We are not who others say we are, We are who God says we are!

 

Sometimes in this life we struggle with how we look.
We tend to focus on our flaws, instead of seeing who
we really are. 

Society today tells us to look a certain way!

But the Bible holds the truth!

We are not who someone says we are,
We are not someone's opinion of us,
We are not who society says we are, or
how we should look!

We are all beautiful and unique in our own way, we are
made in the image of God.

Here is what the Bible says:

Psalm 139:14 

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Ephesians 2:10 
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

1 Samuel 16:7 
For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

Genesis 1:26-27 
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

God Bless and for daily motivation go and follow
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The Beatitudes , Ten Commandments and Fruits of the Spirit

 

THE BEATITUDES: MATTHEW 5:1-12

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called
children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of
righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and
falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven,
for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who
were before you.

Fruits of the Spirit

As a Christian full of the Holy Spirit you should have these
fruits. We are a new creation in Christ, and we are known
by the fruits we bare.

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, 
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; 
against such things there is no law.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS: EXODUS 20:3-17

You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall make no idols.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your 
God in vain.
Keep the Sabbath day holy.
Honor your Father and Mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your
neighbor.
You shall not covet.

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How not to be taken for granted Biblically

The Bible says in Leviticus 25:17(NIV)
Do not take advantage of each other,
but fear your God, I am the Lord your God.

We as Christians are to follow Christ's example by serving and
having compassion for those in need.

But sometimes we as Christians get treated as pushovers and
taken advantage of by the people we are trying to help.

Jesus was not a pushover, he did not let others take advantage of
him. Jesus modeled Godly service and set healthy boundaries.

So if we follow his example, and seek guidance from the Holy Spirit,
we can do the same, and not be taken advantage of.

First we should pray and ask the Holy Spirit, so we will know when
and how to help.

Second we offer them our service as a hand up, not a hand out. We
are not to support someone who isn't willing to help themselves, they
have to learn responsibility.

Third we should offer resources and encourage them to break the cycle of
dependency, so they will be able to give back and help others. We want to
help them in the long run, not just a today fix.

Fourth share the gospel, the person is only going to experience authentic
and lasting change through a relationship with Christ. If they are willing
to listen and try, and reverse this dependency on others

Fifth don't neglect your own responsibilities. We should manage our own 
household first, our finances, our time, so that we can take care of our bills
and care for the ones in our household. 

Even Jesus took time to rest and be alone to pray. He knew that he had to
take care of himself so that he could serve others effectively.

Follow the model Jesus set for us, the main focus is helping them find
a relationship with God, transforming their hearts and renewing their minds.

The bottom line is we should help out in crisis or in need, but if they
are constantly coming to you for help, that is taking advantage of your
kindness, and that is not OK. Let them know, it's a one time deal, and 
give them resources to help them and most importantly tell them about
Jesus, and help them build a long lasting relationship with the one who
can guide them and teach them on how to live a Godly life. We need to
have wise discernment.

When the Bible tells us we are to help, we are not to do this to a point
where it's detrimental, some people live an irresponsible lifestyle with
no accountability. So there has to be limits, help someone, but if it
becomes a chronic life pattern, it is wrong for us to continue to help.
It is actually harmful to contribute to their lack of effort or change.
We need to encourage them to make an effort to change.

If someone is not willing to take any steps towards a solution, it's a
hopeless cause, and they are taking advantage of you, because it's
easier to get someone else to do the work than for them to change.

The Lord provides for us, so we must be wise, and give back to him.
We are to provide for the needs of our families, that means your own
household, not your entire family line, each household is responsible for
their own household.

Let's use discernment and wisdom so we can make wise decisions!

God Bless and for daily motivation go and follow My Facebook Page

How not to be a doormat Biblically

Doormat- is a term used to describe someone who allows others to
walk all over them, figuratively speaking.

Jesus did not teach his disciples to be doormats, he taught them to
glorify God and teach others. So we need to take this example and do the
same.

This might sound harsh, but sometimes we are doormats because we have a 
selfish motive behind it. We might allow it because we have insecurities and 
low self worth, we might fear rejection, and allow our personal boundaries to
be crossed.

We might do this to be appreciated, loved, and for validation, instead of
relying on God to do that. It rarely works, and then we end of feeling worse.
We need to find validation and our self worth through God, not people, if not
we will always be disappointed.

We can avoid being a doormat by understanding our true worth. We
are created in the image of God. God wants what is best for us. 

Psalm 139:14(NIV) I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully
made, your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

We are no one's doormat, we are Sons and Daughters of the Most High
King.

We need to set healthy boundaries. Healthy Boundaries make Healthy
Relationships.

The word NO is a powerful word and statement, which we can say with
love.

We need to learn that enabling someone's sin or irresponsibility is not
love, it's self-indulgent, selfish fear. It is our own desire so that others will
love, appreciate, or need us, instead of letting them experience their own
consequences.

When we set Healthy Boundaries, it frees them to reap the consequences
they have earned and hopefully learn from it. 

When they ask us to violate our Boundary, we simply say NO politely. 

Look at it this way, God loves us, he is not afraid to say no, when he
needs to.

We become doormats because we are afraid to say no, when we need to. 
Sometimes it comes from childhood trauma, or witnessing our parents
being a doormat. Christian Counseling can help. 

We can take a stand and learn to reject the lies Satan has embedded in us 
and renew our minds with God's truth, we are not doormats, we represent
Christ. We are to be a great example and be a bright light in the world.

God Bless and for daily motivation go and follow My Facebook Page

How to live a Christian Life

In order to live a Christian Life-First You must be saved!!
(Read my blog post on how to be saved)

Once saved You are a new creation in Christ!
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
(2 Corinthians 5:17)
All true Christians have the Holy Spirit
living inside of them, to help guide them, teach them and
keep them throughout their lives. 

Everyone needs a bible to read and study and meditate on.
This is our daily spiritual food, everything we need is in there. 
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
(2 Timothy 3:16)

You need to renew your mind daily.
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you
will be able to test and approve what God's
will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.
(Romans 12:2)

You need to rely on Jesus, we can't live a Godly life
without Him.
Without me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
On our own we can do nothing, but with Him we can do
everything.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
(Philippians 4:13)

Pray about everything and anything! Give it to God!
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made
known to God. (Philippians 4:6)

Tell others about Jesus! And He said to them, Go into
all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
(Mark 16:15)
Tell everyone the good news about what Jesus has done and
how to make it to heaven and have eternal life with Him.

Our lives should compliment what we share.
We are known by the fruits we bare.
(Galatians 5:16) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will
not gratify the desires of the flesh.
(Galatians 5:18) But if you are led by the Spirit,
you are not under the law.
(Galatians 5:22) the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-
control.
(Galation 5:25) If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in 
step with the Spirit.

We should forgive, love and show mercy to each other.
(Ephesians 4:32) Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
(John 13:34) A new commandment I give to you, that
you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are
to love one another.
(Matthew 5:7) Blessed are the merciful, for they shall
receive mercy.

We should avoid temptations! They will come, we must be
careful not to go down that path. When they arise God has
promised us a way of escape. (1 Corinthians 10:13) 
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to
mankind. And God is faithful;  he will not let you be tempted
beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will 
also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 
.

Avoid the things of the world(materialism) make your
relationship with God the priority of your life.
(1 John 2:15) Do not love the world or the things in the
world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not
in him." This means it's important to focus on God's values,
rather than the things the world says are important, like lust,
beauty, and material objects. 
(1 John 2:16) For all that is in the world—the desires of
the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in
possessions— is not from the Father but is from the world.  

We are not perfect, sometimes we fail. We have flesh in us.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our 
sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(1 John 1:9)
We also have an enemy(satan) who loves to remind
us of our past sins. We need to look at the cross and
realize that Jesus took care of our sins(past, present
and future). We can never  lose our salvation. He wants
us to come to Him and confess and thank Him.

Be careful the company you keep. Do not be deceived: evil
company corrupts good habits. (1 Corinthians 15:33)
These are people who could cause us to stumble.
Have Christian Friends, like minded individuals.  
(Hebrews 10:25) We can encourage each other,
help each other, worship together, teach each other and learn.

Living the Christian life doesn't mean we will never have
problems.
(1 Peter 5:8) says that there is an enemy who wishes to
destroy us: Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the
devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone
to devour. But we also read that Jesus has overcome the
world! And if Jesus has overcome the world and we have
the Holy Spirit living in us, we can overcome our  problems
through Him.

But no matter what you might face in this world, living a life
for Christ is worth it, knowing you will have eternal life with
Him in Heaven.

As a Christian we are not perfect-we strive to be-We know
we need Christ!!

God Bless and for daily motivation go and follow 
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