Be a better YOU!!

In all that YOU do....

Even though the holidays are over and we have come forth a new year, 

we must remind ourselves, on a daily basis to keep Jesus' name in any and

every single thing we do.  Let's not be too proud to ask for forgiveness

or too proud to thank Him for His many daily blessings.  

Love Yourself

When I say that you need to love yourself, I'm not referring to the stuck-up, prideful, worldly type of loving oneself (also known as self-worship); I'm talking about a concept of being thankful, and appreciating the person who God has made in you. The worldly type of loving yourself is where you are stuck up, prideful and arrogant, whereas this type of loving yourself is based upon humility and thankfulness. The two could not be more different!

The amount of bondage that results from self-rejection, self-hatred, unwillingness to forgive oneself and so forth is shocking. Below are just a few of the symptoms:

- Self-rejection; not accepting yourself, always beating up on yourself, not happy with the person that God made you, etc.

- Self-hatred; hating the person who God made in you, considering yourself ugly, dumb, clumsy, etc.

- Unforgiveness or bitterness; when a person continues to hold things against them-self, such as something in their past that was embarrassing, gross, or that they are still ashamed of (even after repentance).

- Being hard on oneself; always beating up on yourself mentally, physically, emotionally, etc. Always seeing yourself as worthless, or pushing to reach irrational goals just to feel good about yourself.

- Low self-esteem; always seeing yourself as a failure, or less than those around you.

- Ashamed of yourself; refusing to forgive yourself from something in your past.

- Feeling ugly or stupid; seeing yourself as ugly, worthless, stupid, no good for nothing, etc.

The list can go on and on, but if this sounds like you, then keep reading!

You need to be thankful

Many today consider themselves dumb, ugly, stupid, clumsy, worthless, etc. Did you know that you were created in God's own image, and whenever you consider yourself dumb, ugly, etc., you're actually considering something that God made as being ugly, dumb, etc.??

Genesis 1:26, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

Let me ask you a couple questions...

- Did God create your physical body? If so, would you dare make a statement that God made an ugly body?

- Did God create your mind and intellect? If so, would you dare make a statement that God created a dumb, stupid, or worthless brain?

- If God created you in His image, then are you saying that His image is dumb, stupid, worthless or ugly?

David was a humble man with a heart after God's own, yet he praised and thanked God for the marvelous work that God had made (referring to his physical body):

Psalms 139:14, "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well."

David was not boasting in who he was, but rather being thankful and rejoicing over the beautiful creation that God made in him! How many who consider themselves ugly are looking at things the way David did? Probably not too many!

King David appreciated and thanked God for what God gave him. Instead of saying, "I'm ugly", David was saying, "Wow! Look at what God gave me! It's marvelous!!" It's vital that we develop this same attitude about what God's given each of us as well.

You need to forgive yourself!

Much is said on how we are to forgive others, but many of us seem to skip over the concept of forgiving ourselves. Believe it or not, it's equally important and vital to be sure we've forgiven ourselves, as it is that we've forgiven others! Unforgiveness brings much bondage into our lives, regardless if it's towards God, others or even ourselves. Bitterness (the fruit of unforgiveness) is a means by which many are defiled:

Hebrews 12:15, "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled."

Regardless of what we've done in our pasts, whether it be an abortion, fornication, or some gross and embarrassing sin, it's vital that we forgive ourself from everything in our pasts that we are ashamed of. If God chose to forget our sins for His sake, then I think we ought to do the same:

Isaiah 43:25, "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins."

God's Word says that He has actually removed our sins from us! If we continually beat up on ourselves, it's known as false guilt, and is a tool of the enemy to pull us down. If we still associate ourselves with our sinful past, then we need to change the way we see things... why? 

Because the way we are thinking does not line up with what God's Word has to say.

Psalms 103:12, "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us."

When we associate ourselves with our past failures, after God's Word has assured us that they have been removed from us... then do you realize that you aren't really believing what God's Word is saying? It's time that we make that choice to forgive ourselves, and then align our thinking with what God's Word has to say. If God says it's removed from us, then we need to take Him for His Word, and believe what it has to say!

If this teaching has ministered to you, then I believe you'll also want to read, "The Forgiveness of Sins".

Jesus is THE REASON!!

CHRISTmas is the time we remember to put CHRIST in the holiday season, when in reality, 

we should put CHRIST into our every day living.  We need to be an example of Him.  

We need to live by His Word and His way of life.  

Imagine??

Can you imagine the love between a Father and Son, that He gave His ONLY Son for our sins??

God's Love for You and Me

God's Wonderful Love

God loves you and me

He died upon the tree
He shed His blood on Calvary
That we all may be free

Free from eternal death
Free from sin and shame
Free to live forever
To call upon God's name

We can call in time of trouble
He'll listen when we're sad
He'll be there when we need him
To save us from the bad.

God loves you so very much
Accept Him now today
Kneel down and close your eyes
And this is what you say:

I am sorry for my sin
Forgive me Lord today
I want to live for you
To live for you always.

- by Rebekah Robinson

Have You??

9 Lies Satan Tells You About Being Single

Are you living the single life as a Christian? Have your friends ever tried to explain away, or justify, your singleness? Have you doubted God’s ability to find you a mate, or doubted your own value as a person because of your singleness? Have you ever been tempted to daydream that marriage might just solve all your problems?

Emma Thornett has. Today on The Briefing she discussed nine lies single Christians believe in her blog post“Satan’s Lies About Singleness.”

“When I was younger, thinner and less cynical, it was easy to imagine that God would send a husband along for me. Who wouldn’t love me? I was amazing back then! But the longer I remain unchosen (and that’s certainly how it feels), the easier it is to think that God’s power can’t reach this part of my life.

But I need to remember that in fact I am not unchosen. God himself has chosen me. And at the risk of stating the obvious, if God can create the universe just by speaking (Genesis 1); if he can cause Pharaoh to let the Israelites go (Exodus 12); if he can raise Jesus Christ from the dead (Luke 24 ; if he can use the purposes of evil men for his good purposes (Acts 2:22-24); if he can give us new life and change us from people who hate him to people who want to serve him (1 Peter 1); if he can—well, do I need to list every event in the Bible? If God can do all this, then he can find me (and you) a husband, easily.”

Many key points Tornett hits upon have been vigorously discussed on the Crosswalk Singles channel. For example, in a recent article aimed at single women struggling with insecurity, Debra Fileta writes,

“My heart breaks for the many women I have met who have settled for less. Women who didn’t believe they were worth magnificent, extravagant, and crazy love. I’m saddened by how easy it is for women to give their hearts, sometimes to the most undeserving of men. Women will only be choosy when they believe that they are worth choosing. When they believe they are a treasure worth finding and a gem worth keeping. We have strayed so far from our God-created identity…

I think part of the problem as Christian women lies in our fear of trusting God. Deep down, we want to trust Him, but we wonder if we really can. We wonder if He will really follow through. We wonder if He knows us as well as we think we know ourselves.”

Author and long-time single Lina Abujamra has this to say about the attitude Christian singles should cultivate:

“For now, suffice it to say that your purpose as a single Christian is to please the Lord. You cannot please the Lord when you’re nursing a grudge about your singleness. You cannot please the Lord when you’re questioning His judgment and criticizing His will. You cannot please the Lord when you place your desires higher than His purposes for your life.

Your purpose in life has not been botched by your singleness. You are not a mutant in God’s design for marriage.

God created you for the sole purpose of knowing Him and making Him known. Your singleness is God’s perfect place for you to thrive. You don’t have to wait for your knight in shining armor to start living. You can know the Lord fully and serve Him wholly right here, right now.”

http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/christian-trends/9-lies-satan-tells-you-about-being-single.html