Stop Comparing Yourself To Others

Have you ever looked in the mirror and felt unsatisfied with the image looking back at you? I think we've all "picked ourselves apart" at one time or another. To be straight forward, it seems like I've dealt with this issue most of my life.  It sounds like this: "My nose is too big,"my hair is too thin... "Where did that wrinkle come from"? "My pores are too large"... "my skin is too red", etc.  I could go on, but I think you get the point.

But why do we do this? I think it's because we all want perfection. But the reality is, noone is perfect and nobody's flawless. The truth is, we will never be totally satisfied with our fleshly appearance because that's not where our true self image comes from. God made you by hand and He doesn't make mistakes! Your truest beauty abides inside of you.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". When God looks at you He doesn't see flesh. He sees your heart. But He can also see the man He formed in the garden. Prior to the curse, we were...perfect.

"God made man in His own image".  When we examine ourselves in a negative light, we're actually dissaproving of Gods sculpture, which is ...us.  Do you think Adam thought of himself less than anything? Before the curse started to steal his identity and break him down, he never once had an negative self image.  All of this self hatred comes from trying to "break a curse" that's already been broken.

Someone has broken it for us! The second Adam.... Jesus.  And guess what? We don't have to be sick no more, we don't have to be poor no more, and we don't have to be dead no more!!

Now that we have been re-instated to the Blessing, that nasty curse no longer applies.

Have you ever seen something put together wrong? We all have. Just the other day at work, I saw a little decorative sign that was upside down. Whoever put it together placed the rope on the wrong side of the picture. Compare that to God "assembling man." Do you think He's constucted us improperly?... No! A thousand times "No"!  May we never direspect Him in such a way.

We look the way look today is a result of time, and how we took care of the body He gave us. We've all made mistakes, Which Christ has forgiven. The point is, don't look at the "old man" anymore.  He died with Christ, you have been made new.  Once again you've been made into the image of God 💗

"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things have passed away: behold, all things are become new."  2 Corinthians 5:17

We don't have to look at the "old us" anymore.  Our self image comes from the One who lives in us. When you think about the price He paid to set you free, you no longer see the mess. If we purpose to "shake off the lies" concerning our appearance, inside and out... we'll be free from comparison. 

Whenever my dog gets up from rolling on the ground she's got dirt all over her, but she doesn't let it stay. Almost instantly, she shakes it all off! We need to be like that!  Shake it off!  You're not dirty!, you're not inferior, and you're not bad looking!  As a matter of fact, you're good looking! 

After God finished His creation, He said it was good!

Just a few days ago, I got my hair cut. I used to wear it up everyday to hide the damage I caused it over the years. Needless to say, I've always wanted strong, healthy hair.  Hair that looked normal.  Anyways, I took the leap and got the "dead stuff off", literally.  Although I don't look like the picture I showed the hairstylist, I'm okay with that!  God made me, and I'm happy about that!

Moving Forward in 2019

Happy New Year! Can you believe we've moved into 2019 already?  The older we get it seems like time zooms by quicker and quicker with each passing year. Wouldn't it be great if there were only a pause button?

Ahhh, if we could just re-live the "good old days".  Although we can't freeze or preserve our favorite moments in time, like a canning jar they're sealed up tight right inside our hearts. The good news is we don't have to look back longingly, because your latter days will be greater than your past.  (Haggai 2:9)

Every good thing in our past can be used as "stepping stones" towards something greater. 😃

Time doesn't go backwards it's always moving forward. That means our best times are in front of us, not behind us. Every sixty seconds another minute goes by.  Minutes turn to hours - which become days, days become months, which grow into years. This isn't a bad thing. It all depends on how we look at it.  

Yesterday is over. The bad stuff is behind us. Don't drag it to another day. In other words, if we had a bad day, or even what seems like an awful year, so what. Let it go.  Don't "get stuck in the past". We don't even have to look back. Wer'e not going that way. Take all the good and "carry it over". We are promised better things!  We've got a bright path ahead of us.  Proverbs 4:19 says this: "The path of the just is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter, until the full light of day".

That means, that your future, which is as close as the next minute, will become brighter and brighter and brighter! Doesn't that make you smile! 

Let me share something good with you. On the morning of New Years Day 2019 I was putting on my wrist watch and glanced at it in a peculiar way. I was puzzled for a moment thinking "do I need to set my watch ahead"? Like Daylight Savings Time or something. "Oh, it's New Years Day, I don't need to adjust my watch".

As I thought about it further I realized that something spiritual had occurred. My year had changed, and so did "the time in the spirit". It's a "New Spiritual Year".  Not just for me, but for you as well. It's sort of  like Spring-forward, but we've gained much more than just an hour!

I believe that God is bringing forth dreams and manifesting His bounty more quickly than we've imagined.  

He's moved His "clock ahead" in such a way that He's speeding things up for our good. And I believe it's approaching fast. 

If we look ahead in such a way and expect Gods' promises to be expedited, we'll anticipate each day with joy, knowing full well that He who promised is faithful to bring it to pass. If there's a dream inside you that's living, it shall soon be birthed. In order to keep the dream alive, you must feed it with hope. 

Look for God inside of every second, and every minute of every week. He never leaves. Seek Him every month, keep finding Him- all year long, even throuout eternity... what astonishing Light we will see up ahead. Our outlook for tommorow is good! We may not be able to freeze time, or "capture it in a bottle" but we have something much better, we can fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.  

We'll see the brightness of His coming, we'll see His word coming to pass, we'll see our future so exceedingly bright and illuminated with Gods love. We we're never meant to have a dull day or a dull life. 

As we approach the next minute, look for Jesus. Just the mention of His Name changes everything.

2019 and beyond is full of promise. You're not waiting on God, He's waiting on you. He is your compass, move forward in Him.  💖

Why Doesn't God Intervene?

Although it may not look like it, feel like it, or seem like it, God is intervening. Right now Jesus is at the right hand of the Father - interceding for us.  (Romans 8:34) The word intercede means to intervene. It means that God the Father and God the Son, is getting involved with you and your life.

The Bible says that Jesus is praying for us. He is our Intercessor - A person who intervenes on behalf of another, especially by prayer. Jesus is our Advocate. He defends our rightful place. While the devil is busy accusing the saints, Jesus is pleading the blood.

He shed His blood to pay for every sin. He shed His blood to heal every disease. He shed His blood to break the curse of sin and death. His blood sacrifice is the way to live with God forever.

John 10:10 - Jesus came that we may have life, and enjoy it to the fullest.

The abundant life, the curse-free (blessed) life belongs to us. Why?
Over 2000 years ago, Jesus intervened on an old rugged cross.

So why in the world does everything look so bleak? It looks that way because we look at life through our own eyes. We see everything in the natural. But that's not how we're meant to see.  The devil wants us to see in the natural and respond to what we see. He shows us lack, sickness, doom and gloom, etc.

Through the eyes of faith we see the supernatural. "We walk by faith and not by sight." (2 Cor 5:7)

"For our light and temporary affliction is producing for us an eternal glory that far outweighs our troubles. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

2 Corinthians 4:18

The Bible calls faith a substance. It's evidence of the things we are yet to see. (Hebrews 11)
The time it takes between standing in faith and seeing the answer is called trust. 

Abraham wavered not at the promise of God despite the barrenness of Sarah's womb. Although it took many years to manifest, that promise came to pass. God is faithful. 
I know it hurts to wait. I know it's hard. But yet, we have One Whom we can run to. 

Think of it like this. When a child falls down and skins their knee they run to Daddy. Daddy picks them up, binds up thier wounds, then He kisses where it hurts - to make it all better :) 
The child smiles and joyfully goes back to playing. 

That's the exact same thing our heavenly Father does for us. Do you know that the Father gives kisses from heaven? He sure does! When you run into His presence, nothing on earth matters. It all melts away. He gives joy for mourning and a garment of praise instead of a heavy heart. (Isaiah 61)  

He is a burden lifter, a bondage breaker, a lover, a friend, a mender of brokenness. When we draw near to Him, He draws near to us. And when He is near, you know that everything is going to be alright!  As we look at life through the word of God, we see the goodness of God is coming straight for us. Expect it! 

When you are pregnant with His word and expect it to birth glorious things in your life, they will surely come!  O taste and see that the Lord is good. 

God Fixes Us

The Broken Vessel

If you've ever dropped a glass on a hard ceramic floor, then you know it ends up in a million pieces. Within seconds, something that was once whole, becomes broken and scattered to every corner of the room. I've had these accidents a time or two, and I know it's no easy task to clean up. Immediately it becomes a danger zone. 

As soon as it happens I'm stopped in my tracks because... I'm usually barefoot.

As I tiptoe out of my mess, I go for my shoes and call out a warning, "Don't come in here, there's broken glass on the floor"! That impact has shot undetectable pieces of glass everywhere! And those tiny shards become razor blades under my feet. Sometimes I sigh, and think, "that was my favorite glass". But it gets swept up and dumped in the trash, never to be used again. Sometimes, I feel like that glass. 

The Bible refers to us as vessels. A vessel that carries a very precious treasure, the presence of God. And guess what? We're His favorite glass! 

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us...

We're afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but to driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed."

 2 Corinthians 4:7

Like the fragility of the glass, we too, are all so delicate. Perhaps like the glass falling to it's demise, you've fallen a few times. We all have. There's a place we call "rock bottom", and it really hurts when we hit. Our hearts are very fragile, they too can be fragmented, and strewn about. The lowest place we can go is to the floor, but it can be the best place to find restoration. You see, God cares a lot about our brokenness. 

The bible says, He is near to the broken hearted and saves those that are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18).

He knows the heaviness of a broken heart, He hears the splitting and cracking. And He alone, can make us whole. Just like a loving parent, He comes running in to save us.

He's different. He doesn't scold, or make us feel bad, He simply starts gathering and restoring.  He sees the fragments of hopelessness, the scarred pieces of failure, the sharp edges of depression and the sting of defeat. He sees everything broken in our spirit. even the hidden things. 

And just like a gentle, loving Father, He disposes everything harmful and puts us back on the shelf of life, completely whole. Everyday we get a brand new start, with a brand new heart. Yesterdays disappointments are gone with the trash and we anticipate with new hope.

Let us never forget the power of the cross. Jesus became broken, for us. Remember, when He said, "this is my body, broken for you." (Matthew 26). He became crushed and broken for us, And by Sunday, all wholeness was restored. And since He was restored, we are restored... to a whole new life! 

Though we may fall many times, we can reach for His hand.

"A righteous man may fall seven times, and rises up, but the wicked shall fall by calamity." - Proverbs 24:16

Do you remember Humpty Dumpty?  He sat on a wall and had a great fall; all the kings horses and all the kings men couldn't put Humpty together again! Men will never be able to fix us, only God can.

"He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds". Psalm 147:3

We have a personal Carpenter- Jesus, who puts us back together. When the devil starts speaking trash, remind him that his future is bleak, not ours. God has good plans for us. Hope filled plans. Plans to prosper us and reinstate us to perfect health. (Jeremiah 31)

When it seems like all hope is gone, look up, your Redeemer is drawing near.

"He gives beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that we may be called trees of righteousness, a planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified".  (Isaiah 61)

 

No Longer Slaves

"You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" John 8:32.

Knowing the truth is what sets us free. It's lies that bind us, trap, hinder and imprison us. God sent the Truth (His Son) to set us free. In John chapter 14 Jesus said, "I am the way the truth and the life".

So who are we? As a born again Christian our identity in is birthed in freedom. Remember the account of Abraham? He had two sons. One by a slave woman, and the other by the free woman, His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born because of the promise. (Galatians 4:22)

We too are born of the "free Seed" which is Christ.

Who we used to be?  Enslaved to the devil, born into sin.

The definition of slavery:
1) A person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them.
2) A person who works excessively hard.

Back in the 1800's slaves had to wear a metal badge around thier neck identifying them as slave property.  Such as the one below.

Although slavery has long been abolished, there remains another type of slavery which still exists.  Spiritual slavery. It's not a mandatory incarceration, yet without the knowledge of this "abolishment," many still suffer it's hard laborous punishment, and it imprisons the soul.

Prior to becoming a Christian, we were once slaves to sin and slaves to the devil. He used to own us. Yes, he was our master. His evil commands were all we knew. They were how we were led.

Until we discovered...we had a Redeemer. One who bought us at the highest price, in order to set us free. Now we are led by the Good Sheperd, who leads us beside the still waters. Without chains!

1 Peter 1:18 " It was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect".

Remember when Moses led the Hebrews out of bondage, on the night before they left, the blood of a lamb stopped death from entering thier homes.  Each Israelite family was instructed to place the blood over the lintel and the doorposts of the home.  When the death angel passed through, it passed over them because of the blood.  (Exodus 12:23)

Likewise, we also have an "Exodus" of our own. We can leave the devils domain and never look back. As a born again Christian, we belong to God and the blood of the Lamb (Jesus) has been applied to the doorpost of our heart. Now death can not enter in, it must forever...pass over us.

No longer will we wear the "badge" of the devil, but we "wear RED". When the devil sees the blood, he has to flee.  He has no power over it. And just like kryptonite weakened superman, the blood weakens the devil.

We are no longer slaves to death, fear or sin. They have no rightful hold on us.

"The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death". 

Romans 8

HOPE is your strongest fuel

My life is built on hope. Without it, I'd surely sink. Hope is an amazing thing. Actually It's quite powerful. Imagine trying to drive a car without gas, it won't budge. Or how about trying to function daily without food, we'd die.

Natural food does nothing for the soul, it only affects the body. Though we eat to stay alive, inwardly we're starving! Spiritual food is essential to fuel the heart and mind.  Hope is that fuel. If you have hope, you've got the greatest asset on the planet!

Without hope, we're depleted, and spiritually bankrupt. If there's one thing the devil wants to steal from you, it's hope. If he can take that, he knows you'll be empty. He wants us empty!

In the area of finances, we know that assets can be turned into cash. It's similiar with hope. But hope is much more powerful. Although money is required for trading goods & services, it doesn't feed the soul. We can survive without money, but we can't survive without hope.

When you mix no money with no hope, that's a quick ride to the bottom of the barrel. I know what it's like to hit rock bottom.  I've wallowed around in self pity, considered my demise, sobbed endlessly, focused on all my failures, given up- a thousand times, yet I always had the option of looking up.

I'm well aquainted with the lowest place, like a sunken ship... thinking "it's over", "I'm done"! Yes, I've said all that and more. Because that's where the devil speaks the loudest. I've been there. But thankfully, there's nowhere to go but up. I had to make a decision, should I believe the lies or choose the truth. I had two different entres to choose from. I chose life and hope brought me up! Hope is a quick ride to the top, everytime.

This valuable asset converts dreams into reality.  It's a substance that converts empty into full. It transforms death into life. Depression into joy, and turmoil into peace. It turns sorrow into laughter. It transfigures darkness into light. Hope never ends. Look at the book of Hebrews.

Now faith is... the substance of things HOPED for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

If we want to please God, we must have faith. As we can see from the scripture above, faith and hope work together. The Hebrew writer goes on to explain that it's impossible to please God without faith.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that comes to God, must believe that He exists, and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him."  (Hebrews 11:6)

If we have no faith, then we have no hope. This is actually an insult to God. This basically tells God, that we don't trust Him. We don't want to be in that condition. We can trust Him. He is faithful to perform His word. He's the God of truth and the God of hope. If you're empty He can fill you! 

Here's some spirit fuel...

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with confident hope, by the power of the Holy Spirit".  (Romans 15:13) 

Isn't it fun to say, "filler up"? (Back in the day when we had gas station attendants). Or we might say, "top it off". I rarely fill my gas tank, but some occasions call for it. Like taking a lengthy road trip.  

Isn't it even better to fill up with premium? Sure it is. Here's something incredible to ponder. How about being "topped off" and filled up, to overflowing with hope?! (GOD) 

He's the God of hope. Hope energizes us. I'm not talking about the flaky stuff such as, "I hope so".  That is NOT Godly hope.  Godly hope is weighty and confident. Remember it's substantial.  

Faith is certain and sure of things hoped for.   In the face of NOT seeing, yet we believe. The Bible calls this hope an anchor for the soul. If you are anquored in the word of God, you won't be tossed about by the winds of fear and doubt. 

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure, it enters the inner sancuary behind the curtain".  

What's behind the curtain?  ... GOD! Wow!  Our hope goes behind the curtain, and straight to God. 

He sees our faith in that hope. And that's where amazing things start to manifest! 

So back to this energizing fuel called hope. I can relate this to something I recall from my childhood. Do you remember those "hand buzzers"? They were kind of a gadget type of thing. My brother would hide it in the palm of his hand and when I shook it, it buzzed and vibrated! Not pleasant, because I weren't expecting it. 

I don't know how else to explain this, but there's a  really good kind of vibration and almost electrifying tingle that goes staright through me when I tap into the deep levels of the HOPE that's in God's word.  It's almost as if I'm getting "zapped" with His premium energy source! 

His word is FULL of hope. Hope makes us strong.

I could go on with this, perhaps I'll write a "Hope II" blog. I'm sure I will. There's so much more. For now, I'll close with this:

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew thier strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint". (Isaiah 40:31)

The word, wait here, means to hope. If you're waiting on the Lord, it means you're expecting. And that's called healthy faith! Keep hoping in the Lord, He is faithful in all His ways.  

Praise More...Bark Less

Have you ever noticed how happy a well loved dog is? I find it amazing that God made animals that can feel love and desire it. In the case of our little dog, it seems as if we are her whole world. And I don't know about your dogs tail, but it seems like ours has beat the record for tail wagging!  I'm not positive, but I think that means shes happy and I really think she smiles!

All I have to do is walk in the room and she wags her tail. If I get down on the floor and look in her eyes, her tail gets wagging. If I leave the house for five minutes, then walk back inside, you guessed it, her tail is wagging. Not to mention her numerous leaps of excitement she demonstrates as we are reunited. LOL. If we're gone for hours, it's off the charts "tail wagging" when we come back.

It's crazy that they miss us and want us to be home. For some reason they crave the fellowship of their owners. Let's talk about their appetite. They're always hungry and always happy when the food comes out.  Just like us, they like to eat. 😏

I got to thinking, If our pets get that excited about us, how much more does God take pleasure in having fellowship with us!?  A trillion times more! I'm not comparing God to an animal in any way. I'm simply saying that he shows His love in marvelous ways. If anything, I'm saying when I'm in the presence of God, if I had a tail, it's wagging so much it may fall off!  LOL!

Just like our dog begs for treats, we hunger and yearn for God. "Our daily bread" is God feeding us, everyday! As for me, when I learn something from God, I'll say something like, "oh that's good"!  Just as if I took a bite of something yummy. If we're hungry to learn, then we'll always be fed. The difference with God is, He never gives leftovers, we always get fresh. There's no scraps at His table, we receive only the best. 

If only we'd praise Him more instead "barking" out our requests, we'd find joy in each moment and pass every test.  Praise more, thank more, and you'll bark so much less.