Unworthy But Not Worthless - Encouragement Café - April 22

Unworthy But Not Worthless
By Olivia Barnes

By the grace of God I am what I am... 1 Corinthians 15:10 ESV

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God… 1 John 3:1 ESV

Our minds are often our greatest enemy.  On tough days my mind is a weak point through which satan attacks.  He seeks to plant thoughts of self-loathing, thoughts like…

‘you’re pathetic’

‘look at you, you can’t even do the simplest thing without messing up’

‘it’s not difficult to take time to read God’s word each day but you even fail at that’

… the list is endless – but these thoughts are LIES.

We aren’t worthless; we are unworthy sinners in whom God sees great worth.

So much so that He gave His only Son as a sacrifice for us.  This means that when God looks at you, He doesn’t see someone who is worthless or who suffers failures – He sees His Son, He sees an individual who is covered in the blood of the Lamb.

Romans 8:1 states that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, while Philippians 1:6 tells us that he who has begun a good work in us will see it through, he will not give up on us.  My identity in Jesus means that all those thoughts that attack on the toughest of days – they are just attacks.

Attacks of the enemy, an enemy whose objective is to limit my usefulness to God.  To cause me to belittle myself, to talk myself down, to end up so depressed and filled with self-loathing that my life is drifting rather than moving forwards with purpose and drive, running the race that has been set before me.

Are you struggling with these types of lies, this trickery of satan?

Satan’s lies tell us that our identity is based on what we have done and on what people say or think about us – but it isn’t.  Our identity is based on Christ, on what He has done, and on what God says about us.

We are God’s children (John 1:12), saints of the true and living God (Ephesians 1:1), his workmanship (Ephesians 2:10), God’s work of art.  We are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10), the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).  I am a daughter of the king (Galatians 3:26) who has been fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).

We need to own this; we need to recognize God’s work in us, having God’s perspective on who we are.

Satan’s lies only have power in our lives if we entertain them and allow them to dwell in our minds (James 4:7; Revelations 12:11).  We must take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).  When we study the armor of God we need to remember the helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:17).  This helmet provides hope and protection for the mind against anything that seeks to confuse, impede or destroy our walk with Christ, such as discouragement or deceit.

As believers we should not entertain the lies of the enemy, we must stand against them.

In Genesis God describes what He has created as being good, not worthless.  God knows your name, every intimate detail, and while that can be a terrifying thought, remember He knows you and still loves you!  He would still send His Son to die for you.

Turn to God’s Word; focus your personal Bible study on how God defines you, your identity in Him.

Reading challenge: Read Matthew 6:25-34 every day for 30 days.

Let it seep into your mind, meditate upon it, memorize it.

This passage will help you recognize your worth in Christ.

Lord, I am so unworthy of Your love for me, of Your sacrifice.  It was my sin which nailed You to that cross.  I still stumble and I fall but Lord Your Word and the Witness of the Holy Spirit within me tell me that I am loved more than I can ever imagine or comprehend.

Thank You that Your love and grace never fails.  In Your precious and holy name I pray this day that the lies of the enemy would have no hold on my life or my mind.  I am valued in Your sight, a child of true and living God.  In Jesus’ holy name amen.

© 2021 by Olivia Barnes.  All rights reserved.

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