JESUS REPLIED: ‘LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.  THIS IS THE FIRST AND GREATEST COMMANDMENT.  AND THE SECOND IS LIKE IT: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF’
(Matthew 22:37-39).

There is a set of lies living in my mind that carries a painful, negative message of failure, defilement, and unworthiness.  This compilation of deceit includes the degrading beliefs “You are bad.  You are not worthy to love and be loved.  You are useless.”  This cluster of deceit that lives in my mind—the OLD MAN—was shaped in my mind, one lie at a time, by the father-of-lies, since I was a child.

Because of the message these negative, destructive beliefs convey “You are unimportant, You are unacceptable, You are unwanted,” I have a hard time loving myself.  And because I have a hard time loving myself, I have a hard time loving my neighbor, or my friends, or my family, or my co-workers, or my enemies, as myself.

KNOWING THIS, THAT OUR OLD MAN IS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM, THAT THE BODY OF SIN MIGHT BE DESTROYED, THAT HENCEFORTH WE SHOULD NOT SERVE SIN
(Romans 6:6).

Take note that Jesus was crucified to get rid of the set of negative, destructive OLD MAN beliefs, instilled in your mind by the father-of-lies. But you have an obligation: to BELIEVE and to RECEIVE! You need to believe that the Lord Jesus also died for YOUR OLD MAN beliefs: “You are unimportant, You are unacceptable, You are unwanted.” All you need to do is surrender YOUR OLD MAN beliefs to Him, in faith, and ask Him to show you your new set of beliefs. He will show you that you are loved, you are accepted, and you are worthy.

AND THE SECOND IS LIKE IT: ‘LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF’

And because of your new set of positive, constructive beliefs, you will be able to love yourself.  And because you will love yourself, you will be able to love your neighbor, your friends, your family, your co-workers, and your enemies, too.

Do you love yourself the way God does, or do you feel unworthy, unwanted, and unloved?

How have these accusatory beliefs about yourself influenced your relationships with your neighbor, your family, your friends, your co-workers, and your enemies? What are you going to do about this?

PRAYER: Lord God, bring me to the place where I will be rid of my personal beliefs of being unwanted, unloved, and unworthy. I know that these accusatory beliefs live in my OLD MAN. Therefore, I submit my OLD MAN to Your crucified work on the cross, Lord Jesus. Show me who I really am, so I may love myself, my family, my friends, and my enemies, as well.