Who I Am in Christ

This week in our Proverbs 31 Ministries online Bible study of A Confident Heart, Renee Swope talked to us about dealing with thoughts of “I’m not good enough.”

“It’s easy to think that if we were taller, prettier, skinnier, smarter, younger, or had all that we wanted, we’d be secure. We think all those things could make us feel like we are good enough. But the truth is, even women who ‘have it all’ still struggle with feeling like they aren’t good enough.”   -Renee Swope

We all have “mind tapes” which play over and over in our heads – messages which tell us we’re no good, or we’ll never make it, or we’re stupid, or we’re ugly etc. We need to choose to “record over” these negative messages, replacing them with the truth of God’s word. Dr. Neil Anderson has shared a compilation of Scriptures (see Victory Over the Darkness) to remind us of who we are in Christ. Ginny Blankenship created this visual based on the Scriptures. Every day we need to consciously fill our minds with these truths.

This morning as I sat down to write this post, I was excited to share what I was learning. When I went to sign in to my WordPress account my password wasn’t accepted. I tried several, but none of them worked. Finally I had to request a password reset. Then I logged in and started writing my post. I thought it would be fun to do a Wordle, but when I tried to do that, I found out my Java software was out of date, so the Wordle wouldn’t work. I accepted the fact I wouldn’t get my post written in the time I thought I would, updated my software and then prepared breakfast for my family. While we were getting ready to have breakfast, my husband and son had a confrontation. I thought my husband was being too harsh and voiced my opinion. My husband didn’t appreciate my interference and told me so. We made it through breakfast and then it was time to get our five children out the door for the bus. As they were getting snow pants, jackets, and mitts on, my youngest daughter couldn’t find her mitts. I looked everywhere, but couldn’t find them. I went to a box of old mitts we have and found two the same colour, but for the same hand. No matter how I searched, I couldn’t find any others that were remotely suitable, so out the door she went with mismatched mitts.

At the end of chapter 6, Renee poses this question:

“What area of your life – as a woman, mom, wife, friend, daughter, housekeeper, professional, leader, etc. – do you currently struggle with most in believing you are good enough?”

This morning I was tempted to believe I was NOT good enough in several areas:

• Computer/technology
• Marriage
• Motherhood

Renee says:

“Sometimes it’s not the big things — it’s the smaller, everyday things. How often do you hear doubt whisper, You’re such a failure, when you make a dumb mistake, say something you regret, argue with someone you love, let a friend down, dishonor your husband, or fall into a pattern of sin? How often do you beat yourself up with accusing internal dialogue, saying things like, I always do that. I keep saying I’m sorry, but I’ll never change. I’m constantly disappointing someone. . . we need to remember that accusation doesn’t come from God; it comes from our accuser. . . Accusing is what Satan does best, but instead of believing his accusations, we need to let them lead us straight to Jesus so He can have the final say.”

These are the Scriptures (taken from Neil Anderson’s list) I’m choosing to mediate on this week:

1. I Corinthians 6:19-20 – I have been bought with a price and I belong to God
2. Ephesians 1:3-8 – I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child
3. Hebrews 4:14-16 – I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ
4. Philippians 1:6 – I am confident God will complete the good work He started in me
5. 2 Timothy 1:7 – I have been given a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind
6. 1 John 5:18 – I am born of God, and the evil one cannot touch me
7. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 – I am a minister of reconciliation for God

Here’s my Wordle

Today I’m choosing to celebrate who I am in Jesus Christ. Will you join me?