"Self Acceptance and Self Love" how do they fit in with the Life in Christ?

"The moment we accept ourselves as we are is the moment we can change.  That is the moment where everything can shift." Quote from Nick Ortner.  

Translation - When we hate or dislike who we are, or how we act or feel, we are in a place of rebellion to the Lord because we are rejecting His feelings and love for us.  We become a victim to our circumstances, actions or feelings and we become locked into a place of negativity surrounding a circumstance or event in our lives that we have no power over.  

"Self Acceptance" from the viewpoint of accepting God's unfailing love for us instead of "Self Love" is the key to healing.  The premise of accepting ourselves and our shortcomings and failures allows us to take responsibility for the way we are and the way we feel.  Therefore giving us the freedom to change the way we think about ourselves, therefore the possibility to change our actions and reactions to circumstances in our lives.  

When we feel like a victim, or use it as an excuse not to move forward in our lives we become stuck and feel defeated.   We are powerless to move forward into what God has for us and wonder why the things God has promised us are not coming to pass.  

It is because we all have issues that we do not know how to deal with.  Yes, we all have some issues, every one of us.  Even the "successful" pastors, evangelists or missionaries.  Yet somehow it seems to us they are moving forward and are able accomplish God's work for His kingdom.  What is stopping us?  

When you realize the truth of the fact that God loves you, as you are - failures and all, and accept that fact as truth, you can then allow yourself to choose your actions, thoughts and feelings about yourself.  

Have you ever had a habit that you wanted to kick  or something that you wanted to change how you react to but just feel stuck and powerless?  The more you try to change the situation the more frustrated you feel about it and actually create more negative feelings about yourself surrounding it.  

I challenge you to take responsibility for the negative habit or reaction you are trying to change.  Ask yourself "In what way have I made this 'thing' my friend?  What benefit do I get out of continuing this negative action?"  Be honest with yourself!  

When you find the true reason why you are holding onto the 'thing' you would like to get rid of, take responsibility for holding on to it and forgive yourself for doing so.  Ask God to forgive you and accept his forgiveness and love for you.  You will find a new found power to 'act' instead of 'react' when faced with the situation you are trying to change.  

You will need to replace the negative thoughts and feelings about yourself with the truth of the fact that God created you and loves you as you are.  He is the one who gives us the ability to change and to become more Christ like as is His will for us.  We have to be willing and open to follow Him and learn His ways to do so.

Hence the act of "renewing our minds" which involves giving up our naturally built in "self preservation" goal that the "fight or flight" reaction we have unconsciously to every circumstance in our lives stems from.  We view everything and judge it through our "fight or flight" automatic reaction.  We have to realize this and take responsibility for the choices that we have made and allow God to come in and change our way of thinking.  We have to allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds!

Food for thought:

Food for thought:  Have you ever thought about what would and would not be enough for you at the end of your life? 

What you have done/are doing in your lifetime?  Is it enough for you to look back at the end of your life and feel like you have fulfilled your calling/purpose?  What  have you set aside to do someday that you could start working towards today?

I just had a very rude awakening a few minutes ago - the thought overwhelmed me that if I left this earth, would I be satisfied with what I have accomplished with my life so far?  The answer for me is a resounding "NO".

So I guess I better get working on the things that matter most to me today!

Is CONTROL in the life of a disciple of Christ, a good thing or a bad thing? What makes it good or bad?

I noticed the word is "Control" - not "self - control".  

If the Control is over others, then, no, it is manipulation, which is witchcraft. 

If the Control is over situations or circumstances, I think it is a false control, because while we have authority over those things that we can line up in Gods will, we cannot control anything else just for the sake of control itself. To think we are in control of anything is misleading, we are deceived. We have to allow God to be in control of things. 

Self-control is of course a good discipline. God requires this for us to be able to serve Him fully. I think we need a lot of "self - control" for God to put in in "Control" over other things. We have to prove that we can be trusted. 

We also need to know our limitations, and be able to trust God to take us beyond those limitations.

Pondering Life - Where do I belong?

Everyone wants to feel like : we belong to a group, we are a member of a team, or we are a part of a family. We want to feel "important" to someone. This is what makes us tick as human beings, this is what drives us as a species to fill the void and seek to answer the dreaded question "Where do I belong?".

I have heard people say that we should not seek man's approval, or desire to fit in, but instead we should seek only God's approval and love. I agree, we should not seek man's approval, and God's purpose should be very important to us, but God has created us with the insatiable desire to "fit in" somewhere. Finding "where" we belong is the God given driving force inside us to venture outside of our comfort zone to join a group, church, workplace, or simply to make a new friend. It is a force that can affect how we feel about ourselves, leaving us feeling fulfilled or lonely. If there is no place for us in a group we are not going to stay connected or committed to it.

This is why people seek to become part of a church. It is imperative that churches learn how to help people feel like they "belong" to the group. Whether it is in the position of church attender, volunteer worker, or staff member, we need to feel like we are a part of the "team" or a "family" member. If the american church does not learn how to do this it will soon be empty. People will seek out a group of friends that will make them feel important and loved. I hope the church wakes up to this realization and implements the idea of belonging before we completely lose the next generation.

When I walk into a church service and no one bothers to say hello to me or even smile at me, I feel like I should not bother to even come back again, no one seems to care or noticed that I was there in the first place. This has happened to me time and time again in churches that I have attended for many years at a time. Frankly I am tired of it, I know other people feel the same way I do.

Some successful businesses seem to have this concept of group down. They try to make the workplace have a "team" or "family" atmosphere. They know that if a person feels important they are much more apt to do a better job and be more committed and loyal to the workplace. It is just a part of how we are wired as humans, how the Great Creator wired us to be.

This is what I am looking for - a "team" to belong to, a "family" that treats me as an important member who is valued. I belong to God, and yes, I have found all of my purpose, importance, and value in God, but I still have an inbred desire to "feel like I belong" to His people.

Maybe you feel the same way I do, don't give up, don't stop looking. You will find that place where you belong too. God has a purpose and a place for you in this world, I promise you.

Pondering Life - Stand Firm

"Whatever Satan can do to chase you from what God has called you to, he will do. Do not let fear, finances or anything stop you from what God has called you to do. Stand firm, because if he can chase you with it once, he will always chase you with it, and you will never get free of that thing until you look it in the eye and defy it.” - David Hogan, missionary to Mexico.

So if finances can stop you once, then that is an area that Satan will always use to try to stop you. Get a hold of what God has called you to, and press through every obstacle. Do not let your circumstances order your steps, let God. And then stand in faith, and God will come through.

Pondering - The Bride of Christ

Pondering Life - The “Bride of Christ”

What does it really mean to be the “Bride of Christ"? If you have ever been to church, you have heard this phrase thrown around like it was a household name. What does this really mean anyway, and how does it affect me in my personal life?

I watched a movie today, Good Will Hunting. It has a lot of strong language in it, and some crude sexual jokes, but the story line is near and dear to my heart. The gist of the film is about a kid who is in trouble and is heading down the wrong path in life. Will needs to find himself, who he really is, what his passion is, and what path he is going to choose.

He sees a psychiatrist, court ordered, who ends up sharing with him that one thing in his whole life was worth living for. All of the heartache, all of his sacrifices, all of his missing out on fun times with his friends, all of it was worth it for this one thing - spending the time he did with his late wife.

He talked about how when you find someone worth loving you should love so deeply and take the risk to become vulnerable that you expose all of your imperfections to each other, intimately knowing every little thing about each other. He talked about how she moved him, and how he was inspired and challenged by her. He talked about waking up next to her feeling complete and completely and truly happy. He talked about how he missed the little imperfect things about her. It was not the big things in her life, but the little stuff about her that he loved and missed the most.

Then it hit me, she was his bride, and he loved her with all of his being. She was worth it all to him, all of the hard times, the heartache, the risks he ever took, everything he ever went through in life did not compare to the way he loved her.

This is the way God loves us, His Bride.

He longs to commune with us in every way, intimately knowing every little thing about us, all of our imperfections. He loves us so deeply, He longs for us to be moved by Him, and inspired and challenged by Him. He longs for us to wake up beside him and feel completely and truly happy, feeling at one with Him, feeling His peace. He longs to comfort us with his breath, so near to us, knowing that He is right there with us at all times. He loves us so completely, He wants us to be so in love with Him, and completely satisfied in His arms that we will do anything He asks of us knowing that His love is there to guide us.

This is what it truly means to be the “Bride of Christ” - that we surrender to God the father so completely that our life is driven and purposed by His love. Our being is so deeply intertwined with Jesus Christ, His son that we live and move as one with Him. We can feel the Breath of His Holy Spirit on our necks so close to us that we know His peace deep within our souls. This is how being the “Bride of Christ” affects me in my personal life.

Pondering Life - Finding Our Way Through the “Dark”

We all have to find our way through the “dark”, the “dark” being this world.

It is dark because man chose separation from God at the fall of mankind in the beginning of time. Jesus is the light, the only true light. There are many false lights, little lights, or light wannabe’s. When we surrender out lives to the true Light, Jesus, then some of the darkness in our lives is abolished as light destroys and replaces darkness, but we still have to navigate the light through the remaining darkness in the world. Only at the end of time will there be no more darkness.

Therefore even as dedicated, mature Christians following the Lord, we have to find our way through the “dark”. It is much clearer, the path of light, if we are open to the Lord and follow His light, but sometimes we have to seek and discern which direction His light is leading us. This is a natural response to following the lighted path in this dark world. This is what we have been commanded to do – seek and you shall find, ask and you shall receive, knock and the door will be opened to you.

Following the lighted path is not automatic and it is not always cut and dry and clear. Sometimes it is even challenging or difficult. It requires persistence, determination, patience and resolve. Persistence and determination to keep seeking, asking and knocking. Patience and resolve to stand firm and believe what the Lord and His word has spoken to you.

This is the sum of our daily walk as a “follower of Jesus”, a disciple, a true Christian.