Am I Good Enough for God’s Love?
“Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature”
See 2 Peter 1:4
As God’s children, it’s so easy to forget who we are. Life is hard, Satan is real, and people can be cruel. Not all days are smooth sailing, especially when we aren’t paying close attention to our thoughts. When we leave our minds unguarded, discouragement can blow through the front door of our souls. Like a breeze, it goes unnoticed, and it’s everywhere.
As human beings, our emotions are not static. Some days they are steady and focused, yet on other days they can be so out of whack we can question our faith. “I can’t possibly be a Christian. How could God love me?”
To fan the flames of our already-flared emotions, the enemy will start in on us, “Are you sure God really loves you? Just look at your life! Look at what all you do wrong!”
For this reason we must always be on guard of what we are pondering. Old, unrenewed thoughts, demonic forces, and the power of sin–all of these things affect our minds. Our minds impact our feelings. Our feelings impact our actions and attitudes. Our actions and attitudes determine the quality of our lives.
For most of my life I didn’t understand this. Instead, I lived by how I felt and what I saw. So if I began to feel like I wasn’t good enough for God, I believed it. To make matters worse, if I continued in a certain behavior–good or bad–that’s who I thought I truly was.
However, what we feel and what we do is not who we are. We are who we are, even if we think or feel like we aren’t.
Case in point. I heard a story once about a family who was camping, or doing something in a very remote area. Far out into the wilderness, the mom and dad somehow died, therefore leaving their toddler behind with their dogs. Strangely, the dogs “raised” the baby into a young boy, and the authorities finally found him years after the parents had passed. When the officers tried to talk to the child, he growled and barked, while running around on all fours. He literally believed he was a dog. Why? Because of what he thought. Why did he think this? Because of what he felt and saw.
Even though he was acting like a dog, was he a dog? Of course not, he is a human being. He was created by other human beings. He was made to organically walk up-right. He should naturally use human languages. This is his true identity.
Same with us as children of God.
God has recreated us in our spirits! We literally have His supernatural DNA inside ours! God has made us to exude His characteristics–even if we deny such! As believers, we’ve been reborn of God! We may forget this, but our incorrect thinking or random feelings will not alter this! Identity is final no matter how we may act! Understanding this changes how we act–because we know who we are! (Ephesians 2:10, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 2:20, 5:22-23, 1 John 3:9, John 1:12).
This is what makes the gospel such good news! This is what ticked off the Pharisees so badly! WE CANNOT CHANGE WHO WE ARE BY WHAT WE DO! We cannot sustain who we are by what we do! We cannot improve who we are by what we do! But we can live out who we are by what we do…
That boy simply needed to be who he was, a human. We simply need to be who we are, heaven-ready people. Do you see it?
So when the enemy tells you, “You are not a child of God! If you were, you would stop doing that!” don’t believe him. This would be the same as one of those cops telling that child, “You are not a human! Just look at how you keep barking and scratching! You are a dog! You filthy, stinking, dog!”
Lies. The enemy lies to you about your identity every single day. He sees God in you and he hates you for it. Friend, this is the truth about who you are:
YOU ARE HOLY. YOU ARE A SAINT. YOU ARE A CO-HEIR WITH THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD.
(See Colossians 1:22, Romans 8:17)
I am not talking about what you do, I’m talking about who you are. You are good enough for God’s love because you are His child. Divine blood runs through your veins. You are royal. Believe this because it’s true.
So today, my friends, know this: You are good enough for God’s love, not because of what you do, but because of who you are…His very own offspring. You will live out who you believe you are, so why not believe the truth? Why not believe that you’ve been recreated on the inside once and for all time? Why not believe you are completely forgiven forever? Why not believe you can forgive the unforgivable? Why not believe you love your enemies? Why not believe you know how to set healthy boundaries? Why not believe your speech should always be seasoned with grace? Why not believe Jesus’ blood was enough–that it doesn’t need your help? Why not believe you’ve been set apart as God’s masterpiece? Why not believe you are loved unconditionally? And then, why not wake up each day, and be yourself?
A prayer for you: Dad, today I want to thank you for the revelation of who you’ve made me to be. I am your son. Even though it took me a long time to believe this truth, I honestly do. Right now, I lift up all who are reading this, directly to you. So many of them have mistakenly been taught that improper behavior and thoughts will cause them to NOT be your child. Reveal the truth today! If they believe Jesus has forgiven them of their sins–they are heavenly! They are regal! No matter what they might THINK or FEEL, these are the truths of the gospel! What wonderful news that you would allow us to become just like you in our spirits, right now! Empower us to go deeper into the knowledge of such grace! Strengthen us to be our true selves! In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
This devotional is from 60 Days for Jesus, Volume 2. Get your copy here!