God Stays with Imperfect People |
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Rebels, Prodigals, and Misfit Heroes |
I was in the middle of doing one of my many online performances of 2020 when a comment from one of my listeners grabbed my attention. My heart broke as I read the question,
and watched it move quickly up my phone screen and slowly vanish into the sea of hearts, waves, fist bumps, and prayer and praise emojis. That sentence cut through everything else that was going on in my studio, and I could feel the despair in it. Lord, please be with this person, I prayed as I continued to sing and smile for the camera. I’ll never know exactly what that person was going through in the moment to make them pose that question, but honestly, I can’t tell you how many times in my life that I have asked that very same thing. In fact, just that morning, moments before I began singing, I was wrestling with how God could use someone as imperfect as me.
That morning I thought about those walks with my family and how God had come to walk with Adam and Eve in the story of Genesis. I reminded myself that God wants to walk with me.
He has designed me uniquely and has a plan for me. And I sang those song lyrics I wrote about the God who actually runs in my direction — and still I was amazed at how frequently I just don’t feel worthy. So many times, I feel like I am moving in the other direction from God. It made me remember the rest of that scripture about God walking in the cool of the day. He was coming toward Adam and Eve, and the Bible says, 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. — Genesis 3:8 They went and hid from God out of guilt and shame for what they had done. They didn’t feel worthy to walk with Him. Doesn’t that capture how we feel some days? You can almost hear Adam and Eve as they hid, both thinking that same thing as the listener I was praying for: Is God done with me? |
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It seems like since the beginning we have been messing up, falling short, and missing the mark. And just like Adam and Eve, we all sometimes feel like we aren’t quite good enough. But why do we all wrestle with that voice?
This belief that we are not worthy of God’s love is a common and destructive way of thinking. It is the voice of an enemy who comes to steal and destroy by separating us from a God who wants to be with us. To keep us hiding from the God who is pursuing us with His unique design for our lives. I have noticed that voice attacking me in three distinct ways. First, it tells me I am not good enough, not up to the task. I am not a good enough musician and singer, not a good enough dad or husband.
It also comes to me in the form of guilt and shame. Maybe it does for you too. That idea that you are just too sinful, that God isn’t going to get over that one. This voice tells me that my pride is out of control. That I just can’t stop messing up. Which is all part of the lie that God’s forgiveness is not complete.
And worst of all are the whispers that we are too broken for God to fix. We’ve messed up too many times. God can’t use us because of our brokenness.
I do find some comfort talking and praying with my peers and bandmates, my accountability partners and friends, and they remind me that these are the things that they deal with too. The struggle is real!
So many ups and downs. I know that God is always moving in my direction, but I’ve often wondered if I have kept Him at arm’s length because of my own guilt and shame. How could I show up for God if I spent my time believing I didn’t measure up? Could I help someone asking, “Is God done with me?” when there were moments that I wrestled with the same question? If He made me with a plan and a purpose, why did I feel so guilt-ridden and unworthy of His love? How could God use someone like me? I kept thinking about those three lies that the world uses to separate us from God: You aren’t quite good enough. God won’t be able to get over that one. God can’t use someone as broken as you are. We simply can’t allow ourselves to be defined by those words.
Excerpted with permission from The God Who Stays by Matthew West, copyright Matthew West. * |
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Learn about the song that inspired the book |
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Does that old lie — You aren’t quite good enough — ever haunt you? Do you wonder if God is done with you? God is not mad at you! He’s not done with you. And, He not only loves you but He likes you! |
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God is right by your side
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The God Who Stays: Life Looks Different with Him by Your Side |
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$18.99
$13.29 (30% off) + FREE shipping on all orders $35 and more |
Have you ever felt adrift and alone after losing a job, a dream, a loved one, or your sense of purpose in life? In The God Who Stays, Matthew West uses stories and Scripture to encourage you that wherever you are and whatever you’re going through, God is right by your side—and nothing can separate you from His love and grace. Through the dramatic events of 2020 and the ensuing uncertainty and anxiety ever since, people’s lives and illusions of security have been turned upside down. Whenever our plans, hopes, and dreams are put on hold—or worse, lost forever—we feel discouraged, lost, and isolated, and desperately praying, “God, where are You?” Matthew West’s newest book, The God Who Stays, is an engaging and thoughtful exploration, balanced with his trademark wit and humor, that helps us reconnect to the biblical truth of Immanuel—“God with us”—a personal Savior who never leaves our side and who always answers when we cry out for help. |
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Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table Online Bible Study by Louie Giglio |
That's how the enemy works. If He can win the battle for your mind, then he can win the battle for your life.
~ Louie Giglio
You can find freedom from the war inside your mind—if you allow Jesus, the Good Shepherd, to lead the battle. It’s time to reject the lies and listen to the truth. Sign up now and join us for the Online Bible Study with author & pastor Louie Giglio! |
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