Just Be Yourself, Part 2

(See? Told you so. Sorry about that.)

Where was I? Oh yeah...

SELF-ACCEPTANCE:

1. Pursue peaceful relationships with others. Self-rejection and self-hatred hinder relationships (1 Pet. 3: 11). We must be willing to lose a few battles to win the war. If you insist on having the last word, the opposition will just see you as a mouthy, mule-headed (my momma used to call me that) bully.

2. God loves you (Jer. 1: 5). Other people love you too. Open yourself to being receptive of their love. You cannot give away what you do not have yourself. Unless and until you receive God's love you simply won't have it to give to others.

3. Past unfortunate events and sin in our lives can leave our souls feeling scarred. We may consider ourselves "damaged goods," but you are not worthless. You're supposed to serve as a useful tool for God's purposes. Lack of self-esteem destroys your confidence and keeps you from becoming all God intended you to be. No one is perfect and never will be. We're all works in progress.

4. Allow God to change you, mold your faith, and overcome your demons (Deut. 7: 19-22; 2 Cor. 3: 18; Heb. 12: 2). Let Him fashion you into the final product He intends for you to become.

Have you ever given something to someone and had them look at you funny? I have. I love to do that regardless of their reaction because it brings me great joy. Period. I don't want anything in return. My only motive is to express my friendship and brighten their day.

I wonder if God feels confounded when people don't understand His freely given gifts of love, grace and mercy. Do we reject Him out of a false sense of humility or worthlessness? He wants us to:

A. accept His love (Mt. 22: 37);
B. love ourselves (godly self-respect) (2 Tim. 1: 7; Jude 21);
C. return His love generously (Jno. 14: 15; Heb. 6: 10); and
D. give that love generously to others (Jno. 13: 34; Rom. 12: 10).

ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTION:

1. When you reject yourself, you only compound your problems. Acceptance allows you to face reality so that you can make needed changes.

2. Acceptance involves our will.

3. People reject themselves when they fail to see themselves as proper or right. They only see their flaws and weaknesses--not their beauty and strengths which other people readily see. Personal hang-ups can be caused by past mistreatment by others, but that's exactly where it should stay--in your past. Let it go! Paul did (Phil 3: 12-14). You can't move forward when your wheels are stuck in the mud.

CHANGE REQUIRES CORRECTION:

1. God disciplines His children because He loves them (Heb. 12: 6; Rev. 3: 19).

2. People who do not know they're loved have a hard time accepting correction.

3. Rebuke must be given with an attitude of love behind it (Eph. 4: 15). Ala' Mary Poppins: "A little bit of sugar makes the medicine go down."

4. Be assured of God's love for you (Rom. 8: 38-39).

SELF IMAGE AFFECTS YOUR FUTURE (2 Sam. 9: 8):

1. A poor self-image left unchecked will only repeat itself in the future.

2. God had a plan for the tribe of Judah (Jer. 29: 11). He surely has big plans for His people now.

3. Poor self-image causes us to live in fear instead of faith. Jesus covered our shortcomings with His righteousness (2 Cor. 5: 21).

4. The Lord holds those who belong to Him in high esteem (Deut. 28: 13).

HAVE YOU LOST YOURSELF?

1. Have you tried to so hard to be like someone else that you don't know who you're really supposed to be?

2. Since you can't be everything everyone wants you to be, learn to say 'no.' It's a most useful word.

3. The responsibility of establishing order in my life falls on me.

IT'S NOT BAD TO BE DIFFERENT:

1. The world would be a mighty boring place if we were all alike. We'd be like The Stepford Wives. Now that's scary!

2. God wants you to fit His plan--not someone else's. What everyone else thinks is their own problem.

3. If you're trying to be anyone but yourself, you'll fail every time.

4. We're all unique and possess different gifts (Rom. 12: 6).

5. Accept your limitations and focus on your strengths.

6. We need to love and accept each other without feeling like we need to compete with each other (Gal. 5: 26; 6: 4).

7. Don't be bound by the parameters of public opinion, i.e., "they." You are free (Jno. 8: 36).

8. You can do anything the Lord empowers you to do (Phil. 4: 13).

HOW CAN I CHANGE?

1. Allow your mind to be renewed by God's Word (Rom. 12: 2). Change will happen in stages.

2. Follow the Lord's doctrine, but don't fall into the legalism trap. God wants you to enjoy life. Salvation is freedom--not bondage (Jno. 10: 10; Eph. 2: 8-9). Revel in the freedom God's given you (Gal. 5: 1).

3. Do whatever God puts before you with joy (Acts. 20: 24; Rom. 15: 13).

Chicas, the original notes to this posting were 18 pages long, so I've spared you and given you the Readers Digest version. My hope for each of you is that you start your new year with a personal resolve to unabashedly be yourself and commit yourself to soul-winning. I know that's my new mission.

Love Ya,
God Bless!