{WELCOME Encouragement for Today Readers & Online Study Friends!!}
In my P31 Encouragement for Today devotion, I posed the question… Do you ever feel like you don’t measure up?
And now I want us to dig a little deeper. Have you ever stopped to ask, “Who is saying these things? Who is causing me to doubt myself? Is it me? Has something from my past led me to believe this? Or is it the enemy of my soul disguising his voice as my own?”
It is crucial for us to realize we have an enemy. Satan is the father of lies, and there is no truth in him (John 8:44). And he loves when we believe his deception and fall into the distraction of feeling inadequate and insecure. {It’s a huge distraction!}
The meaning of the word lie is “a falsehood with the intent to deceive.” Satan intends to deceive us and he does so by getting us to take our eyes off of who we are in Christ and focus on our flaws. That way we’ll spend our days figuring out how we can hide them. It’s exactly what he did with Eve:
“Then the eyes of both [Adam and Eve] were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’
He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.’” (Gen. 3:7–11)
In response, God asked who told them they were naked. In other words, “Who told you that something is wrong with you?” By asking this, God made sure they knew someone was casting shame on them—and it wasn’t Him.
The enemy whispered lies into their hearts, causing them to move away from Him and from each other.
Satan’s intent is the same for you and me as it was for Eve, but we don’t have to go along with him. Instead we can refute his lies and temptations with truth. If we have put our trust in Christ as our Savior, we can stand on the promises of who we are in Him.
When you’re tempted to measure up today, focus “up” instead and remember Whose you are and who you are! Here is a compilation of Scriptures to remind us of who we are in Christ.
I am accepted . . .
- John 1:12 I am God’s child.
- 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.
- Ephesians 1:3–8 I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.
- Hebrews 4:14–16 I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.
I am secure . . .
- Romans 8:28 I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.
- Romans 8:31–39 I am free from condemnation. I cannot be separated from God’s love.
- 2 Corinthians 1:21–22 I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God.
- Colossians 3:1–4 I am hidden with Christ in God.
- Philippians 1:6 I am confident God will complete the good work He started in me.
- 2 Timothy 1:7 I have been given a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.
I am significant . . .
- John 15:16, I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17–21, I am a minister of reconciliation for God.
- Ephesians 2:6, I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.
- Ephesians 2:10, I am God’s workmanship.
- Ephesians 3:12, I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
- Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.
Which one of these promises encourages your heart most today?
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Your post inspired me to write about “measuring up” and social media sites like Facebook and Pinterest. Thank you for the encouragement! We are more than the sum of my Pinboards… We are HIS!
http://mrsmarieosborne.blogspot.com/2012/06/im-more-than-sum-of-my-pinboards.html
Thank you so much for this today.. this is one of my struggles that I have, and when I have these thought… I just have to keep reminding myself that it is Satan trying to tell me I’m not good enough, no one really cares about you… but I just keep telling myself that I am one of Gods children, and he will take care of me… he loves me and will never stop.
Thank you for sharing this. I am a sexual abuse survivor. So many times I feel I do not measure up because of the trauma and emotional state I find myself in due to my abuse and even the results thereafter. I constantly have to be reminded that even though I may be rejected; I am accepted. When I feel unloved; I am loved. When I feel abandoned and alone Jesus Christ will never leave me or forsake me. When I feel dirty and stained He (Jesus) has washed me and cleansed me from ALL unrighteousness. When I feel ugly and of no worth; He says I am wonderfully and beautifully made and declares that I am worthy.
I love to camp out in Ephesians 1: 3 – 8. So many of these scriptures speak to me and remind me that no matter how I don’t seem to measure up that because I am a daughter of the risen King; He doesn’t measure me by my standards or the worlds standards. His arms are Always open wide and ready for me to come to Him.
Due to some physical & learning disabilities, never seemed “good” enough. Didn’t help that my sister was real competetive & good at anything she tried. Was amazed after we both had our bachelors to find out that we had both been “jealous” of the other. This study & reading verses/quotes most mornings has definitely made a difference though still have so much more to learn.
Thank you for sharing yourself and encouraging us the way that you do. No matter how often I have read these scriptures and know this info, reading it again and reading the Word is like drinking cool water on a hot day. It feels so good and refreshing. I think I just need to review it over and over again to be sure I truly believe it well.
I am God’s workmanship! I am called and appointed by God. That has to be enough. That has to be the standard by which I measure myself. God is more than enough.
In reading the other posts, I can related to everyone in feeling that I don’t measure up. I feel most
times that I am not even enough to start the measuring!! Then a thought struck me–who are all the
people we are measuring up to? Don’t you think they are doing it too? Just a thought…
God bless us all and keep remembering we are ENOUGH for GOD- more than enough too!
I have heard this before but it never touched my heart. The way you explain it really made sense to me. I have suffered from anxiety and depression for a very long time and though recently it has gotten better, after reading this, I see and feel the light at the end of the tunnel!! Thank you!!
Thank you for your thoughts on this today. This is a constant struggle for me. I don’t seem to feel that I measure up in any area. But I really appreciate your comment to “When you’re tempted to measure up today, focus “up” instead and remember Whose you are and who you are!” And remember who God says I am – not how I measure up compared to anyone else’s standards, including my own 🙂
I do measure up, I am worthy, I am loved by the One who created me! Thanks for the gentle reminder that it doesn’t matter what other people think about me, it only matters that He created me!
I have never been able to please my parents and it seems like no one else either since my grandfather died when I was 7. If I made an A- in school, I should have gotten an A+. My sister could always do better in their eyes and I never measured up to her. There have been people that have told my husband about the difference in the treatment between the two of us. This not good enough and not measuring up to their standards has followed me all through my life and I am finally working on making myself see that I do not have to measure up to their standards but work to be the best I can be for God. I have had an emptiness in me for so long and now I know that only my getting closer to the Lord will fill that hole. I have had too many friends and family that have let me down over the years but I now know that God will never let me down! It is hard to change after all these years and I know that I can not do it alone. I can only do it through God. I have got to realize that I can not meet every expectation that is put on me, but I can take the gifts and abilities that God gave me and use them to the best of my ability. i am thankful for all that I am learning through this study because Ido not know that I would have learned it on my own. Thank you more that you will ever know. I am going to go back over all of this when we are finished to make sure that it will stick with me and that I have not missed anything! Thank you again.
I’m studying to take the bar exam for the 5th time. I can’t find more than minimum wage work, despite my doctorate degree. Everyday I fight feeling like I’m worthless, not contributing, dumb, etc. your emails, blog posts, Bible study, fb posts, etc have been so encouraging and helpful. Thank you for your work.
John 15:16 I have been appointed and chosen to bear fruit.
This is most encourageing today for me. I’m in a difficult marriage situation, and am deeply struggling with worth and purpose. I’m going to marriage counseling, but by myself at this point with our Pastor. I’m critisized for the Bible studies I chose and what I do and don’t do. Its been to the point that I have withdrawn from everything in order to be a ble to function in any way. This is a loving reminder that God does have something planned for my life, even though now I cannot see it.
Thank You for your daily encouragement, you have touched lives in ways you may never know.
Boy, this devotion pulled my heart strings. It seems like I am constantly fighting the feelings of being unworthy – unworthy of friends, unworthy of love, unworthy of blessings. I am definitely a work in progress and I am so thankful for God’s grace. The enemy seems to attack me the most with this. I have found I can battle this better when I stay on my face before God and stay in his word. Honestly, I still have bad days and the good days are beginning to outweigh the bad days. I cannot even imagine my life without God. Thank you so much for this devotion.
Thanks for the scriptures. It’s always comforting to know that God does not give up on me and that I can always approach Him and that I don’t have to “measure up” in order to be accepted by Him.
Renee,
I loved this week’s lesson!! It spoke to me on so many levels. You would think, as grown women we would have confidence and know whom we belong to…and not fall for all those lies. You are right on target when you say the enemy wants us to take our eyes off of God and focus on ourselves. That is exactly what we do when we feel inadequate. Your comment “By believing Satan’s lies, you reveal that your heart does not believe God’s truth. Trying to be “good enough” outside of God’s promises and provision will always create insecurity and obstruct our relationship with Him and with other people” really spoke to my heart. This bible study has already changed the person that I was into claiming my authority as a child of the Most High God. I can’t wait to see how much I will change during the remainder of the book. Thank you for serving Our King!
I’ve been a stay at home mom for 17 years. My daughter is about to go off to college in a few short months and I’m struggling with what my identity will look like when she is gone. Loved the verses, thank you!
I love the promise that I am secure…free from condemnation. I cannot be separated from God’s love. (Romans 8:31-39). I went through a period of several years where I was not living close to Him. I had become so enamored by a guy I was dating. We did not attend church on a regular basis & my personal devotion time was lacking. Praise God that He kept pursuing me! I am now married {to a Godly man} and realize just how important my Jesus-time is to keep me focused on the important stuff of life.
I currently struggle with measuring up. I was sexually abused as a child and young teenager and my dad never wanted a girl. These verses I read on a daily basis given to me by my Pastor. It just confirms them in my heart as I read them here. Thank you.