Lowering Your Standards to Line Up With Your Low Self-Esteem

Self-Esteem: a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. An enduring personality characteristic. a realistic respect for or favorable impression of oneself; self-respect. We live in a world where the media defines beauty through subliminal (unconscious, hidden) messages. The media's standard of beauty is always changing whether it's skin complexion or body shape/size. How is your self-worth measured? If you were to loose all of your possessions than how would your self-worth be measured? would you be worthless? Some men would feel worthless if they went without a sexual encounter for a certain period of time, because their self-identity/self-esteem is linked to the number of sexual encounters that they have. They are bound by their sexual desires kind of like a slave/prisoner is bound by a chain. He/she has become so used to this chain (chain of lust) to the point where it feels normal(comfortable) to them to be bound instead of uncomfortable. This chain (lower standard) gives them a sense of self-esteem/security that is only temporary. How long will you continue to lower your standard(s) in order to appease an inferior self-esteem. There is a higher standard which is God's standard. When you begin to line up (align) with his standard your self-esteem will rise also. A self-esteem that is linked to chains of bondage (lust) will only lead to destruction. A slave/prisoner can only get so far with chains on his/her feet. I just want to encourage you to seek after the right standard so that you can rise to a level of superiority which superimposes all other inferior levels of bondage.

Addicted to what's killing you, but seeing no signs of hope

Addicted: the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming. We live in an era where we have access to many more images and sounds than was accessible just a decade ago. Images enter into your soul through your eye gate and sound enters into your soul through your ear gate. How secure are your gates? If you have a clogged heart then a doctor can perform surgery to have it unclogged. If you have a tumor then a doctor can perform surgery to remove the tumor. How do you remove something that is destroying you psychologically (mentally) and emotionally through your heart and your mind? How do you begin to measure (access) the condition when it can not be seen with an x-ray? Can a doctor perform surgery on a heart that is suffering with depression? Can a doctor perform surgery on someone who has Aids but still continues to spread their illness because of their condition of lust? (how do you surgically remove lust?) There is a practitioner which has performed spiritual surgery on me on numerous occasions. God is the ultimate surgeon and is capable of removing any condition (i.e. addictions). Never seek a physical(visible) remedy to heal a spiritual (invisible) condition. X-rays pinpoint physical conditions but God knows the condition of our heart and our mind. Just as eating the wrong foods can clog our arteries, thinking the wrong thoughts can clog our minds, and negative emotions can clog our hearts. I just want to encourage you to seek the right physician so that you can be given the right remedy and begin to live life to its fullest.

When Lust Seeks To Replace True Love: the ultimate counterfeit

Counterfeit: To make fraudulent copies of something valuable. A fraudulent imitation or facsimile. something copied or derived from an original. Misrepresent, form, fudge, fake, manipulate, falsify, or forge. As I look at this topic I can not help but to think how many people are deceived on a daily, monthly, yearly, and lifetime basis as it relates to true love and its qualities. If all I am used to eating with is plastic spoons, then how do I become familiar with silver spoons? I must first be exposed to a silver spoon in order to become familiar with its quality. If I am given something that I have never used then I may misuse what I have been given. How many times has your love been misused by someone who was used to a counterfeit (inferior) love ? If you gave an animal a bank account would they know how to use it appropriately? If you allow lust to reside in your heart then you must ask yourself this question "does lust know how to handle (appreciate) my heart?" We must all ask ourselves what is the true source of love? When we come to the understanding that God is love then we can begin the process of discerning what true love really means. Lust is temporary but true love commits. Lust seeks to please itself (self-indulging) but true love is unselfish (able to sacrifice). When you understand the nature of lust then you can begin to set boundaries in your heart and mind so that you only allow those things which exhibit the characteristics of love into the atmosphere of your heart and mind. I just want to encourage you to analyze your true definition of love and compare it to the standard of God who is true love.

One Way Ticket to a Place of Misery: No Invitations Needed

Misery: Mental or emotional unhappiness or distress. Sadness, depression, desolation, gloom, wretchedness, melancholy, despair, grief, sorrow, indigence, agony, and misfortune. As I reflect back in my life I can remember when I turned 19yrs old. I found myself in a gentlemen's club. The required age to get in was supposed to be 21yrs of age, but the family member that I was with happened to know the person at the door and this allowed me access. There are some nightclubs that people can not even get into because they do not meet the dress code. If I wanted to fly to California but I did not have a plane ticket, this would disqualify me from flying to California. If I wanted to drive to another state but I did not have enough gas, this would prevent me from driving to that state. There are so many places that have rules and regulations that you must follow in order to have access. There is a place of misery though which allows anyone to enter. This place of misery does not discriminate based on race, gender, or income/economic status. This place is called Hell. If you just meet the requirements of "living in sin" which is ultimately 'missing the mark of God for your life' then you have an all access pass to this place of misery. No invitation is needed. All you have to do is meet the prerequisites here on Earth in order to make it in. There is another place though that requires you to live a lifestyle of righteousness in order to have access. This place does require an invitation. What actions are you taking in your life to receive this special invitation? I just want to encourage you today to seek Jesus (John14:6) so that you can receive an invitation into Heaven and not have to deal with an eternal destiny of misery.

Letting down your guard to allow true love to enter

Guard: To protect from harm by watching over. To maintain control over, as to prevent indiscretion. Screen, security, shield, protector, armor, shepherd, or watch person. For some people there comes a point in their life when they have to take an inventory of the relationships (business, family, friendships, etc...) in their life. How can a relationship grow if it is never evaluated to see whether or not it is progressing. There needs to be a way of measuring in order to allow you to make a cognizant decision about the direction you should take. Over the years I have had to evaluate my standards and whether or not I was being reasonable in my approach to assessing my relationships. I have come to the realization that it takes faith to allow God to come in and help you manage your relationships both natural and spiritual. Often times I have tried to take the safe road in order to avoid certain pitfalls. As I sit here and I type I wonder if the safe road is always the best road. When someone falls in love is this the safe road? Does love hurt or does love heal? As I sit here and type I realize that if one is to travel down the road called love then they have to allow love a way of access into the fiber of their being. When you are used to having your guard up then you are never in a position to receive pure love. When God was drawing me to him I had to let my guard down in order to allow him in. God was my first love. How much more should someone let down their guard down to allow their second love to enter? I just want to encourage you to allow true love to enter so that you can be transformed into who you are meant to be.

The Tearing of the Heart: When The Pain Becomes Normal

Tear: To pull apart or into pieces by force. To make (an opening) by ripping. To separate forcefully. To divide or disrupt. As I came up with this topic I thought about what it would take in order for an individual to consider pain to be normal. There are some individuals that view the opposite sex through a certain lens, e.g. lens of lust. This does not make their perspective right, but through repetition this has become normal to them. How many times does it take for someones heart to be broken for them to consider this normal? How many tainted encounters with false love does it take before someone considers this to be real love? An aspect of true love is commitment. There are many people trying to operate in true love without "commitment." If someone tried to make lemonade without lemons this would not be considered real lemonade, because an essential ingredient in lemonade is lemons. An essential component of love is commitment. I never experienced a real commitment of pure love until I encountered God's love. This type of love is not afraid of commitment. Until an individual seeks after this love then they will continue to jeopardize the condition (quality) of their heart. True love can heal the wounds that false love has caused. Lust is not a substitute for real love, and temporary relief is not the same as being healed. When an individual is in the ICU (intensive care unit) all they want is to be healed. When will you allow your heart's condition to be healed? There is a physician called Jesus who can heal your condition and transform your tainted (fractured) heart.

Spiritual GPS Tracking Device: superior technology

GPS: Global Positioning System. A worldwide satellite and computer navigational system that can determine the latitude and longitude of a receiver on Earth. High-frequency direction finder. We live in an era where technology has made it easier than ever before to track individuals and their locations. There are still limitations though in regards to this advanced technology. For example, If an individual is being tracked by their cell phone they can either turn off their cell phone or get rid of their cell phone, and this can hinder the tracking process of this individual. How can an individual turn off a tracking device that is installed within them though? Just as the GPS tracking device had a creator (inventor) , we also have a mastermind that was behind our design. The mastermind that is behind our design knows where we are at all times. It is impossible for us to hide because we have a mechanism within us which is our conscience and this links us to our creator (designer) . Are you able to hide from your conscience? Ask yourself this question "where am I spritually located?" Are you in a spiritual state of death or life? Are you located at the intersection of "Lust & Rebellion" Boulevard or are you spiritually located on "Holy & Righteous Living" Avenue? God is the mastermind and he knows where you are spiritually located, but do you know? I used to be spiritually located on "Hell Rd" but now I reside at " Salvation Parkway." I had to take a couple of side streets to get there though called "Repentance Avenue" and "Baptism Drive." Get the concept? I just want to encourage you to examine yourself and ask Jesus to guide you into a spiritual state of life beginning with the new birth process (John3:3-5).