SoftTouch
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I got this in an email from a friend today and thought it was really Great!
BREAKING FREE FROM A NEGATIVE SELF-IMAGE
By Linda Mintle, Ph.D.
Do you constantly put yourself down? Are you always thinking of ways to impress others? Can you accept a compliment? Are you dissatisfied with your body? Do you wish you were someone else? Do you brag to cover up insecurity? Do you secretly hate yourself?
Or are you proud of the fact that you love yourself? Armed with self-help books, tapes, seminars and workshops, you've practiced the gospel of self-affirmation. You've swallowed the lie that if you just feel better about yourself, everything else will fall into place. But it hasn't, and your self-image remains vulnerable to what people say and what you perceive. Under that façade of self-confidence is deep insecurity.
If you found yourself in either of these extreme descriptions, your self-image is distorted. Because we are created in the image of God, a
healthy self-image apart from Him is impossible. Yet in today's world, we are told over and over to deify, glamorize, beautify and pamper the self.
What results from all this self-focus is not a positive self-image but self-love or narcissism.
The truth? Our image is not rooted in the self at all. We are beautiful reflections of God - His handiwork and design. The problem is we don't see ourselves in His light. We often fail to understand who we are in Christ and search for affirmation from all the wrong sources.
God invites us to a personal relationship in which we can find ultimate acceptance. With His help, we can break free from a negative self-image.
Here are some steps that will get you going in the right direction:
1. Have a proper understanding of what self-image is. A SELF-image is based on your own ideas of acceptance and accomplishment. It is highly influenced by the culture and values around you. A GOD image, on the other hand, is built on the inherent dignity and worth you have as God's child. Because you were created by Him and reflect His image, nothing you do or accomplish impacts your worth. God chose you.
2. Remember that God esteems you when people do not. God cares about your heart and looks to things of eternal significance. People look on the outward appearance. Worth is often judged by looks, success and accomplishments. Scripture reminds us that we are accepted, secure and
significant because we are His.
3. Realize that at the root of a negative self-image is a lack of true identity. If identity is based on anything other than who we are in
Christ, it can be shattered. Identity in Christ is necessary to develop God esteem. No matter what your past, salvation changes you to a new
creation and immediately connects you to the family of God. He desires you, a daughter of royalty, to act like His child and reflect His image.
4. Daily renew your mind with the Word of God. Change begins in your thought life. As you think on things that are good, pure, noble, lovely
and of good report, review the promises of God. Identify the lies of the enemy and ask God to reveal His truth about who you are. This will help you to be at peace.
5. Change your behavior. If we follow cultural suggestions to build self-esteem, we will fail. There is never enough we can do to improve,
and we will always fall short. So stop striving for self-actualization and seeking ways to be loved. Obey His Word, and you will receive His blessings. Rest in Him and allow His love to transform you.
Satan doesn't want you to know your true identity. He hates the fact that you were created in the image of God, and he knows that if he can convince you to stop believing the truth, he has a chance to destroy you. Don't let him trick you into believing false views about yourself.
Begin to see yourself through God's eyes, and break free from a negative self-image today!
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Psalm 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
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