First One Wins!

Hands on the swinging hips, chest pushed out like a rooster coming out of the hen house, nice black dress that is so skin tight that the shape of the buttocks shows the girls pantie line. 
Jeans are so tight that the wallet has left a trace mark on the back right pocket. The shirt fits so tight that you can see every ripple or non ripple from what is under the shirt.
I'm about to get REAL with you so hold on. 
Okay guys: who's tongues were hanging out and panting? Girls: who was biting their lower lip?
Now ask yourself this question.  Was it healthy to think that way? If I put your thoughts and emotions on a computer screen and showed it to the world, how would that make you feel?
How about your partner, would they mind your lust after this vision?
Now the devil wants you to go believe that it is all right for you think this way, say some things and do things that would please your flesh.   He is slick with words like "you want to tap into that wouldn't you?" "Ooh, that looks so goooood."  
This is wrong, wrong, wrong. God did not make you nor anyone else to be lusted over. It isn't what you see that matters but what you don't see.  How is the girls heart? Is it pure, honest, trustworthy? How about the boys? Is his heart gentle, kind, and self controlling?  By the way I've described it and Satan temps us is  to say that they are easy, sexually tantalizing, and needs YOUR attention.
The word tells us to take every thought captive and I agree with a pastor that recently told me to take every emotion captive too. Now that you take it captive what do we do with it? How about taking to the God who created you for a good life?
Growing up I didn't like being a tattle tale, did you? Although, I am sure I was one a time or two. Then I grew up and secrets became my life style. Now I am quick to tattle tale...on the devil.  I go to the Father and point fingers.  "Pappa, did you see what the devil just did?" "He had me watching that guy and my tongue was on the floor!" "Lord, he is good lookin' but I know you don't want me to be looked at like that, I'm sorry I looked at him that way."  Boom! I just slapped  the devil in his face by telling God what he did to me. Come on, don't you know that the devil is doing the same thing? 
In sixth grade I had a girl, Caprice, she dared me to strike a match and throw it into a steel trash can in the hall. As soon as I struck the match and threw it in the can; she ran into the principles office to tattle tale on me. Now, I was the one that got into trouble. Hey, you would do it to if you were dared!
Okay, so if I had taken the thought captive and thought about my butt being whipped when I got home, I might not have struck the match. If I had been the tattle tale first, Caprice might have gotten in trouble for bringing the matches to school. So now it's a race. The first one to the office is the better person. The first one to be a tattle tale to God is a better person, but not excused for agreeing wtih the enemy and his lies.
Remember, we have to submit, take responsibility for our own actions and ask for forgiveness.  The first one on her or his knees wins. I'd rather win against the devil any day than have to face my consequences...like a paddle.
Look, God created you. The word says you are fearfully and wonderfully made in His likeness. That means you are made for something good, not evil. You are made to be treated with kindness, gentleness, self control, AND have all these things also. God says you are WORTH more than rubies and gems. Ponder on that for a moment. Worth - More - Than - Rubies and Gems!  
 You are priceless, precious, and special.
God says you are _____________________.  Can you fill in the blank? Can you believe what He says?

If you have a difficult time believing the good in yourself, how about connecting with a friend and ask them what they believe that is good about you.  Then receive what they say, write it down, and know you have a great self worth by a Great God who created you. Remember seeing this phrase in Walmart?
"Believe, Achieve, Succeed."  It's the same with yourself and with God. You see, apart from God you can't do it but with God ALL things are possible.

Let's change our stinking thinking for something priceless and good.

~Be Encouraged today by being the first one to win!

Submit, Resist, and...Ahhh That Feels Better!

Have you believed the lie that the devil wants you to believe and that is "God is trying to take all the fun out of your life."  The truth is that God's will is full of life, His will is good, perfect and acceptable for you. You can read this good stuff in John 10:10 and Romans 12:1-2.
When we believe this lie it is then that we go out and look for fun and love. ♫ "Looking for love in all the wrong places" ♪ The problem is that we usually end up with a boyfriend (or girl friend) and actually end up in the wrong place and with the wrong person. We want some one to validate who we are. We want to hear from the opposite sex:  "you're pretty", "I love you," or "you're good lookin'."  When was the last time you looked in the mirror and told yourself these words?  When you can't look in the mirror and love on yourself with humility, it most likely means you do not know what love is.  I am not here to badger anyone, but I am getting real with you.
The truth is that God is love. We cannot change our minds about who we are without God because God is love. We can't do it on our own because we do not have freedom in Christ.  To have freedom in Christ means we make a choice to repent, offer forgiveness to those who have hurt us and for the wrong we have done in our lives. Repentance means to turn directions from following what we thought was good, when we find out it is evil. We can't do it on our own.  We need to "Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."
Did you notice the first three lines?  "Submit to God." <-- Period. "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." <-- Period.   Chew on it for a while, let it soak in.
We MUST first submit to Father God. The world, Satan, has told us all the years growing up it's about what you want. What is important is how you feel from the partner you have.  It's what you get from the person in front of you, the pornography, the animals, inanimated objects that is important. These things some how confirm who we are, validate our existence, make us feel important. Submitting to God is the critical matter, decision, and action to take before being able to have a peaceful, enjoyable life. Satan wants you to believe the lie that God is trying to take all the fun out of your life. Now really, let's expose our relationship just a little here.
Ask yourself these questions and answer them honestly.
1) Do I feel safe in sharing everything with my partner AND to myself?
2) Do I feel free to come and go as I desire with my partner?
3) I want to be with my partner all the time because I enjoy the company and discussions we have.
4) Is what happens behind closed doors a good thing, a beautiful thing, or let's not open the door at all because it hurts too much.
5) Do I feel good about me or my partner?
We don't know how to love ourselves or others until we allow God who is Love to love us. We should get to know His love first. "For God SO LOVED the world that he gave his only son." 
My son doesn't want to read, acknowledge, or understand Christianity. Christianity is nothing more than a name on an action of loving self and loving others.  We make it more complicated for ourselves and others.
My prayer is that you as well as my son and others, come to know that God is love. He is not a being who watches over you ready to beat you with a stick, keep you unsafe and in consistent torment. No this is the devil who lies to you saying it is God doing these things, placing the blame on a loving being.
Let's expose the darkness for what it really is.  Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He would rather you are separated from a God who loves you and to be hurting, unsafe, in bondage, fear, and your life sucked out of you. He is the one to blame, Satan,  for your rebellion, anger, and hate towards others and yourself.
Be encouraged God says he has a plan for your life, a hope and a future. He cannot lie for it is not in Him.  I invite you to come and know him as the father you never really knew, enjoy the love you never really felt, and the self worth you can have.  Let's come and have a Christ centered relationship with the Christ himself.
Are you ready? Talk with God today, ask him to show you how much he loves you, to be transparent in your life, change your attitude, and show you what Love REALLY is.
It wasn't until I truly rendered my life and my thoughts to God that he gave me the desires of my heart. You want to love yourself? Explore what God has to say about you, believe what He says about you, look in the mirror repeat it to yourself and then BELIEVE your own words. Pounds of hurt will be released off of your shoulders, hips, and your smile will be so much lighter.  Why? Because the chains will fall off.
~Be encouraged, you don't have to stay in bondage by the lies of the devil himself anymore.