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I know what it’s like to feel worthless and to feel like a failure. I know what it’s like to not want to get up and face the day or others. It’s not easy to move when your view of yourself is not what it should be. I struggled with who I was and why I was here. It was the lowest time of my life, but I also learned a few things in the valley.

I learned that who I see myself as reflects in how I behave. I also learned that who I see myself as is not who God sees me as. To get out of that pit of self destruction, I had to do a few things.

1. Realize that I am created in God’s image

In the very first book of the Bible, God puts His worth in you. He looked down and formed us after himself. He then said it was good. If God looks at you and sees that what He created is good, you should too. Don’t let circumstances in your life dictate your worth.

You are a valuable creation to God, not just a number. He knows the very number of hair on your head. If He cares enough to know that about you, He must place a high value on you. I love my son, but I don’t know how many hairs he has. God took the time to know you inside and out because you are worth it.

2. See myself as God sees me

When you look in the mirror, do you see what you think people see or what God sees? It’s easy to sit there and think, “I’m too skinny. Too fat. Too tall. Too short. Too ugly. Too undesirable. Too out of shape.” It’s hard to push those thoughts out and to look in the mirror to see what God sees. Scripture says that man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at your heart.

Don’t be fooled into putting your self worth on what people look at. See yourself as God sees you. When He looks at you He sees a marvelous creation. He puts enough worth on you alone that He sent His son to die for you so He could be with you. It shouldn’t matter if someone you know doesn’t place that value on you. God does.

3. Change my thoughts

Your behavior is a reflection of what you think. If you think negatively about yourself, your actions will show it. You won’t want to get up. You won’t want to be around friends. You will try to seclude yourself. That’s the most dangerous place to be. When you shut everyone else out, you have no support system. That is not what God wants for you.

Psalm 139:17 says, “How precious and weighty are your thoughts about me, O God (AMP / NLT).” If God thinks highly of you, don’t let your mind tell you otherwise. Think the thoughts that God thinks of you. Find out in scripture what God thinks of you. Surround yourself with people who will see you as God sees you. Tell them you need their help to see yourself that way.

You are God’s creation that He loves. He wants you to know that and to live like that. Just because circumstances tell you one thing, it doesn’t mean that it is God’s reality for you. God’s reality of who you are is greater than your circumstances. What do you need to change today to see yourself as God sees you?

I decided to plant seeds this year in my flower beds instead of planting blossoms. The result has been that I didn’t get instant gratification and that I’ve had to work and wait for the end result. I had to till the ground, plant the seeds at the right depth, water them and wait. Months later, I’m still waiting for them to bloom.

Jesus said our faith is like a seed. It can do a lot of things including moving mountains, but it can’t do anything until you use it. In our world we like instant results, but faith doesn’t work that way. It must be tended and watered. We often have to wait to see the results.

Here are 3 things you can do to your faith.

1. Plant it

Unless you take a seed and plant it, it remains dormant. Keeping your faith to yourself is like keeping seeds in the packet they come in. They can sit there for years and not do anything. A lot of Christians are that way. They go to church each Sunday and keep their faith in the packet.

You must plant your faith in others so it can grow. There can be no harvest until the seed is planted. I read a sign everyday on someone’s desk that says, “The best sermons are not preached. They’re lived.” Live the way God wants you to live in front of others so they can see your faith. Plant it in them and water it daily.

2. Exercise it

I Timothy 4:8 says physical exercise is good, but spiritual exercise is beneficial in every way. You exercise your faith by putting it into action. You do things with it that you didn’t think we’re possible. If you knew you could do something before you did it, it wouldn’t be faith.

You don’t start off moving mountains just like you don’t walk into a gym and bench press your body weight. It takes time, effort and exercise to get there. Live a disciplined life where you exercise your faith daily in various ways so that you get a complete workout and not just one big muscle.

3. Reproduce it

The flowers that I planted will not reproduce unless they blossom. Once that happens, it produces more seeds that will reproduce themselves. You need to let your faith grow and blossom so that you will have the seeds to plant in others. Paul said some plant, others water and some harvest.

Look for opportunities in others to harvest faith. Jesus told us to look at the fields because they were ready to harvest. We rarely look at the fields because we don’t want to offend others in this word of tolerance. We have to come to the point where we realize that souls are what matter to God and it should matter to us.

Where is your faith today? Is it sitting in the original packing still or have you gotten your hands in the dirt and planted it? Faith comes by hearing the Word of God and it grows when you do something with it. Faith without works is dead.

Many of us have been asked by God to do something for someone else. Some of us have been called to go into ministry whether it is full time or just volunteering in some capacity. It is common and easy to reject the idea that God can and will use you. It can be scary to accept that responsibility no matter how small or large it might seem.

God has simply asked for obedience from us. When we choose not to obey, we rob ourselves and others of the blessings that come with obedience. You may not see the value in doing something simple that God has asked you to do, but He sees the ripple effect of it. You may feel foolish doing it, but stepping out in faith is not a foolish matter. God uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise.

I’ve found 3 excuses that people use when God calls them to do something.

1. There are others who are more qualified

When God was looking for the next king of Israel, he sent the prophet to Jesse’s house. Jesse called all of his sons, except one. After the prophet looked at all of the sons, he asked Jesse if he had any other kids. He said he had another one, but he was just a shepherd. David’s own father didn’t see his potential to be king.

Others may not be able too see what God sees in you. You may not even be able to see what God sees. We compare ourselves to others and their gifts and talents. God doesn’t do that. He looks to your heart and sees if He can accomplish His will through you. If He sees that in you, you should too. Don’t see yourself through the eyes of others. See yourself through the eyes of God.

2. There are others who are in line ahead of you

When it was time for Ruth to be redeemed by her kinsman, he said there were others who were in line first to redeem her. He went to the family member who was more closely related and offered her to him. He gave an excuse that marrying her would endanger what he already had. He gave up the right of Ruth to Boaz.

There may be other people who have been in ministry longer or have been waiting to be used by God longer than you. When it comes down to it, God knows if they’re ready to be used or not. It’s not about the time you have been waiting, but what you have done while waiting to be used. Boaz was prepared to redeem Ruth and didn’t make an excuse. He immediately married her and had a child. That child was David’s grandfather. Immediate obedience yields future results.

3. You are not ready to be used

When God called Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, he made several excuses why he couldn’t do it. He asked, “who am I”, “what if no one listens to me” and then said “I’m not very good at speaking.” He was full of excuses why he couldn’t do what God asked him to do. He didn’t feel he was ready to follow his calling.
God did not call Moses nor you to do His will with your own ability. If He has called you, He will equip you with His ability to do His will. If you could do it on your own, you wouldn’t have to act in faith. When we step out in faith, God can accomplish more through us than we imagined. Take it one step at a time and God will accomplish the vision He has for you.

What is the next step God has asked you to take? What is keeping you from taking it? Don’t make an excuse that keeps you from doing what He asks. Step out in faith and trust Him to do what He said He will do. He won’t fail you or leave you alone.

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Each of us face giants in our life that stand in the way of what we are supposed to do. They call out to us and taunt us. They intimidate us and bring fear. They make us feel inferior and weak. We stress about them and worry that we can never face them or defeat them. We often lose sleep because of them.

In reading the story of David and Goliath, I found some helpful things that you can do to slay the giants in your life.

1. Don’t listen to negativity or bad advice

When David arrived at the battlefield, his own brothers ridiculed him. They told him to go home and to tend to his little flock. The king told him that he was too young and inexperienced. Saul then tried to give him his armor to fight, but it didn’t fit. David knew that it was bad advice and took off that armor.

David didn’t accept the negativity of others or their bad advice and neither should you. Life is full of people who try to bring you down, tell you that you can’t do it or even try to equip you with things that don’t work for you. You need wisdom to know what is good advice and to follow it instead. God said if you lack wisdom, ask him and he will give it to you.

2. Know your strengths and prepare

David knew what he was good at. He knew what weapons he possessed and he prepared ahead of time. He stopped by a brook and picked out 5 smooth stones. He armed himself before facing his giant.

God has given you unique gifts and talents. Don’t believe the lie that you don’t have any. If you know what they are, stir them up and begin to use them. Prepare to use them to face your giant. Don’t wait until the problem is staring you in the face to prepare for it. You know it’s coming ahead of time. Don’t procrastinate or ignore the giant. Your destiny is to defeat it. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you!

3. Know who you are and face it head on

David wasn’t intimidated by the giant or his words. David even yelled back at the giant that he was coming in the name of the Lord and that God would give him victory. He then ran toward the giant armed with his sling and defeated him.

Don’t be afraid to speak to your giant. Know who you are in Christ. Speak out loud who you are: I am a child of God. I am a royal priesthood, a holy nation. I have been called out of darkness. I am who God says I am and greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. When you know who you are and who you belong to, there is nothing that can stand in your way or defeat you.

What giants are you facing today? Have you let them intimidate you? Stand up, block the negativity, prepare to face it head on, proclaim who you are, go out and win the victory over it today.

You can have a closer relationship with God. Most people want to, but don’t know how to. On any given Sunday, if a preacher asks for those who want to be closer to God to come to the front, the altars would be filled. They flock at the opportunity on a Sunday, but don’t execute it on Monday.

James 4:8 says if you draw near to God, He will draw near to you. The problem is that we don’t draw near to Him, but we expect Him to draw near to us first. That’s not what the scripture says. It is our responsibility to make the first move. It requires more than you responding to that call on Sunday. It requires action on Monday.

Here are some ways I have found to help me draw near to God and in return, I have found that He has drawn close to me.

1. Set aside time for Him

In Psalm 5:3, David tells God that in the morning he prepares a prayer for him. David picked out a time for his meeting with God and he prepared for it. If you want to get close to God, make time for him. If you wait for an opportunity to meet with Him, it will never happen. Tell your schedule what to do or your schedule will tell you what to do. I have found that keeping a consistent time for meeting with God has helped me to draw closer. Before I would do it when I had time. I wasn’t consistent and I wasn’t hearing from Him as often either.

2. Separate yourself from distractions

Jesus said in Matthew 6:6 to go into your most private room, close the door and pray to your God. While there is a place for public prayer, intimacy comes from getting alone with Him and closing the door to other distractions. If you can’t find that place in your home without distractions, look for it elsewhere. Some people find it in a field, a golf course before it opens or in their car. Turn off your phone, the radio and tune out your thoughts so that you can be available to Him.

3. Give God time to talk

Back in Psalm 5:3, David says, “I watch and wait for you to speak to my heart.” Prayer is a dialog. Yes, David prepared a prayer for God in the morning, but he also waited on God to speak to Him. Drowning out thoughts and distractions while you wait is tough. You have to bring every thought captive and simply wait for God to draw near to you.

By doing these 3 things, I have found that I have become closer to God. In return, He has come closer to me. It takes consistency and execution each day. It isn’t easy to do, but if you want to truly be closer to him, you need to take the first step. What step(s) can you take today to start that journey?

As my son is becoming more independent, I’ve noticed that dangerous things seem to have a gravitational pull on him. He can be in an open area and immediately he will head for something dangerous. I constantly have to walk in his path to steer him from things that will do him harm. He usually fights me and tries to walk around me to get to it. I keep blocking him until he gives up, but then he usually sees something else that has the potential to be dangerous and heads for it.

I’ve found that we are no different spiritually. Our inner man gravitates to things that are not of God. It tries to get us to go places and do things that are dangerous for our souls. God sends the Holy Spirit to warn us and to block our path, but we try to elude him and his warnings. We then see something else that grabs our attention and head straight for it. He constantly tries to guide us to what is right, but we fight him each step of the way.

In Romans 7 & 8, Paul describes this battle perfectly. In 7:15 he says that he wants to do what is right, but doesn’t do it. I find myself in this predicament often. I know what I’m supposed to do and still the battle rages to get me to do something else. My mind comes into play and wants me to do what is wrong. I, like Paul, don’t want to do what is wrong, but I find myself doing it anyway. In verse 21, Paul said it was a principle of life that we do that.

So how do we overcome that? What did Paul do? Romans 8 seems to have the answer.

1. Do not accept condemnation

Condemnation is different than conviction. Condemnation brings shame and guilt. That is usually put on us by others or ourselves. It brings us down and makes us feel like failures. Conviction brings life and change. It is the job of the Holy Spirit to bring conviction and to steer us from spiritual dangers. When we still do what is wrong, he is there to remind us and to guide us to repentance and forgiveness.

2. Understand you have received freedom

After the Civil War, a lot of slaves stayed with their masters even though they were free. They didn’t know where to go or what to do with the freedom they had been given. We are not much different. We were born into the slavery of sin and once we were forgiven, we didn’t know how to act. We still revert back to that nature that we grew up in. Shake off those chains and walk in the freedom that you have been given. Verse 2 of chapter 8 says the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin. Walk, think and act like someone who is no longer bound by the old chains of your life.

3. Be controlled by the Spirit

Verse 5 of Romans 8 says that we are dominated by the sinful nature when we think about sinful things, but when we are controlled by the spirit we think about things that please Him. When we think on the things of God, we act on those things and they lead to life and peace.

Controlling what you think is a difficult task, but can be accomplished through the help of the Holy Spirit. Understand that you are no longer bound by the things that had you before so you can now live and act in a way that you know is right. Don’t fall for condemnation, but accept conviction and make the changes. What things are you allowing your mind to think that are keeping you from doing what you should do?

In Luke 18, Jesus tells the story of two men praying in the temple. One man, known to be very religious, prayed near the door where everyone could see and hear him. He thanked God that he wasn’t like other people who were sinners. He also listed off all he did for God in this prayer. There was another man, not known to be religious. He was away from others and wouldn’t even lift his head toward heaven as he prayed. He begged God for mercy and forgiveness. Jesus said of these two, that the man who was praying for mercy was the one who was justified, not the religious man.

Jesus didn’t call us to be religious. He called us to be humble and to walk in his ways. It’s easy to get caught up in doing things for God so that others will notice, but that is not what he is looking for. Each time that happened in scripture, Jesus said that they had their reward. We win God’s approval and the lost by being humble and doing what he asks.

Here’s a few ways you can do that.

1. Be humble

Constantly God reminds us that he rejects the proud and exalts the humble. It’s one thing to let others know what you are doing for God so that they can assist and another to let others know so you can feel superior. God looks past the outside and into our heart. He knows our motives… and so do others.

When we do things for God, we don’t have to broadcast it. People, especially non believers, are paying attention. They may never say anything to you, but they are watching all the same.

2. Practice more than you preach

There are enough people out there preaching more than they practice. I Timothy 4:12 tells us to be an example in what you say, how you live and in your love, faith and purity. Actions speak louder than words. Sometimes people can’t hear our message over the actions of how we live.

What would the world look like if we practiced more than we preached? St. Francis of Asisi said that we should preach at all times and use words when necessary. Simply said, live like you should and you won’t have to preach them a sermon to reach them.

3. Don’t get diverted

Everything in this world wants to pull you away from what you are supposed to do. It all competes for your time and energy. I Timothy 4:16 says to keep a firm grip on both your character and your teaching. If you do, both you and those who hear (see) you will experience salvation.

Set up an accountability partner to help you stay the course. If you know there are areas where you easily get off track, be open and honest with someone to help hold you accountable to keep a firm grip in that area. You will both profit from it.