What God says about you!

The world is constantly telling us that we are NOT 

Good enough 

Skinny enough 

Pretty enough 

Smart enough

Rich enough

I am tired of trying to live up to the world's idea of who I should be and constantly failing.  It is a never ending battle that I never win.

 Let's choose to look at what the creator of the universe says about us! 

There is an amazing list of statements entitled  "Who I am in Christ" that the reminds us of who we are. 

Take a look at just a few of them and be reminded that you are deeply loved and called by name. 

God says these things about you!

I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5). 

I am free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

 

I am born of God, and the evil one does not touch me (1 John 5:18).

 

I am holy and without blame before Him in love (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:16).

 

I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5).

 

I have the peace of God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

 

I have the Greater One living in me; greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

  

I have received the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened (Ephesians 1:17,18). 

I have no lack for my God supplies all of my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). 

I can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one with my shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16).

 

I can do all things through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13).

 

I am more than a conqueror through Him Who loves me (Romans 8:37).

 

I am greatly loved by God (Romans 1:7; Ephesians 2:4; Colossians 3:12;        1 Thessalonians 1:4).

 

I press on toward the goal to win the prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward (Philippians 3:14). 

For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). 

It is not I who live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20). 

Live in the knowledge and truth of who God says that you are! 

There have been days when quite honestly this is difficult for me. I know my sins and shortcomings.  They are always before me. It is difficult for me to think many positive thoughts about myself. In these times I choose to believe God when He says these things about me. I often have a conversation with God about this. 

Listen in on my conversation with Him.

 "God, I have a hard time believing that you see me as special or worthy. I have failed again and again to do what I have promised. I just can't do it, I can't be what the bible says I am. I am just too weak and so unbelieving."

In those moments, I almost always hear Him whisper, "I know you are weak, but I AM strong. My grace is sufficient for you. I can do all things through you. Just let me. Trust me. Trust me. Trust me." 

I am choosing to trust Him, to believe what He says about me. 

How about you?

To view a complete list of the I am statements 

http://www.whoiaminchrist.net/FreeDownloads.html

Mean girl

I am continuing on the theme of what I am learning in the book of Esther. Have you ever read something and think, "yep  that's me"? This clearly happened for me recently.

In the story of Esther there is a bad guy, a really mean guy named Haman.  He is fueled by revenge and plots the demise of the entire Jewish nation. You just want to hate him and boo him off the pages.  Really, who plots and schemes to hurt people?  Who thinks about situations over and over?  Who mentally inflicts harm to people? "Not me", I thought.

In the study we talked about how often "we" are the mean people.  There are things, situations, conversations where we are the "Haman's"

Take an inventory with me. How often do you.....

• Think mean thoughts about others.
•  Think about the ways that I can get someone back.
• Visualize the look on their face when you say a really witty, cutting comment back to them.
• Become angered by this person succeeding.
• Have a difficult time praying for God to bless them.
• Rejoice when they are suffering.

How did you do?

I did not score so well, I am embarrassed to say. In the depths of my heart I am a sinful, hateful, creature. There is a wicked thing inside of me called meanness. 

Romans 7:15-16,21-23 talks in depth about this issue of meanness.

For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 

So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 

Do you ever feel like this. You try and love because you know that the Lord requires this of you because He is love but.....

You are continually fighting against your thoughts.

Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Romans 12:13-15

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? E

ven sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:27-36

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21

If you are anything like this mean girl I am still needing one more reminder.

 

We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

 

I John 4:19-20

If you struggle like this mean girl does, take heart in knowing that God can and will change the meanness into love. Allow his loving grace filled Spirit wash you clean of the meanness and replace it with his LOVE.

Father, take this mean girl and make her grace filled. Wash me clean and restore my heart to be loving like yours. 

Jann

Beauty Treatments

At Journey, our women's bible study, we have been reading about Esther. This week we were introduced to the beauty treatments that she was given while waiting for her time with the king.

Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them.

Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics. Esther 2

Those must have been some intensive beauty treatments!  After I read this I promptly went out and had a treatment of my own.

I always feel better after I have treated my hair.  You might say I feel beautiful.

These beauty treatments mentioned in Esther started a process in my mind.  What does scripture say to you and me about beauty? 

Beauty comes from the Lord

One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.  Psalm 27

Beauty can be your crown to display His splendor

and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. Isaiah 61

Beauty comes from the inside

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 1 Peter 3

Beauty is a rare and beautiful treasure

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established;  through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.  Proverbs 24

Beauty is shown through worship

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”  Matthew 26

Where do you get your beauty?

from a bottle

from exercise

from others

from your occupation

from your children

from your shopping

from your weight

from your spouse

from the Lord?

Maybe today you could be like the woman in Matthew who gave all that she had to worship Jesus. She is our example of true beauty. 

Esther had a beauty treatment done to her.  I wonder if God intends our time with him to be considered a beauty treatment?

Instead of calling it a bible study or a quiet time, I am going to call it my beauty treatment!