The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
—Psalm 23:1-3 (NKJV)
Who you believe you are, is who you are. Wrong beliefs keep you from knowing the wholeness and healing that Jesus has given you. The “I can’ts” that fill your mind reinforce the lies that hold you back. Knowing your identity in Christ is absolutely critical to experience a fulfilling life of freedom that overflows in Him. When you know His truth, it sets you free. You become a conduit of His love and grace—filled with peace and joy instead of fear and anxiety. When you are ready to fight the “I can’ts" in your life, you are prepared to experience the fullness of Jesus' love and grace.
In Psalm 23:1-3, there are truths I’d like to look at which tell you who you are in Jesus and what He accomplishes in your life. These are truths that defeat lies that have convinced you that you are someone you aren't.
The lie: The Lord doesn’t care about you. The truth: The Lord is your shepherd. The Holy Spirit guides you. He takes care of you and rescues you from destruction. He teaches you what the gift of righteousness means in your life. The lie you have believed that you weren’t “good enough.” Well, that is a lie that defeats what you try to do even before you start. You are “good enough” in Jesus. He is your shepherd, who feeds you with truth and His power.
The lie: I am in need. The truth: You shall not want. You are not in need. You have the fullness of Christ’s finished work on the Cross in you, whether you live it or not. You can’t live what you don’t believe. Allowing the Holy Spirit to transform your mind to the truth of God's Word teaches you to believe you are healed and whole in the gift of His grace. When you believe that you are righteous in Jesus—forgiven in Him—healed in Him, you live a life of freedom from the pain of guilt and shame. Your life in Jesus abundantly overflows into the lives of others.
The lie: Rest is not of God, and He always wants you striving and working to prove that you love Him. The truth: He makes you lie down in green pastures. He leads you beside still waters. The Holy Spirit is always trying to convince you of the truth of what Jesus has done for you. Sometimes you are just too busy with worry and life and doing for Jesus to take the time to hear Him. He wants you to experience His peace—to experience His joy. When you “work” for Jesus without taking the time to be refreshed by His Spirit, you burn out. You make your life about you instead of Him. Get off the treadmill of doing and allow Him to show you what it means to be His. Slow down and listen and wait and be patient and be molded by His Spirit. He wants you to rest in His grace and receive from His bounty. He leads you beside still waters to reveal the next truth.
The Lord restores your soul. Yes, He really does. You do not have to accept the lie that you will forever experience rejection and fear and illness and failure. Jesus doesn’t see you as a victim. He sees you as a victor. The Holy Spirit wants to restore you to wholeness and healing that Jesus has—without hesitation—died to give you. Choose to believe the gift that has set you free. Accept what Jesus says is true. He has overcome the torture of emotions that are out of control. He restores you to believe in your mind (soul) what you have received in your born-again spirit.
The lie: I can never live a godly life. The truth: He leads you in paths of righteousness. Jesus has made you righteous! Without Him, you can't live a godly life. In Him, you can! What you believe and accept about yourself is true. Do you think that you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus? Do you experience the unmasked freedom of that truth? You will know that freedom when the “I can’ts” don’t outweigh the “I cans.”
When you accept the Holy-Spirit revealed truth of your real identity in Jesus, you will live in the fullness of God. You will not accept the lies of the enemy or of those you once heard as a child. You do amount to something in Jesus. You are worth His life. You are loved with the most amazing love.
Why does He do all this for you? He does it for His name’s sake—for His own glory. What Jesus has done for you, can’t be undone. Jesus can't deny what He accomplished on the Cross. It is forever true. The lies and the “I can’ts” don’t have to rule your life. Accept what Jesus says about you.
© 2020 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/202/02/accept-his-truth.html
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