies, my sins, my shame?
Why do I hold so tightly to those glasses, instead of letting Jesus remove the blinders, so that I may see myself reflected in His eyes?
Why have I let those lies of the enemy that have been whispered so effectively;
You'll never be good enough.
No man will ever love you.
God can't use someone like you.
drown out the roar of God's love for me?
Does God hear my heart?
Through all the screaming lies and relentless condemnations, does He hear my heart's cry?
It is barely a whisper at times.
Can He see behind my mask of pride and fear the little girl that longs for her Father's embrace?
The woman that longs for unconditional love?
The servant that longs to be used by the King?
Can You hear me?
Do You see me?
Help me.
No more looking back.
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