Genesis 32:10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.

Do you ever tell yourself you are not worthy? Do you feel like you do not deserve a blessing, good fortune, or a loving relationship? Let me begin by telling you that you are right. We are not worthy.

Psalm 14:3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

It is well established that not one of us is worthy. So now what?

Romans 3:24-27 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

We are declared righteous by faith in Jesus Christ. What does that say about us, if when God declares us worthy of His mercy and grace, we declare we are not? I look back to the example of Jacob whom God told to return home. Jacob hedged his bet by dividing his family into two groups, send only a portion to his brother Esau whom he feared. Jacob failed faith, believing that the God who called him might not deliver him without harm.

Tell yourself you are not worthy and you make God a liar, that Christ died in vain for your salvation and your right standing before God. Worse still it stops you from calling on the only help we can depend on, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Genesis 20:9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.

We were talking about wounds last night. Great hurts come to us and we try to find a way to forgive and it isn’t always easy. Then the Lord placed a memory of a deep wound and the part I played in causing it to happen.

It will not always be the case but to deny our own involvement in events will not help bring about the right kind of healing. We hurt and in pain we lash out. We might be justified in the opinion of others but what is the truth between you and God? No one knows the truth better than God. It takes a close self-examination to look beyond the pain to admit when we had some small part in causing the event to happen.

The reason that we need to look at events with detached emotions is to understand the event from a cause and effect scenario. If I had some part in causing the event, if I deny my part, what is to stop me from causing it to happen again?

The victim mentality will always say “I am innocent.” Perhaps you are, but what is the truth? Evil people do evil things but why do friends hurt you? They do not hurt you without cause. What is your part? Family members can inflict the deepest wounds. Does that mean they do not love you? What pain they inflict on you may run so deep into the past that you had no idea of your part in it.

A friend calls it generational sin. It is hurt we inflict because it is how we were hurt, it is normal. Perhaps the greatest lie the enemy has ever told us is that the sin we live with is normal.

Only I can break the cycle.