“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

— Romans 8:15

I am no longer a slave to fear, for I am a child of God. The verse from the worship song echo across the church, filling both the room and our hearts with the affirming sound. I close my eyes and lean into my seat, letting the beauty of that simple statement wash over me.

I am a child of God.

These words are so simple, but so profound. To be God’s son, God’s daughter, to recognize this as my identity transforms myself from a sinner to a saint. In God’s eyes, I am no longer less. I am no longer unworthy. I am no longer separated from His love. To Him, I have always been made in His creation. I have always been a part of Him. This is simply a reminder that I must shed my negative beliefs about myself and walk in the identity He has given me.

I must remind myself that in Him, I am holy, not weak.

The Bible speaks to our cleanliness over and over and over again. But how many times have you read those words and believed them? How many times have you seen Christ’s perfection in you first, instead of focusing on your mistakes?

To be honest, I can’t tell you a time that I’ve focused on my Father before my own fear. I don’t know if there really is a time I unselfishly looked at my body through my God’s eyes, noting the beauty before the pieces I want to change.

But time and time again, the Bible reminds us to push back against our human doubt and critique. God has already saved us from our sins. He has already built us to be like Him, even in our moments of evil and imperfection.

It’s time we stopped looking into mirrors wishing we were someone else, or picking at our flaws. It’s time we stopped focusing on what we can’t do, or don’t have, instead of all that He’s already blessed us with. We need to stop living in a victim mentality, thinking we will never be good enough, or that we’ve been abandoned, or that we’ll never rise above.

In Christ, we are victors, not victims.

When God sent His son, our debt was paid. And that’s not to say we have nothing to repent or turn away form, but it’s a reminder that we can’t fall away from the one who created us. There is nothing we can do that will ever separate us from His love.

We are victorious in Him, we are saved in Him, we are forgiven in Him, and we are redeemed in Him.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the chaos and craziness of this world, to see people around you and measure yourself in comparison, to think you are flawed, simply because there are aspects of you that you wish to change. It’s in these moments that we must ground ourselves in the truth—we are God’s children. And that is our identity, not our failures, mistakes, brokenness, past, or sin.

Cast off the victim mentality, the voice that says “I can’t,” and the fear. The spirit of God does not make you a slave to the things of this world, to your sin, to life’s circumstances. In Him, you are freed.
 

Featured Image Credit: Holly Mandarich