Keeping it real

Hello again! Welcome back to A Good Bible Study: StressLess in which we are talking about keeping it real.

You have heard that phrase many times. Unfortunately, in our society it tends to mean keeping it selfish and self-centered, not real. It means being callous and uncaring about the feelings of others. It means doing what I want, when I want, no matter how it affects anyone else, and calling it being "real."

We are going to talk about God's version of keeping it real. There is a difference that means real love, real joy, and real peace instead of just real obnoxious! Let's pray first:

Father, You are the epitome of realness. You are the gold standard of authenticity, joy, peace, love and passion. I am thankful we have You in comparison to the empty promises of this life. Lord, today we ask you to help us see the real "us." Help us be willing to show ourselves, and accept what is good, and allow You to work in what is just a defense, and not a good one. Help us to let go of what keeps us separate from You, and from the wonderful creation we were intended to be. Thank You for again, guiding this study, guiding me as I write, and guiding the hearts of all who read these words. In the name of Jesus, amen.

So, we all agree that living authentically is easier. After all, if we tell the truth, we don't have to remember what we said. And living with integrity is also easier. Doing things right, and doing the right thing makes all that grey area just clear right up. So, who is the judge of what is right and what it wrong?

Read Deuteronomy 5:1-22

It's pretty clear. To make it even easier to know how to respond in any situation, read Jesus' words in Matthew 22:36-40.

“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?'

Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

If you truly love God, and you truly get His sacrifice of sending His only Son, Jesus, to pay the price for your sin, then You will judge all of your choices on pleasing Him. Is what you are about to do showing love for Your God, and is it showing love to His children which includes everyone on earth including yourself?

Yes . . .  No. Those are our choices.

What's in it for me? That seems to be the hot topic in our society. OK. Here is what's in it for me, and for you:

1. Self-respect. A sense of satisfaction, pride and honor. The respect of others and a good night's sleep.
2. Passion. The key to passion is integrity. Stop doing the loving things, the unselfish things because you don't feel like it and watch your passion drain away. You want to lose passion in your career? You want to lose  passion in your calling. How about in your marriage? Lose your integrity, and passion follows. Increase integrity, and passion soars!

Kerry Shook, co-author of One Month to Live says that "nothing frustrates us more than saying we believe in something, saying we value something, then failing to live it out in our lives. Saying you love your spouse, then doing things you know will hurt them makes you lose passion. Saying you love to help others, you love making a difference, then avoiding the people who need you the most, those difficult clients, starts pulling you down inside, destroying your integrity, and making you lose your passion."

Father, make us passionate! Give us a sense of integrity, and a desire to live it out every day. Let our greatest joy come from pleasing You. In the name of Jesus, amen.

Love, Karen

Photo by Jorge Casais, courtesy of http://www.photoxpress.com/

When we don't understand the "whys" and "whens"

Welcome back to A Good Bible Study.

This week, many of us are going through circumstances that make us question the "whys" and the "whens."

For me, yesterday in particular, was both a sad day and a celebration, as our friend Pastor Todd MacDonell left those who love him, and was joyfully welcomed home where he will live forever in the presence of God, in the presence of complete love, grace, and joy!

It's what we all want, what we all crave without even knowing it, and for his sake, we are excited that Todd's time was now. For our own sake, we are saddened that his time was now.

Please continue to keep his family in your prayers, as they adjust to life on earth without his presence, guidance, tender touch, and voice. I know from losing our child 6 years ago, that the joy of knowing the one you love is safe, is happy, estatic even, and is waiting for your eventual arrival, doesn't make it suck less that they are gone. (Sorry if you hate the word "suck" sometimes it just fits.)

I was thankful for the incredible peace God gave my husband and I during the months of praying for both a healing, and realizing at the end, that Matthew's time was now. His life, however brief, was a blessing to everyone who walked with us during that time. Our faith was both strengthened and stretched.

When I was at my weakest, God was at His strongest. When I gave way to anger, He allowed my moments of rage and literally held me in His love and comfort. He brought me to mountaintops of praising Him when I should have been in the valley of despair. Through it all, His peace was constant.

I knew that no matter what, we all have a time to live and a time to die. I knew no matter what, Jesus paid the price for Matthew, and my child would be whole, healthy, and happy in heaven, waiting for me to join him.

I knew, and I know, that one day, my earthly life will end and others will miss me just as I miss Matthew, and I will take my own place alongside my son, and my grandparents, who are all believers, and we will not be separated ever again.

God makes that possible. Jesus' sacrifice makes that possible.

There is no illness in heaven, no pain, no disease or injury. There is love, peace, joy, praise, majesty, power, and when we face His honor and glory, we will know not just in our reason, but in our entire being, that His will is Good.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (New Living Translation)
"And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever."


Let's pray:

Father, thank you for being with us when we don't understand the "whys or whens." Help us live in the balance between belief in miracles, and acceptance of Your timing. Help us see the good that You always bring out of any pain, any suffering, any disappointment.

Love, Karen

Photo by Dan, courtesy of http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

A friend has left us, and has been welcomed in heaven. Pastor Todd MacDonell

Dear friends,

Today I would just like to honor our friend, Pastor Todd MacDonell who is face to face with Jesus even as we speak. Please say a prayer for his family, who rejoice that Todd is free of pain and full of joy, but will have many changes to face in the coming months. Thank you.

Wisdom and understanding

 Hello again and welcome to Stress Less, a bible study about God's love for us and His desire that we live in joy and enthusiasm (God within, remember?)! Did you know wisdom and understanding lead to stressing less?

Let's begin as always, with prayer:

Father, we praise You today and every day. We can't wait to see all the ways You are going to reveal Yourself to us in this study. Thank You for always rewarding our time with You with a new revelation of Your love for us, in us, and through us. Help us to come together each time with a pure intention to seek You, and find You. Prepare us even now, for Your Word. In the name of Your Son, Jesus, amen.

We are nearing completion of the 1st key of living stress less: to authenticate. How are you feeling today, in your royal, authentic self? It might take a while to get used to yourself, as you are meant to be, but I encourage you to keep opening your heart to God, and allowing Him to peel away all the layers that are not you.

Learning to be yourself takes practice. If you have developed a habit of always deferring to the needs and wants of everyone else, it might even be fun to start discovering what you like, and how you feel, before you censor yourself automatically.

I'd like you to start pausing before you answer any questions, so you have the time to allow your feelings and desires to come to the surface. We don't need to selfishly demand our way at all times, but it doesn't hurt to be aware of how you feel about your options, before you make a conscious choice.

Turn to Proverbs 4:6-7

"He also taught me, and said to me:
Let your _______ retain my words; keep my commands, and ________.
Get __________! Get ___________!
Do not forget or turn away from the ____________ of my mouth.
Do not forsake her (wisdom) and she will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you." New King James Version

What are the key words of this passage? Why did God tell us to let our hearts retain the words?

Read Luke 6:45

Our actions reflect the intentions of our hearts. If we keep wisdom in our hearts, it will predict how we will behave, and the consequences of our actions. God says we need to seek wisdom and understanding, and if we do, it will bring us life. It might be just as accurate to say it will bring us to life, when we have been living as a hollow shell of our true selves.

Living authentically, with integrity or wholeness, allows us to act consciously, with thought and reason, instead of reacting unconsciously to our situation, and to the way others behave. Do you ever just react as if someone pushed a button and you just jumped, may be in anger, may be in fear, may be in some big, dramatic manner, and you are not even sure afterwards why?

Learning to know, love, accept and then choose will enable you to no longer automatically react when your buttons get pushed. In fact, over time, your buttons won't even exist. Can you imagine how much more stress free your life can be, when you are choosing to act, instead of robotically re-acting the same old scene over and over?

So, we are going to learn to live with integrity: scrupulous, or strict, honesty. Ouch. Can we handle this? Can the people in our lives handle this?? Is this a license to be mean, like, "Hey, I'm just keeping it real?"

Integrity and honesty don't include mean-spirited, tactless, or brutal remarks and comments. It means being upfront about your intentions and expectations. It means doing things right, and doing the right things.

Try it on by making this your new motto:

I am upfront about my intentions and expectations with others.

I do things right, and I do the right things.

Let's meet up tomorrow and talk about how it feels to give yourself permission to be honest with yourself first, then with others, about what you want, think, and feel. Remember, you are responsible to make your intentions known, but you can't control anyone else's response, approval, automatic re-action, or agreement.

Let's pray:

Father, I know You have made me wonderfully and fearfully good. You say it's so. I haven't always known that about myself, and often I have chosen to be around people who don't know it either. I'm thankful you are helping me become authentic and develop integrity. My life is getting better and better. Help me to be aware when I am being dishonest with myself, and with others. Help me to be wise. In the name of Jesus, amen.

Love, Karen

Photo by

I love to hear your comments and know that God is touching your heart through our time together. Please keep sharing.

Who are you? You are a child of the one true King

Welcome back to "Stress less," child of the one true King!

What? You didn't know you were royalty? Well, sit back and let me tell you a tale, a tale of - wait a minute, I think that's from a t.v. show. Pull up a chair anyway because the story is just getting good. Let's pray:

Father, we are going to share some family history today. We want You to show us just what we need to know about who we are. Help us to be receptive to Your truth, today especially. This is going to be such a revelation for someone today! Someone who didn't know how important they are is going to find out right now. You know who they are, Lord. I pray today is the day we start to live in the excitement and joy of our true heritage! In the name of Jesus, amen.

Have you been playing the "To Tell the Truth" game with everyone you know? It's a good one. Try it on your kids and they'll think not only do you have eyes in the back of your head, but you can read their minds, too!

Are you starting to get enthusiastic about who you are, yet? What gifts and talents have you been putting on the back burner, that now are pounding to get out? I can't wait to hear what new ideas you have, what you are going to try, or how you are going to touch someone's life in a way only you can!

You know, the word enthusiasm comes from the Greek words en theos which means God Within! To be enthusiastic is to show God is within you. That doesn't mean you are a god, it means the evidence of God's majesty is in your very DNA.

Do you remember the movie, The Lion King? At one point, Simba (the King's son) is accused of his father's murder, and he runs away in shame and fear. After quite some time he has managed to create a new life, with new friends who know nothing of Simba's past, and he is just coasting along in life without any direction or challenges.

Suddenly, the clouds form the image of his father, the King (played by James Earl Jones, so imagine that voice coming from the clouds.)

Simba is awe-struck as he sees this image, and hears his father call his name, "Siimmmmbbbaaaaaa. You have forgotten meeeeee."

Simba is confused and asks, "Father, how could I forget you?"  His father stares deeply into Simba's eyes and says," You have forgotten who you are, and therefore you have forgotten me."

The great lion continues," You are my child. The child of the King."

Simba begins to weep as he realizes he has been wrong. He ran away from his destiny as the son of the King. He was being less than he was meant to be, created to be, destined to be, because he let a jealous, vengeful lion tell him he wasn't good enough, and that everyone would hate him for who he was.

Now, I am telling you: You have forgotten who you are. You are the child of the King!

You are the child of the King!

How much time have you lost letting people tell you lies about who you are? How much have you lost pretending to be less in the hopes that others will love you more?

In the movie Walk the Line, Johnny Cash and his little band are auditioning for a record producer and they are just tanking. They are singing an old gospel song and it's not bad, but it's not great either. So, the producer stops them and asks, "If you were laying dying in the street, and you had time to sing one last song, are you telling me that's the song you would sing? That's the song that defines you, right there? "

So, Johnny sees this is a make it or break it moment. And he starts singing a song he wrote himself. It's a heartbreaking song about being so lonely he just wanted to die. His band mates pick it up and play along and as Johnny sings, you see him change from an insecure, so-so singer, to a powerful, intense, passionate man who draws in the producer and the audience with such a force, you can see that he is going to be a star. No, he is a star!

The difference was Johnny stopped singing in the way he thought the producer wanted him to sing, or expected him to sing, and instead began singing in his own voice, from his heart, from his truth!

So, what's your truth? What hill would you die on? What song would you sing?

Try this out: Write your own obituary. Write it once using adjectives that describe the sum of your life so far. Now, write it again explaining what you want people to know about you by the time you are dead (and if you know Christ, in heaven!)

Then, for heaven's sake, start living up to yourself!

Start living up to yourself!

At the end of the day, it all boils down to Dr. Seuss, right? Remember what he said?

"Go ahead and be yourself. Those who mind, don't matter. And those who matter, don't mind."

Tune in tomorrow as we finish up this 1st Key in Stressing Less! Now go out there and live like a child of the King!

Father, thank You for creating me in Your image. Thank You for making me Your own child. I am royalty. I am the child of the King. Help me to see myself in this new role, the role I was born to live. I will hold my head up higher, I will walk with my back a little straighter, I will be gracious to those under my influence, because, I am the child of the one, true King and I will never forget it again! In Jesus' name, amen.

Love, Karen



Photo by Graham Tomlin, courtesy of http://www.photoxpress.com/

To tell the truth

Hello! Welcome back to A Good Bible Study.

We are studying "Stress Less," which began as a talk to help professionals learn to de-stress their lives and improve their workplace experience while growing in Christ. But then I realized this is universal, and we can all live a more joyful and stress-less life using these same concepts.

So let's get started, and begin in prayer:

Lord, I thank you for showing us the way to peace, Your peace. You left us this peace, saying it was not as the world offers, but a new peace that begins with the gift of Your Holy Spirit. Forgive us for thinking we have all the answers and that You are unnecessary in our lives. We need you more than ever, Lord. We accept Your peace. You told us to not let our hearts be troubled, or afraid. You told us to stay with You, abide with You, stay connected to You and that is what we will do. Thank You for peace. Help us to receive it beginning today, beginning now. In the name of Jesus, amen.

I told you I would share a little technique I like to call "To tell the truth." You'll like it. I'll get to it in just a minute.

As we continue our exploration of the power of being authentic, I want to open today's lesson with some verses that really demonstrate the value God places on authenticity, or being genuine. Let's look them up together. I will give the New Living Translation, and you compare it to your own Bible's message:

John 1:47 As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.”

Romans 12:10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

2 Corinthians 8:8 I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.

Philippians 2:20 and 22 I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare . . . But you know how Timothy has proved himself. Like a son with his father, he has served with me in preaching the Good News.

1 Timothy 1:5 The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.

James 1:27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

Do you see how each use of the word genuine is followed by an example of behavior? God says that it is by our works that our faith is known to others. Likewise, the way we treat ourselves, and others, is evidence of how we esteem ourselves.

According to the verses above, God values genuineness, or authenticity, and so should we.

Did you know you are at your strongest spiritually, emotionally, mentally, energetically and even physically when you are operating in your authentic self?

So often we try to work against our truth, the source of our strength, by trying to be what we think others want us to be. Common advice is to improve our weaknesses, and build up what we lack, would you agree?

I'm going to suggest the absolute opposite, but hear me out and hear me in the spirit intended. I will never tell you to allow yourself to accept weaknesses in character, such as mistreating people, or refusing to learn decent manners.

I do mean we all have areas that we are naturally great at, and areas we wish we were better at, but just aren't a true giftedness. We call them weaknesses and we all seem to think our weaknesses are the most important aspects of who we are.

Personally, I love to sing. I've enjoyed singing in church, and I love singing in the car, but I have a limited range that I sound really good in, and that's been frustrating for me. I always wanted to be able to sing anything, and sing beautifully, and go up and down the notes without even trying, but it's just not my strength. If it was my calling, it would be easy, and it ain't.

I also love to play sports and as long as I keep it fun and don't get myself in a state of feeling pressured to perform, I'm actually pretty good. Not great, but good enough to play really well in comparison to the average Joe. Gifted? Sadly . . . no.

I may not be truly gifted at singing, and won't be drafted by any major (or minor) sports teams, but boy can I talk. And I can write. And I can encourage people, and I can pray for people with insight and passion, and I can teach my kids how to love to learn. Those are my strengths.

I figured out that I needed to stop ignoring what I'm great at in order to become just good at something else. Guess what? Someone else is good at that so let them have it!

Don't ignore what you are great at merely to be good at something else.

God gave me strengths and gifts. He gave some to you, also. Why?
I want to know why you think these gifts are given?
_________________________________________
_________________________________________

Did you answer: to ignore; to discount; to put down; to pooh-pooh; or to de-value?

But is that what you have been doing? Why was I wasting time trying to be something I wasn't created to be? I don't need to sing for everyone else. I need to sing for God and enjoy that.

What we need to get is get excited about the gifts and strengths we have been given, and focus on those. Stop living down to your weaknesses and start living up to your strengths!

Stop living down to your weaknesses and start living up to your strengths!

What are your strengths? What are your gifts and talents? What comes easily to you? What gives you energy? What do you feel most like yourself when you do it?

Write it down NOW.

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

These are things God created in you and for you. Stop telling God He was wrong! Stop stealing someone else's thunder. Stop defining yourself by what you aren't and start defining yourself by what you are! 

I'm going to prove to you that you are the strongest you will ever be when you are operating from the truth of who you are.

Get a buddy and hold out your arm in front of you, straight. Have your friend ask you a question that you can answer truthfully to, like what is your name. As you answer, have them push down on your arm and try to make you lower it. You will be strong.

Now, have them ask you another question to which you will answer dishonestly, like "Were you born at the bottom of the ocean?" Say "yes." As you answer have them press again on your arm to try and make you lower it. See the difference?

Cool, right? Go ahead and trade places and do it again. It works every time.

Let's pray:

Lord, we are strong when we are operating in our truth. We are so sorry for having de-valued your gifts, instead looking to see only the things we see as weaknesses to be improved. We are fearfully and wonderfully made and from now on we are going to celebrate that fact! I don't need to be good at everything. I can let someone else have their gifts. I can enjoy what they are good at, because now I see I am good at something, too. If I have never considered myself good at anything then open my eyes to the wonderful traits you have placed in my DNA. Thank you Lord for helping me to see my strengths and help me to focus on them from now on. In the name of Jesus, amen.

Love, Karen

Photo by Dinostock, courtesy of http://www.photoxpress.com/

 

Out with the old, in with the new . . .you!

Welcome back to Stress Less: A Good Bible Study. I'm glad you are on this journey with me. Share in the comments, or in an email, how this bible study has impacted your faith walk. It would mean a lot to me to hear your story.

Let's pray:

Lord, thank you so very much for leading us to meet every day and share in Your Word. What a blessing it is to fellowship with others, no matter where their belief is. Thank you for each person reading these words. Bless them today, Lord. Help them to grow closer to You every time they open Your Word. Please relax our minds now and let Your Holy Spirit open our eyes to Your Wisdom, as we begin. In Jesus' name, amen.

I promised you yesterday to share how valuing yourself leads you to naturally make choices that improve your life. The truth is that when you begin to care about yourself, truly decide to be loving to yourself, and value how you spend the 24 hours in each day at your disposal, you will find you no longer are attracted to people who run you down, drain you, criticize you, or waste your time.

You will be more attracted to, and in turn bring in, those people who lift you up and energize you. Your emotional energy just won't match up with those naysayers anymore and they will fall away. Some of them might even notice how much more pleasant and positive you are, and will start to emulate you. Either way, you will naturally move away from negative influences and rise to a new level of friends and companions.

Can you see how this will make your life feel far less stressful? __________

Read Proverbs 12:25-26

What causes anxiety? ____________________

What makes your heart glad? _____________

What happens when you choose negative, mean-spirited friends? __________________________

How about Proverbs 16:27-30

Know anyone like that: those who dig up evil, sow strife, whisper and gossip about others, entice others to bad choices, or treat "friends" perversely, which means starts trouble and fights between them?

I used to draw those types of people to me like a moth to a flame, back in my twenties. They always seemed like the most fun-filled, exciting friends, at first. Like Mr. Wickham, in Pride and Prejudice, they had the happy manners as to ensure their making friends, but it was less certain whether they were equally capable of retaining them.

I used to worry that if I was myself, I would lose friends. May be you worry about that, too. You know what I say to that? Good, I hope you do.

What I mean is that when you are authentic, you will draw people to you who enjoy, love, admire, cherish, and adore your true, authentic self, and those that don't . . . so long . . . seeeee ya.

Dr. Seuss said it best: "Go ahead and be yourself. Those who mind don't matter, and those that matter, don't mind."

Do you think surrounding yourself with people who just get happy being around you, being you, would lead to stressing less? You bet it does!

Self-Value = Stress-Less

Tomorrow I am going to share with you a technique you can use to immediately tell if you, or someone else, is being authentic. It's pretty fun to do with friends. I use this in my talks and it's hard to get everyone settled down again because they are laughing too hard.

Let's end in prayer:

Lord, thank you for opening our eyes to the fact that we can be ourselves and others will appreciate it. Some of us haven't seen our authentic selves since we were kids so we might be a little up and down for a while until we get used to the new and improved, er, original "me." We ask you to make this an easy and inevitable process. Help us to celebrate who You created! In the name of Jesus, amen.

Love, Karen 

Photo by Adam Borkowski, courtesy of http://www.photoxpress.com/

Is value the same as conceit?

Hello, and welcome back to A Good Bible Study!

We're going to begin with prayer, as usual:

Dear Heavenly Father, life is so busy. We are all going so fast, in so many different directions, sometimes it is hard to slow down and hear Your voice. Make us sensitive to Your slightest whisper, Lord. We are so thankful for Your Holy Spirit's constant ministry to our hearts, we don't want to miss a single thought You have for us! In the name of Jesus, amen.

We are going to continue with the importance of valuing who you are. We're not talking conceit, here. The American Heritage Dictionary defines value as "to regard highly, to esteem."

Conceit, on the other hand, refers to an unduly high opinion of one's self.

So, I'm not talking about valuing yourself more than anyone else. And I'm not suggesting you refuse to change your bad habits because, "Well, this is just the way I am, if you don't like it, oh well."

What I'm saying is that you are just as valuable as anyone else - and for some of us, that's a new concept.

The fact is you have intrinsic value because you are created in the image of God and you don't have to earn your intrinsic value - it's yours by birthright!

Read 1 John 4:19

Who loved first, you or God? __________

Read Psalm 139:14

How are you made? ___________ and ______________

So, let's agree to stop worrying about what Fred and Jane think because they might like us today and hate us tomorrow. People judge you based on effort, outcome, and results. God judges you on your heart. Do you love Him, or do you hate Him? It's that simple. He asks you to love Him. Will you?

Read Revelation 3:20

Can you doubt that He wants you, just as you are, right now?

Valuing yourself reduces stress because you will also value your time and your contribution. You'll make the effort and time you spend worth it. You will do the right thing, and do things right.

You will do the right thing, and do things right, when you value yourself.

As a result, you will feel more positive about yourself, it's a self-fulfilling chain of events.

Think of it this way: if you know you did your best, and you know you are proud of your work, you won't worry about anyone else's opinion. I don't mean be disrespectful to those offering constructive criticism, I mean you won't have a need to be defensive or make excuses, because you stand behind your work.

Tomorrow we will talk about the other ways being authentic and valuing yourself leads to more positive choices and outcomes, but for now, let's pray.

Lord, some of this is new and challenging to us. We know You want us to respect and love the work of Your hands. Help us to see ourselves with Your eyes, and to see others with the same value. We want to believe with all our hearts that You treasure us just as You designed each one. Thank you for the daily changes You are making in our hearts, so that we can. In Jesus' name, amen.

Love, Karen

Photo by Nathalie P, courtesy of http://www.photoxpress.com/

Change starts in the heart

Welcome back to A Good Bible Study. Our current topic is how to "Stress less" by yours truly.

Let's pick up where we left off yesterday, loving ourselves as God loves us. First, let's pray:

Father, we are so blessed to have Your Word. There are Christians in this world who don't have access to a bible, who might be imprisoned or killed just for reading Your Scripture, yet here we are openly sharing our faith, and our desire to know You more. Let not one of us take this privilege for granted, Lord. I pray you will astound us with Your presence today so that we will have an awakening of our spiritual selves,  may be for the first time. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit, Lord. Give us an undeniable sense of You, in us. In Jesus' name, amen.

I shared with you quite a few scriptures showcasing God's love for each of us, you included. I want you to be immersed in the evidence of His concern for you, no matter what has happened in your life. The reason I do this is that before we can even get into who you can be in Christ, or what you can do in His strength, we have got to get a solid foundation in who you are in your hearts.

Why? Because change starts in the heart.

Read Proverbs 23:7

Right there, plain as day, it says as you think in your ______, you are.

See, change doesn't start in the head, it starts in the heart. That's where we live and die everyday, when we're walking around hurting and pretending we're not. When we're saying yes when we mean no. When we are trying to be our idea of the perfect spouse, parent, employee, communicator, rescuer, whatever label people have slapped on your forehead and you are trying to live up to, but always feeling like you don't measure up.

You don't. Know why? Because that's not the mold you were made from. It's not you and that's why it doesn't feel right on your skin.

Dr. Howard Thurman started the first inter-racial church in the United States. He deeply influenced Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. Thurman said, "We were all born originals. The tragedy is that most of us die copies."

Your DNA is unique only to you.

Jeremiah 1:5 says, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you."

Psalm 139:13-16 says

"Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day." The Message
 
Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, wrote, "Your parents may not have planned you, but God did." Albert Einstein said, "God doesn't play dice." He doesn't do anything by chance.

If you get even a tiny glimpse of how much God loves you, that is when you will begin to value yourself. How do I know? Because people who value themselves arrange their lives to be pleasant and stress-free. It becomes a priority to live in peace and with joy!

Let's pray:

Father, I want everyone reading this to begin to value themselves, the way You value them. I shout this prayer to heaven, in the name of Jesus, amen!

Love, Karen

Photo by Gary, courtesy of http://www.photoxpress.com/

He loves you, yea, yea, yea

Hello fellow seekers,

I missed you yesterday after a long weekend fellow-shipping with some awesome, spirit-filled believers in Chicago, but we are together again now, so let's rejoice in pray:

Lord, I thank you for every person in this world who knows You are God, You are the Lord, and You are the answer to any question in our hearts. I thank you for every hurting heart that is still wondering if you are real, and I ask You to reveal Yourself in an awe-inspiring way to each on of us.

Give us a sense of wonder at Your love for us. Make us be more aware than ever of how unique, special, and important we are to You. Fill our hearts with joy today, Lord, in the way only Your Holy Spirit can. Let our hearts be still, and know that You are God. In the name of Jesus, amen.

OK, I am ready to dive in and see how wondrous this God of ours is, how about you?

We spoke last time about learning to appreciate ourselves, just as we are right now. We talked about the importance of being authentic, being real and genuine. The truth is, we can't be it, until we know it.

Because all true change begins in the heart. Everything you do in life is going to be far more effective and meaningful if you start by changing the way you see yourself, and the way you treat yourself. The first belief that must change if you are going to develop true joy in being who you are, is this:

The false belief that your worth is the sum of what you have done for others, the result you have created by your efforts, and the stamp of approval, or disapproval, that's been placed on your psychological forehead.

Read John 5:41-44

41"I do not accept praise from _____, 42but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of _____ in your hearts. 43I have come in my Father's name, and you do not ______me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44How can you _______if you accept ______ from one another, yet make no effort to ________the praise that comes from the only God?" New International Version

See, we put more stock in fallible human being's opinions of us, than we do of God's opinion of us! That's backwards. People don't save our souls, God does by the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Who among your family and friends is willing to undergo what Jesus has for you? They might love you, they might be willing to die for you in a crisis, but think of taking on all of your sin, allowing yourself to be whipped until your flesh hung from your body, then crucified on a cross with spikes pounded through your wrists and ankles while being mocked and spit upon. No takers?

I care about the opinion of the one who not only planned me down to my DNA, made me, watched over me, protected me from all manner of harm that I put myself in, sent His Holy Spirit to speak to my heart daily, gives me wisdom and insight, comforts me when no human can, and has set aside a place in heaven for me to live for eternity in peace and joy. That's someone whose opinion I put above all others.

Read these scriptures:

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

1 John 4:9-12
By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.

John 13:34-35
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.


He loves you. Got it? I know that guy told you he loved you then treated you like dirt, I know that woman cheated on you and laughed at your pain, I know your father or mother didn't know how to parent you, I know those "friends" abused you, I know you can't call anyone sister or brother, I know.

And I know that He loves you.

Come back tomorrow to start learning to love you, too.

Love, Karen

Photo by iMAGINE, courtesy of http://www.photoxpress.com/