Living in God’s Rest

by Joyce Meyer

God wants us to enjoy our everyday lives. John 10:10 (AMP) says that Jesus died for us so we “may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)”. But it seems so many people who say they believe in Jesus are not really enjoying their lives. It’s tragic to think that Jesus paid the price for our sins, that He suffered to make that sacrifice, and yet there are Christians who are struggling just to get by and make it through each day.


The key to having abundant life in Christ is living by God’s grace through faith. Because grace is His power working in us that enables us to do whatever we need to do in life.
When we try to do everything in our own strength and leave God out of the equation, we just get worn-out and frustrated by our mistakes and failures. But when we lean on God, we actually enter into His rest and can enjoy our lives, no matter what our circumstances may be.


Hebrews 4:9-11 (AMP) says, So then, there is still awaiting a full and complete Sabbath-rest reserved for the [true] people of God; for he who has once entered [God’s] rest also has ceased from [the weariness and pain] of human labors…. Let us therefore be zealous and exert ourselves and strive diligently to enter that rest [of God, to know and experience it for ourselves]….


Now the rest of God is not a rest from work—it’s a rest in work. It’s partnering with God to do what He is calling you to do by His grace, and leaving the part you can’t do in His hands, trusting Him to do it. Hebrews 4:3 says it this way: We who have believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on God) do enter that rest…. So we start by believing.


When I’m trying to believe, I haven’t entered God’s rest. But when I do believe, I have complete rest in Him. Living by faith is not a struggle—it’s rest. And you can enter into God’s rest in every area of your life.
I’ve discovered that the stress in my life is caused by the way I approach my circumstances and the attitude I have toward them. It was a turning point for me when I realized that the world will probably never change, but I could learn how to change the way I go about handling situations that are challenging.


One key to this is knowing that as believers in Christ, we are partners with God—we have a part and He has a part in everything He calls us to do. When we don’t do the part we can do and we try to do His part, that’s when we live stressed-out with worry, fear, anxiety, frustration, no peace and no joy.
The reason this happens sometimes is because we think God needs our help. We meditate on the problem—rolling it over and over in our mind, worrying, trying to figure out how things should work out. It’s like we’re telling God, “I kind of think You need my help, and I’m not sure You can take care of this situation, Lord.”


We need to realize that worrying is useless! It’s like sitting in a rocking chair, rocking all day, wearing yourself out and getting nowhere. Trusting God means we give up worrying, reasoning, and anxiety and we enter into His rest with simple childlike faith—we live by grace through faith!
Ephesians 2:8-9 is a great scripture that says we’re saved by grace through faith. And we walk out our relationship with God and His plans for our lives the same way we receive salvation: by grace through faith. This is possible because Jesus made the perfect sacrifice for us when He gave His life, taking our guilt and condemnation and paying for our sins. Through a personal relationship with Jesus, we access God’s grace so we can do what He’s calling us to do.


It’s so amazing to know that God is always with us, giving us His grace for everything we need to do in life. Trust God’s unconditional love for you today. Do what you can do and give Him everything else. And when you find yourself getting frustrated or feeling overwhelmed, like you just can’t do it anymore, remember to stop, get your focus back on Him and enter into His rest once again.

How Saying the Right Things Can Change Your Life!

   

I started smoking when I was nine years old and smoked for many years. I liked it! So when I decided to stop, it was really difficult.
Every time I tried to quit, I’d last a few hours and then I’d be running around, digging cigarette butts out of the trash or looking for cigarettes in my coat pockets – anywhere I could think to look for them!
I didn’t have success until I got a revelation: I was burying myself in defeat with negative confessions.

Why I Had to Stop Talking Myself Out of My Victory

I finally realized that I was causing myself to fail through the negative things I was saying about myself. For a long time I would say, “I just know I could never quit smoking. And if I did, I’d probably gain a lot of weight.”
Thankfully, God was able to get through to me eventually and help me see that if I didn’t change my confession, I wouldn’t change. Then, He began to put desires in my heart to start speaking what I wanted, not what I had.
I started saying things like, “I can’t stand to smoke! These things stink and they’re expensive. I don’t smoke anymore!”
At first, I felt silly doing this because I would make these declarations while I was smoking. However, within about a week of changing my confession, I realized I now had the grace of God to quit smoking.
What I learned from this is I cannot rise above my own confession.

How God Taught Me to Talk Like Him

Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” And Hebrews 4:14 (AMP) says we should “hold fast our confession [of faith in Him]”
Confession means “to say the same thing as.” As the High Priest of our confession, Jesus can only do what we’re saying that agrees with His Word. So it’s vital for us to learn how to speak the Word of God and not just say things based on our feelings or even what others have said about us.
I believe we’ll have greater success with this if we concentrate on what we should be saying, rather than focusing on all the things we shouldn’t say. It’s self-defeating to go around saying things like, “I shouldn’t do that… I’d better not do this…”
I want to encourage you to really listen to yourself. Where’s your heart? See Luke 6:45. We need to stop saying, “Oh, I didn’t mean that. I was just kidding.” And we need to start being accountable for the words we speak.
The truth is, the things we say come from something that is formed in our heart. So you can determine where your heart is by listening to yourself. You can hear bitterness and jealousy…insecurity and unhappiness.

What Changing the Way You Talk Will Do

“We all have room to grow in our relationship with God.”

Do you need a change of heart? All of us do. We all have room to grow in our relationship with God.
And the way to make progress is to speak His language…  

• Bless everything you can possibly bless. James 3:8-10 says we have the power to bless or curse with the words of our mouth.
• Be thankful and say so! (See Psalm 100:4.) Don’t just think about how much you appreciate someone – tell them!
• Be an encourager. Give someone an encouraging word every day.
• Tell the truth!
• Speak the Word of God. Recite and memorize verses that deal with things you want to change or overcome – anger, unforgiveness, insecurity…
• Don’t talk too much. Be quick to hear and slow to speak.

I encourage you to pray and ask God to help you use your mouth to say the right things. When you do, it will change your life!

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This article is taken from Joyce's four-CD series, The Power of Words.

Help for my soul...

 

As believers, we have to have a made-up mind. If we want to see God working in our lives, we can’t go back and forth on what we believe. If you leave church on Sunday all excited and feeling confident that God loves you, but by Tuesday, you’re wondering if He’s there or how He feels about you, that’s being double-minded. When you’re double-minded, the Bible says you’re unstable and it hinders the …promises of God in your life.

God wants us to be stable in Him and secure in His love for us. Sometimes, we have to choose to believe His Word even when we don’t feel it. You don’t have to make decisions based on your feelings; you can make decisions based on the Word of God!

Always remember, God loves you even when the pressures of life make it difficult to feel that love. Life will try to put a spirit of heaviness on you. Circumstances will try to bring you down, but God wants to take you up higher. He wants to do things in your life that no man can do. He wants to bless you, promote you, prosper you and encourage you. But, it all starts when you come into agreement with Him. You have to get up every morning and say, “God, I know You are for me; You’re not against me.” You have to have a made-up mind!

Today, no matter what you are facing, choose to believe God’s Word. Know that He loves you and wants the best for you. He is working in your life and taking you one step at a time. Let His love build confidence and security in you because He is faithful, and He will finish the work that He started in you!

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. (James 1:6-8, NIV)

How to Be a Confident Mom Part 1

by Joyce Meyer        

Bringing Up Your Children with Peace, Patience and Confidence

At one time or another, every mom has felt lacking in her ability as a parent. It begins with caring for your newborn. Am I doing this right? And then continues with toddler tantrums all the way through the teenage years. Am I making the right decisions? Are my kids going to turn out all right? When they make mistakes, will they know that God is on their side? Even when our children are grown-ups, they’ll forever be our children.
There are awesome responsibilities that come with being a parent, and while many men are committed to their families and deeply involved in their children’s lives, mothers tend to be the primary nurturers.


I have met young moms who feel they are not what they should be unless they can juggle marriage, parenting, home­making, and a career all at the same time.
Sometimes messy and difficult family situations like divorce, alcoholism, abuse, or other problems make it even harder to persevere with a positive, peaceful attitude.
Then there’s the worry that your children may not choose to pursue a personal relationship with God or walk through life with Him.
If you feel like your joy in motherhood is being overshadowed by family challenges or a swirling sense of self-doubt, I want to help you claim the confidence you need to enjoy the journey of motherhood.
I’m not talking about confidence in your own abilities; I am talking about having confidence in God’s ability to help you and guide you each step of the way. He intends for motherhood to be a joyful experience, and I want to help you learn how to lean confidently on Him.
One thing God doesn’t want you to do is worry. Some people think if they aren’t worrying about their children, they’re not good parents. However, the Bible warns us not to worry because it does us no good.
Matthew 6:27 says, “And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit) to his stature or to the span of his life?”
Like most parents, Dave and I had some kind of issue with each of our children. And I wasted a lot of time worrying while they were growing up.
Two of our children struggled getting through school, one was very messy, and another was an extreme perfectionist and put tremendous pressure on herself. The good news is they all made it and are doing fine.
Some of them took a little detour and made some bad choices, but they learned from them and came full circle back to what they were taught.
God's Word states that if we train our children in the way they should go, when they are old they will not depart from it (see Proverbs 22:6). If you are concerned about your children, just cling to that promise. Pray for their needs, and then cast your care on God.
Instead of feeling the pressure of worldly expectations, do the best job you can to raise your children according to godly principles and leave the rest up to God.

See Part 2
Get the full story and order The Confident Mom here.

The Reality of Being More Than a Conqueror in Life

 

by Joyce Meyer

Romans 8:37 says that Christians are “more than conquerors” in this world. But do we really know what it means to be more than a conqueror? I know it took many years for me to learn what it means and how to live the victorious life Jesus died to give us as believers.

Learning to Conquer

I remember many years when I went to church faithfully every week, yet my private life was pathetic. It was so frustrating because I really loved God and was a born-again believer, but I wasn’t experiencing victory over the problems in my life so that I could really live for God and help people.
As I eventually grew in my personal relationship with Christ and spent time studying the Word, I came to understand what it means to be more than a conqueror and how I could get there. And if I can do it, so can you.
To be more than a conqueror means that before you ever get a problem, you already know that whatever problem comes your way, you can overcome it through Christ. You live with confidence that God loves you no matter what and He will never leave you nor forsake you. And when you have this kind of relationship with Christ, you aren’t constantly afraid of bad news or of things that may happen that aren’t in your plan. When the unexpected happens or you’re disappointed, you won’t be devastated by it.
See, when you get a revelation of who you are in Christ, you know that with Christ on the inside of you, there is nothing that can happen that’s more than you are because there’s nothing that’s too much for Him! (See 1 John 4:4.)
It’s so important for us to get this truth down in your heart and see yourself as more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus. If not, then Satan will frustrate and confuse you and keep you from victory. And all the enemy wants to do is kill, steal and destroy what God wants us to have (see John 10:10). He wants to diminish you – make you small-minded and small in spirit so you’ll live a small, frustrated life.

Getting to Know Jesus

But we don’t have to live that way. Every person who confesses that Christ Jesus is Lord, repents of their sin and gives their heart to God is a child of God and belongs to Him. And in Christ, we are made right with God, we are His righteousness, and we have the power of Christ in us to live right.

“ In Christ, we are made right with God, we are His righteousness, and we have the power of Christ in us to live right. ”

So as we spend time with God in prayer and studying the Bible, we can access the wisdom and strength we need to make right choices and behave right. It doesn’t happen all at once or overnight, but we will make progress every day that we seek God this way.
I really want you to get this revelation of who you are in Christ as a born-again believer so you won’t be frustrated or discouraged or feel like you’re always under attack and just trying to get through the day. God has more for us than that!
When you make a mistake and the devil comes and tells you “You’re no good,” you don’t have to take on the guilt and condemnation he wants to put on you. No! You can immediately confess your mistake to God, thank Him for forgiving you and cleansing you with the blood of Jesus, and move forward in the victory of His grace and forgiveness.
I encourage you to learn who God really is. Get a deeper understanding of His character and His heart for you. Know that He loves you unconditionally. He is good. He wants to bless you and help you. When we know this truth, we don’t have to be tormented by doubts about whether God cares or whether He will take care of us.
Whatever your situation is today, God knows about it. He sees you and hears the cry of your heart. And if you will give Him your problems and do what He tells you to do, you will access His overcoming love, grace and power and be more than a conqueror. Because in Christ, as He is, so are we in this world!

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This article is taken from Joyce's four-CD series Bold, Confident and Fearless.

Inspiration for today

3030 Challenge

What is the 3030 Challenge?

Are you studying the Bible or just reading it? God doesn’t want us to just skim His Word…He wants us to meditate on it…to allow it to change us from the inside out. That’s why I’m issuing this challenge: to study God’s Word for 30 minutes a day for 30 days. I’m confident this will help you develop a habit of studying the Bible and discover the impact it can make on your life. Give God 30 days and see what happens.

Join the Challenge                                                                               Let Joyce Tell You Herself

Inspiration

Jesse Duplantis

Don’t Blend In, Stand Out

by Joyce Meyer

It’s hard to turn on the TV, listen to the radio, open a newspaper or look on the Internet without coming face to face with the evil of this world. I don’t know if we’re living in the very “last days” before Jesus returns or not, but I’m certain that we’re a lot closer today than we were yesterday.

A lot of Christians are interested in when Jesus is going to return, and I look forward to that day as well…but there’s a reason why God didn’t tell us when that day is coming. He doesn’t just want us to get ready for Jesus to come back. He wants us to live ready!

The apostle Paul wrote to his young apprentice Timothy and described to him what the “last days” would look like. If you read through the list of characteristics found in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, it sounds like a description of the world we live in: greed, arrogance, slander, and no self-control. The list is pretty accurate.

But in the next chapter, Paul gives Timothy specific instructions on how he is to handle these difficult times. He tells Timothy to “correct, rebuke and encourage” those around him (2 Timothy 4:1-5).

Now the encouraging part isn’t that difficult. I do a lot of that in my teaching and people accept it pretty well. But when I get into the “correct and rebuke” mode…that starts stepping on some toes.

God’s calling on my life, as a teacher of His Word, is to help people grow up spiritually so they can have the abundant life Jesus died for them to have. That means I can’t just tell them what they want to hear. When I stand before God to give an account of what I’ve taught, I’ll be responsible for telling folks what they need to hear, not just what makes them feel good.

Your Life is a Sermon

“Now Joyce,” some of you are saying, “I’m not a preacher like you or Timothy. What does all this have to with me?”

You are a preacher! Maybe not with your mouth all the time like me, but as a believer in Christ, your life is a living sermon. At work, at the grocery store, at school…your life should encourage others by showing them the love of God working in your life. And you don’t even have to open your mouth to do it!

So what kind of life makes a good sermon? It’s the kind of life that reflects the fact that you are a child of God. That alone will stand out in this world.

For example, I John 4 says we can live without fear because of what God has done for us. God promises that He will take care of us, whatever our circumstances or what’s going on in the world around us. People today are scared. They’re scared of wars, the economy, the government…it seems the news is a constant fear-fest these days.

We as Christians know that we are safe and secure in God’s arms and that He will always take care of us, even in the hardest of times. Our lives should reflect our faith in that Truth. That kind of living is what makes you “holy” or “set apart” from the world. The very fact that you can go out and live unafraid is a witness and a testimony to the world.

Prepare to Leave Your Comfort Zone

Safety doesn’t always equal comfort, though. Living in the world means we’re always going to see things and hear things that make us a little uncomfortable. And that’s OK. Sometimes God places us in situations where we’re uncomfortable just so we turn the light up a little bit brighter.

To do this, we don’t have to get all “religious.” There’s no need for you to walk around with your six-pack of Bibles and covered head to toe with bumper stickers. All you need to do is let your light shine. Loving, calm, happy, gracious behavior will stand out. That will be a light in a dark place.

In these tough times, we need God more than ever. And as we are the Body of Christ, God needs us to be acting on His behalf. He needs us to go out and shine His light into the darkness of the world. Believe today that in Christ, you have what it takes to not be afraid and to be a person that God can use to change people’s lives. 

Inspiration for the day

Inspıratıon

Daughter...

SOURCE

The Importance of Finishing What You Start

I remember a woman who came to one of my conferences. While she was there, she met several ladies who shared their stories of past abuse and how they overcame it. This really affected her because she had a lot of trouble in her life from abuse she’d experienced. By the end of the conference, she told me she’d learned a great lesson:

“The other women at my table had been set free from their issues,” she said, “but I was still dealing with mine―and now I realize why. God told me to do the exact same things He told the other women to do. The only difference was, they did what He asked them to do―and I didn’t.”

Have you ever had the feeling God wanted you to deal with something you didn’t fully address the first time around? I have, and it’s not a particularly good feeling. When we find ourselves in a situation like that, we need to be willing to back up and deal with that issue.

In other words, we need to finish what we start.

In Christ, We’re Able to Get the Job Done

Jesus didn’t come to set us partially free from sin. He died to set us completely free. And when God calls us to do anything in life, He’s not asking us to do it halfway.

Romans 12:1 AMP says, “I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.”

Paul is making the point that it’s reasonable for you and me to dedicate ourselves to do God’s will. It’s not radical or over the top. That’s why we’re here―to be beacons of His light, shining in a dark world. So we need to follow through with what God calls us to do.

The truth is, we will never experience the fullness of joy and freedom that’s available to us in Christ if we refuse to do what God tells us we should do. And whatever God asks us to do is for our good. He always has our best interest at heart.

Maybe you have someone in your life you need to forgive. Or you simply need to start eating right or be a better steward of your time, talents and resources. Or maybe you’re settling for less in a certain area of your life when God wants you to follow His plan to do something greater. I could give you hundreds of examples. But the bottom line is, with God’s help, we are able to do everything He asks us to do. And we need to be diligent about pressing in to do whatever it takes to get the job done right.

Why Not Just Pray for a Miracle?

Everybody loves miracles and it’s tempting to ask God to do the work for us, but I’ll tell you a secret: Miracles don’t mature you. For years I didn’t understand that. I just couldn’t figure out why I had to work really hard for my breakthroughs when God could just do it in a moment. But His ways are above our ways, and He has a purpose in everything He does!

“ There's nothing better than having the peace, righteousness, joy and satisfaction of knowing you've finished what God has given you to do. ”

There’s nothing better than having the peace, righteousness, joy and satisfaction of knowing you’ve finished what God has given you to do. The reward is so much greater than whatever price you have to pay. It may not feel good while you’re going through the process of getting there, but when it’s over, you have that satisfying feeling of knowing you did what God put in your heart to do. You can sit back, relax and watch God move!

I want to encourage you to partner with God to take care of any unfinished business you may have in your life. It’s amazing how quickly you can experience freedom if you will simply do what God has asked you to do by His grace, and finish what you start.

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This article is taken from Joyce's four-CD series, Why Do I Do the Things I Do?

Enjoying Who God Created You to Be

Start believing today that you are a rare, one-of-a-kind, valuable and precious woman. To help you learn how to be successful at being yourself, I want to give you some easy-to-follow suggestions:

1. Speak good things about yourself. Declare what God’s Word says about you. For example, say to yourself, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ. I am made acceptable in the Beloved. God formed me with His own hand, He loves me, and God doesn’t make mistakes.”


2. Avoid comparing yourself with other women. God must love variety, or all of us wouldn’t look so different. He has created each of us differently right down to our fingertips. We can look to certain people as good examples to follow, but even then, good traits if duplicated will manifest differently through our individual personalities.


3. Focus on your potential instead of your limitations. Refuse to concentrate on your weaknesses except in an effort to turn them into strengths. Keep your flaws in perspective. People with a high level of confidence have just as many weaknesses as those without confidence, but they focus on their strengths instead of their weaknesses.


4. Learn to cope with criticism. If you dare to be different, you’ll have to expect some criticism. Going along with the crowd when you know in your heart that God is leading you in a different direction is one of the reasons women don’t succeed at being themselves. You won’t be comfortable in your own skin if you go against your own convictions.

You are a woman who is perfected and complete in Him. When you start to believe that, you will no longer feel that you are lacking anything or that there is anything wrong with you.

Remember this: God will never anoint you to be anyone other than yourself. Let now be your time to go forward and be set free from the torments of comparing yourself with others and trying to be someone you’re not. God is proud of who He made you to be!

For more encouragement and wisdom, pick up a copy of Joyce’s book, Woman to Woman.

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Scriptures to Encourage You

Psalm 119:73
Your hands have made me, cunningly fashioned and established me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.

Psalm 139:13-18
For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery].

Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. How precious and weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I could count them, they would be more in number than the sand. When I awoke, [could I count to the end] I would still be with You.

Romans 5:5
Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.

1 Corinthians 8:3
But if one loves God truly [with affectionate reverence, prompt obedience, and grateful recognition of His blessing], he is known by God [recognized as worthy of His intimacy and love, and he is owned by Him].

2 Corinthians 5:21 
For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].

Ephesians 1:6
[So that we might be] to the praise and the commendation of His glorious grace (favor and mercy), which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.

And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, Who loved us and gave us everlasting consolation and encouragement and well-founded hope through [His] grace (unmerited favor), comfort and encourage your hearts and strengthen them [make them steadfast and keep them unswerving] in every good work and word.

How To Succeed at Being Yourself

It's tough to enjoy life when you don't like yourself. People who haven't learned to accept and get along with themselves tend to have more difficulty accepting and getting along with others. Yet, the Bible repeatedly tells us to "love your neighbor as yourself." I personally spent years having a hard time getting along with people, until I finally realized through the Word of God how my difficulty with other people was actually "rooted" in my difficulties with myself. 

The Bible says a good tree will bear good fruit, and a rotten tree will bear rotten fruit. Likewise, the "fruit" of our lives comes from the "root" within us. If you're rooted in shame, guilt, inferiority, rejection, lack of love and acceptance, etc., the fruit of your relationships will suffer. However, once you have a revelation of God's unconditional love for you and begin to accept yourself and others, eventually these new roots will produce good fruit, and your relationships will thrive. 

Here are a few tips I believe will help you succeed at being yourself. 

1. Never say or think negative things about yourself, such as, "I never do anything right." "I'll never change." "I'm ugly." "I look terrible." "I'm dumb." "Who could ever love me?" Matthew 12:37 says, ...by your words you will be justified..., and by your words you will be condemned…. Proverbs 23:7 says, …as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he. In other words, the way we talk and think about ourselves reveals how we feel about ourselves. 

2. Speak good things about yourself (as private confessions) in line with what the Word says about you. For example: "I am the righteousness of God in Christ." "I am made acceptable in the Beloved." "God created me and formed me with His own hands, and God doesn't make mistakes." I like starting the day making good confessions. Perhaps you can do this while you're driving to work or cleaning house. I also encourage you to look in the mirror and say out loud, "God loves and accepts you, and so do I." You may even try hugging yourself. This is beneficial to people who have lacked love and acceptance in their lives. 

3. Never compare yourself with other people. God must love variety or He wouldn't have created us all differently—even down to our fingerprints. You'll never succeed at being yourself if you're trying to be like someone else. Other people can be a good example to you, but duplicating even their good traits will manifest differently through your individual personality. 

4. Focus on your potential instead of your limitations. Actress Helen Hayes was told early in her career that if she were four inches taller she'd be the greatest actress of her time. Her coaches tried various methods of stretching her, but nothing increased her height. She refused to concentrate on the supposed limitation of being five feet tall and decided to concentrate on her potential. As a result, she was eventually cast as Mary, Queen of Scotland—one of the tallest queens who ever lived. 

5. Find something you like to do that you do well, and do it over and over. If you spend your time doing things you're not good at, it'll frustrate you and cause you to feel defeated and unsuccessful. 

6. Have the courage to be different and deal with criticism. Be a God-pleaser, not a man-pleaser (see Galatians 1:10). If you dare to be different, you'll have to expect some criticism. Going along with the crowd—when you know in your heart God's leading you a different way—is one reason people don't succeed at being themselves. You won't like yourself very much if you go against your own convictions.

7. Don't let the way another person treats you determine your worth. 

8. Keep your flaws in perspective. People with a high level of confidence have just as many weaknesses as people without confidence, but they concentrate on their strengths—not their flaws or weaknesses. 

In conclusion, let me remind you of my opening statement: It's tough to enjoy life when you don't like yourself. When you learn to succeed at being yourself, you'll be well on your way to enjoying life more fully.

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This article is taken from Joyce's book, How to Succeed at Being Yourself.