02/09/2026
Meet Celena- a member of our NLCB family!
I met Jesus in my early twenties. As a family, we believed in God and prayed to Him each day. I thought I was a Christian. However, from the time I left school to working, I’d been struggling with a deep inferiority complex that got progressively worse over the years. I constantly thought and believed that ‘there’s no way God could love me because I’m not good enough! Plus, if I made a mistake while learning, or did or said something that was morally wrong, I would berate myself, even calling myself names. Yet, a verse from scripture continually tugged at my heartstrings, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29
Gradually, the berating damaged me so deeply, that I’d started planning un-alive myself. The Lord met me the night I was about to act on it. Before going to sleep, I’d just begun saying the Lord’s prayer, as we’d been taught as kids.
I didn’t finish. Instead, Jesus’ unbelievable peace filled my heart and mind and I found myself saying to Him, “God’s just touched me! “I’m not guilty anymore, I’ve been forgiven! I knew right there, I’d been forgiven all my wrong doing (sins). The weight of them had been completely lifted.
Over the time, the Lord began to gently confront me about the way I was speaking of myself. That I had to renew my mind, accepting and speaking His word of who I am to Him; i.e. I had to stop berating myself. He showed me I’d been doing the enemy’s work for him by this behaviour.
I’d begun to learn that, yes, I am not, nor could I ever be, ‘good enough’ for God to love me; and that when I fall short of His ways, instead of attacking myself with my tongue, I need to confess my sins to Him for, ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’ 1 John 1:19
Today, I’m so encouraged by the Lord’s word Romans 8:38-39. He continues to prove that there isn’t anything that can separate me from His love.
