Abandoned

May 10

To Love Jesus Is to Obey Him

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WHOEVER HAS MY COMMANDS AND OBEYS THEM, HE IS THE ONE WHO LOVES ME
(John 14:21).

Know that to love Jesus is to obey Him.  One way to obey Jesus is NOT to surrender to your childhood pain…but to surrender your childhood pain to Him.

 ‘BECAUSE HE LOVES ME,’ SAYS THE LORD, ‘I WILL RESCUE HIM; I WILL PROTECT HIM, FOR HE ACKNOWLEDGES MY NAME.  HE WILL CALL UPON ME, AND I WILL ANSWER HIM; I WILL BE WITH HIM IN TROUBLE, I WILL DELIVER HIM AND HONOR HIM’
(Psalm 91:14-15).

Do you sometimes feel like a little six-year-old orphan: someone who is in the way…someone who is lost…someone who does not belong?

Do you sometimes feel like a shameful little eight-your-old criminal: someone who is evil from the inside out…someone who is irredeemable…someone who is not going to make it?

Do you sometimes feel like a twelve-year-old outcast: someone who is just a worthless bum…someone who is not accepted as part of the in-crowd…someone who does not matter?

I bless you to bring the little abandoned orphan, who still lives in your heart, to the Lord Jesus. Allow Him to heal the abandonment, fix the neediness, and get rid of the loneliness. Because you love the Lord Jesus, He will rescue you from the childhood conclusions that have been keeping you captive.  I encourage you to introduce the shameful little eight-year-old criminal to the Lord Jesus, your Savior. Allow Him to redeem it…forever. When you call upon Him, He will answer you.  I urge you to bring the twelve-year-old outcast, who still hides in your heart, to the Lord Jesus. Invite Him to heal the rejection, fix the unworthiness, and remove the depravity. He will protect you from the control of the father-of-lies, because you acknowledge His Name.

JESUS SAID, ‘IF YOU HOLD TO MY TEACHING, YOU ARE REALLY MY DISCIPLES. THEN YOU WILL KNOW THE TRUTH, AND THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE’
(John 8:31, 32).

What six-year old pain is still stuck in your heart? What eight-year-old conclusions still dwell in your spirit? Which twelve-year old interpretations still inhabit your mind?

Do not avoid the burden.  Do not deny the problem.  Do not simply endure the emotions.  Embrace the little child in you…and expose it to Jesus. He will exchange it for a mature adult.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I expose the child in my heart to You. Rescue me from the false childhood conclusions. Protect me from the evil one. Deliver me from the past.

Maintain an Awareness

Blaming others and blaming yourself will not get rid of the accusatory pain in your heart.

The Two Counsels
May 09

Everything That Hinders

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FOR WE WHO ARE ALIVE ARE ALWAYS BEING GIVEN OVER TO DEATH FOR JESUS’ SAKE, SO THAT HIS LIFE MAY BE REVEALED IN OUR MORTAL BODY
(2 Corinthians 4:11).

I have realized recently how many times a day Self, the OLD ME character the father-of-lies has shaped in me, needs to be given over to death, so that the Life of Jesus might be revealed through my actions and reactions.

There are so many opportunities in my daily life where I have a choice to give Self over to death, for Jesus’ sake.  There are the times when my Self feels threatened by other people’s successes.  There are the times when my OLD ME character feels attacked by other people’s selfishness.  There are the times when I feel discouraged, alone, and afraid. The sin that lives in Self so easily hinders and entangles.

The other day I felt my Self cancelled by someone’s selfish remarks. When I took the pain of feeling annulled and deleted to the Lord Jesus, He answered, “But your Self DOES need to be cancelled, so that I may live in you. Stop defending your Self…and let it die.”

LET US THROW OFF EVERYTHING THAT HINDERS
AND THE SIN THAT SO EASILY ENTANGLES,
AND LET US RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE THE RACE MARKED OUT FOR US
(Hebrews 12:1).

I bless you to throw off everything that hinders the Life of the Lord Jesus being revealed in your actions and reactions, even if it means that your Self gets knocked off its throne.

What will it take for you to stop defending your OLD ME…and let it die? Are you willing to allow the Lord Jesus to use another person’s selfishness to delete, annul, or cancel your Self?

Know that the only way to give Self over to death is to give Self over to JESUS, every day, a hundred times a day, whenever it is provoked.  JESUS IS YOUR SAVIOR.  All authority has been given to Him.  He is the only one who has the power to tie the noose around Self and its sinful habits and patterns.  Since there is only space for one or the other in your body, will you allow Jesus to get rid of Self and put HIMSELF in its place?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, let me run with perseverance the race marked out for me. Help me to realize that each person’s race is customized and that I cannot run another person’s race for her/him and that another person cannot run my race for me. I surrender my Self to You—the OLD ME with its sin that so often hinders and entangles. Knock it off its throne, Lord God, and take Your rightful place on the throne in my heart.

Maintain an Awareness

The Bible calls it the OLD MAN. It makes us feel like a powerless CHILD. It is the reason we believe we are abandoned, bad, rejected, and shamed. It is the reason we feel mad, bad, and sad. It is the reason neither life, nor death, makes sense.

The Two Counsels
May 06

Choose to Serve God

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YOU SHALL NOT BOW DOWN TO THEM NOR SERVE THEM. FOR I, THE LORD YOUR GOD, AM A JEALOUS GOD, VISITING THE INIQUITY OF THE FATHERS UPON THE CHILDREN TO THE THIRD AND FOURTH GENERATIONS OF THOSE WHO HATE ME
(Deuteronomy 5:9).

Do you have a parent or grandparent who misused alcohol or other substances?  Do you have a parent or grandparent who reacted to life situations with violence, abuse, and uncontrolled anger?  Are you afraid that the iniquities of your ancestors have come upon you and your children?

I bless you to be comforted that the sins of your ancestors do not need to carry over to you.  Be encouraged that the way your ancestors reacted to life situations does not need to determine how YOU react to life issues.

Know that your parents and their parents had the same enemy you have—the father-of-lies—and that they had decided to react to his negative, destructive beliefs with a certain behavior pattern.  You do not need to do the same.  You do not need to serve the father-of-lies and his beliefs of abandonment, shame, rejection, and condemnation with sinful defense pattern of rage, abuse, alcoholism, or other dependencies.  You can choose to serve God!

WHOEVER HAS MY COMMANDS AND OBEYS THEM, HE IS THE ONE WHO LOVES ME. HE WHO LOVES ME WILL BE LOVED BY MY FATHER, AND I TOO WILL LOVE HIM AND SHOW MYSELF TO HIM
(John 14:21).

I bless you to love God enough to choose a different behavior pattern than substance abuse or rage to deal with the father-of-lies’ painful beliefs of abandonment, shame, rejection, and condemnation.  Choose to surrender these oppressing beliefs to the Lord Jesus, who will cherish your relinquishment and reveal His Love, Hope, and Truth to you.  Know that the Lord God will keep his covenant of Love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and surrender their iniquities to Him.

KNOW THEREFORE THAT THE LORD YOUR GOD IS GOD; HE IS THE FAITHFUL GOD, KEEPING HIS COVENANT OF LOVE TO A THOUSAND GENERATIONS OF THOSE WHO LOVE HIM AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS
(Deuteronomy 7:9).

How do you deal with life’s pain—the father-of-lies’ beliefs of abandonment, shame, rejection, and condemnation? Have you chosen the same behavior patterns that your ancestors have chosen…or have you chosen God as your Refuge, your Salvation, and your Redeemer?

PRAYER: Lord God, I know that without You I can do nothing. Without You I will fall into the same sinful behavior patterns that my ancestors have chosen to deal with the father-of-lies. Thank you that You have died to conquer the Law of Sin and Death and risen to set me free through Your Law of Life, so I may choose to serve You instead of the father-of-lies.

Maintain an Awareness

Therefore, do not despair of the evil done against you: the insincerity…the depravity…the immorality.  They might have meant evil against you; BUT GOD will cancel the effects of any evil done against you, in the past, in the present, and in the future, if you submit to His discipline.

The Two Counsels

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Abandoned Accused Shameful

April 28

Meditate on These Things

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FINALLY, BRETHREN, WHATEVER THINGS ARE TRUE, WHATEVER THINGS ARE NOBLE, WHATEVER THINGS ARE JUST, WHATEVER THINGS ARE PURE, WHATEVER THINGS ARE LOVELY, WHATEVER THINGS ARE OF GOOD REPORT, IF THERE IS ANY VIRTUE AND IF THERE IS ANYTHING PRAISEWORTHY—MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
(Philippians 4:8).

I bless you to meditate on thoughts that are true, because Truth is untainted by the lies of the father-of-lies.  Understand that unvarnished Truth does not kill, steal, or destroy though beliefs of unworthiness, but is wholesome and beneficial to your spirit, soul, and body.  Truth will set you free.

THE LORD DETESTS THE THOUGHTS OF THE WICKED, BUT THOSE OF THE PURE ARE PLEASING TO HIM
(Proverbs 15:26).

I bless you to meditate on whatever is pure.  Do not accept thoughts of shame and guilt from the father-of-lies.  They cause anger, jealousy, and hatred.  Do not concentrate on thoughts of rejection.  These will throw you into depression.  Stop harboring thoughts of abandonment.  They will cause bitterness in your heart. Do not dwell on thoughts of condemnation. They will teach you to seek revenge.

BUT THE WISDOM THAT COMES FROM HEAVEN IS FIRST OF ALL PURE; THEN PEACE-LOVING, CONSIDERATE, SUBMISSIVE, FULL OF MERCY AND GOOD FRUIT, IMPARTIAL AND SINCERE
(James 3:17).

 Beautiful Child, meditate on My Love that keeps you whole.  Ponder My Peace that transcends all understanding.  Dwell on My Hope that quells all hopelessness.  Reflect on My Power that is at work within you.  Contemplate the Wisdom that comes from Heaven and is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.

What kind of thoughts feed your mind, daily? Are they pure, lovely, noble, praiseworthy, and just? Know that you are only as good as your thoughts are.

If you want to change, you need to change your thought life, first, for how you think is how you are going to behave. Therefore, invite the Presence and Participation of the Lord Jesus into every thought, for His Wisdom is pure, peace-loving, and full of mercy and good fruit.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I invite Your Presence and Participation into my thoughts. Change me from the inside-out with Your Wisdom that is pure, considerate, and submissive, so I may meditate on thoughts that are pleasing to You.

Maintain an Awareness

God wants you to desire to be good, because He wants to fill YOU with His fruits of Righteousness.

The Two Counsels
April 25

Child, You Are Fully Known

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WHEN I WAS A CHILD, I TALKED LIKE A CHILD, I THOUGHT LIKE A CHILD, I REASONED LIKE A CHILD…NOW WE SEE BUT A POOR REFLECTION AS IN A MIRROR; THEN WE SHALL SEE FACE TO FACE. NOW I KNOW IN PART; THEN I SHALL KNOW FULLY, EVEN AS I AM FULLY KNOWN
(1 Corinthians 13:11-12).

Have you ever wondered how your memories were formed during childhood?  Would you be surprised to know that your mind works like a tape recorder, having recorded every experience since the time of birth very accurately?  During childhood, when something happened to you, your mind recorded the FACTS of that event. But, while that memory was being made, you also made certain INTERPRETATIONS (true or false) about these facts.  These interpretations were recorded permanently into your mind, as well. Along with the facts and the interpretations, certain EMOTIONS cropped up, too, which were also permanently recorded in your mind during the forming of your memories. Know that these emotions were permanently linked with the interpretations you made.

When your mind recorded the facts, interpretations, and emotions during the making of your childhood memories, the father-of-lies was present.  His goal was (and still is) DECEPTION—luring you into false interpretations of your circumstances. Why? The father-of-lies came to destroy your heart by tying his negative, destructive beliefs of abandonment, shame, rejection, and condemnation to your childhood facts, emotions, and interpretations. He knew if he could get you to make false interpretations about yourself, others, and God, during childhood, you would be impaired for the rest of your life, since these false interpretations carried over into your adulthood.  And because of these wrong childhood interpretations, you see but a poor reflection of yourself, others, and God, now, as an adult.

GOD FROM THE BEGINNING CHOSE YOU FOR SALVATION THROUGH SANCTIFICATION BY THE SPIRIT AND BELIEF IN THE TRUTH
(2 Thessalonians 2:13).

What false interpretations did you make during childhood, when your memories were formed?  How do these affect your life, today, through your feelings?

Even though the father-of-lies lured you into false conclusions as a child, God chose you to believe in the Truth as an adult. Expose your childhood conclusions that are causing you to feel abandoned, shameful, rejected, and condemned to Him, and ask Him for His Truth, today. He will show you who you are, because He knows you fully.

PRAYER: Most High, how encouraged I am that, although I see but a poor reflection of myself, I am fully known by You. Lord, I long to know the real ME: the person who was created in Your image…the person without the negative, destructive beliefs of the father-of-lies…the person who lives in the Truth. Help me to find the false childhood conclusions I had made about myself, others, and You, so I could see myself, others, and You in the face of Your Glory.

Maintain an Awareness

What a consolation to discover that God has never left us. He NEVER forsook us, even though we forsook HIM.

The Two Counsels
April 21

God Is Love

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LOVE IS PATIENT, LOVE IS KIND. IT DOES NOT ENVY, IT DOES NOT BOAST, IT IS NOT PROUD. IT IS NOT RUDE, IT IS NOT SELF-SEEKING, IT IS NOT EASILY ANGERED, IT KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS.  LOVE DOES NOT DELIGHT IN EVIL BUT REJOICES WITH THE TRUTH.  IT ALWAYS PROTECTS, ALWAYS TRUSTS, ALWAYS HOPES, ALWAYS PERSEVERES.  LOVE NEVER FAILS
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

GOD IS LOVE
(1 John 4:16).

Precious One, I, the Savior, want you to know that I am patient, even when your pain and weaknesses show…because I am Love.

Ponder that I, the Redeemer, am kind and do not condemn as people do…because I am Love.

Value that I, the Good Shepherd, am not boastful, but came to this earth to serve you and share everything I am, with you…because I am Love.

Embrace that I, the Resurrection and the Life, am not rude, but gentle…because I am Love.

Know that I, the Wonderful Counselor, am not self-seeking, but came to share My own Wholeness and Holiness with you…because I am Love.

Celebrate that I, the Author and Finisher of your faith, am not easily angered, even when you come undone…because I am Love.

Speculate that I, the Bread of Life, keep no records of your wrongs, after you have asked forgiveness…because I am Love.

Capture that I, the God of Light, do not delight in evil done against you or anybody else…because I am Love.

Recognize that I, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, rejoice whenever you are set free by the Truth…because I am Love.

Acknowledge that I, Immanuel, yearn to protect you from the negative, destructive beliefs of the father-of-lies…because I am Love.

Understand that I, the Everlasting Father, always trust and hope that you will bring your pain and weaknesses to Me, instead of hiding from them, running away from them, and blaming them on someone or something else…because I am Love. My Love never fails. I will never fail you.

AND SO WE KNOW AND RELY ON THE LOVE GOD HAS FOR US. GOD IS LOVE.  WHOEVER LIVES IN LOVE LIVES IN GOD, AND GOD IN HIM
(1 John 4:16).

What has the father-of-lies told you about God: that He has forsaken you…that He wants to harm you…that He is not faithful?

If you have been believing these lies, you have been missing out on God’s Love for you. Submit these beliefs to the Way, the Truth, and the Life, just the way you hear them in your mind. Then, experience the Truth…and God’s Love for you.

PRAYER: Lord God, I submit my beliefs about You to the Truth. I realize that I have an enemy—the father-of-lies—who wants me to think that You are phony…that You are cruel…that You are easily angered. But I come to YOU. Show me who You really are, so I may EXPERIENCE Your LOVE…and believe.

Maintain an Awareness

Temptations give us many opportunities to be trained in God’s Holiness.

The Two Counsels
April 20

Why Don’t I Hear God’s Voice?

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BUT THEIR MINDS WERE MADE DULL, FOR TO THIS DAY THE SAME VEIL REMAINS WHEN THE OLD COVENANT IS READ. IT HAS NOT BEEN REMOVED, BECAUSE ONLY IN CHRIST IS IT TAKEN AWAY
(2 Corinthians 3:14).

I love the ocean.  One of the things I love the most is the fog.  Often, the fog would lie low on the water, rendering the fishing boats mysterious and undefined.  During times like these, the fish shacks become hazy, as if someone has drawn a veil over them.  I love watching with wonder, as everything around me becomes obscured and hidden in the fog.

The last time I witnessed the obscurity of the fog, I heard myself whisper, “God, sometimes You are like the objects in the fog: out of focus…remote…distant.  Why is that?”

Through the continuous drone of the ocean I heard a palpable answer in my heart, “My Child, if you are not seeing or hearing Me, it is not because I have chosen to be unresponsive…unsociable… unfriendly.  I am not trying to hide Myself from you.  I am not trying to make it hard for you to find me.  You cannot see Me, because I have been obscured by your own understanding…veiled by your own perturbing perceptions…dimmed by your own negative, destructive thoughts.  I am always close to you—just on the other side of the veil.  Nothing will separate you from My Love.”

And then He added, “You can lift the veil and experience My Presence by exchanging your own understanding for Mine.  You can remove the veil by yielding the messages the father-of-lies has delivered to your heart, to Me.  The only thing that is standing between us is the deception of the deceiver: the darkness of your own tormenting thoughts, the murkiness of your own childhood conclusions, the gloominess of your own irrational interpretations. Turn to Me. Then, the veil will be taken away…and you will experience Me.”

BUT WHENEVER ANYONE TURNS TO THE LORD, THE VEIL IS TAKEN AWAY
(2 Corinthians 3:16).

Do you often hear God’s Voice? Do you regularly experience His Love? Or has God been someone who is hidden from you? Do you want to see His Hope, hear His Truth, and feel His Love in your life?

What has the father-of-lies told you is the reason you are not experiencing God’s Presence in your life? If you believe these lies, they have been doing exactly that—drawing a veil over your understanding, so your mind becomes dull, unable to connect with God.

Turn to the Lord Jesus. Submit these beliefs to Him. Then, look for Him.

PRAYER: Lord God, I want to see You. I want to hear Your Voice. I want to experience Your Presence. Therefore, I submit these negative, destructive beliefs to You that claim that I am unworthy of Your Presence. Show me the Truth, so the veil can be lifted…and I can come into Your Presence.

Maintain an Awareness

When God speaks to us, we receive a revelation—a secret or surprising fact that is made known to us by the Father through the Spirit of Truth.

The Two Counsels
April 18

To Live in the Shadow of the Almighty

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Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him. For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with His feathers. He will shelter you with His wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

Precious One, come and live in My Presence, in the embrace of My Hope, in the safety of My Truth, in the protection of My Light. Then, you will find rest from the hopelessness…the darkness…the fear. Do not lean on the understanding of your own thoughts, and allow your emotions to be carried away. But trust only in Me, always. Then, you will be protected…covered…hidden, for it is I, the Almighty, who will rescue you from every trap of deception.

Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished.

My Child, do not be dismayed when abandonment attacks at night, nor when the arrows of blame fly in the day, nor when the memories of shame strike at midday. Know that no evil will touch you, if you submit all of these to Me, Almighty God.

 If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter.

 What will it take for you to make Psalm 91 your lifestyle?

PRAYER: Most High, be my Shelter: my Cover from hopelessness…my Protection from fear…my Light from darkness. Hide me under Your wings, so I would be shielded from shame, abandonment, rejection, and condemnation. I surrender my life to You!

Maintain an Awareness

It is very important that you understand that it is not so much what happened to you during your childhood that affected you the most, BUT WHAT YOU CAME TO BELIEVE ABOUT YOUR SELF, OTHERS, AND GOD, IN RESPONSE TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES (facts) of your childhood life.

The Two Counsels
April 17

It Is All about the Relationship

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BUT I AM AFRAID THAT JUST AS EVE WAS DECEIVED BY THE SERPENT’S CUNNING, YOUR MINDS MAY SOMEHOW BE LED ASTRAY FROM YOUR SINCERE AND PURE DEVOTION TO CHRIST
(2 Corinthians 11:3).

The father-of-lies had a perfect plan when he attacked our relationship with God. He led our minds astray through our own childhood misinterpretations. Using them to his advantage, he turned these into his negative, destructive beliefs—deception that is strong enough to kill, steal, and destroy. Thus, the OLD MAN was born—a personality that speaks to us through our very own thoughts, with our very own voices, through our very own childhood conclusions.

PUT OFF…THE OLD MAN, WHICH IS CORRUPT ACCORDING TO THE DECEITFUL LUSTS
(Ephesians 4:22).

Over the years, these childhood misinterpretations—the negative, destructive beliefs in the OLD MAN—grouped together to form a Deserted Child, a Defiled Child, a Defeated Child, and a Deprived Child in us. The Deserted Child consists of the negative, destructive beliefs that deem us forgotten and abandoned by God. The Defiled Child is made up of the group of accusatory beliefs that deem us doomed and damned by God. The Defeated Child, raised by the father-of-lies, functions as the set of shame-infested beliefs that accuse us, daily, of not being good enough for God. And the Deprived Child oppresses us, moment-by-moment, with beliefs that God has rejected us.

Together, these OLD MAN characters keep us from experiencing God’s Presence. We desire to be loved by God, but the Deserted Child, under the management of the father-of-lies, barges in and lies “God does not care about you.” We want to be good, but the Defiled Child, controlled by the father-of-lies, interferes with the words, “You are evil from the inside out and nothing and nobody can change you…not even God.” We long for a purpose that would make us special, but the Defeated Child, formed by the father-of-lies, always reminds us that “You are a disappointment to yourself and God. There is nothing special about you. You do not count and have no purpose.” We long to have a relationship with God, but the Deprived Child intervenes by saying, “God does not want you!” Thus, the father-of-lies achieves his purpose—to oppose God’s Truth, so we might be separated from our relationship with God, to belong to him, instead.

PUT OFF THE OLD MAN…AND…PUT ON THE NEW MAN, WHICH IS RENEWED IN KNOWLEDGE AFTER THE IMAGE OF HIM THAT CREATED HIM
(Colossians 3:9-10).

How have you noticed these OLD MAN personalities interfering with your relationship with God, over the years?

Do you want to experience God’s Presence, daily? Then, you need to stop relying on your Deserted Child interpretations, your Defiled Child conclusions, your Defeated Child assumptions, and your Deprived Child beliefs. Instead, ask God for HIS Truth. Then, He will exchange these beliefs for a Redeemed Child, created in His Image.

PRAYER: Lord God, bring me to the place where I will have a real relationship with You through the NEW MAN.

Maintain an Awareness

Thus, the OLD MAN became the origin of sin that causes the effect of sin in each of us. The OLD MAN is where it all started and where it all ends…unless we are delivered from it.

The Two Counsels
April 14

Put Off the OLD SELF with Its Deeds

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PUT OFF YOUR OLD SELF, WHICH IS BEING CORRUPTED BY ITS DECEITFUL DESIRES…AND PUT ON THE NEW SELF, CREATED TO BE LIKE GOD
(Ephesians 4:22). 

We all have a CORRUPTED PERSON living inside of us: a being, shaped in us by the father-of-lies, filled with negative, destructive beliefs of condemnation, shame, abandonment, and rejection—the OLD SELF.

When these OLD SELF beliefs of condemnation, abandonment, shame, and rejection are triggered, we hurt so much that we want to bandage the pain as soon as possible.  And the father-of-lies stands ready with his SOLUTION: sinful habits and patterns of hiding, running, and blaming others.  THESE ARE THE PRACTICES OF THE OLD SELF.

Some people think that in order to become holy, they only need to put off the PRACTICES of the OLD SELF.  They think that all they need to do is to stop their harmful habits of hiding, running, and blaming in order to become whole and holy.

SINCE YOU HAVE TAKEN OFF YOUR OLD SELF WITH ITS PRACTICES
(Colossians 3:9).

But I have discovered that it does not help to only put off the PRACTICES of the OLD SELF.  You have to put off the PERSON of the OLD SELF, first.  If you only put off the PRACTICES of the OLD SELF, the OLD SELF PERSON is still in you.  This deceived OLD SELF PERSON is void of God’s Love, Hope, and Truth, and feels unloved, unworthy, and unacceptable. The OLD SELF PERSON NEEDS ITS PRACTICES OF DEFENSE, so it can take care of its pain.  If you take its defense patterns away, it will find new ones.  You cannot do this backwards.

Have you noticed the OLD SELF PERSON that lives in you? What are the negative, destructive beliefs that keep it alive? What are its practices—the harmful habits that take care of its pain?

I urge you to invite the Lord Jesus to put off the OLD SELF in you, and to put on HIS SELF in you, who is filled with new beliefs of Love, Truth, and Hope.  Then, your harmful habits will disappear, because it is only if there is someone NEW living in you with whole and holy beliefs that you do not need your sinful defense patterns anymore.  Know that you cannot better your SELF from the outside; you need to be exchanged on the inside for a NEW SELF—the SELF of the Lord Jesus Christ.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I lay my corrupted OLD SELF PERSON by Your feet. Please come and replace it with Your Self—the NEW SELF. Then, I will not need my harmful habits anymore. Then, I will be new.

Maintain an Awareness

Truth comes to us when we speak to God…and when God speaks to us.

The Two Counsels