“You’re not good enough.”

Four little words. Words that hang over our head, constantly lurking in the back of our mind. Perhaps someone said these words to us so they are on continual playback. They play on our fears and tempt us to act accordingly. These four little words affect our behavior, often when we don’t even realize it.

Let’s face it, the world’s system is one of standards, measurement, and judgment. It’s the way life works. You meet your boss’s expectations or get fired. You exceed the benchmarks or fail the class. You perform to a certain level or are cut from the team. It’s the way of the world and a system that works pretty well for it.

This worldly system has leached it’s way into the church. Many see God as a taskmaster, cracking the whip when we aren’t performing to His expectations. We do and say certain things out of obligation. We measure others according to our own standards. We judge mainly because we ourselves feel judged.

God’s Kingdom doesn’t work the same way as the world. It’s an upside down and inside out way of living. There isn’t anything we can do or say to make Him love or approve. We can’t follow enough rules or meet an external standard. God doesn’t measure us the way the world does and will not cut us from the team.

God’s way is completely opposite to the world’s way of life. God’s way is:

• relationship
• acceptance
• forgiveness

Relationship

First, God wants to build a relationship. He invites us into His plans for our life and His way brings abundance, fulfillment, and satisfaction. We get to do life with the Holy Spirit who helps us navigate the world’s expectations. He woos us into obedience by His Spirit and lovingly disciplines us if our heart rebels. He is a good Father and knows what is best, even if we can’t see it for ourselves.

Acceptance

Next, God’s manner is acceptance. He receives what we give and brings us beyond our own ability by His power. When we mess up, He lovingly corrals us and shows us the right way. He doesn’t shield us from consequences, but He also does not reject us when we fail.

Forgiveness

Above all, God works through forgiveness. The world judges us and we may even judge ourselves. In Christ, we do not carry the burden of our failures. God forgives and we have an opportunity to act as though we are forgiven. No longer do we need to beat ourselves up, pay for our wrongdoing, or work to make it right. We simply receive His free gift and move on.

How do we live in this world when we are not of it? When this world says we have to perform to certain expectations, when we feel we are being measured and told we aren’t good enough, when we constantly feel judged and condemned… how do we live out God’s way of life? How do we live in the world’s system without it controlling us?

There’s only one way—by believing God more than our experience in the world. When you fail to meet expectations, run to God and receive help. When you are rejected, run to God and receive acceptance. When you feel condemned, run to God and receive forgiveness. We overcome by believing Him despite our circumstances, despite what the world is telling us to believe. In Him, we realize the truth is that we are good enough. In fact, we are more than enough. The Holy Spirit helps us everyday and makes us more than adequate to fulfill His reason and purpose for our life.