Our vulnerability is paramount in our thinking, and we strive
to keep our self safe by every means we can muster. If our confidence is in our
abilities and talents, we will suffer from fear and insecurity.
We feel anxious about our looks, accomplishments, success
rate, relationships and vocation. We end up expecting too much from our self,
and we set our self up for failure. This is no way to live; it leads to a dead-end
existence.
We start the journey into improving our concept of our
self-worth by taking small steps into recovery. First, we accept our self just
as we are, because Jesus died to redeem us while we were still sinners (Romans
5:8). Since He loved us first, we can love Him, others and our self (1 John
4:19).
We stop burying our short-comings in our subconscious mind,
and we pay attention to who we are and how we feel during each moment of our
day. We accept all of who we are - the good, the bad and the ugly. Accepting
our insecurities and fears helps us to resolve them.
Make a list of the concerns and burdens in your life today.
Spend time in prayer, surrendering each one to God. Put the list in a
heart-shaped box, a symbol of the heart of God. Then, each time you encounter something
from the list, remember that you already placed that issue in the heart of God,
and thank Him for His faithfulness.
The next step is to pay attention to physical symptoms that
may manifest in our body, along with our negative thoughts. We can change our
focus from our insecurities and Satan's lies, to God's truth about each one of
our issues. We make a list of these truths too and reread them often until they
become an integral part of who we are.
Taking stock of how we are feeling and what we are thinking
in each moment of our day helps us to deal with negative emotions and thoughts
as they arise. When we realize that God is protecting, providing for and
filling us with Himself in each moment, we can relax (Colossians 1:27).
If any thoughts or emotions rob us of our joy and peace, it
is not God's will for us at this time. Accepting His will with joy, regardless
of our circumstances, frees us to be who He created us to be, and allow us to
walk in His will by His Spirit each moment of our day.
Prayer:
Father God, You make it clear in Your Word that if we focus
on our fears and insecurities, our fight-flight instincts kick in and disrupt
our peace, rob us of our joy, and cause us to strike out at anyone whom we
perceive as a threat to us. Remind us that when we focus on Christ in us, we
spend more time thinking about spiritual and eternal concepts rather than on any
earthly concerns.
Teach us to surrender control to You, to stop striving in our
human strength, and to relax and let You do the work of perfecting, healing and
leading us. We honestly cry out to You, and You help us to relax and to rest in
Your love and care for us. Help us to fully trust in Your goodness to us, and
not to lean on our human understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Thought for the Day:
Confidence comes not from what we do, but who we are. As
authentic Believers in Jesus Christ, He lives within us; and we live, move and
have our mental and emotional concept of who we are in Him alone.
- Acts 17:28
