not defeated

A Sinner-Defeated? Or A Saint-Completed?


Oh, please!
Listen to what I am saying.
You are deceived as I once was.
For me to be a "saint" was a lost
a hopeless cause.
Satan badgered me,
belittled me,
and blamed me for each infraction
large or small,
until he had thoroughly convinced me
that I wasn't a righteous saint at all!
My thoughts and my emotions were puppets in his scheme
to persuade me
that a life of victory was an elusive dream.
"Me? A new creation? A saint?
Oh sure! The day I die.
But for now I'm doomed to know defeat
no matter how hard I try."
"I just can't do it!"
"I am so unhappy."
"I'm so far from what He intends me to be."
These thoughts kept running through my brain and
Satan was controlling me.
How it must have grieved my precious Jesus
to know I listened-I believed.
When "in Him" I have been made righteous-a saint!
But I was so deceived.
Praise God! At last I've seen! I know!
I am a saint, clean and forgiven!
I am accepted in the Beloved and seated in God's heaven.
I am beyond reproach. I am holy.
I'm altogether lovely, redeemed, alive in Him!
It's true!
I know that I'm blameless, righteous, and complete.
And my dear Believer, so are you.

(www.lifetime.org )


i've fallen into this trap myself. and i'm trying to climb out of it now. my frustration with my weakness leads me to think "i'm so far from where He intends me to be". i also think about how long it's been since i asked Christ into my heart and the deep disappointment i feel that i haven't been a better follower since then. there isn't a day that goes by that i don't think about the Lord and the desire i have to please Him, but i fall short, very short. and i'm a father now. i wanna be a good example for my son. i also feel that i should be a better example for my wife. hopefully i can get back on track soon. i'm going to try and take it one day at a time. so today is a new day and the goal for today is to live a life that is pleasing to Him today. Each day has enough trouble of it's own (Matthew 6:34), so maybe if i take on that mindset, and live out one day at a time, as if He were coming back that day....live for Him, then maybe i will do better. the other thing is i have to stop trying to do it in my own strength and remember that God says "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (II Corinthians 12:9)