Eleven Great Reminders

Yesterday, I was reading Lies Young Women Believe, for like the millionth time. I absolutely just love that book and the blog website. But anyways, at the end of the book there are 22 amazing "powerful truths that can conquer every day lies." They are great reminders, and I want to share 11 of them with you today. I'll do the other half later in the week.

1. "When you are having a REALLY bad day and are tempted to feel that God is not good...

God is good, and everything He does is good." Psalm 119:68- "Thou art good and doest good. Teach me thy statues." We all have those days where everything seems to be going wrong. Either you are having a family issue, or you dumped your lunch all over your shirt, or whatever the case is, it's just not your day. Sometimes we just feel like God isn't good and doesn't know what's going on. But the Bible contradicts that. God is good no matter what is going on in our lives.

2. "When you feel far from God and are tempted to feel that He doesn't love you...

God loves me and wants me to have His best." God IS love. We cannot do anything to deserve His love and He certainly doesn't love us because we are worthy of being loved, but His love is unconditional and loves because He is love. Nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Romans 8:38-39 says, "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

3. "When you feel ugly or fat...

I am fearfully and wonderfully made." It's one of those days when you just feel like you aren't very pretty. Maybe your hair is being frizzy and annoying, or your make-up won't look right, or you feel like you weigh a bajillion pounds-- whatever it is, you just think you are ugly. Just remember this: God created you and designed every single detail of you with His own hands. God doesn't make "ugly" people. Of course you are going to have a bad hair day or one of those days at some points, but never forget that you were made fearfully and wonderfully by the Maker of the universe. "I will praise Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.' -Psalm 139:14

4. "When you feel rejected....

I am accepted in Christ." Maybe we feel like we don't fit in, or we aren't accepted in a certain group, or rejected by a family member or friend. If we are cleansed by Christ's blood, then by God we are accepted. We don't have to do anything or perform or act to get God to accept us. "Even though we are sinful, we can stand before God clean and totally unashamed, acceptable to Him. How? Because Jesus-- the pure, sinless Son of God-- is acceptable to Him, and we stand accepted before God through Jesus!' (LYWB p188 ) Whether we have the approval of people or not, it really doesn't matter if we are acceptable to the King of Kings. Ephesians 1:4-6 'According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."

5."When you feel you need more 'things' and are consumed by your desires...

God is enough." Psalm 23:1 "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want." Ever feel like you NEED something? Like there is no way you can be happy without it? The cute shirt at the mall, or that guy at church, or...anything! God will meet all of our needs. God can fill the deepest desires and longings of our hearts. No matter what else we think we "need", God is enough.

6." When you feel anxious about your circumstances...

God can be trusted." We also hear, "oh trust God", but why should we trust God? Well, in my Bible class about Habakkuk in 2008, my teacher Mr. Neuman put it this way: "Trust God because He is trustworthy." That's so true! God has kept every promise. He knows everything. He will never let us down or disappoint us. God has a plan for us, and if we trust Him, than we have no reason to worry. Jeremiah 29:11- "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and future."

7. "When you feel like something has happened to you that will ruin your life forever...

God doesn't make mistakes. (Isaiah 46:10) Sometimes other people make serious mistakes that affect our lives. But if we belong to Christ, He is holding our lives, and nothing can touch us that has not first been 'filtered through His fingers of love." That doesn't mean we won't have problems--we will! But if we will embrace those challenges as being from His hand, He will use them to draw us closer to Himself and to make us more like Jesus." (LYWB p 189)

8. "When you feel like you can't handle a problem you're facing....

God's grace is enough for me." God will never give us anything that we can't handle. Although we might feel like we will never be able to stand in a trial, God does not allow anything to come to us that He didn't allow. If we are tempted, than it's because God allowed it. If our dad just lost his job, it's because God allowed it. God will give us the grace and the strength to get us through anything. No matter what we are going through, His grace is enough to get us through. Second Corinthians 12:9- "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness..."

9. "When you feel like your sin is too great for Him to forgive...

The blood of Christ is sufficient to cover all my sin." " But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." -1 John 1:7There is no sin too great that God can't forgive through the blood of His precious Son, Jesus Christ. Sometimes this fact makes us see sin as less of a big deal when we know we are always going to be forgiven. "Oh, I can do this, because Christ will just forgive me." That's not how it should be. If we remember that our sins were the reason that Christ died, we should have an even greater desire to obey God.

10. "When you feel like you'll never be able to overcome a sinful habit...

The cross of Christ is sufficient to conquer my sinful flesh.'' WE HAVE BEEN SET FREE FROM THE POWER OF SIN BECAUSE OF CHRIST! That just always amazes me sooo much! We are no longer slaves to sin because Christ set us free! If we do sin, it's because we have obeyed our flesh. There is going to be a constant battle between the spirit and the flesh. But we can overcome any sin struggle by the power of Christ who dwells in our hearts. Revelation 1:5 "...freed us from our sins by His blood.''

11. "When you feel like your potential is limited by your past...

My past does not have to control my future." Our enemy, the devil, tries to trick us into thinking that from our past sins and failures, we are made worthless and will always have to struggle with the burden of our past sins. But if we are truly believers, then we have been cleansed and set apart for God's purpose. Our old mistakes can be made into good-- lessons learned and they may become the pathway to an even greater blessing. Philipians 3:12-14 says "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

So....what do you think? I'd love to hear your comments on this post! If these encouraged you or helped you in any way...make sure you check out the next eleven truths later this week!