You are not unworthy

For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. (Colossians 1:27-28)

Christ lives in you - those are words we can take to heart. In fact, I like to personalize that verse and remind myself that Christ lives in ME. That gives ME the assurance I will share his glory and will be 'presented to God', perfect in MY relationships to Christ. Maybe you might want to personalize that one for yourself. Recalling this from time to time may just be what you need to 'counteract' some of the stuff your enemy is telling you about yourself. We are 'in Christ', he lives 'in us', and we are certain that where he abides, his 'perfecting power' is sure to be at work!

God wants us to know this truth, so recounting it as frequently as we need to in order to begin to believe it, walk in it, and hold fast to it when all manner of lies about who or what we are come our way, we don't lay hold of those lies. We have a very sinister enemy in the devil. He knows one of the easiest ways to get us to doubt that we will ever behave differently is to get us to question if Christ is really at work in us. We do something we shouldn't, and he brings immediate condemnation and shame. Why? He is hopeful we will not lean into the grace God gives, because he knows if we do, we will experience a strength to move beyond that 'failure' into right living.

The greatest struggle we face at times is listening to the guilt our minds mull over and over each time we choose to do or say something God told us we shouldn't. That guilt is a mighty weapon Satan uses to remind us of our 'unworthiness' to be in relationship with a holy God. He is partially right, you know. As long as we hold onto that sin and all the load of guilt is produces, we aren't going to want to approach a holy God, but that sin doesn't make us 'unworthy'. It just makes us need grace! Instead of listening to the accusations of Satan when we trip up a bit, perhaps it would be wiser to remind ourselves that 'in Christ' we are a new creation, all things old have passed away, and no one who has the glory of Christ living within them is 'unworthy'! Just sayin!