"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9
I was born with a sinful nature that did its own selfish thing apart from God. However, God loved and chose me in Christ before the foundation of the world! Little did I know all of what that meant when the Holy Spirit first opened my eyes to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Now I rest in the reality of His love and acceptance, regardless of how others might view me. When I look into the face of Jesus, he smiles at me, and I am good enough!
In this life, we all experience rejection. The wounds of rejection can go deep into our hearts. We must root out and guard our hearts and minds against the lies that come from rejection in our lives. Some grow up in a constant stream of rejection in their lives. However, if you are in Christ, you can find healing in the reality of his love and acceptance.
Here are the most common lies of rejection and the truth of who I am in Christ!
Lie: Love must be earned. Everyone, including God, accepts me if I work hard to please them.
Truth: God accepts me unconditionally because I'm His child (John 1:12,13).
Lie: Certain people must accept me to feel okay about myself.
Truth: Christ considers me as His friend (John 15:15).
Lie: I must do everything well or right to be accepted.
Truth: I am justified and have peace with God through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).
Lie: Sooner or later, God will reject me and turn away from me.
Truth: You no longer need to fear rejection again, for Christ will never leave you or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5)
Lie: I have no real value to God and others and feel worthless as a person.
Truth: God bought me with the price of His Son; therefore, I am of infinite value to Him (1 Corinthians 6:20).
Lie: I am unloved and alone in this life.
Truth: God chose to love me for all eternity and adopt me into His family (Ephesians 1:5).
Lie: There are some things I've done that God can't forgive, or God can't keep on forgiving me.
Truth: I am redeemed and forgiven of all my sins (Colossians 1:13,14).
Lie: God is angry with me, and I deserve to be punished, condemned, and abandoned.
Truth: I am free forever from condemnation and set free in Christ from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-4).
Lie: Sooner or later, something is going to happen to impact God's love for me.
Truth: I cannot be separated from God's love (Romans 8:35-39).
Lie: My relationship with God depends on me trying harder to please Him.
Truth: I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).
Lie: I still struggle with sin. God will eventually quit working in my life and give up on me.
Truth: I am confident that the good work that God has begun in me will be perfected (Philippians 1:6).
I pray that the lies that you feel and believe will be exposed and replaced with the truth of who you are in Christ!
Serving Christ,
Jeff