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"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1 ESV). For this verse to be a reality in our hearts, we need to apply the grace and love of our God to ourselves. Before we can love others like Jesus, we need to love and fully love ourselves and live in self-forgiveness. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31 NIV) Love in our hearts first has to come from God, then we establish our hearts through grace and sonship, and then we love others. We often skip the 2nd part and go straight on loving others. Now, when we say to love ourselves, we aren't talking about a self-indulgence, self-focused, or selfish way of thinking, but viewing and knowing yourself in light of God's love and having the revelation that you are made in the image of God and despite the devil twisting you into sin you were made for love and to live in it. Not loving or forgiving ourselves and denying God the very thing that he died for means that our viewpoint of ourselves is more true than God's. To unbreak this, we need to come into agreement with what is true about ourselves as sons and daughters of God: that we are forever loved, forgiven, and redeemed by His power and blood, not our own!

Prayer: Father, I pray in Jesus' name that I would come to realize that I am forever loved, redeemed, and forgiven. That any shame is nailed to this Cross and that your blood speaks a better word over me and my sin. Through following you, I can defeat shame, unforgiveness, and bondage. I pray this will be a reality in my heart. Thank you for your love and mercy. In Jesus' name, Amen!