Are you tired of playing games, wearing masks, and trying to be someone other than who you are? Wouldn’t you like the freedom just to be accepted as you are, without pressure to be someone you really don’t know how to be? Wouldn’t you like to learn how to succeed at being yourself?
God wants you to accept yourself and like who you are. He doesn’t want you to reject yourself because of imperfections. He wants you to learn to deal with your weaknesses. Because the truth is, we all have plenty of them.
The Bible tells us that Jesus understands our weaknesses (Heb. 4:15), the Holy Spirit bears us up in our weakness (Rom. 8:26), and God chooses weak and foolish things of the world to confound the wise (1 Cor. 1:27).
If I look at my weaknesses and tell you what I believe my value is, it would be less than nothing. But I have learned that my worth is not based on anything I do, but in what God has already done.
It’s wonderful not to start the day by waking up and hating yourself before you ever get out of bed. It’s wonderful to no longer hear the devil rattling in your ears a list of all the mistakes you made the day before. It’s wonderful not to have him remind you of what a failure you are.
Many people are beat down before they ever get their feet on the floor in the morning. The devil’s plan is to deceive us into basing our worth on our performance, then keep us focused on our faults and shortcomings.
Satan wants us to have a low opinion of ourselves and be insecure so that we live ineffectively for God. This mindset makes us miserable and unreceptive to God’s blessings, because we don’t think we deserve them.
Once we come into peace with ourselves, we will begin to come into peace with others. If we learn to accept and like ourselves, we will accept and like others. I know this is true from personal experience. The more I am able to accept and like myself in spite of my weaknesses and flaws, the more I am able to accept and like others in spite of theirs.
Every one of us is imperfect, and God loves us just the way we are.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Joyce Meyer is one of the world's leading practical Bible teachers. A New York Times bestselling author, her books have helped millions of people find hope and restoration through Jesus Christ. Through Joyce Meyer Ministries, she teaches on a number of topics with a particular focus on the mind, mouth, moods and attitudes. Her candid communication style allows her to share openly and practically about her experiences so others can apply what she has learned to their lives.
Joyce hosts a TV and radio show, Enjoying Everyday Life, which broadcasts worldwide to a potential audience of 4.5 billion people. She has authored 100 books, which have been translated into more than 100 languages. More than 12 million of her books have been distributed free of charge around the world, and each year millions of copies are sold.
Joyce conducts close to a dozen domestic and international conferences every year, teaching people to enjoy their everyday lives. For 30 years, her annual women's conference has attracted more than 200,000 women from all over the world to St. Louis for specifically themed teachings by her and guest speakers.
Through her teachings, God has provided opportunities to meet the needs of the suffering and bring the Gospel in a practical way. Joyce's passion to help hurting people every day is foundational to the vision of Hand of Hope, the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. These outreaches around the globe include feeding programs, medical care, homes for orphans, and programs combatting human trafficking. In her hometown of St. Louis, Joyce and Dave, her husband, founded the St. Louis Dream Center (SLDC) in 2000. The SLDC serves the inner city through hands-on programs targeted at reaching the lost and hurting with the love of Christ.
Over the years, God has provided Joyce with many opportunities to share her testimony and the life-changing message of the Gospel. Having suffered sexual abuse throughout her childhood, as well as just dealing with the struggles of everyday life, Joyce discovered the freedom to live victoriously by applying God's Word to her life and in turn desires to help others do the same.
Joyce is and continues to be an incredible testimony of the dynamic, redeeming work of Jesus Christ.
