[moldbreakers]

You don’t deserve to be a Christian. Look at you, still can’t beat pride.

I mean – like messed up. Maybe you’ve committed some sin that you knew was wrong, but you found yourself all up in it anyway.

You’re never going to defeat this. Still cant beat lust? You should be ashamed.

And through it all, all you’ve heard is accusation after accusation. Self-doubt. An all-assault on your heart from the enemy.

You’re not good enough. Pathetic. Still struggling with self-control, huh? Pathetic.

Trying to make it through a day just to get to your bed, because sleep is the only place you can go to for escape.

You’ll never learn. Look at yourself. Who even are you?

This week has tested my faith. Distractions have threatened to water down my faith. They’ve caused me worry and stress. It’s been one of those weeks where you cant even sit and relax because your mind is going at a mile a minute.

And everyone knows. Everyone knows that you are a failure. They don’t want to be around you.

Because of some deep-seated sin in my heart, I’ve recently been going through a dry spot in my life where it’s been so hard for me to keep my eyes on Christ.

Jesus doesn’t even like you, let alone love you. How could he? You’re awful.

I know I have to repent. I have to ask God to forgive me for my sin. I have to try and reconcile with the people I have treated wrong. I know God forgives me. Jesus already died for my sin. I have to turn to God, knowing that he loves me anyway.

Go hide. You’re worthless. You’re alone.

But it’s hard.

Give up. Yeah, just give up.

Even as we ask for forgiveness and repent, sometimes we feel like we cannot escape the guilt and shame of our sin.

The bottle will help. The drugs will help. She will help. He will help. Go back to that.

It’s a terrible path to be on because the moment we live for ourselves, we fail – and we sin. The moment we fail, we feel like a failure. We feel alone. We feel far from God. The enemy is quick to try and convince us that this is the truth. When we believe we are alone, we try and fix it. And in trying, we rely on ourselves, and we begin to live for ourselves again. We keep failing.

You are a failure. It’s a fact.

But it’s not. You’re not a failure. That’s a BOLD-FACED LIE. You might fail. You might be a mess. You might be broken. But if you believe in Christ – You are righteous. You are holy. And you are redeemed. You are free not because of who you are but because of what Jesus did; He lived a perfect life and sacrificed himself for us – so if we believe in Him, we are flawless because Jesus covers us. If you don’t believe in Christ, trust him. He wants you. He has freedom for you, too. You don’t need to try because Jesus said it is finished. Let it go.

Stop believing the lies.

My pastor Brady Cooper said something this past Sunday that came to me at the perfect time.

“When you start praising God for redeeming your past, Satan will stop reminding you of it.”

You can’t defeat sin. At least, you cannot beat sin on your own. You can, however, rely on Jesus who already defeated sin for you. If you are struggling with sin, turn away from it. Confess it to God. Confess it to your brothers or sisters in Christ. Ask them to walk with you and pray for you. Believe that God has freed you from that sin because Jesus died for that. Shame and guilt are not of God – be free of it. Look to him for truth. And then, brag about God and praise him. Let people know that God and God alone led you to freedom.

You couldn’t do it alone. We never were meant to – we were meant to trust in God. Believe the truth. He has accomplished everything for us. We just have to rest in him. And really, that is true strength.

That isn’t failure. That is victory.

“And because of God you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:30-31