Shame/Not Living Up

Nothing you've done has changed who God says you are

1: No matter your story. 2: No matter your background. 3: No matter where you are in your faith journey. 4: There’s a place for you in this community.

You don't have to have it all together.

The best excuses people gave God. 1. #5: Gideon. “My clan is the weakest and I am the least of my family.” God still used him to win the battle. 2. #4: Jeremiah. “I don’t know how to speak. I’m only a child.” God still wrote one of the longest books of the Bible through him. 3. #3: Moses. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” God still delivered Moses’ people through him. 4. #2: Moses (again). “What if they don’t believe me? I’m slow of speech. Please send someone else.” 5. #1: Sarah. Sarah laughed at the promise of God. Still, God gave her a son that became a mighty nation. 6. Our excuses don’t limit God from using us. He has an amazing plan for you regardless.

1. Love based on your performance will always exhaust you. 2. Love based on feelings will fade over time. 3. Unconditional love will bring true peace and fulfillment. 4. “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” - Jeremiah 31:3

1. Feeling overwhelmed isn’t a character flaw. It’s a signal… 2. We usually just push through. Make another list…apologize for being behind…maybe even blame others… 3. Overwhelm comes from carrying something for too long. But there’s a better way. 4. Moses felt this way. He told God, “I cannot carry all these people alone. It's too heavy for me.” (Numbers 11:14) 5. God came through. 6. Remember: You are allowed to not be okay. You are allowed to need help. 7. Jesus invites us to come to Him when we’re overwhelmed and carrying heavy burdens.

You may hold onto your past, but God doesn’t.

1: You may hold onto your past, but God doesn’t. 2: You replay the mistakes. You feel regret. 3: But Psalm 103:12 says, "He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west." 4: So if God isn’t holding your past over your head, why are you? 5: Don't live stuck in what God has already freed you from.

Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. - Psalm 34:5

How to pray about a habit you just can’t seem to break. 1. Skip the performance. Be honest with God. “I can’t stop. I need help.” 2. Pray against the shame, not just the habit. “Help me feel confident in your acceptance of me.” 3. Ask for the desire, not just the willpower. “God, give me your desires.” 4. Pray for what will replace it. “Empty me of ____, and fill me with _______.” 5. Don’t pray alone. Confess your sins to one another thqt you can be healed. 6. Remember a bad day is just a bad day. It isn’t permanent failure. 7. “God, you know what I'm dealing with. I'm tired of trying on my own. I don't just want willpower…I want to actually change. Search my heart, replace my desires, and remind me today that I am not defined by this. Amen.”

If perfection were required, church would be empty.

I will save the weak and helpless ones; I will bring together those who were chased away. I will give glory and fame to my former exiles, wherever they have been mocked and shamed. - Zephaniah 3:19

Even faith the size of a mustard seed still counts as faith

God uses willing hearts, not perfect ones.

God turns broken things into beautiful things

1: Bring your questions. 2: Bring your worries. 3: Bring your whole self. 4: There’s room for you.

God finishes what He starts

God isn’t finished writing your story.

Draw near to God

For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more. - Hebrews 8:12