freedom – Family Worship Center Devotionals

You’re doing better than you think…

The criticism we heap on ourselves is often worse than any criticism we receive from others. We want to be the perfect husband or wife, the perfect parent, the perfect person. We long for the unattainable goal of perfection.

But we find ourselves making mistakes. We use bad judgement. We fail. And, sooner or later, we must face the truth: We aren’t perfect.

When someone else makes a mistake or fails, we are inclined to offer grace, understanding, and encouragement. But when we’re the ones who messed up, we can be very hard on ourselves. Instead of beating ourselves up, maybe we need to give ourselves a little grace.

It’s OK to analyze our mistakes. We can almost always learn something from a mistake or a failure. But it’s not OK to be so hard on ourselves that we doubt our worth, our purpose, or God’s love for us.

Romans 8:1 says, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” We are free from guilt. We are forgiven. No punishment awaits us. We have been set free—free from shame, free from guilt, and free from the tyranny of our own thoughts.

God’s love for us is unconditional. God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to die for us. He loves us so much that he calls us his children—his sons and daughters. We are heirs of God’s glory. God isn’t disappointed in us when we mess up. In fact, he isn’t even surprised. His grace, mercy, and love are abundant, and they don’t disappear in the midst of our mistakes.

In God’s hands, our mistakes and failures do not equal defeat. They are just another step on our journey. “The steps of the God-pursuing ones follow firmly in the footsteps of the Lord, and God delights in every step they take to follow him. If they stumble badly, they will still survive, for the Lord lifts them up with his hand” (Psalm 37:23-24). We may fall down, but we won’t stay down. We may stumble badly, but God himself will lift us up with his strong hand.

Friend, you’re not perfect, but you’re perfectly loved. Your mistakes and failures don’t define you. You have permission to give yourself a little grace. You’re doing better than you think. Let go of those things that are behind. The past is past. Instead, reach for your future, confident of God’s love, goodness, and faithfulness.

Dear God, I’m amazed at your great love and forgiveness. Thank you for forgiving my sins, mistakes, and failures. Help me forgive myself. Give me wisdom to learn from my past and then to let it go. In Jesus’s name, amen.

“He lifted me out of the pit of destruction, out of the sticky mud. He stood me on a rock and made my feet steady.” (Psalm 40:2)

In his book, Victory in Spiritual Warfare, Dr. Tony Evans relates the story of being trapped in an elevator between floors in a high-rise building. It’s easy to imagine the fear and panic that could result from being stuck in an elevator. Dr. Evans said, “When it happened, some started crying, some yelled for help, and some started banging hard on the door.”

Maybe you’ve never been stuck in an elevator, but you may be stuck in some area of your life right now. Let’s stop for a minute here and define what we mean when we say, “stuck.” Being stuck doesn’t mean having a routine. If we put our keys in the same place every night, that’s a helpful routine. If we’ve had the same job for many years, we may tire of it, but that’s not being stuck—that’s a blessing.

Being stuck is when thinking of a past wound still causes sharp pain and thinking of the one who inflicted it still makes us angry. That’s being stuck in unforgiveness.

Being stuck is when we’ve promised ourselves a dozen times to stop looking at inappropriate websites, but we still pull them up. That’s being stuck in lust.

The examples could go on and on. Being stuck is when any destructive or negative habit, emotion, or action becomes a repetitive pattern and we feel unable to control it and move past it. It’s when feelings of hopelessness and helplessness cause us to believe we will never be victorious—that we will always be angry. Always be addicted. Always fail. Always hurt others.

Like those stuck in the elevator, we may try ineffective ways of getting ourselves unstuck, and find no success. Banging on the door would never cause the elevator to start working again. Neither would crying or shouting. Those trapped in the elevator needed help from outside.

To accept being stuck in an elevator as their new, normal life would be ridiculous. Psalm 30:5 tells us that, “…weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

We aren’t meant to be stuck in the mess; we’re meant to travel through it to the other side.

Dr. Evans noticed a telephone in the elevator. He picked it up, and someone answered. He told the person that he was stuck in the elevator. They sent help, and the people who once were trapped moved out of the elevator and moved on with their lives.

Friend, when we’re stuck, we’re stagnant. Being stuck prevents forward movement. Satan would love to keep us stuck but God wants to set us free. God wants to take us from where we are to the other side, the place where we grow, minister, and walk in freedom. Our own efforts may not be enough to free us, but just as Dr. Evans called for help in the elevator, we can call out to the one who can help us.

Refuse to accept being stuck. Call out to God for the help you need. Reach out to brothers and sisters in the Lord who can support you. Saturate your soul in God’s word. You’re not meant to be stuck. Take a step toward freedom. You won’t take that step alone—God will meet you there.

Dear God, I have struggled with my problems far too long. I’ve almost stopped believing that change is possible for me. I don’t want to be stuck and stagnant any longer. I want to be free and move forward. My efforts to fix this myself haven’t worked. I turn this situation over to you. Help me move from where I am to where you want me to be. Take me to the other side. I rely on your strength, your mercy, and your love. In Jesus’s name, amen.