Be Positive Toward Yourself

If you truly want to become a better you, it is imperative that you learn to feel good about yourself. Too many people live under condemnation, constantly listening to the wrong voices. The Bible refers to the enemy as "the accuser of the brethren" who would love for us to live our lives guilty and condemned. He constantly brings accusations against us, telling us what we didn't do or what we should have done. He'll remind us of all our past mistakes and failures.

Many people swallow these lines with little or no defense. They walk around feeling guilty, condemned, and extremely disconnected with themselves. They go through the day without joy, without confidence, expecting the worst and often receiving it.

Granted, no human being is perfect. We've all sinned, failed, and made mistakes. But many people don't know they can receive God's mercy and forgiveness. Instead, they allow themselves to be beaten up on the inside. They are so hard on themselves. Instead of believing that they're growing and improving, they believe that voice telling them, "You can't do anything right. You'll never break this habit. You're just a failure." When they wake up in the morning, a voice is telling them what they did wrong yesterday and how they'll probably do something wrong today. As a result, they become extremely critical toward themselves.

Sure, we all want to be better human beings, but we needn't beat ourselves up over our shortcomings. I may not have a perfect performance, but I know my heart is right. Other people may not always be pleased with me, but I'm confident that God is.

Similarly, as long as you're doing your best and desire to do what's right according to God's Word, you can be assured God is pleased with you. Certainly, He wants you to improve, but He knows that we all have weaknesses. We all do things that we know in our hearts we shouldn't do.

We should learn to receive God's forgiveness and mercy. Don't allow those condemning voices to play repeatedly in your mind. That will only accentuate a negative attitude toward yourself. If you have a bad attitude toward you, it will hinder every area of your life.

As long as we're doing our best, we don't have to live condemned, even when we make mistakes or fail. There's a time to repent, but there's also a time to shake it off and press forward. Don't live with regrets.

Quit condemning yourself. Your analysis and observations may be true, but it doesn't do you any good to put yourself down. Let the past be the past. You cannot change it, and if you make the mistake of living in guilt today because of something that happened yesterday, you won't have the strength you need to live this day in victory.

Understand that you are not a surprise to God.

God made us. He knows everything about you, and He still approves you. He is pleased with you. You may have faults, but you are still the apple of God's eye. You may not be where you should be, but at least you're not where you used to be. Quit condemning yourself.

Take the pressure off yourself; give yourself the right to have some weaknesses and not to perform perfecly 100 percent of the time. When you make a mistake, don't sit around guilty for two or three weeks. Immediately go to God and say, "Father, I'm sorry, I repent. Help me to do better next time."

We all have areas in which we need to improve. However, God does not focus on what's wrong with you. He focuses on what's right with you. He's not looking at all your faults and weaknesses. He's looking at how far you've come, and how much you're growing.

If you want to receive something good from God, come to Him humbly and with reverence, but come to Him with boldness. "God, I've made mistakes, but I know You love me, and I'm asking for forgiveness; I'm receiving Your mercy." Then go out expecting God's blessings and favor.

Perhaps you think that God could never forgive you. You've made too many mistakes, blown it too many times. But let me assure you, nothing that you've done is too much for the mercy of God. Your heavenly Father is not looking for ways to condemn you or to chew you out. He stands before you with His arms held open wide. If you are far from where you know you ought to be, you need to know that God is waiting for you, and the moment you take one step toward Him, your Father will come running to you.

Maybe you have been away for a long time, living in guilt and condemnation, feeling that God could never make anything out of your life.

Today can be a new beginning. God has mercy for any mistake that you've ever made.

Even when we make mistakes, even when we bring the trouble on ourselves, God is so good, when we return to Him, He will not hold that against us. He will receive us back and make something great out of our lives.

The only way this can happen, though, is if we have the right attitude. We cannot continue wallowing in the dirt and expect to have God's best. You may not be where you should be in life, but don't sit around in self-pity.

A lot of people think God is mad at them, that He's keeping a record of everything they have ever done wrong, and they may have blown it one too many times. When they make poor choices, they wouldn't dare to go to God as ask Him for forgiveness and help. They assume they must pay for their own mistakes. Unfortunately, the way most people attempt to do so is by giving up on their dreams; they perpetually feel disqualified, depressed, and defeated, thinking they are paying God back by living at a much lower level than He intended them to enjoy.

But the good news is that the debt has already been paid. Why not accept God's mercy? Why don't you believe that God still has great things in store for you? Yes, you may have made mistakes, but nothing you have done is too much for the mercy of God.

He does not focus on your mistakes or your failures. He does not desire to make your life miserable or to ssee how much frustration you can take. God wants you to succeed; He created you to live abundantly.

You needn't go through life with that nagging feeling, God is not pleased with me. I'd be a hypocrite to ask for His help after all the mistakes I've made.

Quite the contrary, you are the apple of God's eye. You are His prized possession. Nothing you have ever done, or will ever do, can keep God from loving you and wanting to be good to you.

Dare to believe that. Shake off those feelings of guilt and unworthiness. It doesn't please God for us to drag through life feeling like miserable failures, trying to show God how sorry we are for our wrong choices. Instead, recognize that you are His child, that He loves you and would do almost anything to help you. Dust yourself off, straighten up, and throw your shoulders back, knowing that you are forgiven.

Develop this new attitude free from guilt and condemnation, and--most of all--free from the accusing voice. No matter how long it has been lying to you, telling you that you're washed up, that you've made too many mistakes, God still has a great plan for your life. You may have missed Plan A, but the good news is that God has a Plan B, a Plan C, and a Plan D. You can turn your face toward Him, knowing that He has already turned His face toward you.

Please know your heavenly Father's face is turned toward you. The good news is that God's face will always be turned toward you, regardless of what you have done, where you have been, or how many mistakes you've made. He loves you and is turned in your direction, looking for you.

Maybe you used to be excited about your life, but along the way, you experienced failures, disappointments, and setbacks. Perhaps those accusatory voices have been nagging at you, keeping you down, discouraged, guilty, condemned. You need to know today that God is running toward you. His face is turned in your direction. He is not an angry, condemning God. He is a loving, merciful, forgiving God. He's your heavenly Father and He still has a great plan for your life.

Moreover, God can restore anything that's been stolen from you. You may have failed a thousand times or lost everything you once held dear. But God has not run out of mercy. You can receive it today. It all starts by changing your attitude. Quit being negative toward yourself. Stop accepting the accusations and start receiving God's mercy. Stop dwelling on your past and quit listening to condemning voices. Instead, start putting on God's approval, knowing that He is pleased with you, knowing that you are forgiven and that He has a bright future in store for you. You can even learn to like yourself and begin feeling good about yourself.