HAHAHAHA yeeeeep! This is the perfect guide to finding freedom in Christ.

So I will start off by saying that it is so imperfect that it is perfect! Gotcha right there didn’t I? 😉

I wish I could tell you that I was a really easygoing kid.

Well, I was to everyone but myself.

Ya know that lil’ kid that always tried really hard at everything? And that lil’ child that always hated conflict and hated making mistakes? Totaaaally me! Was that you?? Let me know in the comments section below!

Making mistakes would haunt me for days on end – and even a couple years later, if something triggered the memory, I would literally have to give myself a pinch on the cheek to wake up for a literal day-mare.

I wish I could tell you that I flipped my hair and gave a nonchalant ‘I don’t care’ every time I did something embarrassing or messed up, but I didn’t. In fact, if I could, my soul would have floated out of my body and given me a really HARD kick and I probably would have flown into the bathroom stall to let out a couple of tears.

Well, here is a former (mostly!) perfectionist’s two-cents of how you can begin letting go and finding freedom in Christ!

5 Steps to Finding Freedom in Christ

#1 Butter Those Fingers and Loosen Your Grip

Ask yourself, “why am I holding myself to such a high standard?” And with that, reflect on your answer!

Does it sound a lil’ something like this…

“I am afraid of the clapback from messing up”

or

“I’m letting everyone else down”

or

“People will like me less if I’m not perfect”

or

“God will turn away from me for always making so many mistakes!”

Any of these sound even a little bit familiar?

Well, butter your fingers and loosen your grip over these lies. Easier said than done. Clearly. BUT for as long as you keep holding up this heavy lie, you won’t be able to replace it and pick up the truth! So, once you identify the lie, it’s time to find out what the truth is.

Click the image below to grab your FREE, beautifully designed 20+ page devotional on How to Find Your Identity in Christ! And begin finding freedom in Christ today!

First tip?

Would you ever catch Jesus saying what you are saying to yourself? For example, would he ever be caught saying “Wow, I totally regret dying on that cross for you because you keep on sinning!” Or would you catch him saying this instead… “I didn’t die on the cross for you because of how perfect you are. I died on the cross for you because of how much I love you — even if you are less than perfect.”

Second tip?

Go straight to the source. Dust off the cover. Crack open that Bible! What does He have to say? The more time you spend time with Him, the more you’ll be able to identify the lies as they come! And over time, every time the attack of a lie comes your way, you’ll have a truth to fight back with!

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” — Isaiah 40:8

#2 Don’t Just Fill Your Life with Pep Talk

If you’re anything like me, you’ll really enjoy the occasional TED-talk and words of encouragement from your friends, but your destructive thinking can’t be transformed merely by way of an attitude change or telling yourself that you can do better!

Suuuuuper contrary to what the world might tell us, honest, true, lasting change doesn’t come with a whole bunch of pep talk that was designed to just make us feel super good about ourselves. This is because a whole lot of pep talk will only act as a painkiller for a chronic disease — not the cure!

The next time you come butting heads with the enemy’s lies, give yourself some constructive self-talk that is anchored in Biblical truth. If you know the real truths about God and begin really believing the truth about Him, you will have the shield to deflect these lies eVeRy SiNgLe TiMe!

We were built to need His truth to transform our hearts and minds through the power of His Holy Spirit and free us from the destructive and self-condemning negative thoughts that can’t seem to unstick!

“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” — John 8:31–2

#3 When You Don’t Know Where to Start, Begin with the Psalms

King David is the man! Can I get an AMEN? 🙌🙌

He isn’t afraid of showing his emotions in these powerful proses and really getting into the heart of the matter. King David connects with reader on such a deep and intimate level because oftentimes I’m just left thinking, “Wow! He gets me!”

If you are looking for solid Biblical truths and you have absolutely no idea where to start, I would go with Psalms. And then Romans. And James is pretty good too! Not to mention the Gospels! But, the Psalms are really good at connecting with the reader when they are in the midst of some serious life struggles because they help to point us all back to our Creator, the one who knows us by name.

Even when King David was being chased, humiliated and had people plotting his death, he always praised God for being the stronghold that he could always rely to hold onto. There is a Psalm for almost every kind of situation in life that has you bogged down, so it seriously is a goldmine for the girl who needs to be anchored in truth!

For example…

“For the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want”. — Psalm 23:1

In every area of your life, trust the Lord to provide.

“He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters”. — Psalm 23:2-3

He NEVER withholds anything good from you. God purposely meets you where you are at and although this does not mean that you will live a life with diamonds or fancy clothes, He will ALWAYS be there to lead you to what is good for you. You just need to let go, and follow Him.

You might also like this blog pst: Psalm 23 In-Depth Bible Study (+ free downloadable workbook!)

#4 Listen to God’s Calling if He is Telling You to Do Something You’re Not Perfect At

Have you ever tried to pull a Jonah when you were faced with the possibility that you might not actually be all that? Sometimes He does give you challenges and situations that you will not be able to complete on your own strength. But when you butter ’em fingers, loosen your grip and follow His call, His strength will make up for your weaknesses.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. — 2 Corinthians 12:9

You might like this: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 In-Depth Bible Study (free downloadable Bible study!)

So don’t let your fear drive you away from chasing after God’s calling on your life. Because it is His perfection that makes up for your lack of! You were made for a time such as this!

Click the image below to grab your FREE, beautifully designed 20+ page devotional on How to Find Your Identity in Christ! And begin finding freedom in Christ today!

#5 When You Accept God’s Grace, You Can Begin to Give Yourself Grace

It is all well and good that you know that God gives you grace, but have you actually accepted it?

WOW.

Now that is an entirely different story. The moment you accept that through His perfect sacrifice He has made you new through His all-consuming grace, you can begin to see yourself the way He sees you!

This is NOT to say that He thinks that you are perfect. No. Far from it. Sorry. But, this is to say that despite the fact that you’re not enough, you are loved perfectly and wholly by the One who created you!

Finding freedom in Christ not to begin a journey of ‘I am the best‘ or ‘I am brilliant the way I am. But it is about saying even though I fall so far from perfection, I deserve death. And YET He CHOSE me, He LOVES me and He still thinks that I am WORTH it!

So, in those moments that you want to kick yourself S.O. H.A.R.D because of how much you hate that you keep messing up — remember, He who calls you by name still thinks that you are worth saving.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” — Isaiah 43:18-20

Hey! Here Are Other Resources…

—> CLICK THE LINK TO READ … Biblical Truths for the Girl Who Doesn’t Think She is Enough

—> CLICK THE LINK TO READ … How to Find Your Identity in Christ

—> CLICK THE LINK TO READ … How to Biblically Overcome Negative Thoughts and Hold Them Captive

or browse the blog HERE!

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Before you go!

To the one struggling with this right now: I get it. I’ve been there. You’re hurt, frustrated and upset. Having these feelings isn’t a sin. But please, don’t let your identity rest on your imperfections.

When you let yourself be defined by your accomplishments, your perfection and your capabilities, you are rejecting God’s truth.

You are not your past, your reputation, the lies people say, or the thoughts others may have about you. Look to Jesus for your worth and not your perfection! Finding freedom in Jesus is a journey, but it is not one you take by yourself! — Join the NEW sisterhood of Girls After Truth right here where you can join in on deep discussions (or even just simply scroll through and read the AWESOME threads!) or click on this link to find out more about it!

Drop a comment below and let me know if you are a struggling perfectionist (former or current!). And let’s always encourage one another to look to the cross so that we can begin finding freedom in Christ! Let’s start a discussion!

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Hope to see ya there!

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