When you look in the mirror, who do you see? For many of us, the answer to that question changes from one day to the next.
When we feel like we’ve checked all the boxes, gotten it right more than we got it wrong, and met the expectations that we allow others to place on us, we might see a successful person when we look in the mirror.
Maybe you can wake up more days than not, look at yourself, and be completely fine with who is looking back at you.
Unfortunately, some of us struggle to find a lot of redeeming qualities when we come face to face with ourselves in the mirror. Perhaps when you see yourself, you see everything that you’ve ever done wrong.
Maybe you struggle to forgive yourself, and you incorrectly assume that God still sees you through the lens of your past failures.
Today, find six powerful declarations that God makes about you in Scripture. When you hear the voice of the enemy trying to convince you that you’re less than what God considers you, refute those lies with the truths that we’re going to look at in this study.
You Are Not Forgotten
Isaiah 49:14-15 (NIV)
But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion for the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”
When we face seasons of difficulty, it’s easy to feel like God has forgotten us. Those feelings become even stronger when we deal with troubles and trials for longer periods of time.
It’s easy to feel ashamed when your prayers include questions about whether or not God has forgotten you, but you don’t have to. More than once in the Book of Psalms, David asked God how long he would be forgotten. A “man after God’s own heart” felt forgotten from time to time.
According to this passage from Isaiah, we are not forgotten. God spoke these words during a dark time in Israel’s history. They were back in bondage after a period of disobedience. Even after they repented, they remained in captivity, feeling forgotten.
God reminded them that He hadn’t forgotten them. We can stand on this verse to remind ourselves that He hasn’t forgotten us.
You Are Loved
Romans 8:35 (NIV)
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
Did you know that humans are born with an inherent need to be loved? From the time that we are born, we have physical, emotional, and mental needs that can only be met by feeling love from another person.
Babies who don’t receive adequate love and nurture are reported to deal with a number of health issues in their infancy, many of which turn into other disorders as they age.
While we certainly need love from other people, we can rest in the fact that we are loved by God. Not only are we loved by God, the Bible teaches us that there is nothing in this world, above it, or below it that can separate us from that love.
You Are Enough
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Have you ever looked at yourself and felt like you aren’t enough? Maybe you’ve gone through the loss of a romantic relationship and now you’re feeling inadequate. Perhaps friends abandoned you, family members walked away from you, or you’ve been left out of important events. Now, you feel like you aren’t enough.
This passage from Ephesians tells us that we are enough. You are God’s handiwork. That means that you are the product of God’s hard work. In addition to that, God has prepared good things for you to do.
Would He do that if you weren’t good enough to complete them? Of course not! You are enough.
You Are Connected to God Through Christ
Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
As we’ve already established, humans have an innate need for love. The idea that we need to experience connection builds on that truth to a certain degree. When you were born, you were connected to the woman who gave birth to you.
The umbilical cord that attaches you to your mother sustains you during your time in the womb. When you make your first entrance into the world, one of the first things that happens is that the cord is cut, and your connection is severed. From that point on, we spend the rest of our lives looking for connection.
The most powerful connection that we can experience is a connection with God, and His Word declares that there is nothing that can sever our connection to Him. Take a look at the list of things that Paul says can’t sever our connection. That list covers everything. You are connected to God through Christ, and that connection isn’t going anywhere!
You Have Purpose
Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Is there anything more rewarding than feeling a sense of accomplishment? When you have a goal and you see that goal come to fruition, there are few things that make you feel better than seeing your finished work. That’s because accomplishing a goal allows you to experience a sense of purpose, and purpose is powerful.
Take a moment and bask in this truth: Thousands of years before you ever came into existence, God had a divine purpose for you. You were not created by accident, nor is your life a mistake. Instead, you have a purpose that was assigned to you by God before your parents even existed.
When you feel like you have no purpose, overcome that lie with the truth found in this passage. Before you were formed in the womb, God knew you, set you apart, and appointed you. You’re here for a reason.
You Have Value
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
One of the most dangerous lies that Satan tells God’s people is that we have no worth. When you assume that you are forever identified by your lowest points, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that you have no value. That concept does not align with Scripture.
The value of any item is determined by what someone will pay for it. If you put your house on the market, it’s worth whatever someone will pay for it. If you sell an item in a yard sale, the item is worth what someone will pay.
You were bought with a price. John 3:16 explains that the price we were bought with was the life of God’s only Son. The price that was paid for your soul was the greatest price that has ever been paid. You have value, probably more than you’ve ever realized.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me to stand on the truth of Your Word when the enemy tries to convince me to doubt what You say about me. In Christ’s name, Amen.