why are you so ashamed? what are you trying to hide? do you think God can't see it? why are you putting those fig leaves (see the story of adam and eve) trying to cover your struggles and imperfections? why? do you think you have to make yourself perfect to be presentable to God before He would rescue you? Do you really think you have the power to perfect yourself anyway? I think Satan has many believers in bondage by causing them to become obsessed with their sin instead of the savior. There are so many defeated believers around who are caught in this lie.

psalm 139.... he even knows our thoughts! He knows all, and He know all about us so much so that He knows more than we do about ourselves. (confused yet?) He can actually reveal to us stuff about ourselves that we had no clue about.

who am i to try to hide and be ashamed...if I find myself in this place I tell myself the gospel truth: He accepts me! That's the beauty of the gospel. Brennan Manning says "He loves us just as we are and not as we should be since none of us is as we should be"

How about that?! How about responding to that... does that not free you up?! We are free to not give in to the devil's deception that "we can't approach God because we are not good enough"... He died for us "while we were yet sinners" Sooo... How does that free me up, you say? Well think about it like this... if you know you are loved and totally accepted regardless of your performance doesn't that free you up to walk in love (think about a child and parent) instead of in fear. You are free to be who He created you to be: in the image of Christ Jesus. You are the beloved so BE- loved! You've seen him or her before- the one who knows she is loved. She has a skip in her step, a light about her, and a twinkle in her eye. Well I believe God wants us to believe that He loves us in that same special way. He considered us valuable enough to die for us even while we were still sinners- He paid the life of His most precious Son for our lives that he might have RELATIONSHIP with us- not simply to redeem us and eradicate the debt that was owed for sin but ultimately that we may KNOW him and GLORIFY Him forever!

So what do we have to be ashamed of? God's not afraid of our sin, He has declared victory over it. He has freed us from the power of it. Who are we to think that we are supposed to be perfect in and of ourselves anyway? GOD does it. Grace says "GOD DOES IT" Not I who live but Christ lives in me. He is the only goodness in me. He is my source. I just get to walk in it. It's a gift. It's too good to be true, so it just might be the GOSPEL!