Shattering Toxic Beliefs And Discovering The Real YouSýnishorn

Jerusha Clark:  Shattering Toxic Beliefs and Discovering the Real You  Devotional Day 5

You’re Already In

Scripture: Philippians 4:12-13

I once read the anonymous quote: “If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, you can bet the water bill is higher.” 

When we forget our true identity in the Great I AM, we are tempted to look on the other side of the fence all the time—and decide that someone else is more successful, more “in,” and more loved than we are.

I find that envy and greed often sneak up on us. We don’t wake up thinking, Today I hope I’m terribly disappointed in everything I have and run into someone whose life looks perfectly together. On the contrary, we often try to white-knuckle our way to contentment, ending up with lousy resignation instead. 

Never forget that you are already in with God. You no longer have to prove your worth by accumulating and accomplishing. As one of God’s very own, you have been set free from the need to compare and compete. You, like Paul, can learn “the secret of being content” because you are secure in God’s love. Do you really and truly believe this, to the point that your belief changes the way you think, act, and speak? 

For those living on the “never enough” treadmills of comparison and competition, there’s no rest or freedom. Being “in” with the “right” financial community, social circle, or elite crowd gives no lasting sense of peace. Of course these sorts of inner rings give people temporary pleasure and belonging. But they cannot—ever—give life. Indeed, it’s more often than not the very woman with the impressive titles, “perfect” body, or expensive shoes who harbors the deepest pain. 

There are few people more tiresome than those for whom nothing’s ever good enough. I’d venture a guess that you don’t want to be that kind of woman. You’re already in. What would it look like to live out that identity today?

Consider a situation in which you are likely to compare yourself to others and feel disappointed. How would your words, thoughts, and actions be different if you believed that God created you as you are for a purpose? Spend some time in prayer asking for God to shape your desires to be for him alone.