Disregarded
Posted in: Bible Studies, Chaplains, Combat Trauma/PTSD
You are a nobody.
No one cares about you. Why should they? No one wants to know you. You don’t deserve the respect that others get. You are such a jerk. Who do you think you are, anyway?
Have you heard any of those comments before? If not from someone else, then have you been telling yourself these lies?
After their world has been turned upside down, many who deal with combat trauma hear and swallow this devilish sentiment: “You’ve proven to be someone who should and must be disregarded.”
You hear that… You look at your situation… You look at how people respond to you… You consider your own “deviancy” and you resign yourself to the “truth” of those lies.
Spiritual IEDs.
To be effective, every lie must have an element of truth. No good deception ever looks like a deception. It must appear plausible, rational and believable. The IEDs that are so hellishly effective at wounding and killing so many of our comrades look harmless: a tuft of grass beside the road, a bit of trash, a little rubble. That’s why they work. And if we don’t have some information to the contrary, we assume that the lies we perceive are the truth.
Well, God wants to give you true information that counters Satan’s deceptions. Your trauma has changed you – that’s the kernel of truth. But to say, “Because I’ve changed and I’m not functioning as I used to, then I am worthy of disregard” is an absolute lie and needs to be opposed by God’s truth.
Not only is His Word true, it is living and active according to Hebrews 4:12. That means that it’s not just words that some ancient prophet scribbled on paper several centuries ago. It continues to live today. And as you read those words, and as the Holy Spirit energizes and breathes life into them, they become the words of God being spoken directly to you, right here in the twenty-first century.
Your TRUE Identity: REGARDED
Discover what God’s Word has to say about you.
According to John 15:15, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, calls you His ___________.
[Jesus speaking:] “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you.” – John 15:15 (NIV)
According to Hebrews 2:11, Jesus Christ is not ashamed to call you His ____________.
“So now Jesus and the ones He makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them His brothers and sisters.” – Hebrews 2:11 (NLT)
According to Ephesians 1:4, you were known, loved and chosen by God how long ago?
“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 (NLT)
According to Galatians 4:7, you are God’s child and also His __________.
“Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are His child, God has made you His heir.” – Galatians 4:7 (NLT)
These Scriptures describe you as a friend, brother (or sister), child and heir of the King of the Universe! He has had plans for you even since before He created Adam and Eve. And you can be sure He’s really excited that you finally showed up! You are loved and highly regarded!