“The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head……But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.” Jonah 2:5 & 9
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
“Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” John 6:29
Life can get really complicated can’t it? From relationship tensions, to church conflicts, to physical fears, to failed expectations I can stand on pretty wobbly legs at time. I get fearful, overwhelmed, and try to do my best to “fix everything.”
I don’t know about you, but for some reason when I get to all this fretting, I can usually pick out a deep rooted fear: I am not good enough for God. I fear:
- If I let people down, I have somehow let God down.
- If I fail at something, I have let God down
- If I lose patience or say something hurtful to a loved one I have once again stepped out of the Spirit and that isn’t what I am supposed to do as a Christian…I messed up again, guilt overwhelms me.
Basically I have these rooted fears that shame and guilt have a hay-day with. I don’t know what your rooted fear is, but I think it safe to say we all have these fears that trigger stuff in our hearts that we wish would go away. As much as I wish I could simply let go of insecurities and really believe that I am not a flawed failure, I think these thoughts may hang around my entire life. I have learned that I can’t simply fix them, but I can combat them.
I can combat them with a simple prayer. A simple, but very profound, very beautiful prayer:
“Jesus, I am a sinner, I need you as my Savior. Please forgive me, create in me a clean heart, and renew me so I can live the life You call me to live.”
You know what is so beautiful about that prayer? When we genuinely express that to our Savior, we can confidently claim all the promises in Scripture. We can confidently keep walking and allow grace and mercy to follow us, not shame and condemnation. I let things get way too complicated in my mind, but the gospel is very simple. Believe in Jesus, then keep believing! The gospel isn’t just for our initial salvation. It continues to save us over and over again and allows us to walk in freedom from guilt, shame, and overwhelm. Our feelings are indicators, but you know what? They aren’t dictators. The message of salvation dictates our life. We can claim it and live it day by day with this simple prayer. Because we trust that we are forgiven, we can believe that God has a plan for our life–not just a big plan, but a plan for each small step.
Don’t let the enemy drag you down with triggers and fears. Boldly proclaim the gospel in a simple prayer for salvation and forgiveness then live free and confident in Him.
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