Do you find yourself talking about who you aren’t more than who you are? We do this in several ways. It starts with phrases like “I’m not ____”, “I don’t ____”, “I can’t ____”, and others.
I find myself at times being more “not” than “am”. Doubt is such a wicked tool of the enemy. It is like cancer in our thoughts that just eats up all the memories of grace that we have. In my doubt, I don’t deny the goodness of Jesus. The challenge I face is feeling it. That stinks!
Example. There are times when I pray where it feels like I am praying in a racquetball court and my prayers keep bouncing off the walls but never reaching God’s ear. I know they reach Him, but the lie that they don’t gets planted in mind. Do you ever get this way? These are the kinds of lies that send us down a dead-end road where we think we can’t move on from.
Satan “is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). We’ve been conditioned to think of him as a silly character with a red suit, horns, and a pitchfork. Again, lies. If I were the father of lies, I’d want the world to think of me comically and in a way so silly that it would be stupid to believe in me. Why else would he be the master deceiver (Revelation 12:9)? Think about the following statements and the number of times you’ve thought or said them:
“I can’t pray out loud because I’m not the best speaker.”
“I don’t know if I’m smart enough to understand the Bible“
“I don’t know the Bible well enough to talk about it.”
“I’m not good enough to tell someone about Jesus.”
Hear me when I say this: Jesus’ desire for you is greater than any desire or fear the enemy can plant in your mind. But don’t be confused between them. Scripture tells us God’s will for us and anything that sounds different should be questioned. Questioning isn’t wrong when it pursues God’s truth, helping us turn unclear thoughts into understood clear truths.
How do you go from doubt to discovery, removing the “not” and replacing it with “am”? Jesus does that! He tells you that the sins you think are too great to ever be forgiven can be. He makes the lies the enemy gives you look petty and worthless compared to His grace because the lies are petty and worthless. He gets us to go from
“I can’t” to “I can”
“I don’t” to “I do”
“I won’t” to “I will”
“I’m not” to “I am”
We get Jesus’ righteousness not by making ourselves better but by letting Him do the work! The creator of the universe is also the creator of you. If you believe Him then keep reminding yourself of this. If you haven’t committed yourself to Jesus, stop working for your salvation or against Him. He said “Follow me”, not “Earn my grace”. Surrender! Say “I’m done!” followed by “I’m Yours!!!”.