“I believe in Jesus” is a powerful statement, but a statement that is also very powerful and much less used is “Jesus believes in me.” The most profound conviction you can utter is that “Jesus died for me, I believe in Jesus” and that statement alone will change the direction of your life forever.
If you believe that in your heart, that statement becomes a mission, it becomes your true-north because if Jesus really died for me, then the rest of my life is an act of gratitude as everyday I’m reminded of the life I deserved before Jesus. That conviction is core and must be truly known for yourself before you dwell on the second statement, “Jesus believes in me.”
Does Jesus really believe in me?
This one I have issue with. I know myself pretty well. I know that I’ve failed, I know I’ve doubted, I know I’ve done bad things, I know I’m nowhere near perfect. It’s hard to admit that Jesus believes in me for the calling, the destiny, the dream he has for my life. He tells me he has plans to prosper me (Jeremiah chapter 29, verse 11), he tells me he set me apart before I was born (Galatians chapter 1, verse 15 and Jeremiah chapter 1, verses 4-5), he tells me he has redeemed me (Galatians chapter 3, verse 11), he tells me he has called me according to his purpose (Romans chapter 8, verse 28), he tells me he has called me by name (Isaiah chapter 43, verse 1), he tells me he has anointed me (Isaiah chapter 61, verse 1).
God doesn’t shy away from showing us that he has a planned destiny for our lives. You read the Bible for 2-minutes and you’ll find in the character of God, that he not only has a purpose for your life but that he genuinely loves you. If God, pure and blameless, knows all of the ins and outs of my life, and he still believes in me, why can’t I?
Invalid perception
Anytime I make a mistake or don’t achieve what I expected myself to or get confronted by someone who is disappointed with me or even walk through a difficult time in my life, I can so easily shatter the dream of the person I want to become. The person I see myself as, successful, faithful, driven, caring and influential gets face-to-face with the reality that I won’t be able to be that person and I am immediately discouraged. My humanity becomes a shock to me daily, but I’ve come to learn (not understand) that God is never shocked by my humanity. As much as my life changes, His promise never does. As much as I doubt he will come through for me, his love never wavers. As much as my opinion of myself is conditional, his opinion is steadfast.
What do I do?
I believe Jesus often taught us lessons about this, but a story comes to mind where ‘Jesus walks on water’ (Matthew chapter 14, verses 22-36 and Mark chapter 6, verses 45-52). In this story, the storm in front of the disciples looked out of control and then to see Jesus walk on water terrified them. He not only calls a disciple to walk on the water with him, but he also calms the storm. This story, as miraculous as it is, I believe teaches us about our confidence in Him. Jesus makes a point that no matter how terrified we are, he says “take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” (Mark chapter 6, verse 50). That doesn’t just apply to the disciples, but it applies to us today.
No matter how real and terrifying our situation is, we’ve got to remember that God is for us. We’ve got to practice stopping our thoughts of hopelessness and remembering that God is steadfast and strong. He is faithful to his promises. He is gracious towards our failings. He is unwavering in his love for us.
It’s time to stop questioning how he chose me and start declaring the promises he has for my life. It’s time to not let my dreams for my life be shut down because of what I can see and start reminding myself that God can see more. My life can seem dark and un-saveable and God sees a future and a hope. No matter how much we want to sway our thinking to self-pity, God’s waiting there with bigger dreams, bigger opportunities and a bigger life. If we genuinely declare, “I believe in Jesus,” we ought to be able to declare, “Jesus believes in me” because God is bigger than our disbelief.
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews chapter 10, verse 23)
Rochelle Ross lives on the Sunshine Coast, Australia. She loves people, the moon, dirty food and Jesus and is very passionate about seeing young people know God. She loves a great story and one day wants to write about people’s lives and achievements.
Rochelle Ross lives on the Sunshine Coast, Australia. She loves people, the moon, dirty food and Jesus and is very passionate about seeing young people know God. She loves a great story and one day wants to write about people’s lives and achievements.