How do you view yourself? Worthless, unliked, uncherished? OR. Worthy, well-liked, cherished? We are our own worst enemy!

Our society can be quite captivating, but stand firm because YOU ARE ABLE.

3 things that’ll try & rob you of joy:
- Circumstances of Life
- Criticisms of Life
- Covetousness

i:

Read:

Proverbs 29:23-27

Stop and Consider:

"Fearing people is a dangerous trap,
but trusting the Lord means safety" (Verse 25, NLT).

We are our own worst enemies. We deceive ourselves of true value and manipulate our minds into not believing in the true symphony of our souls.

It can be derived from:

The filth or unholiness we feel from the mistakes we made last Friday night.
The unworthiness we feel from singleness.
The stupidity we feel from a guy/girl that we thought was "the one."
The loneliness we feel from not having plans on the weekend.
Not having an Instagram profile filled with fun memories or that is aesthetically pleasing.

No matter what it may be: He can turn trash into triumph, we can’t help what happens to us! But what we can help is changing our negative perspectives and cling onto what is positive and true!

Trials shape us, not punish us. What you did last night or last week no longer phases you. Being single is a beautiful time to focus on self-care and an opportunity to pray for your future lover. Who ever he or she was they were not worth your time and in the midst of it they taught you what you do not want in your significant other. Lastly, use that opportunity of having no plans by having self-care and reflect.

I want our goal to be that we would be the kind of person God made us and wants us to be. One of my mentors told me 3 things that will try and rob us of joy: circumstances of life, criticisms of life, and covetousness. Let us focus on the circumstances of life first:

Circumstances:

If there is one thing that the enemy craves to do, it is to reveal to us our struggles, weaknesses, and what seems to not be going right at the moment. Thoughts like these enter our mind: "Why do they always get the guy or girl?" "Why is my problem worse than theirs?" "Why do things come more naturally to them?" It's hard to not let these thoughts affect us. When we begin to compare ourselves to others, our joy is automatically robbed. Comparison is the biggest smile thief ever! Do not let yourself or even the enemy allow comparison to enter your mind and play into your day to day life. Being a college student, comparison plays a big role on college campuses. It's everywhere! Our circumstances will one day allow us to connect with more people and be a testament in people's lives. Although it may not seem right currently, how you respond to your current conflict is how it will affect you in the end. The light may seem dim right now but not for long. "So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever" (2 Corinthians 4:18, NLT). Once you begin to feel inadequate, open the Word and allow the verses to speak into your heart, mind, and words.

Criticisms:

The reality is that we are all opinionated people. Of course one's opinion matters but only to a certain degree. We have all been a victim to being put down by others. From negative comments concerning someone's appearance to speaking in a bad tone to judgement, it all affects us negatively. The result of this is becoming self-conscience and taking what is said to heart to the point when we begin to believe what is said to us. The truth is that we will never escape those mean comments or terrible tones but what we can do is remain confident in who we were created to be! "So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most" (Hebrews 4:16, NLT). Furthermore, "When we think of other things, like what people think of us, we become animals of prey. We lose ourselves in all kinds of sensuality. When God goes out of the picture, we lose focus. Both our ideas and our feelings begin to get messed up" (Souleader Resources). You are God's son/daughter, so be steadfast and be confident!! If there is one thing you can learn it is: those who have a strong/negative opinion and crave to be in control, they are often the most insecure. Do not let another's insecurity cause your security in the Lord to be hindered!

Covetousness:

Alrighty, there has been one, if not multiple, times we have seen an outfit on someone and intentionally went to go find something similar OR you had to go to the same place so you can have the "THE" picture for Instagram. With that being said, people begin to lose their identity and try and become someone else by the way they dress, speak, and live. "The tenth commandment forbids coveting anything that belongs to a neighbor, including his house, his wife, his servants, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to him" (Exod 20:17 ). Covetousness robs us of joy in a materialistic and earthly way. A person full of the Holy Spirit cannot be full of self. Growth happens when we’re willing to turn over our pride into God's hands. May we apply these beautiful lyrics to our lives:

"Take this world, take it all, give me Jesus
Take my joy, take my pain, give me Jesus
Take my life, everything, give me Jesus"

(Edge of Heaven by River Valley Worship).

Once we come to the point where we know who we are in Christ and what we were made for, is when we see growth come alive. No longer shall we be held by the yolk of this world! "But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit" (Romans 7:6, NLT).

I am one to admit that there has been many times when I have fallen short and allowed these 3 things to rob the joy in my life. But let me tell you how reassuring and refreshing it is to no longer let these 3 things steal away my smile! My sweet friend once told me this in discipleship group and thought it would help prevent the 3 things above to not steal our joy:

Be a woman/man who believes truth about your own value.

Confront the wounds of your soul, the lies of the enemy, & a culture that speaks unworthiness.

Choose to S H I N E

Treat others and yourself in ways that affirm your value.

Believe He made YOU and celebrates YOU!

The way we view ourselves is the root to our attitude and personality. Have your thoughts be set on what's above, not based on your circumstance, criticism, or covetousness. Let us live the vertical life without the horizontal life interrupting. "Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God" (1 Chronicles 22:19).

"My darling, clear away doubt and shadow, clear away despair and self-contempt, clear away comparison and envy, and clear away disease of the heart that makes you pull away from Me. We are precious, beautiful, captivating, stunning—all together so bright in His ways, no doubt! We bear His image" (Loop for Women, The Bible App - You Version).

I am grateful and He is gracious! Happy Day!

XO: Ken

Devo Time:

1. Restoration is God’s Work, what role do you play in its flourishing?

2. Where do you stand when it comes to Comparison, Criticism, and Covetousness?

3. Are you limiting God by the way you think of yourself? Imagine a circumstance that you consider bad. Use whatever descriptive words you want: hard, difficult, painful, unworthiness, sorrowful. Is there a problem too awful or too hard for God to handle?