You Are Not Unworthy!

I believe the greatest stronghold in the body of Christ is the sense of “unworthiness!”

We all seem to struggle with the fact that God really loves us! Although, as Christians, we know He does, there is an underlying sense that He is disappointed in us and less than pleased with us. I think this is because we know ourselves and our personal weaknesses, and therefore we struggle with them. How could God love us in our fallen humanity?

But I want to announce to every person on the earth that God accepts us! But acceptance comes through what Jesus did for us on the cross, not through anything we have done.

We Are Accepted!

The devil’s greatest lie against the entire world is that God is against us.  Sinners are convinced by the devil’s lie that God would never accept them. But God loves us and the whole world by sending His Son to die for us. Not only does He love us, but He also accepts us! 

“...to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:6 (NKJV)

Performance vs. Response

God doesn’t accept us on our performance but on His performance! We all tend to “grade” ourselves on how we have performed, “I haven’t prayed enough, studied enough or witnessed to others enough!” In other words, “I haven’t measured up!”

Sadly, many Christians live in a performance mentality. God will be pleased if I just perform more. That goes against the fact that God has called you into a relationship with Him. It is not about acts of performance on our part, but rather living a life of responding to the Holy Spirit in us.

You’ve been made worthy — you just didn’t have anything to do with it!

When preaching, I like to ask those present, “How many believe that Jesus paid it all?” With everyone having an enthusiastic “yes.” Then my response is, “Then there is nothing left for you to do!” The only thing to do is listen and respond to the Holy Spirit.

All performance was done on the cross. Jesus proclaimed, “It is finished.” More performance is not needed.  He did it all! But our part is not to perform, but to respond!

Now we live a life of responding to the Holy Spirit. We live in a posture of listening.

These words from Romans 8:4 have helped me understand this: “that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

What is the will of God for you and for me? To walk in the Spirit! Notice it doesn’t say to read through the Bible in one year(nothing wrong with that), but God wants you and me to be daily mindful and conscious of following the Holy Spirit.

Spend Time With Him

I personally battled condemnation for years, as many people do. There is were constant feelings of self-failure, feelings that I failed God, but there is NO condemnation to those who are in Christ! “

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”Romans 8:1 (NKJV)

The word, condemnation, means “accusation or judgment.” It includes feelings of failure and the belief that God is mad or displeased with you.

Beyond believing what the Scripture says, the best thing to do is to spend time in the presence of the Lord.  Don’t be religious, saying things you think He wants you to say; talk to Him as a close friend and share your thoughts with Him. Then listen for His thoughts to you. I encourage you to write them down.

Abide in Me

Jesus said we are to abide in Him!

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” -John 15:4-5 (NKJV)

We can’t grit our teeth and purpose to abide in Him. All we have to do is acknowledge His presence and the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Abiding is like being married. You either are, or you aren’t! As someone expressed, we are “asking for the Lord to put us in the room we are already standing in!” We are already there because of what He has already accomplished for us.

I Choose YOU

Jesus brought even more clarity. We didn’t choose Him, He chose us!

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” -John 15:16 (NKJV)

Why We Should Come Boldly!

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,”. -Hebrews 10:16-19 (NKJV).

The only reason we can come boldly is that God has decided to forget our sins and lawless deeds. That makes us "guiltless before God."

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25 (NKJV)

Children have no sense of unworthiness, but they always ask us, their parents, with boldness.

It’s hard to have faith in God, if you believe He is mad at you or disappointed in you. If you believe God is not pleased with you will always approach Him praying like a slave instead of a son. These are very different relationships!

We can’t pray with a question mark; we pray with an exclamation mark. We are in a relationship, and He has called us friends.

Again, Jesus said:

“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” -John 15:15-16 (NKJV)

He’s your best friend!

I pray God bless you with a sense of worthiness and an assurance that you belong to Him. You can’t get any better news than that!

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Please go to my website at stevesampsonministries.org and drop me a TEXT or Email. I would love to hear from you and pray for you. Thank you for standing with us!