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Being True To Yourself
You want to change – to be a better person – but consider that you may just be secretly living a lie pretending to be someone you are not. I'm sure there are many of you out there who have also struggled with defining who you are as an individual within the boundaries of Christian living. The truth is that sometimes we do have to behave in discord with our heart in order to obey God's command to love. “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12 - NKJV) But because of our new life in Christ, our heart is not something we need to try to change on our own anymore. I liked to think that I was capable of being good on my own, but the truth is, “God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him” [emphasis added] (Philippians 2:13 – NLB)
The awkwardness of feeling phony, when we're trying to be the better person we intend to be, may cause self-doubt in the sincerity of our actions. God warns us of the power of our tongues to destruct ...”ruin(ing) your whole life.” (James 3:6 - NLB) and commands us to think good thoughts “Fix your thoughts on whatever is true and honorable and right” (Philippians 4:8 - NLB) but He didn't say anything about making sure we meant it. The gift of being a Christian is that we can go ahead and behave and think lovingly toward others AND OURSELVES and the heart will follow. It is these very same thoughts and actions that give us the freedom to become better people and lead more rewarding lives as our hearts are inevitably changed as a result – yes, as a RESULT.
The heart, most commonly known as the bearer of our feelings, gets a bad rap for being responsible for our failed attempts to become better people. If it doesn't feel right we tend to find that hard to ignore. Because the heart DOES hold much of how we value ourselves and how we choose to conduct our lives, it is the hardest part to change. God never asks us to change it...on our own that is. Fortunately, the product and springboard from which our lives blossom, is the genuine part in which the Holy Spirit inhabits, and it can never be faked. God has all our bases covered and all we have to do is accept that the good is already here and behave that way.
The behavioural sciences have created this model to demonstrate human behaviour:
THOUGHTS --> FEELINGS --> ACTIONS
It also works in reverse:
ACTIONS --> FEELINGS --> THOUGHTS
Being true to yourself means accepting that it is God who makes things “right.” God is the center of it all (the heart and feeling) whichever end you go at it from. Be fair to yourself and others and act like the good is already there, because it is; being willing to strive for goodness in your thoughts and actions. The new and uncomfortable feelings are something we can rejoice about. It means we've recognized what it looks like when the Holy Spirit is working within us making our hearts more “right.”
TMO
What's God's Will?
Wow, it's been a spectacular year. By spectacular I do not mean the kind of wonderful speculated with the English language. I am talking about the kind of awe that comes from getting the opportunity to SEE God's work in action. The Bible and leaders from all over the world share the truth of God's promise to work in our lives for the good of all when we accept our gift from none other than Christ Himself. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16 - New Living Translation).
That's when the fun really begins. God's voice becomes "audible" in every form imaginable - and those not imaginable for that matter. The sweetest beauty of it all is the personalization of God's messages. He guides and teaches in a manner we will understand when the time is right. God promises to deliver. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6 - NLT). When we commit our lives to Christ we move forward with the Holy Spirit. God encompasses us on all sides - cleaning up from behind, clearing the way in front, and comforting us alongside - it's an abounding and rich feeling of assurance. God wants us to seek Him out in all we do. Rick Warren, the author of God's Power To Change Your Life, illustrated this very clearly, "Whatever you don't pray about is what you are trying to do on your own." This is a very powerful concept to guide your dependence on and growth in the Holy Spirit.
If you would like to read an incredible story that ingeniously demonstrates God's desire to work in each of our lives as uniquely as He has created each one of us, I recommend you read The Shack, written by William P. Young.
TMO
The Shack - book : William P. Young
God's Power To Change Your Life : Rick Warren
