We get so focused on who we are because of what Adam and Eve did in the garden of Eden that we lose sight of who we are because of what Christ did on the cross. It is so easy for us to see ourselves as this poor miserable sinner that can’t ever do anything right. But what about the new creation that we are through Jesus who broke that sinful power by dying on the cross. What about the righteousness, the right standing that we now have with God, and the freedom of our sinful nature that Jesus provides for us? If we think that we will be consumed with sin and have no power over it then that is what we will be. But if we know who we are because of what Jesus did for us on the cross and we believe that we do have freedom from the power that sin once had on us then we can have and live in victory.

When we are tuned into all that we are not, all the mistakes that we make, all of the temptations that we can’t ever seem to resist, we get ate up with condemnation. And that is exactly what the enemy wants us to do because he knows that as long as we condemn ourselves there’s not much he has to do to keep us from having victory over anything. Just as he got Adam and Eve to hide from God because of the sin they committed we try to hide ourselves, at least to some degree, because of the sins that we commit and the condemnation that we bring upon ourselves. We have thoughts of how terrible we are, how we can’t ever do anything right, that no matter how bad we want to stop doing something we can’t seem to stop, that there is no way that God could love and accept us because of all the sin in our life, and until we get our act together there is no way that God will be there for us.

Condemnation means conviction of guilt or blame. So when we condemn ourselves we are being overcome with guilt or blame for our actions, or in extreme cases, for being the person that we are. But the Bible says that there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1). Because we are in Christ we don’t have to be filled with guilt, shame, or blame because we mess up. Jesus did what we as human beings (because of the sinful nature that is within us) could never do. He defeated sin on the cross so that through him we could be right with God and so that we could have a fighting chance to win our battle with sin.

We have to stop being so focused on what we are not, what we can’t do, what we can’t seem to get right, and get our focus on who we are because of Jesus. We have to see all of the potential that we have because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. We have to get it into our thick heads that we are made right with God, that we are accepted by him just as we are at this moment, that we have power, strength, and ability to do what we need to do, that God will and wants to help and bless us, and that he loves us not because we deserve it but because we believe that Jesus paid the price for our wrongdoing already. God sees past our outward image (what we do) and he looks at our heart (who we really are). He sees the good intentions that we have instead of the bad choice that we end up making. He sees the good in us and we have to see the good in ourselves too. He forgives us as soon as we ask for his forgiveness but that means that we have to also forgive ourselves as well. He sees us just as he sees Jesus. But we have to start truly believing these things if we ever want to live up to our potential and be all that we were created to be. We can never do anything if we don’t first believe that it is possible for us to do.

You are not a miserable and horrible sinner that has to spend your life trying to make up for the things that you have done. You are not a lost cause because you have failed at everything good that you have tried to do. You are not at a point of no return because you have fallen back into sin and can’t seem to get away from it. There is always redemption and forgiveness at the cross. But you do have to believe that God forgives you and that nothing is impossible for you through Jesus. You have to receive His forgiveness and forgive yourself. Remember that you have not, and will never do, anything that is a surprise or unknown to God because He already knows everything that you will ever do. So stop focusing on all that you are not and focus on all that you are because of what Jesus did for you and me on the cross.