Have you ever wondered why people only seem to be willing to change during the first part of the year. Particularly the first two weeks of a new year. Seems silly to wait until a new year to decide to make a change. Well God makes all things new everyday, according to his word so let's dive in and see how we can start today making the changes we want so that we can become the women of God that he intends us to be.
This Week's Scripture Focus: 2 Corinthians 5:11-12
"11. Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart."
As children, we live without a care in the world. We believe anything is possible and we live carefree knowing everything is as it should be. Somewhere along the road of becoming a woman we lose that belief and we begin to question our ability to accomplish our dreams and the things we desire in our heart. We get beat down by the enemy and start to believe the lies he feeds us about not being worthy and not being good enough. We believe we are too fat, or too thin or not smart enough or any number of lies that our inner voice gives us. We create a negative mindset that brings us to a point that we just give up and decide that nothing will ever change in our lives. Experiences from the past just serve to reiterate these lies, but what does God say about that?
In verse 11, God shows us that he sees who we are clearly ("What we are is plain to God" NIV). We have to begin to see ourselves as God sees us. Fully and completely beautiful and capable of accomplishing the dreams that he placed in our hearts. Yes, if you have a dream it is because God is leading you to accomplish it. The doubts come from listening to the enemy so we must let go of the beliefs that have been formed because of our past experiences and look forward to the future that God sees ahead of us. We must trust that how God sees us is accurate. He sees us as perfectly imperfect children and he wants to be the loving father who helps us accomplish our dreams.
Being proud of who we are in Christ is exactly the way we bring others to the realization that God is alive and real. Verse 12 says, "We are not trying to commend ourselves...[BUT] so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart." Being confident in your ability to accomplish your dreams and goals isn't bragging, but it is giving others the opportunity to see that with God all things are possible if your heart is right with him. It is showing that it's not about what has happened in the past or what you have done so far, but it's about what is in your heart that counts. If your intentions are in the right place then everything else will come together. It is giving others the opportunity to see that when your heart is right with God and you're following your true and authentic calling, nothing that happened before counts because God uses flawed and messed up people everyday to accomplish his mission. We have to be bold in our belief that God is working in and through us so that others can see that boldness and grab hold of that belief for themselves.
Application:
1. Take time this week to make note of the lies that you are listening to in your head. Write them down and spend time rewording them to become the truths that God wants you to believe for yourself.
2. Be aware when those negative thoughts control your actions or your inability to act and start to make changes that move you forward instead of hold you back.
3. Start a "journal of change" and begin to write everything down that comes to mind when you visualize where you want to be in the future. (i.e. what is holding you back, what lies are you believing, what relationships are keeping you from being your best, how can you make positive changes to fix these things.) Don't worry about organizing it right now. Just write it all down. We will come back to it later to organize and use it to help us.
Until next time, keep pushing to be the amazing woman of God that he sees you to be.