She's Not Your Enemy: Conquering Our Insecurities So We Can Build God's Kingdom TogetherSample

You Are Invited

In the beginning, humankind was created in the image of God. Male and female. And they were called “good.”

Yet somehow, our Enemy, Satan, wormed his way in and warped that beauty and goodness into what felt like the very first rejection. Satan spoke to the first woman, planting seeds with a question and some blatant lies, and that seed took root, sprouting into all the things he didn’t say. He didn’t have to. The woman filled in the blanks: You’re not good enough. God knows you’re not smart enough to handle this knowledge. That’s why he’s withholding it from you. You’re excluded from this club.

That’s how the snake convinced the first woman, who was made in God’s image, to believe she was on the outside and missing out. This woman, whom God called good, felt unworthy. And so she took care of the problem herself, with the bite of forbidden fruit.

Our relationship with God is meant to be like his one with the first man and woman in the garden before a slithering snake came into the picture: partnering with each other and God. No competition or confusion. No grasping for power. Completely sustained by the One who shares with us everything we need and nothing we don’t.

But the woman’s flawed perspective was handed down to all of us.

Now we must face this question every day as we battle our sinful natures: Will we trust God at his word about who he says we are, or will we take matters into our own hands to validate ourselves?

Let me look straight into your eyes. You are secure and safe in God’s love. Your incredible worth is not a question to the One who made you. No matter who tells you otherwise, leaves you out or sends you packing, you are valuable, seen, known, and loved.

You are invited and welcome. You belong. Rest confidently in this. And then go and break the cycles of rejection by inviting others in.

How does knowing we are secure in God’s love help us feel more secure in relationships with others? What practical ways might you see this truth manifest in your interactions with other women this week?

This plan is presented to you by She's Not Your Enemy, by Jenn Schultz, an Esther Press resource. To learn more about this book, please click here.