How To Succeed at Being Yourself - Joyce Meyer

How To Succeed at Being Yourself
by Joyce Meyer

It's tough to enjoy life when you don't like yourself. People who haven't learned to accept and get along with themselves tend to have more difficulty accepting and getting along with others. Yet, the Bible repeatedly tells us to "love your neighbor as yourself." I personally spent years having a hard time getting along with people, until I finally realized through the Word of God how my difficulty with other people was actually "rooted" in my difficulties with myself. 

The Bible says a good tree will bear good fruit, and a rotten tree will bear rotten fruit. Likewise, the "fruit" of our lives comes from the "root" within us. If you're rooted in shame, guilt, inferiority, rejection, lack of love and acceptance, etc., the fruit of your relationships will suffer. However, once you have a revelation of God's unconditional love for you and begin to accept yourself and others, eventually these new roots will produce good fruit, and your relationships will thrive. 

Here are a few tips I believe will help you succeed at being yourself. 

1. Never say or think negative things about yourself, such as, "I never do anything right." "I'll never change." "I'm ugly." "I look terrible." "I'm dumb." "Who could ever love me?" Matthew 12:37 says, ...by your words you will be justified..., and by your words you will be condemned…. Proverbs 23:7 says, …as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he. In other words, the way we talk and think about ourselves reveals how we feel about ourselves. 

2. Speak good things about yourself (as private confessions) in line with what the Word says about you. For example: "I am the righteousness of God in Christ." "I am made acceptable in the Beloved." "God created me and formed me with His own hands, and God doesn't make mistakes." I like starting the day making good confessions. Perhaps you can do this while you're driving to work or cleaning house. I also encourage you to look in the mirror and say out loud, "God loves and accepts you, and so do I." You may even try hugging yourself. This is beneficial to people who have lacked love and acceptance in their lives. 

3. Never compare yourself with other people. God must love variety or He wouldn't have created us all differently—even down to our fingerprints. You'll never succeed at being yourself if you're trying to be like someone else. Other people can be a good example to you, but duplicating even their good traits will manifest differently through your individual personality. 

4. Focus on your potential instead of your limitations. Actress Helen Hayes was told early in her career that if she were four inches taller she'd be the greatest actress of her time. Her coaches tried various methods of stretching her, but nothing increased her height. She refused to concentrate on the supposed limitation of being five feet tall and decided to concentrate on her potential. As a result, she was eventually cast as Mary, Queen of Scotland—one of the tallest queens who ever lived. 

5. Find something you like to do that you do well, and do it over and over. If you spend your time doing things you're not good at, it'll frustrate you and cause you to feel defeated and unsuccessful. 

6. Have the courage to be different and deal with criticism. Be a God-pleaser, not a man-pleaser (see Galatians 1:10). If you dare to be different, you'll have to expect some criticism. Going along with the crowd—when you know in your heart God's leading you a different way—is one reason people don't succeed at being themselves. You won't like yourself very much if you go against your own convictions.

7. Don't let the way another person treats you determine your worth. 

8. Keep your flaws in perspective. People with a high level of confidence have just as many weaknesses as people without confidence, but they concentrate on their strengths—not their flaws or weaknesses. 
In conclusion, let me remind you of my opening statement: It's tough to enjoy life when you don't like yourself. When you learn to succeed at being yourself, you'll be well on your way to enjoying life more fully.

This article is taken from Joyce's book, How to Succeed at Being Yourself.

God's Purpose for Adversity - Dr Charles Stanley

Another Beautiful Morning!  I'm so thankful for all I can do...
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Today's Bible Study

God's Purpose for Adversity
By Dr. Charles Stanley

Have you ever wondered why the Lord allows tragedy, sickness, and other suffering in our lives? Part of the answer lies in the fact that we inhabit a fallen world; the sin of Adam and Eve altered God’s original creation. However, the good news is that God uses adversity to show us our profound need for Him.

The Old Testament saint Jacob experienced something that forever changed how he related to God. The Lord weakened him physically to strengthen him spiritually. In a similar way, God wants to use adversity in our lives to draw us into a closer relationship with Him.

Jacob’s Journey

Read Genesis 32:1-32.

 As Jacob traveled to the land of his parents, what troublesome news came to him (Gen 32:6-8)?
 Why would Jacob expect the worst from his brother? (See Genesis 27:30-42 if necessary.)
On a practical level, how did Jacob prepare to meet his brother (Gen. 32:4-8, Gen. 32:13-20)?
Jacob also turned to the Lord in prayer. Summarize each section of his petition (vv. 9-12).
Example: v. 9—Jacob reminded God of His promise to prosper him.
v. 10
v. 11
v. 12

From Jacob’s prayer, what can you learn about how to approach God regarding your own problems?
After Jacob sent his family away (v. 23), he wrestled with a mysterious man. At first, he may have thought he was fighting one of Esau’s men, but later, he says he saw God (v. 30). In a similar way, we sometimes have a hard time recognizing how the Lord is at work in adversity. That can happen when we are busy blaming other people, ourselves, or the Devil.

What difficulty are you facing right now?
Who or what do you have a tendency to blame for your problems?
What purpose might God have for your hardship?
As the fight continued, the man touched Jacob’s hip and dislocated it. This may have alerted Jacob to the fact that he was wrestling with a supernatural being. He determined to hold on until he received a blessing (v. 26).
When we are facing adversity, we may need to wrestle with God—that is, stay at the throne of grace and mercy until we have what we need from Him (Heb. 4:14-16).

In your time alone with God, do you tend to wait until you hear from Him or sense His comforting presence?  Why or why not?
Many scholars believe the man Jacob wrestled was the pre-incarnate Christ (Jesus before He was born as a baby). Others think Jacob fought an angel. Either way, this supernatural being changed the patriarch’s name.  Jacob literally means “heel catcher,” an idiomatic expression that meant “trickster” or “supplanter.” Israel means “he struggles with God” or perhaps “a prince with God.”

Jacob became the father of the 12 tribes of Israel. Why do you think it was important for him to have a new name?
After this incident, Jacob walked with a limp (Gen. 32:31). With a dislocated hip, he would have found it almost impossible to defend himself against Esau. Jacob was forced to depend completely on God’s ability to protect him.

What does Esau’s greeting show about his feelings toward Jacob (Gen. 33:4)?
Jacob learned that he could rely on God more completely when he was weak. This is the same lesson Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” taught him (2 Cor. 12:7-10). The apostle wrote, “I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (v. 10).

Give an example of a time when your weakness provided an opportunity to rely successfully on The Lord’s power.
How could your present adversity help you lean more fully on God?
As we depend on the Lord, we learn more about who He is. After God spoke to Job, revealing His character and incredible power, Job said, “I have heard of You . . . but now my eye sees You” (Job 42:5).

What new insight has hardship given to you about God or the Christian life?
Adversity shows us how much we lack spiritually. Give an example of a time when difficulty revealed your weaknesses and need for God.
Apart from the Father’s help, we can never handle all our problems, consistently resist temptation, or avoid bitterness. In fact, when we attempt to wage spiritual battles on our own, not only do we wander away from God, but we ultimately fail.  

Jude 1:24 says that God “is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy.” According to this study, what is a believer’s role in handling problems, temptations, and suffering?
Prayer: Father, thank You for being willing to carry me through the challenges of life. Teach me to rely more on Your power rather than on my own strategies and coping abilities. Show me how You want to use the difficulties I face to draw me into a more intimate relationship with You. Amen.
 
Related Resources

How can I face the trials in my life with courage?
Why does God allow times of difficulty and darkness?
How can I be sure to succeed in the battles I fight?
How should I respond to disappointments?
How does God work through the valley experiences in our lives?
How can I turn my crisis into an opportunity?
Related Video

Adversity: Burden or Bridge?

No one wants to experience tough times. But when they come our way, we have a choice about how to view them: as a burden or a bridge. (Watch Adversity: Burden or Bridge?.)

Looking forward to great another day...

Small Fiber Sensory Neuropathy

Small Fiber Sensory Neuropathy

Highs -n- Lows Living with the Disease

Another beautiful day! 

I get so frustrated...my scalp has been extremely itchy both day and night even with my medicine.  I have medicine to help but it doesn't seem to be doing it's job lately.  I am going to increase the medication to see if it helps otherwise I will need to call my Dr.  :-( 
When I itch my head small pieces of skin, platelets come off my scalp.  This has been going on since my diagnosis or before.   This is one of my symptoms that doesn't completely go away. :-(  

So thankful for all I can do...

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Today's Bible Study

A Matter of Life and Death
Read | Romans 5:6-19

There’s a issue of supreme importance that we often forget about in the busyness of life and the daily challenges of relationships. It is the question of where people will spend eternity.

Looking at the human race from a divine viewpoint, we understand that at the end of time, there will be two groups: those who will live forever with God and those who will experience eternal death, separated from Him. Every living person’s final destination will hinge on the simplicity of receiving God’s forgiveness for his or her sins.

Nobody—saved or unsaved—deserves God’s mercy. No amount of good deeds, religious activity, or church attendance can earn the free gift of forgiveness and eternal relationship with our Maker. From the kindest to the cruelest, we each inherited the sinful nature of “the first Adam,” who was the first man to know the Lord and also the first to rebel against Him.

Without God’s gift of grace—namely, a new spirit, made possible by Jesus’ substitutionary death and resurrection—we could never be washed and made clean. Through a simple act of faith, we receive God’s offer of total pardon and a completely new spiritual nature.

Everyone is born into the world with a “flesh” nature bent away from God, (Rom. 8:7-8), and spiritual death can be avoided only through Jesus Christ and the forgiveness that He offers. Have you received Him as your personal Savior? If not, pray right now, sincerely asking for salvation. God wants you to receive His free gift of eternal life, perfect righteousness, and adoption into His family.

Looking forward to another great day....