"But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12 (NLT)

Because of mistakes in my past, I spent a lot of years not liking the woman who stared back at me in the mirror.

Maybe you’ve been there, too. Maybe you’ve even played the "wonder" game, like I did, for far too long.

Wondering who you really were. Wondering if you were forgivable. Wondering if you were worthy. Wondering if you were loved by God and others. Wondering if you were lovable. Wondering if you were beyond repair. Wondering if what someone did to hurt you stole your value. Wondering if you were a good enough person, wife, mom, employee, boss, sister, daughter, friend, servant. Wondering if you measured up in any area of life.

Maybe you still wonder if your life counts for something beyond your responsibilities and obligations, or if you were just meant to march through your daily routines with no real purpose or direction. Maybe you wonder if the lies you hear in your head are true: that not only does your life not matter to God, but that you probably don’t matter either.

Today’s key verse is a reminder that these whispers from the enemy are nothing but lies. We are each royal heirs to God’s kingdom, but sometimes life gets in the way of that truth. We think we are either too sinful or too messed up to be loved by a Savior, or that our past voids our chances of being loved by God, much less useful to Him.

Whether we are the sinner or the victim of a sinner, shame can slither in and shape the way we see ourselves. Then it becomes easy for the enemy’s deceptive and damaging schemes to weave a web of lies deep into our hearts and minds. Gradually, we lose sight of who we are in Christ, which is exactly what the devil wants us to do.

Satan’s ultimate goal is to get us to believe the lies, and live them out in our everyday lives, apart from God. But it is up to us whether he reaches that goal or not. We can thwart his plans by claiming God’s sovereignty over our hearts once and for all.

It’s possible you have been living in the shadow of the enemy’s lies, either because of your own mistakes or because of someone else’s choices to sin against you. I wasted many years believing the enemy’s lies were absolute truths. When I finally began to believe I did matter to God, I thwarted the enemy’s plans and began to follow God’s instead.

If you have been living the lie, too discouraged to allow yourself to believe how much God loves you, or too ashamed of your past to accept God’s gift of grace and mercy, let today become the day you begin seeing yourself in a new light with a new reflection looking back at you. Be proud of who you see in the mirror, not because of who you are, but because of Whose you are.

Today’s key verse reminds us that we are, without question, beloved children of God. As Beth Moore once said, "If you are not royalty, He is not King." We are rightful heirs to God’s kingdom — and His love and acceptance. You are a royal and dearly loved daughter, and He is the King of all kings!

Oh Lord, how I want to break free from the pain and shame of my past and embrace who I am in You. Cleanse my heart and mind of the lies I have believed, and transform the reflection I see in the mirror into a dearly loved child of God. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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TRUTH FOR TODAY:

Psalm 139:14, "Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous — how well I know it." (NLT)

Matthew 10:31, "So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows." (NLT)

RELATED RESOURCES:

Do you long to begin seeing yourself in a different light, accept how valuable you are to Christ, and discover a divine purpose for your life, not despite your past, but because of it? Sign up for Tracie’s free study of Your Life Still Counts, which begins March 16th! Click here for all the information.

Tracie is giving away three Your Life Still Counts gift packs valued at $35 each. Visit her blog for more information and find out how to enter!

REFLECT AND RESPOND:

What occurred in your past that has caused you to believe the lie that God may not love you? How might accepting His truths change your life today?

Write the lie or lies you have believed for far too long — those thoughts about yourself that God does not agree with. Surrender them to God today and ask Him to help you begin seeing yourself through His eyes, instead of your own.

© 2015 by Tracie Miles. All rights reserved.