Self-Esteem Boosters

1. Be positive!
2. Think on good things. Phil 4:8
3. Take the word "I can't" out of your vocabulary
4. Speak life and encourage yourself!!
5. Encourage others
6. Receive a compliment with a simple "thank you".
7. Spend time with girlfriends that are close to God and are upbeat about life. It may be time to get some new friends! Get some eagles in your life! ( Watch for a blog on this one)
8. Take care of your self daily. Eat right, exercise, laugh, fix yourself up daily even if you are staying home.
9. Read the Bible!
10. Talk to God daily and LISTEN!
    

More tips later!

" God sees our Possibilities" It is so wonderful and comforting to know that when everyone else, including us , only sees our faults, God sees our possibilities. quote from Joyce Meyer, Daily Calendar.

You are beautiful!

Just in case no one has told you lately......

You are beautiful! God sees you as His daughter, a Princess of the King, and you are beautiful.
You are more beautiful that the grandest sunset, the most awesome award winning rose, and the greatest masterpiece ever designed. God sees His children as His best creation! You are a child of God, fearfully and wonderfully crafted by the hand of God. You are the best and most beautiful creation known to God!

Rejoice in who you are today. I encourage you to change the way you view yourself. Profess what God created, not what your mind and others come up with. You are beautiful to God and there is nothing that can separate you from the love of God. (Romans 8)

Scripture reference: Psalms 139:13-16, Ephesians 2: 10

The stream

On a recent trip to the mountains, I decided to go for a walk to get some fresh mountain air. As I walked I could hear the birds singing happy tunes and the trees rustling. I could feel the wind blowing through my hair as I slowly made my way to a stream. I quickly began to bask in the peacefulness of nature and to reflect on the goodness of God, the Creator. The water in the stream caught my attention. It was as if the water in the stream mesmerized me and drew me into its flow. It totally captivated my spirit! All my cares of the day seem to vanish in that one moment of being captivated by it.

I noticed that not all of the stream was flowing the same. In some places the water trickled over the rocks and in other places it was completely still. It had one area where the water was rapidly moving with power to move the twigs in its way. In that moment God got my attention! The Holy Spirit prompted my spirit that I needed to "listen". Be still and listen as I teach you about me! WOW!

The stream began to encourage me on life. God was showing me that He is forever flowing in my life by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the Holy Spirit is still or quiet, yet other times He is like a small trickle leading me over the rocks of life. God even began to show me that at times the Holy Spirit can be like a raging river rapidly moving with power! There are times in our life when we need God to be the still small voice and other times we need the Holy Spirit to come in with force like a rushing river, with the power to move whatever is in the way. God will be what we need at the time of our hurt, crisis, and even in our joy.

At the very moment we accepted Jesus we received the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is forever in our favor and seeking the best for us. We must, however, be attentive to Him, taking the time to stop and listen to the stream of God in our lives. If we will stop and listen the Holy Spirit, He will guide us no matter what the situation. Maybe you need God to come in like a rushing river, but will you be attentive when He does? Or maybe you just need a touch of quietness and peace in your day. Will you be attentive? The Bible tells us that He will be our Comforter, Counselor and Best Friend. The Holy Spirit is available to encourage, to teach, and to lead us in the right direction. (John 14-16)

Listen! God will encourage you and lead you. He knows the best way. I encourage you to listen to the stream, inside of your heart called the Holy Spirit. Be attentive. Take time to stop and listen to the stream that is flowing. Enjoy the presence of the it and you'll be refreshed and rejuvenated when you do! Be captivated by the stream in your life!

Whoever believes in me as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within in him. John 7:38

Qualified!

Qualified to Be Free!

Qualified? Are you qualified? In this day, you hear the word qualify many times and in various circumstances. Large companies want qualified people, and colleges want those that qualify for acceptance and scholarships. Real estate agents question potential clients quickly with “Are you prequalified?” I know in talking to many women, I have found that as a whole we will try to qualify ourselves. We question our abilities and talents wondering, am I really qualified to do this? Sometimes a woman will question whether she is qualified to serve God! Our world today sends us the message that if you don’t qualify, then it is not going to happen. It is sort of a Qualify or Else Theory. Thank God that He has no prequalification! No matter who or what walk of life you come from, all you have to do is confess your sins, ask forgiveness, and accept Him as your Savior. No paperwork! You qualify! Praise God!
You have been qualified by Christ to share in the inheritance with God’s holy people. You have an inheritance because of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ. God considers His children special, and you are a child of God. You are His princess! I want you to see the future that you have because you are in Christ. You are no longer who you used to be, and it is time to move forward in Christ. Hold your head up, smile big, and call yourself a precious child of God! It is vital to your self-esteem healing that you see how precious you are to God and the inheritance you have because of Christ. A princess walks with strength and dignity, and that is what God is calling you to do. To begin to see yourself differently, you must look at the change that took place when you gave your life to Christ. When you received Christ into your life, you received so much more than just your salvation. You received His love, His healing, His restoration, His victory, His forgiveness, His compassion, and so much more. Often we fail to realize the magnitude of the gift in our salvation. You accepted Christ as your Savior; now accept Him as your Healer. Let Him walk you into all that He has for you through Christ. He freely qualified you; now walk
into your rightful place as a princess!

Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:12, NIV

(Excerpt from Free To Be A Princess Self-Esteem Bible Study)

Lead me on level ground!

Teach me to do your will for you are my God, may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. Psalms 143:10

This past April my husband and I took a trip of a lifetime to Hawaii. It was fabulous! While there we were the typical tourists taking in all the sites and enjoying the tropical islands. We booked special tours that would allow us to see parts of the island that we couldn’t get to by car. One of our favorite tours was when we kayaked up the river into the rain forest to a Secret Water fall. The only way to get to the Secret Waterfall was to go by kayak and then hike a trail through the rain forest.

On the day of our tour we started at 7 a.m. in the morning meeting our tour guide and getting a kayak lesson. We were at the mercy of our tour guide for the day as to what to do and where to go. The guide got us started in the kayak and away we paddled down the river which was calm and easy. There was not a lot to navigate until it came time to stop. We pulled our kayaks ashore and wondered which way next? It all looked the same to me and my husband. Once again we looked to our trusted tour guide for direction. We had no idea where to go!

However, our tour guide was exceptional! He was very knowledgeable of the rainforest, the trail, and was concerned about our safety. He would tell us where to watch our step and tell us when to follow him for a detour. He knew the danger spots of the trail where water washes out or rocks slide. He said the trail can always change, but he knew the way. Some of the trail was rocky, up hill, twisting, and through the wet ground of a rainforest. At one point, we were walking on the very edge of a cliff with no rails and a raging river below us. As long as we stepped where the guide instructed all was great! We followed him so that we would stay on course and be safe. Can you imagine the trip without a tour guide? We may still be there today! I was so thankful for our tour guide. He led us to a beautiful waterfall that was breathtaking! I love waterfalls, and this Secret Waterfall was 130 feet tall, undisturbed, hidden in the mountains of Kauai, Hawaii. Beautiful!

In remembrance of this awesome experience I can’t help, but to compare it to my walk with God. God so desires to lead me on level ground that He has given me the Holy Spirit as my own personal “tour guide” through this journey of life. I can be led through good times and the bad times because He knows the way and His word says, “He will never let the righteous fall”. I can go through life balanced and steady no matter what is going on around me. How often do we attempt a journey, tasks, and even daily life without a tour guide? We try to handle it all and be in control, as if we know the way and what is best. We try to juggle the husband, kids, house, career, church, and all of it sometimes following our own plan rarely consulting the tour guide. If we will allow God to lead us and trust him like I did the tour guide, He will always lead us on level ground even if life gets like a raging river. Sure, we may have some hills, and valleys, but the Holy Spirit will always lead us the best way. We have to ask the Holy Spirit to be the “tour guide” for the day, give him permission to lead, and trust His guidance! Every morning we need to ask him to teach us to do His will and then be led by the Spirit on level ground. We all need help not to get entangled by the confusion of a wrong path, a mistaken turn, or to step off into the unknown without asking for his guidance.

I challenge you to ask yourself and God where you have stepped off the level ground without His guidance. I encourage you to stop and follow your “tour guide”. The Holy Spirit will lead you on the level ground that God has laid out for you. The journey to the beauty of all that God has for you will be worth it because He so desires to pour out His spiritual blessings along the way. Why not follow Him, walk in peace, and in step with a solid footing rather than going out on your own? Seek God, Seek the Ultimate Tour Guide, and walk through life on LEVEL GROUND!!

A word to mom's of teenage boys

I thought I would share something that was very interesting as the mother of a teenage boy. Pass it along if you like it applies to both boys and girls.

I am reading a book titled Shaping the Man inside the Teenage Boy, surviving and enjoying these extraordinary years by Bill Beausay. It is really a great book and I recommend it to all who have a teenage boy!!

To paraphrase, the author stated that “…he learned a lot from an interview with a big drug lord”. He asked how he could get so many kids to come his way. What is it that you do to attract them? The reply was “I am there". I am at their school, on the streets and every where they are. You (the parent or the church) are not! I AM! I, the drug lord, am willing to talk, listen etc. How about the parent? In other words the drug lord is right where they are getting involved. Where are the parents?

His suggestion is that parents need an in your face approach to getting involved in their sons life. If parents don't someone else will. How often do parents drop kids off at school, football games, events, etc. and never look back - and even church youth events? How about parties or kid hang outs where the parents have never checked into the other kids or the place???


Made me stop and think. Do I want to be involved or leave the door open for someone else to???? HMMMM. Parents of teenagers in this age need to WAKE UP!!!

Just thought I would share and you could pass this along to parents of teens.

Lesia Glick