Living in fear of someone discovering our true
identity often drives us just this side of insanity. We dread someone else
realizing that we are just "not enough". Not pretty enough, not smart
enough, not strong enough, not kind enough, not capable enough...not enough.
Jesus came to give us good news. We all fall short of the glory of God.
There is no one good enough, not even one (Romans
3:10-12, 23). Even people with a high opinion of their self have
issues with insecurity. We all have little nagging doubts, which corrode our
confidence and whittle away at our self-esteem. We live under a cloud of
negative self-talk. We hide behind superficial masks, in hopes that no one will
ever uncover just how deficient we really are.
Once we come to Christ, we can stop pretending, stop
striving to be good and throw our self on the mercy and grace of God instead.
He accepts us just the way we are (Romans 5:8). We need
no pretenses with Him. He loves us in spite of our failings. God is our Father who
cares for us, nurtures us and provides for all of our needs: spiritually,
physically and in our soul - our mind, choices and emotions.
Our Heavenly Daddy gives us a sense of security as we
dwell in Him and He dwells in us. His love fills in the gaps in our self-esteem
and changes our opinion about our deficiencies. We no longer need to fear life
and its consequences, to listen to any negative self-talk or to believe anyone
else's negative opinion of us. We are complete in Christ (Colossians
1:27, 2:10).
Prayer:
Father God, we drink from the living water of Your
Word, which calms our soul and fills our spirit with godly character, Jesus'
divine nature and the fruit of Your Holy Spirit (John 7:38;
2 Peter 1:3-4; Galatians 5:22-23). When fears creap in to cripple us
and render us ineffective for You and for a productive life, we can run to
Jesus, who is the Rock that is higher than we are (Psalm
61:2). He gives us power over these demonic attacks and He strengthens
us to prolifically bloom where You plant us.
Thought for the Day:
God provides His people with a
Sabbath rest from our weary labors; for when we enter God's rest, we stop
spinning our wheels and trust Him to bless our lives with His fullness. -
Hebrews 4:9-12
