Thank you Steven, and thank You Father for your faithfulness.
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My dialogue with Dr. Godspeed on My Identity in Christ
by Steven ChristAmbassador Salazar
Identity in Jesus
Me: Dr. Godspeed I am a great admirer of yours and I have a problem. I am a Christian, and I feel as though I am utterly worthless, stupid, and I am nothing. Sometimes I wish I would have died at birth. I need your help. Dr. Godspeed: Gladly, first of all your assessment of your own identity is absolutely horrendous and fallacious due to these contributing factors; Satan's wanting you to negate your true identity in Christ, and your imperceptibility to the truth and your willingness to feed into these lies, without implementing the very weapon God had given to humanity and that is indeed the Holy Bible. Gods Word has an astronomical amount of information concerning the identity of those who are in Christ, Why don't you utilize these truths against the enemy? Why do you continuously give into defeatism? You're a Royal Priest, you were brought with blood of Christ, which means your value is infinite. With all due respect you're acting like an ignorant fool, like you weren't blessed with Gods word in the first place! I want you to name three "feelings" that have left you so systematically dejected in all aspects of life, and I don't want you to give reasons because your reasons aren't even factors to consider all that ultimately matters is what Gods word says. You'll see has we progress.
***Emotional Guide Vs Omniscient Guide***
Me: I am worthless. Everyday that I wake up, I feel like I am just a major disappointment to my family and definitely to myself.
Dr. Godspeed: You "feel?" Let us first address this word, "feel." You are basing your identity on a fallacious perception fueled not by the word of God which is truth, but by your own finite and faulty thinking! You want to know what the Bible says about considering your feelings as objective truth?! "Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe (Proverbs 28:26). "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it" (Jeremiah 17:9). "Whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything." (1 John 3:20).
Your emotions, or feelings aren't a reliable guide "especially" in this case and the Bible tells you this on several occasions. Emotions can be a manipulative tactic that Satan can implement; effectively separating believers from God, and what I mean by effectively, is it's success rate is paramount for those whom aren't implanted in the truth of their identity. My proof Satan's methodology is working is you. You're choosing an emotional guide over an omniscient guide. You have a choice of an infinite guide whom always desires the best for you, and a guide of near sightedness and a faulty perception; and you my friend are "choosing" the latter!
***Worthless or Worth it***
Me: So, my feelings are wrong? If I am not worthless, than what am I? I certainly don't feel any different. I am a train wreck. My life reflects and proves my worthlessness.
Dr. Godspeed: Well, you may not "feel" any different but if you believe the Bible is objective, absolute truth, then guess what your feelings are-- unreliable! Anyone can negate their accomplishments and arrive at a "seemingly" accurate conclusion that they are worthless; though it's just an erroneous argument built upon a distorted lens. You look at all your accomplishments and that presents a different conclusion; overwhelmingly shutting down the perspective that your worthless, that your value is nothingness. Let's look at the other side of the argument, in this case ironically, this side "Me" is arguing against your claim which would make my side the "negative" while your side is the "affirmative."
You're a military veteran who has served a tour in Afghanistan; 99 percent of the citizens of this nation can't even truthfully claim such an accomplishment! And within that situation you were proficient at your job, being a what was that called again, "Oh yes, Signal Support Systems Specialist." You managed to overcome an addition to alcohol and I know by firsthand experience that it's no easy task! You've overcome self harming, which again I can attest to the fact, that isn't a meniscal obstacle! And even on a daily basis you are overcoming your depressive disorder to study for your college endeavors; so I know you overcoming Major Depression isn't an impossibility for you, but for some reason you view it as implausible. And you have an illimitable amount of qualities; you're intelligent, handsome, your goals are selfless, you're incredibly talented, and so forth! You were definitely crafted to accomplish an incredible purpose! So look at your accomplishments and your aspirations to get a correct depiction of who you truly are!
Me: Hmm... I guess I really never thought of looking at my accomplishments; I guess I am guilty of just focusing on the negatives. Thanks!
Dr. Godspeed: And that was just from a temporal and worldly point of view which is ultimately meaningless when determining your value and identity! What does the objective and truthful Word of God, the Holy Bible say about your worth upon accepting Christ, and what is it based on? Let's see how God views you! "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9) "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago" (Ephesians 2:10).
The objective, eternally truthful Word of God has spoken! You are counted worthy enough to be assigned as apart of the Royal Priesthood of God and you are actually Gods special possession! Who are you to say any different?! Did God say you were worthless?... No! Are you going to disagree with an all-knowing creator?! Let's, see, ah yes, you can do all things through Christ you strengthens you! Do you know the significance of that verse?! Obviously you don't. Christ Jesus is the creator of the universe and you have inherited his strength! And his strength and potentiality is illimitable! And the last and final verse recited, that totally affirms your objective identity and value is the fact God calls you his own masterpiece, that you were created in Christ to accomplish good works! You're his masterpiece, his crowning achievement, his magnum opus! Do you know the significance of this? Let's look up the definition of masterpiece, shall we...
Masterpiece
1. a person's greatest piece of work, as in an art.2. anything done with masterly skill: a masterpiece of improvisation.3. a consummate example of skill or excellence of any kind: The chef's cake was a masterpiece.
Now, compare this to Gods inexplicable display of craftsmanship thus far! Creatio Ex Nilhilo! God created the entire universe; space-time, matter, and energy; the extreme fine tuning of the cosmological constant, the dimensions that sustains our spatial three dimensional cosmos; the imperceptible spiritual realm; the illimitable amount of planets and star within our spiral galaxy alone; I mean it's mind blowing the masterly craftsmanship and design of our universe, out of absolute nothingness! And when you compare us humans to the grand scheme of thing, we seem insignificant, but God out of all creation deemed "us" his masterpiece, his crowning achievement! And since God is Just, Righteous and Holy, he doesn't lie; he only knows truth; he calls us his masterpiece, and in actuality when you study our complex design, compared to the rest of creation we are definitely infinitely more magnificent; research our biological complexity; our intricately designed bodies both macro and microscopically down the compact language of our DNA. And this is further backed by God manifesting himself in the flesh, and actually suffering the most horrific death in all of history for our sake; for your sake! Don't you dare denigrate your worth and value; not after God proved your infinite value on the cross!
***Glorious Hope***
Me: *almost in tears* Alright, I think that's all I needed to hear. I really never gave that the consideration it needed. I am shocked. What about when I am experiencing hopelessness?
Dr. Godspeed: I noticed you purposely avoided saying "feelings of hopelessness." My dear friend, hopelessness is just a feeling, that's all it is. It's another false and distorted perception of reality. Is God going to abandon you? Is he going to leave you? Is he going to forsake his masterpiece? Here is what God says to you! "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6). For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to proper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11). Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand" (Isaiah 41:10).
So, what in the world do you have to be hopeless about. Truthfully, and honestly a Christian has no valid or sensical reason for hopelessness; you have an eternal, infinitely benevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient God who is continually with you and wants what is ultimately best for you. God is telling you to be strong and courageous! He is telling you don't be afraid or discourage, he is with you and he will never leave or nor forsake you. Jesus said he would be with you, even to the end of age! God is right by your side, literally! Gods promises hold true 100% of the time and you said, he has plans prosper you, "not" to harm you! He will uphold you in his victorious right hand! This is a God who went to the cross and died for you! He has given you impeccable hope in his word, and he has preordained a future for you that is good, in this temporal existence and in the life to come as a joint inheritor in Gods glorious kingdom, how absolutely incredible is that! And again to supply you with that hope and that infinitely glorious future, he died for you! So why are you hopeless?
Me:I guess I am hopeless for no apparent good reason at all; I guess my hopelessness is due to an unwillingness to trust God. What if I don't deserve such hope, or such a future? I loathe myself, I don't deserve it. What do you have to say about self-loathing?
***Self-Loathing: Invalid***
Dr. Godspeed: *chuckles* You're missing the significance of it all. Firstly, we don't deserve what God did for our sake? It would have been perfectly justified for God to leave us in our ignorance and rebellion. Secondly, after everything I've explained to you, there's no sensible reason why you should loath yourself when God, adores you infinitely. And thirdly, even from a temporal perspective you are a shining example to the rest of humanity about perseverance, intelligence, and altruism! But let's take this back to a Biblical perspective, as it ultimately matters; why do you hate yourself when Gods word says; "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27). "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17) "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Romans 6:4).
First off you were created in the divine image of God; just on that basis alone your worth is absolutely infinite! Why would you hate somebody whom God formed in the womb himself! "I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb" (Jeremiah 1:5) and before you were born you were chosen and preordained by God! "Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name" (Isaiah 49:1). "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes" (Ephesians 1:4). God, knew the mistakes you would make in life, and yet he loved you, and appointed you to an ambassador to his glorious kingdom!
So what, you've made mistakes, we've all have; some minors, and some grave; but you are a New Creation in Christ, the "old you" has gone! You were resurrected with Christ from the grave and have new life! You are seated, as we speak, in the heavenly realm with Christ! The Holy Spirit dwells within you conforming you into the image of Christ; you are judged holy and righteous even before the day of judgment. So past mistakes are inconsequential to your identity! This self-loathing and low self-conceptualization is due to unreliable and manipulative feelings brought upon by Satan and your willingness to believe him! You must change your habit of thought!
***The Road to Liberation***
Me: You're right. How does one go about doing that, I mean I've been fighting with this for quite awhile, but it has increased in frequency and intensity, right after I quit alcohol.
Dr. Godspeed: I am far from a neurologist, but I stumbled across a particular bit of information that fits this occasion. And I quote: Any pattern of thought or action repeated many times results in a habit with a corresponding neurosignature, or brain groove. The brain is composed of approximately 100 billion cells, called neurons. A brain groove is a series of interconnected neurons that carry the thought patterns of a particular habit. Attention feeds the habit. When we give our attention to a habit, we activate the brain groove, releasing the thoughts, desires, and actions related to that habit.
The good news is that the brain is malleable. We can change our thoughts and behavior by recruiting new cells to form new brain grooves. Every thought and action is recorded within the interconnected nerve cells, and each repetition adds new depth to the brain groove. If we repeat a thought and action enough times, a habit is formed. Continued repetition strengthens the power of the habit. Inattention and lack of repetition weakens the power of the habit. These principles apply to the formation of both good and bad habits. Positive thoughts and actions create good habits. Negative thoughts and actions create harmful habits.
I hope that answers your question efficiently. And what should you replace thoughts of worthlessness, hopelessness, and self-loathing with?... The emotional and spiritual revitalizing Word of God! I bet you didn't see that coming. *chuckles* Look, Steven, God delivered us his word for a gargantuan amount of reasons; and what you're currently going through now is one of them. Remember, the Bible is objective truth, God doesn't lie, he has nothing to gain for helping us, it's because he loves us that he revealed himself in his word! I gave you a great quantity of verses that can help you on your journey for emotional and spiritual revivification and there are literally hundreds more of those verses that directs a Christian in the aspect of finding his true identity. God is the most amazing guide ever! His word is more than enough! You need to stay grounded in it! The foundation of your identity and worth needs to be built upon the Holy Bible. "When" you accomplish that with the help of the Holy Spirit, you will definitely be set up for success in this life and the one to come.
Steven, as a fellow brother in Christ, I love you, God loves you; and God is hurting at the misery you're allowing yourself to go through. He wants you to realize your worth and actualize your potential that he has given you. I am not talking to you for no reason, our meeting wasn't a fatalistic, random cosmic occurrence; God wanted you to speak with me. I even hurt to the point that I can't breathe because of your pain, imagine how God feels. These words aren't my own. But they were given to me by the Spirit of Truth to deliver to you. God knows your infinitely valuable, he knows your potentiality is illimitable, and he knew your mistakes before you even committed them, and he still loves you and wants you reconciled to himself in a deep and meaningful way. God will "never, ever, ever" leave you nor forsake you!
***Prayer***
Let's conclude our meeting with a prayer led by the Holy Spirit.
Our Father in Heaven, we come to you in the glorious and victorious name of our God and Savior, your Son Jesus Christ whom died for us. Father we come to you to ask that your illimitable wisdom be imparted on Steven, that you guide him through his trails and tribulations. That you revitalize his strength, you align his perception of reality with your eternal and glorious word. Help him to realize his incredible worth. Help him to grow and depend on the amazing and remarkable hope that you've given us through your word, and through the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Help him to realize your absolutely wonderful love for him. My Father I thank you, that I met Steven, and I am confident that through me, you have illuminated his perspective to your ever-enduring truth. In Jesus' glorious and victorious name we pray... Amen.
©2013 Steven Salazar
You can read more apologetic writing at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Apolopedia-a-comprehensive-approach-to-Christian-Apologetics/163286163826705?fref=ts
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