Romans 5:19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
As a Believer, do you often feel as though God is not happy with you because you have been unable to break out of a bad habit?
This is the trap that so many Believers find themselves in because of the way they have been raised as Christians, even from a very early age.
We are taught to please our parents, our teachers, our employers, our friends, and even God through our performance and obedience. And when we do please others through our performance we are happy with ourselves. But if we have let down others through our performance or something we did or didn’t do, then we are very disappointed with ourselves.
Consequently, what happens is we carry this performance mentality over into our Christianity.
And when we go through seasons or situations where we feel we have pleased God through what we have done, we are happy with ourselves. But if we have sinned, failed or missed God’s standard through something we did or didn't do, then we become disappointed with ourselves. Self-condemning thoughts can set in and even lead to depression.
This pattern of living only spirals in one direction, downwards and it leads you further and further away from the truth.
The truth is, as a Believer, God is well pleased with you not because of your performance or ability to be good, but because of the performance of His Son, Jesus. Jesus is the Beloved, whom God is well pleased with and we put our faith and belief in Jesus, which qualifies us to become well-pleasing before God.
What we have to eliminate is the notion of a relationship with God that is separated from Jesus. Without Jesus, we have no relationship with the Heavenly Father. But many Christians subconsciously carry thinking patterns and beliefs where they are self-condemned and depressed because they don’t understand their standing before God does not come through themselves but through Jesus.
That means no matter how good you are, your standing before God is still based on what Jesus did upon the cross, not the good you may have done. Likewise, no matter how deep you have failed God, you can rest in your heart knowing that in God’s eyes you are forever perfect (Hebrews 10:14), through the performance of Jesus.
And the good news is it's permanent. Your part is simply to believe it and receive it. Be conscious of this every day!