IN HIS IMAGE: A self-confidence tool
In Genesis 1:26, God says: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."
Have you ever doubted your self-worth? Feeling that you haven't accomplished anything or have nothing to offer this world? GOD SAYS DIFFERENTLY! We are made in His image! What is the image of God like?
1. God is an intelligent God. Who else but an intelligent God could have inspired all the words that we now know as the Bible…God's Holy word ? It took a lot of brain power to give many of these men the same gospel message and the details of actual historical events..past, present, and future.
2. God is an artist and a creative person. He created the whole beautiful universe from nothing . He has also given every artist in history their talent to produce great masterpieces.
3. God is a loving God. He gave His only son that we might be forgiven of our sins and have eternal life with Him in Heaven. His love extends to everyone no matter what their ethnicity or station in life.
4. God is an understanding God. He understood that we could not keep the law in its entirety and provided His grace so that we wouldn't have to keep it.
5. God is a good communicator. God gives us instructions on how to live the Christian life in easy, understandable terms. He is also a good listener and hears our every prayer.
6. God, in the form of Jesus was a very hard worker. He was a carpenter and made His own living.
7. God was a good psychologist. He gave us all the rules for living a happy and fulfilled life.
8. God is a persistent God. The same rules that applied in biblical times still apply today.
9. God is a patient God. He patiently waits for us to come to Him to accept Him as Saviour and to let Him lead our lives.
10. God is a forgiving God. He is always ready and waiting to forgive us of our sins, no matter how many or how severe they are.
11. God is a prosperous God. He owns the whole universe and since we are His children, that means that we are His heirs.
So how can we say that we have no self-worth when we possess all these same attributes?
Remember, we were all made in His image! If we weren't worth anything, God would not have given His only son to take our place on the cross.
What can you do to improve your self-image or self-confidence?
1. Make a list of all your accomplishments, whether small or large. Read them at least once a week.
2. Look in the mirror every day and remind yourself that you were worth the life of God's son.
3. Remember that you are God's child and you were made in His image so you possess all the characteristics of God. Look at the list again of what those characteristics are.
4. Express your love and concern for others. The more love you give away, the more love God gives to you.
5. Stop comparing yourself to other people. The only opinion you have to worry about is what God thinks of you! You have your own unique qualities which no one else possesses.
6. Try to find the one thing that you are better at than most other people. Concentrate on doing that one thing to the best of your ability.
7. Always do your best at what you do. When the task is finished, don't ask yourself, "Did I succeed or fail. Ask yourself if you did the best job you could do.
8. Always compliment others when they deserve it, but be sincere. This is one sure way to gain friends and keep them and you will be amazed at the compliments that you receive in return.
9. Remind yourself that :"I am the only ME that God made so He must have a special plan for me and I can succeed in that plan if I only follow His lead!"
10. Remember the common phrase: God didn't make any junk!!!
11. Instead of thinking "I am such a failure", replace that thought with "How can I do better next time?"
12. If you have children, look at some of their accomplishments and remember that you probably had something to do with some of their successes.
13. Remember that prosperity is not necessarily the one with the most money. Prosperity is having enough money, possessions, love, intelligence, and compassion to fulfill your own needs and enough left over to share a little with others! No matter how little you have, you can usually find someone who has less.
14. Concentrate on helping someone else solve their problems and your own problems will seem a lot smaller.
15. Remember to reflect His image in your own life so that others will see the love of Jesus in you and you will live a happy, successful life.
I, Loretta Hall, the author of this article am not perfect. I am a normal human being full of imperfections and flaws. However, with God's help, I have overcome many obstacles in my own life, and have learned to live a happy fulfilled life. I do this even without a husband or significant other in my life and you can too! I have been through a divorce, emotional and physical abuse; I am a survivor of a sexual abuse crime; and I have gone through many problems with my children. I have also had to do several career transitions.
Despite all this, I have come out of it happy and successful and with a good self-image because I was created in His image! If you need help with a self-confidence issue or any other problem, please check out my website at www.agapecoaching.us and allow me to help you.
God bless you and have a great day!
By Loretta Hall
Certified Life Coach
Copyright 2009 by Loretta Hall
& agapecoaching.us SURVIVING ABUSE: Part I Why did this happen to me? How could God let it happen to me? These are the questions we often ask ourselves when we are victims of any kind of abuse…whether it be spousal abuse or stranger abuse. Now that I have your attention, allow me to introduce myself. I am Loretta Hall, victim of both spousal abuse and a survivor of a sexual abuse crime. At the present time, I am a Certified Life Coach who specializes in helping people overcome the residual effects of abuse. Through the efforts of a Christian counselor and comfort, healing, and guidance from God, I was able to overcome and become a survivor and a helper to those who are going through similar circumstances. First, let me address the issue of sexual abuse. There are several stages that our mind and emotions go through after experiencing sexual abuse. 1. Guilt: I must have done something horribly wrong if God let this happen to me. God did not cause this to happen to you. It was the devil living in the heart of the perpetrator that caused it to happen. God is a god of love and nothing you did could separate you from that love enough to make Him consider revenge in that way. It will take a long time for you to do this, but you must learn to pray for the perpetrator's forgiveness and salvation so that this will not happen to anyone else and cause them the same grief that it caused you. 2. Fear: It will make you fear every man whom you come in contact with for awhile. This is normal after what you went through. Let your comforter (the Holy Spirit) replace that fear with love and forgiveness. Surround yourself with Christian men so that you can see that all men are not that way. Tell God how afraid you are and allow Him to comfort and heal you. 3. Anger: You will be angry not only at the man who did it but also at every man on the face of the earth and also at God. Remember that there was something in that man's mind and heart and that something was the devil and the thoughts that he placed there. This can only be changed by the love of Jesus. He also very likely had mental or emotional problems. You will probably never know what his childhood was like or if he, himself, was a victim of abuse. This would not excuse what he did to you…only give you a reason for it. 4. Introverted: You will withdraw into yourself and not want to associate with anyone. You feel unworthy of their friendship. Make a list of all your good qualities and accomplishments in your life to prove that you are a worthy person. Remember that we don't have to earn God's love and if someone is truly a Christian, then we will not have to earn their love, either. 5. Un-trusting: You will no longer trust any man for a deep commitment. This is especially true if the perpetrator was an acquaintance. Surround yourself with men of God who will be ready and willing to prove that they are trustworthy. Allow them to show you that they can be trusted in the little things and then it will be easier to trust them in the bigger circumstances. Don't let any man into your home for awhile. Any Christian man will understand this if he knows your circumstances. Even if you don't want to tell him what happened to you, this is a good rule for all single women. If you do become interested in a man, arrange to meet him in church. 6. Close-mouthed: You will not want to talk about your experience with anyone for awhile. When you do decide to share, it should be to a professional Christian counselor. Even women friends at church are not the answer sometimes. I had one close friend tell me that she would rather die than "let" a man do that to her! As if I had any choice. Seek out a professional for help! 7: Self-Centered: It will seem like no one else has ever suffered as much as you and you don't want to hear about their problems. Remember, Jesus suffered a crucifixion on the cross for you. Nothing you have endured can come close to that. Also, remember that the quickest way to make your problems seem smaller is to focus on someone else's problems and try to help them solve theirs. This is one of the hardest things to do because you will be very "me-centered" at this time. No matter what your situation is, there is always someone out there who is under worse circumstances than you are. 8. Prayer-less: You will blame God and not want to talk to Him at all. However, He will always be there waiting on you to come back to Him and give Him your problems. Nothing is bigger than God's ability to handle it. It is okay to cry out to Him and tell Him that you blame Him. He can handle it and He can show you that it was not His fault. 9. Anti-sexual: Even if you are married, you will not want any man to touch you for awhile in a sexual manner. You will, however, still want to be held and comforted. Healing will come in this area also in time. Tell your partner how you are feeling and why and that you need time to heal. If he really loves you, he will wait until you are ready. 10: Vindictive: You will want revenge on the man who hurt you. This is alright to a certain extent. He should be prosecuted and punished. Don't feel guilty about this because you may be saving another woman from going through what you went through. But do not carry hate in your heart forever. This will hurt you more than it will hurt him! Remember, God says if we cannot forgive others then He will not forgive us. If you have hate in your heart, you cannot show the love of God to others who need it. Remember how much God loves you and every other person in this world, including the man who committed this dastardly crime against you. If God can forgive him and send His son to die for him, then who are we not to forgive? 11. Anti-children: You will not want to bring another child into this world for fear that they might have to go through these same circumstances. Remember that children are a blessing from God and even if they did have to bear some of the same evils that you did, God is powerful enough to get them through it. Remember also that if you raise your children with the teachings of God, then they are not likely to become perpetrators of such a crime. Please ponder on these things and say them in front of a mirror every day for at least six months: IT WAS NOT MY FAULT!!! God did not cause it to happen. I am a worthy person. I can forgive, not hate! Others can help me get over this. All men are not criminals. God is waiting on me to bring this problem to Him. If you need professional help with this or any other life problem, please contact me and allow God and I to help you get through it. Go to my website at www.agapecoaching.us and call me or email me your information and let's get started on the road to recovery! May God bless you and have a great day! Copyright 2009 by Loretta Hall & agapecoaching.us
