This is a question we all ask ourselves from time to time. Women especially seem to be more prone to do this than men. Maybe it’s because we tend to be the more emotional creatures. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America reports that 16.1 million Americans suffer from depression and 40 million suffer from some sort of anxiety disorder. The vast majority of those treated are women. So how do we overcome these disorders in our own life? The only way to battle any problem is to face the truth. I need to find out who I am to battle the lies my mind tells me. The truth will always set us free.
John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”
While Jesus was talking about the truth of the gospel, it still applies to how we think about ourselves. We are born with a sin nature and before we give our lives to Christ, we are a slave to sin.
Romans 6:16-18 “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”
Once we accept the free gift of salvation, we have an inner source, the Holy Spirit, that will guide us into all truth if we will let Him. While there are some mental disorders that are physical, due to a chemical imbalance in the brain, doctors report that most are due to what and how people have come to think about themselves.
If our thinking guides what we believe, then how do we change that? We go back to the truth. What are the truths that will set us free from the awful pains of anxiety and depression caused by wrongful thinking?
If you are a Christian, you are a child of God! You have been adopted into a family, and God is your Father. You need to let this sink in. You could not have a better father. You have the creator of everything as your personal father. He is a personal God and He cares deeply for you. Focus on that truth. In Romans 8:15 Paul reminds us that we have received the Spirit of adoption and we can call God Abba Father. In the Chaldees language, Abba means Father. THE FATHER is my Father. The repetition shows intensity as we dwell on His name as an affectionate, tender child. This love he has for us is so intense it cost Him the life of His only Son. Why he loved me enough to sacrifice for me I’ll never understand, but that does not change the fact that He did.
John 1:12 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
Romans 8:15 “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
We also are His workmanship. We are created by Him. He is the only source of life. He never intended for us to have a sinful nature, but he allowed it when Adam and Eve chose selfish desires over Him. The beautiful part is that because of His love He didn’t leave us there. He offers us a new life in Him. Like any good parent, he offers to forgive and forget any transgressions we have committed. He offers us freedom from the curse of sin. We are created in His image, a trait that no other living creature obtained. When we choose Him, we are changed?
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Our redemption was not an afterthought to God. Our actions were not a hiccup in His plans. He is an all-knowing God, and He knew He would be rejected before the creation of the world. He could have chosen another way to redeem us, but he chose the way that cost Him the most, because His love is, and was so great for us.
I Peter 1:18-20 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,”
So, what is the truth of who I am? The truth is that we are of infinite value to God. God is truth and He defines it. We are who He says we are! The song “Who You Say I Am” states it perfectly. We are chosen, not forsaken, He is for us, not against us, and we are A CHILD OF GOD! There will always be those who value our lives, and those who don’t, but what they think, either good or bad, does not change the truth of who we are.
You can believe a lie, or you can meditate on the truth. It is your choice! I know who I am, and I chose to meditate on the truths that God has stated about my life.
