Why Perfection isn't the Enemy
We hear it all the time, "Nobody's perfect..." But that usually doesn't stop us from holding ourselves to an impossibly perfect standard, now does it? We read articles, go to conferences and form bible studies over the topic and try to live our lives trying to convince ourselves that we will never be, nor should we be, perfect.
But what if there was another way of approaching this terrifying topic? What if it isn't the standard that needs changing, but our perspective instead? What if this impossible dream of perfection, one that we all want but know we'll never have, wasn't something to be strived for, but already resided on the inside of us? Would that change how we approach things?
“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.”
We are three-part beings- we are a spirit, we have a soul (mind, will, emotions) and we live in a body. When we are born again, our spirits are renewed. Literally changing from death to life. Everything we would every need or hope to be is already in our spirits. Our spirits are identical to Christ just like it says in scripture, "As He is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:8)
I've heard it explained this way... It's much easier to defend the top of a hill than to try and claim a hill that someone else is already on top of. So many times we see our christian walk as a hike up a hill, trying to claim what Jesus died to give us and all the while, life is at the top throwing sucker punches and kicking up dirt in our faces. When we live with this victim mentality, our lives feel more like a never-ending struggle to claim what we want, instead of the peace and rest of God we keep hearing so much about.
But what if I told you that you are not at the bottom of the hill, you are at the top. Not by any striving that you've done, but because Jesus placed you there when he rose from the grave.
“And He raised us up together with Him [when we believed], and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, [because we are] in Christ Jesus.”
He has already placed you in a position of victory. You are not trying to claim or gain anything from God. He has already given you everything in your spirit. When we view the struggles and complications of life through the lens of victory, a shift happens in the way we fight against the attacks of the enemy.
We are not insecure women who are just trying to act brave, but rather we are brave and courageous daughters of God who the enemy is trying to trick into acting insecure. When we view it this way, we have all the power we need to pick ourselves up and move forward not in shame or condemnation, but in confidence in Christ.
“It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process. The Holy Spirit confirms this:
This new plan I’m making with Israel
isn’t going to be written on paper,
isn’t going to be chiseled in stone;
This time “I’m writing out the plan in them,
carving it on the lining of their hearts.”
We all make mistakes, but we must stop seeing ourselves as mistakes.
Jesus made us perfect. He paid the price for a debt we could never pay. Instead of facing our lives as victims just trying to modify our behavior to please others, we must face life from a position of victory, understanding that the enemy wants to get you to act differently.
You may feel weak, but you are strong.
You may feel lonely, but you are love and accepted without measure.
You may feel like your dreams are forgotten, but God has a plan and a purpose for your life.
Don't lose heart and give yourself a break. God has already brought you into His Kingdom and is well pleased with you. Just open up your heart and let Him show you how to walk out the role that's yours alone to play.
Let's write our stories well,
Jess
“So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into “the Holy Place.” Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God... So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going.”