I Am Whole and Complete in God
Affirmations 2023 | Your Identity in Jesus Christ | Full Armor of God
Select this link for the list of all the affirmations and links to each post.
Lies from the Enemy
Until the enemy is cast away forever, he won’t leave us alone. The father of lies just keeps on lying, hoping we’ll lose hope and give up. This next lie hurts us in very deep places:
“I am deficient and incomplete.”
Ouch!
Hollywood and Madison Avenue love to remind us of how deficient we are. So do Instagram and TikTok. We’re not skinny enough. We’re not beautiful or not handsome according to “their” standards. We wear out-of-style clothes. We don’t have the money, the wealth, they say we should have (to buy more of their products and services).
“I am deficient and incomplete.”
This can feel like a tough lie to overcome. I have felt deficient. I have felt incomplete. And, to be honest, when I write these Affirmations 2023 posts, I write them for me as well as for you. I need these affirmations. We’re all in this spiritual battle together. We all struggle. We feel deficient and incomplete.
In addition to expectations from others, we may feel overwhelmed by life itself. Our body is weakening each year. We may feel depression, worry, anxiety.
And, while we’re in our human flesh this side of God’s glory we still sin.
Romans 7:24 (ESV)
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
“I am deficient and incomplete.”
Now, for the good news.
What God Says about You
[This is a long one, so bear with me.]
Louie Giglio, in his book “Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table” (based on Psalm 23), picks up the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, and replies to that lie with this:
“God has made me whole and complete.”
Colossians 2:10 (NKJV)
10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power, rule and authority
“…you are complete in Him,….”
If God says you are complete in Him, then it’s true. Believe it. You have God’s permission to live in this mindset every day. Turn off the noise from Hollywood, Madison Avenue, IG, and TikTok. They only repeat the enemy’s lies anyway.
I find it interesting that Giglio quotes this specific verse from Colossians because of what Paul the apostle faced at the time he wrote this letter. He wrote it to deal with what scholars and theologians call the “Colossian Heresy”.
In a nutshell, Paul had to combat a huge lie from false teachers. These false teachers were adding to the gospel, stating that Christ didn’t do enough to save, that His work on the cross was deficient and incomplete. (Gee, I wonder who their “father” was?)
They claimed they had superior wisdom, and instructed the Colossian believers to accept “special rules or practices” that were in addition to the gospel:
While Paul was in prison, he heard a report about false teaching in the city of Colossae. People apparently were saying that Jesus was a good start, but that other beliefs and practices had to be added. Paul responds by affirming that nothing needs to be added to the work of Christ. As Lord of all creation, He is more than enough for every believer.
John D. Barry, Douglas Mangum, et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016).
In his letter, Paul reminded the church of the supremacy of Christ Jesus, God in human flesh. No one else, no philosophy, no other belief system or practices, is greater than our precious Lord and His redeeming work of grace on our behalf. Only Jesus has rescued us from sin and death, joining us eternally with Almighty God, and separating us eternally from our enemy. (Buh-bye, evil one!)
The gospel message is so simple. Jesus calls us to repent of our sins and believe in Him and His salvation. We can’t “do” anything to be saved, so there’s no “superior wisdom” and no “special rules or practices” to follow. Even those of us who have walked the Jesus Road for decades need to remind ourselves during challenging times that:
“God has made me whole and complete.”
In Him.
Nothing else, nothing additional.
Yes, even while we still live in our human flesh, and we still sin, God sees us believers as whole and complete. So, don’t let the enemy discourage you because you’re still on this side of heaven and you sin. You fail. You feel deficient. Listen to what God says about you.
Colossians 2:6-15 (NLT)
6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.
13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
We can say with confidence that we are “already” complete in Christ, but “not yet” attaining this status in full (we will when He takes us home one day). “Already but not yet” is a tension we live with daily. And, that’s okay. We may not feel complete some days, but we are because our status is not based on how we feel.
“God has made me whole and complete.”
And, that’s the truth. 24/7/365.
Your Take Away
All authority is given to Jesus in heaven and on earth. And, His Spirit lives in you. He is the only authority that rules with power. All other authorities have been nullified by His death, resurrection, and ascension.
Take time this week to read the book of Colossians, with special focus on chapter 2.
Then, ask yourself:
What lies from the enemy have you believed about you being deficient and incomplete?
Which verses in God’s word can you use to fight back against this lie? (Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.) Here’s a start: Read 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and 1 Timothy 3:16-17, for example.
When are you going to ignore the enemy? (Why not start today!)
If you struggle with believing the truth of God’s amazing love for you, please find a safe and loving person who follows Jesus. Talk with that person about your hesitation, your doubts.
Dear friend, it’s time we all take back what the enemy has stolen through his lies. God’s word, and our relationship with Him, are our keys to victory.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Conversation & Community
What are your thoughts about this affirmation, “I am whole and complete in God.”?
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Thank you for these timely reminders from His truth!