Maneuvers - No. 45
With Me,
You Are Enough
The world loves to tell us we’re not enough.
Whether we’re a mother, a father, a CEO, an athlete, a pastor, a student … our culture will always say, “You’re not good enough (or successful or rich or beautiful enough) yet. Try harder.”
How does hearing these subtle critiques every day impact us? Do they cause us to feel defeated? Worthless? Dumb? Ugly? Powerless?
The weight of not being able to reach a vague standard of success we’ve set for ourselves can feel crushing, can’t it?
But what if we didn’t have to listen to those self-defeating messages? Yes, they’re everywhere, and it’s true that we can’t avoid them. But can we choose not to heed them?
The lyrics to an old hymn still ring true:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in his wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace
—“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” by Helen H. Lemmel
The world’s voices are strong, friend, but Jesus’ voice is stronger still. What would happen if we focused intently on his voice? How would that transform our mindset and how we approach our day?
Today, Holy Spirit is inviting us to find out. His words this week are full of wisdom to help us tune out the world’s tired messages of defeat and enjoy who God made us to be. Because it’s enough.
01.
The Message
“Discouragement is not permanent, child. The uphill battle will end. You are not missing out on qualities of personality or of talent. You are not missing out on opportunities you are meant to have. You are not a mistake in your physical makeup. You are not a flaw in my plan. You are not messing up my original hope for you. You just can’t see all that I can see. You just don’t know all that I know. And what you do see and what you do know gives you a flawed, incomplete picture when you look through the world’s eyes.
“For the world says you do not measure up–not with your physical or mental attributes, not with your personality, not with your success. It says you are not strong enough, fast enough, clever enough, witty enough. It says you are not interesting enough, wealthy enough, beautiful enough, unique enough. It says why try, you are never going to make the cut. It says try harder, your voice needs to be louder than the rest to be heard.
“But hear me. This is what I say: you are not defined by the world’s standards–unless you want to be. You do not need to be trapped by false ideals, imprisoned by other people’s expectations of you. You have not one thing to prove. Not to me. And to whom are you trying to prove your worth now? To whom are you listening for validation? On whom are you leaning? Whom are you heeding? How are you deciding what is important, what is worth your time and what is not?
“Clear the space now–your mind that feels crowded from so many voices, so many people whose opinions you are trying to please. You please me. You delight me. You are a wonder to whom not one person can compare. Release the narratives that are not yours to hold now. Release the stories you’ve believed are true about yourself that don’t align with what I say. You can’t hold onto those and hold onto my words, too. It is too much. There is room for only me.”
02.
Listen
As you focused on Holy Spirit’s words, could you feel the world’s voices begin to fade away? How did it feel to hear only Jesus? Let’s take a moment to write down a prayerful response to the Lord.
03.
Think
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9, NIV).
1. In what ways do you feel you are not enough? What do you wish you could change about yourself or your life?
2. In what ways is it difficult for you to believe that God loves you without limits or conditions? What makes it hard?
3. What words from this week’s message did you most need to hear? How did they minister to you? How did they refute lies you’ve been believing?
04.
Trust
It’s important to know what we’re feeling. In order to have close, authentic fellowship with God, we need to be honest about what’s in our hearts.
But we can’t forget–just because we feel something doesn’t make it true.
For example, we may feel we’re not smart enough or bold enough to accomplish something God has called us to do. But that’s not true. The truth is that “his divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3, NIV).
The key, then, is to uncover what we feel and then compare it to the Word of God to see whether or not it’s true. Sometimes parts of what we feel are true and parts are influenced by the world’s deception.
So why don’t we start there? Why don’t we start by uncovering what we feel about ourselves and the life God has given us?
To do that, let’s write down how we would complete the following sentences (be as detailed as you’d like):
“To be truly happy (or fulfilled or successful or godly), I need to … ”“The last time I felt proud of myself was … ”
“The last time I felt deeply and personally loved by Jesus was … ”
Now, let’s take a deeper look at the sentences we just wrote. Are there any underlying misbeliefs about ourselves or God? Do our words reveal any discontent about who we are or how God made us?
Let’s write down each misbelief we find, listing them one by one.
And now, let’s allow Holy Spirit to speak to that list. If it helps, we can find a quiet place where we can be alone, put on some quiet worship music, and open our Bibles. Breathe deep now, friend… And again… One more time…
Let’s allow ourselves to be vulnerable and honest with God. We have nothing to prove here. Nothing to hide. He sees all… and loves us anyway. Here, in his presence, let’s ask him to speak to those misbeliefs.
What is Holy Spirit saying to you? What Scriptures is he bringing to mind that directly refute the lies? What words or images is he giving to you?
Now, let’s pray…
05.
Pray
Heavenly Father, thank you for showing me the truth–the truth of what I feel about myself and the truth about who I am and how you love me. I know I’m not enough apart from you, but with you, there’s nothing we can’t do. With you, I have everything I need. With you, I am enough.
Help me recognize the lies I believe about myself and you. Fill me with your truth that shuts down deception and releases joy in my life.
I love following you. I love worshiping you. I love being with you. I pray my life would give you so much glory as I simply rest and surrender to you.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Waving the banner with you,
