DON'T MAKE THAT MISTAKE!

“What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet” (Psalm 8:4-6).

Thousands of dollars have been spent on millions of words in hundreds of books that have been written about dozens of ways to improve our self-image & increase our self-esteem…..Yet, maintaining a healthy self-image is, surprisingly, as simple as doing four things: 1) Read God’s Holy Word, 2) Obey God, 3) Think healthy righteous thoughts, & 4) Find a Bible based purpose for your life that pleases your Creator & yourself.

When you encounter difficult times in your daily walk with Jesus, you may lose self-confidence & start focusing on your past mistakes & what others are thinking or saying --- YOU ARE MAKING A MAJOR MISTAKE!! You are looking over your shoulder & allowing Satan to use your past to beat you down & failing to remain focused upon God --- DON’T MAKE THAT MISTAKE!!!! Instead, seek God’s guidance as you focus your eyes on Christ & your energies on becoming the best that you can possibly be for God!!! And when it comes to matters of self-esteem & self-image, seek approval not from your peers or the worlds, but from your Wonderful Creator God!!

The following common-sense, Biblically-based tips can help you build the
kind of self-image, & the kind of life, that both you & God can be proud of:
1. Do the right thing; If you’re misbehaving & habitually sinning against God, how can you possibly hope to feel good about yourself? (Romans 14:12)
2. Watch what you think; Listen to the Holy Spirit! When a thought makes you uncomfortable, you need to stop -- begin training yourself to think thoughts that are more pure, holy, & righteous. Also, think good positive thoughts about yourself, instead of negative ones. (Philippians 4:8)
3. Spend time with encouragers, not critics; Are the people you call your friends putting you down? If so, FIND NEW FRIENDS! (Hebrews 3:13)
4. Don’t be a perfectionist; Strive for excellence, but never confuse it with perfection! (Ecclesiastes 11:4-6)
5. If you’re addicted to something unhealthy - STOP! If you can‘t stop - GET HELP!! Addictions, of whatever type, cause you to take your focus off of God, & create havoc, disorder, grief, & low self-esteem in your life. They disrupt your fellowship with your Heavenly Father. (Exodus 20:3)
6. Find a divine purpose for your life that is larger than you are; When you’re dedicated to something & someone greater than yourself, you will grow & blossom, & the rewards are wonderful. (Ephesians 6:5-8)
7. Don’t worry about self-esteem or self-image; Instead, be concerned about living a life that is pleasing to God! Learn to think optimistically. Find people to love & serve, & seek to please God with your service; when you do, your self-esteem will, on most days, take care of itself.

See yourself through God’s eyes, not through Satan’s or the worlds!!!!!!