“He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.” Psalm 18:19 (NLT)
Do you really believe God delights in you? I know I didn’t. I had always tried to live a good life, and in my heart, I always had loving intentions. But I often put perfectionism and checking items off my to-do list ahead of being kind. Sometimes, I felt unwanted and unloved. Thus, I acted defensively and became angry. So, I was pretty sure God did not delight in me. In fact, I felt like a huge disappointment to Him.
But nothing could be farther from the truth, God’s truth, that is. Therefore, we must remember, our feelings, or even our actions, do not determine our worth. God delights in us simply because we are His. And He longs to rescue us from the bondage of these feelings and lies. “He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.” (Psalm 18:19, NLT)
Make no mistake, everyone messes up and sins, no matter how hard they try. But God knows we are only human. Yet, He loves us so much, He sent His own son to take the penalty for our sin. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned.” (John 3: 16-18, NIV)
For this reason, we cannot get hung up on guilt about our past failures. Jesus came to forgive us. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, NIV) Once we believe in Him, we are forgiven. And then, yes, of course, we should try to change our behavior. “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2, NIV)
But notice I said, we should “try” to change our behavior. However, we don’t have to do this alone. God put the Holy Spirit inside us as a helper. We should aim for progress, not perfection. Because God never expected us to be perfect. All He has ever asked of us is our heart. He loves us, no matter how much we mess up. When God looks at us, he does not see mistakes or disappointment. He sees and loves his children.“For the LORD delights in his people …” (Psalm 149:4, NLT).
Therefore, our past mistakes do not define who we are. We are who God says we are. And God’s Word says we are:
- Made in His image (Genesis 1:27)
- Wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)
- God’s masterpiece (Ephesians 1:7 and 2:10)
- Beautiful (Psalm 45:11)
- Chosen (1 Thessalonians 1:4)
- Always loved (1 John 4:10, Romans 8:38-39)
- Forgiven (Ephesians 4:32)
- Righteous through Christ (Romans 3:22)
- God’s children (John 1:12)
- Strong (Philippians 4:13
Friend, for all these reasons, no matter how you feel, what you’ve done, or what anyone says about you, God loves you. “For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” (Zephaniah 3:17, NLT)
It’s time to embrace the truth of His Word. You are who God says you are! Knowing your true identity and believing how much God loves you will fill you with peace and joy. And even better, once you believe you are lovable, and start loving yourself, you will be able to love others better.
Dear Heavenly Father, Please forgive me for believing the voices of others, the enemy, and even my own self, over your voice and the truth about who I am. Help me replace the lies with your truth. Thank you for loving and delighting in me! In Jesus’ Name, Amen
If You Aren’t Sure About Where You Stand With God:
You might have noticed the words in the Bible verse above: “Whoever believes in him is not condemned.” (John 3:18) Yes, it really is as simple as believing and praying. But if you aren’t sure you ever prayed the words to accept Jesus’ salvation, please click on this blog post. How to Get God Confidence. At the end of the post I have provided a guide for how to pray.
If you are praying this prayer for the first time, please contact me. I would love to meet you and pray for you as well.
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