Tell me you get this … you have a heart that knows God loves you and genuinely loves Him in return, but your mind still struggles to be “all in.” You question your ability to be faithful to what He calls you to. Maybe your self-talk is negative and never gives you a break. Or perhaps your heart finds it a little too good to be true that God would still love you with the things you’ve done, thought, said. And, if not that, what about the people who speak into your life and tell you (maybe they don’t even use words) that you’re unworthy and unlovable.
Sweet one, you are so worthy and so incredibly lovable. But, I’ll be honest, you won’t find your true worth in your less-than-stellar moments from your past, your present, or your future. You won’t find your worthiness in people, places, things, or experiences. People are broken, and this world has a value system that is chasing the next dollar, trend, or shiny piece of tech. This world doesn’t value your heart, and it never will. It can’t. It’s not capable.
I’ll be honest with you in this too … you need to know that your mind is a battlefield and your heart is the prize. Whatever a woman gives her heart to has the power either to destroy her peace (no matter her circumstance) or increase her peace (no matter her circumstance).
The struggle is real.
I want you to know that God embraces our genuine questions. He knows we struggle, and He’s not offended by our struggle. As a matter of fact, He honors it. He’s not afraid of our questions. Maybe that’s because He’s had plenty of practice, but more so because He’s confident in who He is. Think about it. For over 6000 years He’s been doing just fine with people’s questions, so He’s definitely not put off by any of ours.
You already have everything you need to live a life of deep meaning and fulfillment.
Let that beautiful revelation settle on you and in your heart. It may sound a bit cliché or maybe even cheesy, but hear me out.
As believers in Christ, those who have taken what Christ did on the cross and made it personal, we have been awakened to God’s original plan for us. We have access to who God created us to be. Alive in Christ means we are a new creation. Specifically, our new identity in Christ is called our new (wo)man.
We’re new because we’ve never known who we were before. Actually, we couldn’t have known who God created us to be because—before accepting Christ as Savior—we do not have access to this knowledge. When sin entered our existence, it separated us from God. But when Christ died an innocent death, pouring out His blood on the cross, was buried, and rose to new life, the curse of death was broken.
We have the opportunity to have that one-on-one personal relationship with God through Christ’s sacrifice. We get to choose Christ and, in doing so, walk through the Gate and into the throne room with God any time of any day.
I say all that to say this: As the daughter of the One True God, if you want joy, joy is available. If you want peace, peace is available. You’re not fighting with Christ to learn how to find these things or to learn how to be better in order to gain this reality. There’s no secret, and God doesn’t hide or play games.
We’re learning to activate everything that is already present and available in Christ and we learn that as we read the Word and grasp a better understanding of who God is.
When your mind wants to rob you of peace or redefine who you are with pain, negativity, or hopelessness, that’s not the God of the Holy Bible. Because that’s not who you are in Christ. That’s not the life He died to give you.
That’s your old self trying to hang on and telling you Christ’s blood sacrifice isn’t for you. Your old self whispers you haven’t earned it and that you never will. It will swallow up your goals, dreams, love, future, worthiness, and value. In subtle ways, it will try to rob, steal, and destroy.
You have a Father who constantly reveals Himself to you in His Word, through your intimate conversations with Him, and in your praise and worship. You won’t have to struggle to learn who God is or experience His love for you.
Our day-to-day challenges teach us how to leave the old self behind, as we learn how to engage and activate all there is to discover about our new self. This amounts to discovering who Christ is in us and who we are in Him.
As we discover who we really are, we’ll use the truth that sets us free to rewrite all those negative thoughts, lies, and competing voices. Once we surrender our hearts to the unique person of Christ, we discover our purpose in life. When we know who He is we’ll know who we are. We’ll know where we’re going, and He will guide us on how to get there!
NOW LIVE LOVED and THRIVE!
Self-Reflection
These questions are in no way a substitute for healthcare professionals or any level of professional counseling. I’m an advocate for taking care of oneself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. These questions reflect my heart, NOT my profession.
This questionnaire is an opportunity to journal your thoughts and feelings. It can serve as a launching pad on which to evaluate your heart condition as you understand it. My hope is that you will take the truths you discover about yourself and hold them up to the Light to evaluate them against who God says you are.
- What is your biggest challenge in believing God is who He says He is and why?
- What negative thoughts do you struggle with?
- Where do you believe/think/feel is the root of these negative thoughts?
- Using what you wrote down, spend some time with God. Tell Him your biggest fear and ask Him how He wants to show up in the way you’re feeling. Ask Him what He wants to be to/for you in this fear.
- What do you think it means when you hear “old self” and “new self”?
- What is something you can do to leave your old self behind?
- What is one thing you can do to rewrite the lies and negative talk you experience?
Talk to God about your answers. Give Him praise, ask Him questions and then listen for His gentle response.
Take Action
Use God’s word to take control over the traumas in your life. Whenever you feel terrorized by your thoughts take them captive by replacing them with the truth of God’s promises in His word.
Here is a scripture for you to print, cut and carry with you and/or post in places where you will see it often. Ground yourself in God’s truths not Satan’s attacks. Encourage your heart and mind every time you are reminded of His great love for YOU!
Here is what God’s Word says about His unfailing, relentless, unending love for you:
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. Colossians 2:8
Translation: This world is constantly feeding you a value system that is not of Christ and His kingdom. Don’t let your mind be filled with the lies and false philosophies of human traditions or mystic forces. Pursue Christ alone. His value system always has you as His number one love.
