Set Free 12 – Not Good Enough

There are so many times we struggle with not feeling good enough. This is a struggle we can keep returning to without meaning to. Satan preys on our feelings. His main goal is to get us away from focusing on Christ, and it doesn’t matter who gets hurt along the way. Even if it’s you. Even if it’s me.

He’s gonna try his hardest to make us feel not good enough.

Here’s the thing. We aren’t good enough.

We never will be.

Not by ourselves anyway.

This realization can get us down, and while we’re down we’re useless.

Useless.

I knew it.

Do you see the cycle?

Let’s get a fresh perspective, shall we?

Come with me – read our text, Psalm 34.

I’d love to draw out some key verses, but I want your thoughts first.

DO: Grab your journal and highlight verses in this chapter of Psalms that shine and soothe.

DO: Please share your answers in our community (comment below) keeping in mind that your answer may be different than mine, or than someone else’s. That’s the beauty of God’s Word; it’s alive and can be used for the varying needs of God’s children.

The verses that touched my aching heart in this chapter were especially verses 5, 7, 10, and 18.

7 and 18: being surrounded by God’s angels, and by the LORD Himself; my broken heart is of great value to Him.

10: I shall not be lacking any good thing. My heart is pure, valuable, precious and complete to Him. Any ‘not-good-enough’ is filled in with Christ.

And last but not least, verse 5:

Psalm 34:5 “Those who look to Him are radiant with joy; their faces will never be ashamed.” HCSB

Looking to Him, Creator, wise, holy… GOD, and not being ashamed? How can this be? I look in the mirror and feel ashamed, and I’m me. How can I look to God and not feel ashamed?

Because, Sweet Thing, He chose you, made you, knows you and loves you.

And not only that, but He fills in where we fall short.

Keep a finger in Psalm 34, but go take a look at these verses: Colossians 2:10, and then 2 Peter 1:3.

When He looks at you, He sees Christ’s completion.

Colossians 2:10 “And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” NKJV emphasis mine
(or notice in HCSB, “And you have been filled by Him…” emphasis mine)

Because He is the One who completes us. That’s why He doesn’t see the not-good-enough us that we see! Because He sees perfection. Because He sees Christ.

2 Peter 1:3-4 “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” NIV

We get to participate in His nature.

With this mindset, of course we wouldn’t feel ashamed.

(Before we get too heady about this though, please read how Christ handles this lofty position in Philippians 2:6-8.)

Q: In Philippians 2:7, how did Christ respond to being equal with God?

Turn back to Psalm 34. Here’s the thing I’d like you to see.

When we’re feeling down, and feeling not good enough, we are not seeing ourselves the way God does. We are seeing ourselves as pre-Christ creations, not as the Christ-filled, Christ-transformed (2 Cor 5:17) creation that we are.

More importantly than that, we are not seeing Christ at all.

Yep. You read that right. Re-read Psalm 34 and answer the following questions – personally in your journal, or also in our community in the comments below.

Q: In verse 1, what does David say?

Q: In verse 2, who does David boast in?

Q: In verse 3, who are we to join in magnifying?

Do you get the idea? Keep going if you like, through the whole chapter, making a list of all the times, or circling in your Bible like I did, that you see the following exchange:
I praise – He protects

I look to Him – He is near.

Focus on Him – Lose all shame.

I’d like to close with a concept the Lord impressed upon my heart in a Bible study I attended 5 years ago that totally upended my view of God, and transformed my view of relationship with Him from Master-Creator/Slave-servant to Father/Child and all the love, understanding and acceptance that comes with it.

We were looking at 1 Peter 2:3-10.

(I’d like you to glance at it too, so you can have an idea where we were at. Notice the repeat from Psalm 34:8 and 1 Peter 2:3? Don’t you love how God ties things together?)

We looked at the concept of a stone, and how Christ is our cornerstone, holding it all together. God impressed upon me that night how precious we are (vs 9) to Him, and He gave my heart this picture (He often uses pictures with me because He knows it works and stays with me longer. You?):

Picture a diamond, pressured, cut, chiseled, carved. Now picture the prongs where it is set are actually the hands of God. We are that diamond or precious stone.

Repeat these words aloud until you believe them: “I am a stone, set like a jewel in the heart and hands of God.”

Know that. Know, too, that for that stone to be beautiful, it does require pressure, change (2 Cor 5:17 again!) and cutting and carving.

No stone starts out perfect. That’s why I said at the beginning today that we aren’t enough.

Because we’re not enough.

But with Jesus, we are beautiful, and with Jesus, we shine.

Shine, sister. That’s how He sees you, and that’s how He wants you to see yourself.

You are so precious to Him.

I hope you’ve been blessed by this segment on being Set Free. I know I have. We will be starting up another series Lord willing near the beginning of September, but should have a few devotionals in between.

How did your verse-memorizing go?

I’d love for you to share a short video on Twitter or Instagram of you reciting them (use tag #faithspokenof). It doesn’t have to be perfect. Remember what we learned about perfectionism, and today about not being good enough. That’s not the point. The point is you’re hiding His precious Words in your heart.

If you haven’t started yet, that’s fine too- you can start today. 

Download free printable verse cards here.

God bless you this week and we’ll see you soon! 

You can connect in the meantime on Facebook and Twitter.

Set Free 8 - If You've Been Hurt

Have you been hurt? I have.

Is there someone in your life who has left some major scars?

Physically or emotionally.

I’m sure most of us can think of someone. Some hurts may go deeper than others but they all hurt. And many times, even when we thought we’d healed, then something comes along and scrapes at the old wound, revealing that it was deeper than we ever thought, and is indeed still there.

Let me start out by saying this. It may never go away.

The person who hurt you may be in your life permanently, and they may never change their behavior.

For this session we will be dealing with emotional injury, rather than physical injury. Please, if you are in a situation where you are being physically harmed, find a safe  place to go.

No, for this session we will be dealing with the type of emotional injury and hurt that sticks around like a bad penny.

What happens when we leave hurts undealt with is one (or more) of a few options.

1)      We start to get bitter

2)      We start to believe it, believe the lies that hurt us.

First let’s find some focus. We were not the only ones to ever hurt because of another.

Isaiah 53:6 “But He was wounded for our transgressions,He was bruised for our iniquities;The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,And by His stripes we are healed.”

Jesus took the blow for us – and in that felt the effects of every bit of anger, hate and rejection that any of us have ever felt. And worse.

Our passages today are 1 Peter 5:7 and Matthew 11:28-30

Since they are short, I’ll go ahead and include them here.

1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” NKJV emphasis mine

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” NKJV emphasis mine

Can you see it? See the exchange?
Cast your cares; your hurts, your wounds, your insecurities, your injuries, still bleeding or not, on Him! Give them to him to deal with.

I know, it’s easier said than done. It is. But if you daily, or even moment by moment, consciously hand them over, instead of keeping a grasp on them, you will eventually find healing. You will not feel a need to hold them any longer. They will become less a part of you and more a part of your testimony, and story of God’s great grace. They will be yet one more thing that Jesus wanted to take off your hands so much that He came to die for you. Do you see it? If you keep a grasp on them, then grace is void. If we don’t accept His help- accept Him and all of Him, then why accept even part?

Do you hear what I’m saying? You don’t need it. You need only Him.

Colossians 2:10 “And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” NKJV emphasis mine

And look at our second passage, in Matthew.

He says to come to Him. Broken, beautiful you. Come.

See verse 29.

Learn from Him. He says learn from Him, because He has been there.

Let go of what you’ve been holding close to your heart- the worries and cares and hurts, and take what He’s got. He knows it’s hard, but we don’t need those to define us.

Yes, they may be a part of how we got to be the stronger person we are today, but they are a part of your past. They do now have to be a part of your now.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” NKJV

One of my family’s favorite names for God is the one He used for Himself in Exodus 15:26, Jehovah Rapha, God our Healer.

We see it used multiple times in the Bible.

Psalm 23:3a “He restores my soul…” NKJV

Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [curing their pains and their sorrows].” AMP

Jehovah Raphe; The self-existent One, and healer of our personal distress, defects and hurts. source

It is a part of His nature- so much so that He uses that for His name! Just as much as you who are moms or sisters or friends, when you say “I’m Lisa’s friend,” or “I’m Emma’s mom” it’s a part of you- it’s not only something you do on occasion (like, “I babysit her sometimes.”), it’s a part of your nature. You do things without question because that identity is a part of you- like caring for your child, calling to check in on your friend. Because you want to – out of love. In the same way, Him being our healer isn’t just part of His Heavenly job-description, it’s a part of who He is.

When we let Him heal us, even if He needs to re-bandage our wounds every single day, or multiple times per day, He loves doing it. He delights to heal you. Please let Him.

Part of the meaning of this name Jehovah Rapha gives the picture of Him sewing together, or mending a tear. Picture your loving Abba holding you in His hand, mending you, stitch by careful stitch.

He meets the emotional needs of His people. When we hurt, He feels it. And heals it if we let Him.

So, no, the one who has hurt you may never change their ways, and you may continue to get hurt. Just see that you are handling yourself correctly in the situation, and reflecting Jesus.

1 John 2:6 “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” NLT

Ephesians 4:1-2 “Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” NLT

Q: If there is someone in your life who has hurt you, do you feel the sting every time you think of them?

Q: Have you prayed about whether this is harbored bitterness on your part?

Q: Do you act like Christ would act in the situation? If not, pray that He would give you the love and forgiveness to offer that person- because you may not have it on your own. You may rely on His strength to forgive them.

DO: Pray for healing. In yourself- not necessarily for healing of the relationship (which is okay to pray for too), but for healing within, from the Holy Spirit. Healing on your side, so that you are blameless and holy before God, not harboring any bitterness toward that person, and so that you yourself are not hindered in your ministry and testimony of God’s work because of an injury.

He will heal you! It is His desire for you to be whole.

Luke 4:18 “…He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted…” NKJV

And from our memory verses this segment,

Excerpts from Isaiah 61:1-3
“…He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted…To comfort all who mourn,…To give them beauty for ashes,The oil of joy for mourning,The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…”NKJV emphasis mine
 

He doesn’t want you to remain hurt. He wants you to be healed. But look Who provides the healing: He does. Nobody else. He alone can heal you. Accept His healing and let go of your hurts. He’s all you need anyway.

Celebrate

Brides, let’s celebrate today. It is the day the Lord has made, amen?

Our text today comes from three parallel passages. Matthew 9:14-17, Mark 2:18-22, Luke 5:33-37

When this many of the gospel writers include an account of something, you know it is huge. For all of the three years of every-days with Jesus, this conversation stood out enough to be remembered and written down.

How much do you remember? Are you making practice of purposefully remembering Him? His word? I know for most of us, our 24 hours seem so full already – and they are; we each fill up our 24 hours with something. But do those somethings have eternal value? I speak to myself too.

Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” NLT

Joshua 1:8 “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” NLT emphasis mine

Colossians 3:16a “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives…” NLT emphasis mine

In our passages, Jesus had just called Matthew to be a disciple. Matthew – a tax collector. Tax collectors were known for padding their pockets. They were deceitful and hated. And Jesus called him straight from this life to start a new life with Him.

Don’t you just love that? I love that Jesus didn’t scour the world looking for people who were “better” or well liked, or less nasty than the rest. He picked the scum so that He could heal, cleanse and renew. That is what Jesus does best.

For order’s sake, we will look at one of the three passages – and even though they are nearly identical, I like Luke’s account.

So we pick up in Luke 5:33

I love this passage, because it is when Jesus introduces Himself as our Groom.

Read 33-34

Do you see it?

Be all here. I am here. Celebrate that.

Fasting often included an attitude of mourning – that word is even used interchangeably, if you’ll glance over at the Matthew account (9:15)

Now, this may be one of those times when the words were spoken to those people in that specific setting (He was physically with them, so that fits and makes good sense), but I believe it was included (3 times!) because we can apply it to our own lives.

We have Christ with us, because we have Christ in us. (Romans 8:9-10)

Is that not worthy of celebration? If that’s not, I don’t know what is.

In those days, the wedding celebration lasted 2 weeks. This was probably the only time in their lives when they would go that long without working. Life was hard for them, and this was a time of celebration. ‘Drop everything and celebrate now’ was the general attitude around a wedding. Christ is calling His disciples here to celebrate His presence. source

Sisters, life is hard. It is.

But.

This is a great time to insert ‘but’.

But we have Christ. Amen?

Philippians 4:13 “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” NLT

We are new in Christ. Life is new with Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Here’s where we tie it all together. Celebrate your new life in Christ. He hasn’t come to patch up and smoothe over your old life. Throw it away. Just accept the new life.

Read the rest of our passage. (If you’re in Luke with me, that’d be Luke 5:36-39)

God doesn’t fit like a band-aid over our old lives. He wants to offer complete renewal.

New habits. New delights. New favorites. New friends? New drinks. New movies. New music. New clothing. New words. New attitude. New forgiveness.

New.

All things are become new.

Do not mourn the loss of those old things; what are they, really anyway?

So I challenge you with me:

1) Pray about remnants you’re still wearing from your old life before you knew Him. Pray for Him to reveal them, and remove them.
2) Start a new habit – memorize. Remember the opening of our session today? Memorize His Word, for with God’s word in your heart, your heart, mind, and spirit are made new. New.

Ephesians 4:22-24 “throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” NLT

Romans 12:2 “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” NLT

And let’s start with those verses, sound good?

3) Celebrate. You do have Christ in you if you are a Christian. Spend some time celebrating that, and watch your outlook renew.