“I have been deeply hurt.”
“I have not been treated fairly.”
“I have been cheated and lied to.”
“I have sinned and I can not be forgiven.”
“I feel rejected. I don’t belong to or accepted.”
“I have always struggled with lies about who I am.”
“I have made wrong choices, I can not be forgiven.”
“I think there is something terribly wrong with me and nothing I or anyone else could do to make me loved.”
Can you relate?
The false identity we carry is the reason for our pain, shame and struggles. Many think they are defined by their past, their sins, their shame, their guilt, their occupation, their profession. People think that the solution to their problems is to try harder. The problem is the lack of identity – trying to do things, performing to be accepted. So many people fight for acceptance and they work to be accepted, to build an identity.
They volunteer more, witness more, go to multiple bible studies in a week and to every possible seminar or meeting in the town just trying to be a better person, not to sin and to live perfectly. The whole identity is built in their labours, in their efforts to do what they are supposed to do. As a result, most base their identity on something that is always changing – monetary status, education, accomplishments or behaviour. What if we could live our lives from a foundation that will never change?
In God we never start from to do something to become, in God you are first and then you do. In Christ we start with a state of being.
God’s love is supernatural. He accepts us unconditionally as we are, however, He doesn’t leave us there but transforms us in His image as we worship Him.
The victory of the Cross is not just about sin. Christ did not just died for our sins but also for our shame, condemnation, infirmities, hurts, … He paid for all in full.
But when you don’t understand this truth, then Christianity is nothing but another religion. A religion gives rules and things to do. Religion offers no power to change. We don’t need religion, we need Jesus Christ. We need life, not behaviour modification through therapies or advice. We need relationship, not religion.
An encounter with Christ will change your perspective, a new way to see yourself, a new way to live. It will heal your hurts and deliver you from the bondages that keep you tied down, put you on a path to freedom from your past, and the pressure of measuring up. Do you need an encounter? check here
The love of the Father and the truth of who you are in Christ will set you free.