Change Your Self-Image

Written by Terri Savelle Foy

When I was a little girl growing up in church, many times they would call all the children of the church up to the front for the guest minister to pray over. We would all be lined up waiting for the preacher to get to us and wondering what he might say. I would hear all these amazing things about the kids down the row, then I would hear the preacher say things to my sister like, "You're bold and courageous! You're a powerhouse! You're a lion!"

I would be standing there just waiting to hear what awesome things he might say over me. Suddenly, he'd get to me and his voice would become very soft and he'd almost whisper, "And you're just precious! You're a little sweetheart. You're a peacemaker and a little lamb." I thought, "That's not fair! I want to be the lion!"

Face Your Faults with Courage

by Rick Warren

“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.” (1 John 1:8 NLT)

Many of us wear masks of some sort. We don’t want anyone to see the real us; we don’t want anyone to see our faults. Often, we try to cover up our faults and mistakes in one of two ways:

·         We blame others. Adam did this after he ate from the tree. He blamed Eve (who blamed the snake). We’ve been blaming others ever since. We don’t want to admit our faults, so we turn the attention to someone else. We just want to get the focus off of us.

·         We also make excuses. We pretend nothing is wrong. Life is going great. We’ve got it all together. Unfortunately, pretending doesn’t work. The Bible says in I John 1:8, " If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth" (NLT).

You have to face your faults to be freed from them. Face it head on, and own it: “I did it. I’ve been arrogant in how I’ve treated people. I haven’t been a good father or a good husband. I’ve been a poor leader.” It’s time you just said it.

Don’t use the word but at the end of the confession. Don’t say, “It’s not a big deal.” Don’t try to tell people it’s really a strength. Just admit it, and be free.

No Safety Net

Mary Southerland

Today’s Truth
“The Lord answered him, "I will be with you. It will seem as if the Midianites you are fighting are only one man" (Judges 6:16, NCV).

Friend to Friend
I was born to be an elementary school teacher – period. So when a total stranger tapped me on the shoulder and said, “While you were singing, God told me that you are supposed to be my Music and Youth Assistant this summer,” I felt sorry for him. He obviously needed to have his hearing checked.

I had just graduated from college with an elementary education teaching degree. A good friend was leading worship for a local church and asked me to sing a solo in the evening service. That’s all – or so I thought. When the service ended, my good friend introduced me to his good friend, the hard-of-hearing stranger, and said, “You should at least pray about his offer.” I did. And here I am – thirty years later – an unlikely servant who lives in constant amazement at God’s plan for her life.