Feeling Like "Damaged Goods"?

Dear Beloved,

I remember feeling like "damaged goods" when the doctor told me I had herpes in February 2011. Immediately, I began feeling like I was good for nothing and no one would ever want me. The thoughts of feeling unwanted and unusable flooded my mind. Even when I got saved and learned God could heal me, I still had this feeling of I'm "dirty". The first time I really experienced breakthrough in this was when I was in church. We guest preacher speaking to us and she started ministering to us as God led her. In the midst of her talking, I heard her say YOU ARE NOT DAMAGED GOODS, GOD HAS NOT THROWN YOU AWAY! This lady didn't know me from a hole in the wall, nor did anyone in the church know my situation. I KNEW it was God speaking to me. The very words that I had been believing concerning my life, God said that's not true! I was standing in the aisle in the back of the church when she said it and I literally dropped to the ground and started crying. 

I was reminded of this when I read Isaiah 6 this week. Isaiah was a prophet of God in the Old Testament. To be prophet back then meant you had a VERY close relationship with God. You couldn't live a completely outrageous, rebellious life and hear God speak great words of instruction to the nations. So Isaiah had to be surrendered to God. Yet, even when a person is surrendered, that's not equal to perfect like God. There's still shortcomings and sin nature that's being fought everyday. When Isaiah got in the presence of God, all the ways he's fallen short became so apparent:

Woe is me for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst

of people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.

(Isaiah 6:5)

Isaiah, the prophet says out of his own mouth he's an unclean, sinful man. In the presence of God, he felt unworthy. I feel like he related to how I felt of being "damaged goods" and how you may feel as well. He said "Woe is him", which essentially means, he's damned. What hope is there for him? However, this was God's response:

Then on of the seraphims (angels) flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had

taken with tongs off the altar. And he laid it upon my mouth and said, this has

touched your lips and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is purged. 

(Isaiah 6:6-7)

God used His angel to cleanse Isaiah. Isaiah thought he was done for and there was no hope, yet God said you're worthy to me, your usable to me and I WILL MAKE YOU WHOLE. This is exactly what God did for me! When the world said I was damaged goods, God said not so! God doesn't make damaged goods. Just God saw that Isaiah was still worthy to him and He used His angel to cleanse him and take away his sin, God sent Jesus Christ on the cross and by his blood he cleanses our sin and shame today. The thought of being "damaged goods is a lie of the enemy. It's another mindset he uses to further breed hopelessness. But Jesus came that every soul that would call on him would be set FREE!. YOU ARE NOT DAMAGED GOODS! YOU ARE NOT UNUSABLE! You are God's precious creation and if you allow Him, like Isaiah did, He will meet you and cleanse you from every shame the devil has placed over you. I encourage you today beloved to pray God burns that lie out of your mind with His coal of fire and know that when the world may not choose you, God DOES. 

May your hope be in Jesus Christ,

Anreka

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I'm Too Dirty For God To Forgive Me

In the book of Hosea, God uses the prophet Hosea to demonstrate His relationship with children of Israel. God tells Hosea to marry a prostitute and this marriage will reflect God's commitment and devotion to Israel although they worship so many other idols and false gods. God uses this book to speak of His pursuit of Israel, but also to foreshadow Jesus' pursuit and proposal to us even though we've prostituted ourselves by worshiping everything, but God. This prayer is for the prostitute (which is anyone who has ever sinned). The one who feels no matter how much they hope, they're too dirty for God to ever forgive.

Let's pray:

Lord, I place this soul before you at your altar right now. God you literally sent Jesus for the prostitute. Your word even says that the prostitutes and tax collectors will make it into heaven before prideful religious teachers. There is NOTHING that can stop you from loving us. There is NOTHING that can stop you from loving this soul. No one is too dirty to receive your hope and healing. No one is too far gone to receive your mercy and grace. You loved them before they even entered this world. You saw them taking shape in their mother's womb. You word says you ordered their days BEFORE A SINGLE DAY OCCURRED. You knew all that would happen in their life before they did it and yet STILL sent Christ to die for them. Still suffered on the cross. Still took the punishment of their sin, so that they can live eternally with you. That's love no human can fully understand because we're not capable of it, but you are and you have given this love freely. Lord overtake them with your agape love. May you wash their mind from the belief that they're too dirty to receive your hope. And fill their hearts with faith and revelation that YOU ARE LOVE and they are not exempt from YOU OR YOUR LOVE. Silence the lies of the enemy Lord and bring this soul near to your bosom. They are your masterpiece. May they see themselves as you see them. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

May your hope be in Jesus Christ,

Anreka


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Dealing With The Shame of Herpes

Shame is one of the many, many ugly children of deception. Shame points to you and says you ARE what you've done or you ARE what's happened to you. It gives you an identity and the problem with that is that you can't run away from yourself. It renames you and calls you your sin or your sickness. But, who is shame? Where does shame come from? Who gives shame THIS MUCH POWER in our lives?

When God created mankind, He said we (humans) are made in HIS image (Genesis 1:26). Therefore, God calls us image bearers. So, if there's anything naming us something other than image bearers of God, then it can't be from God. Shame came into the world the second after Adam committed the very first sin against God. He and his wife, Eve, ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and they experienced just that. They were now knowledgeable about evil things, including evil lies from the enemy that distorted how they viewed God and as a result, themselves as image bearers of God. God now becomes the opposer, the judge with no mercy and no forgiveness, so we become the opposed, never to receive mercy or forgiveness. NONE OF THIS LINES UP WITH THE WORD OF GOD! These lies are from the devil because he knows once we believe them that opens the door to shame and shame causes us to run from God (like Adam and Eve did,Genesis 3:8) instead of running to Him for our rescue. Remember, satan's only goal is to separate us from God, he will use whatever happens in our life to do that.

Society doesn't shame people for having sex, yet it shames people for getting sick from having sex. Most illnesses usually come with sympathy, but sexual illnesses and mental illnesses tend to be met with shame. This shame then renames people from image bearer of God to the situation they are dealing with. Shame becomes your ruler and you do whatever it tells you to do. It says run from God, you run. It says keep silent, you keep silent. It says isolate yourself, you isolate yourself. I know because I did all of this (and have to fight the temptation to do so today). I was trapped and bound in the sadness of my shame and had no escape.

But then God met me in my bedroom on January 2, 2012 and ripped every lie of that dirty devil to shreds and said HIS LOVE CONQUERS ALL! Jesus took my shame AND YOUR shame when He endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). If Christ took all shame on the cross, why am I carrying it AGAIN?

It's time to stop listening to the lies distorting God and us as image bearers of God and instead go straight to the source of God's word and see what HE says about Himself and us.

Let's pray:

Lord Jesus, shame is not our portion because shame doesn't come from you. You said you are the giver of good and perfect gifts and shame is not good, therefore it is not of you and doesn't belong in us. We oppose the spirit of shame in Jesus name! We ignite every lie of satan with the fire of God telling us we're unloved by God or unforgivable, or irrepairable, damaged goods. The devil is a liar! Lord, freedom from shame can only be found in you, no where else can we get a new identity. You wash us clean and make us a new creature when we surrender our hearts to you and repent of our sin. Convict us of our sin God and redeem our lives. Give us new identities in your son Jesus Christ. May our new names be Loved, Forgiven, and Hopeful! In Jesus name I pray, amen!


May your hope be in Jesus Christ,

Anreka

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