Becky Crenshaw

I shuffled crumbs around on my kitchen counter with a damp cloth.  My head tilted into my shoulder, balancing my cell phone as I cleaned up after supper and reflected on a day that I am certain was longer than 24 hours.

My friend listened quietly as I pulled up a chair for her – giving her a front row seat to my self-loathing-pity-party.

Every inch of my mommy-self felt had “failed” on this particular day, and boy was giving her an earful of the details.

“I was short with my boys all day.  I yelled.  I snapped.  I cut them short.  I know I am not giving enough attention to them right now.  Our plates are too full and they are suffering the consequences of my poor time management.  Not to mention, I feel I am completely screwing up my 11-year-old.  {sigh} I failed as a mom today.  Bona fide, thumbs down, “L” on the forehead, FAILED.  I need to focus.  And be better. I look around me at other moms doing such a better job — my shortcomings all the more obvious.  Ugh.  My poor, poor boys….”

“Wait a minute.” She interrupted.

My friend stopped me mid-mope. A spirit-filled woman, full of Grace and Truth, called me on the carpet.

“Becky, those are words of self-condemnation.  Your Heavenly Father does not talk to you in that voice.  Listen to yourself. He does not condemn you.  That, my friend, is language of the enemy.  He condemns.  He brings shame and guilt.  Not the Lord.  The Words of God always bring life and healing. He may convict, but He doesn’t condemn. Can you hear the difference?”

Mmmm.  I had never thought through it this way.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.  John 3:16-18

What if we learned to sift our thought-life through this filter?  

What if we stopped and asked ourselves, “Is this the way my Heavenly Father speaks to me?”

When we self-criticize, self-critique, self-condemn, self-demote — is this what the Lord says to us? Or about us?

Never.

She was so right.  I had preached negativity to myself all day long.  Telling myself I wasn’t enough. I wasn’t measuring up.  I was failing my family.  Failing God.    But that is NOT what the Lord says or how He speaks.

I must learn to encourage myself in the things of God and speak Truth about myself to myself.  I hear my voice more than another voice all day long.  If I am chronically reminding myself of my shortcomings, I will live in a chronic state of defeat.  

Do you do this too?  Can you imagine the difference in our marriages, parenting, friendships, professions and ministries if we just stopped all the self-hate.

It is time for God’s people to download new software and reset our internal hardrives.  

We are God’s people!  Full of power and might and truth.  Sure we are flawed. Sure we fall short…. But in Christ, through Christ, we are overcomers!  We are created in God’s likeness.  We are enough because HE IS ENOUGH.

On the days when self-condemnation starts to rise, here are a few You-Truths to download into your mental database….

I encourage you to print these off, make note cards, write them in a journal, get a tattoo, keep them visible — these are You-Truths from your Abba Father to you.  About you.

Enjoy.  Live full.  And stop the self-hate.

I am God’s child.
Galatians 3:26

I am Jesus’ friend.
John 15:15

I am a whole new person with a whole new life.
2 Corinthians 5:17

I am a place where God’s Spirit lives.
1 Corinthians 6:19

I am God’s Incredible work of art.
Ephesians 2:10

I am totally and completely forgiven.
1 John 1:9

I am created In God’s likeness.
Ephesians 4:24

I am spiritually alive.
Ephesians 2:5

I am a citizen of Heaven.
Philippians 3:20

I am God’s messenger to the world.
Acts 1:8

I am God’s disciple-maker.
Matthew 28:19

I am the salt of the earth.
Matthew 5:13

I am the light of the world.
Matthew 5:14

I am greatly loved.
Romans 5:8

I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5).

I am free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

I am far from oppression, and fear does not come near me (Isaiah 54:14).

I am born of God, and the evil one does not touch me (1 John 5:18).

I am holy and without blame before Him in love (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:16).

I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5).

I have the peace of God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

I have the Greater One living in me; greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

I have received the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened (Ephesians 1:17-18).

I have no lack in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

I can do all things through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13).

I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ unto good works (Ephesians 2:10).

I am a believer, and the light of the Gospel shines in my mind (2 Corinthians 4:4).

I am a doer of the Word and blessed in my actions (James 1:22,25).

I am a joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17).

I am more than a conqueror through Him Who loves me (Romans 8:37).

I am an overcomer by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony (Revelation 12:11).

I am a partaker of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4).

I am an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).

I am the temple of the Holy Spirit; I am not my own (1 Corinthians 6:19).

I am the head and not the tail; I am above only and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13).

I am the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).

I am His elect, full of mercy, kindness, humility, and longsuffering (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12).

I am forgiven of all my sins and washed in the Blood (Ephesians 1:7).

I am delivered from the power of darkness and translated into God’s kingdom (Colossians 1:13).

I am redeemed from the curse of sin, sickness, and poverty (Deuteronomy 28:15-68; Galatians 3:13).

I am firmly rooted, built up, established in my faith and overflowing with gratitude (Colossians 2:7).

I am called of God to be the voice of His praise (Psalm 66:8; 2 Timothy 1:9).

I am healed by the stripes of Jesus (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).

I am raised up with Christ and seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12).

I am greatly loved by God (Romans 1:7; Ephesians 2:4; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4).

I am strengthened with all might according to His glorious power (Colossians 1:11).

I am submitted to God, and the devil flees from me in the Name of Jesus (James 4:7).

I press on toward the goal to win the prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward (Philippians 3:14).

For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

It is not I who live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20).