Madam President Speaks.....

YOUR Self-IMAGE!! Did you know that your Self-Image is what you make it!! It is when your Self-Image does not line-up with who God created you to be that you will be "fighting a losing battle"!! You will forever be defeated and you will continually try and be something that you are NOT!! That is very hard to do!! My heart goes out to the people that are trying to be something that they are not, and even worse, be someone else!! This makes them a truly SAD Person, because when it is just you and yourSelf....you know who you really are!! I am so happy with who I am, how I judge mySelf (1Cor 11:31) and how quickly I am to correct the things that Holy Spirit tells me to correct!! These are the ways I KEEP My Confidence!! I developed my Self-Image at a very young age, growing up with a Grandmother that loved God and taught me who I was in the Word!! She always told me that God loved me and that He created me for Greatness!! She constantly and consistently told me that I could BE, DO and HAVE Anything I wanted to BE, DO and HAVE!! This was ALL God, because it could have been very different growing up with the challenges I had as a child. My Self-Image could have been destroyed or twisted!! There are several things and usually they are introduced at a young age, that could crush our Self-Image and make us suppress feeling good about ourSelf or fake it: SIN, Verbal, Sexual or Physical Abuse, Neglect, Being Teased or Rejected, Growing up Poor, Made to Feel Less than, etc.

Self-Image is the opinion one has of himSelf. Having the "right" Self-esteem, Self-worth and Your PERSONALITY = CONFIDENCE!! This is based on the person that you create and the person that you were created to be. The more you know about who God created you to be, the better you will be able to create and develop the "right" Self-Image!! One of my foundational scriptures for developing the "right" Self-Image and we have our children confess it, is 1Peter2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light....You could go with this and have the "right" Self-Image (Confidence) or you could be puffed-up because of what you have done in life, what you have, who your parents are, where you live, etc....that is called PRIDE!! The tell-tell-sign that you are operating in False Confidence is that you COMPARE YourSelf to Others!! Never in God's Word does He compare you to anyone else when He tells you who you are. Ask YourSelf am I operating in the "Right" Self-Image (Confidence) or False Confidence (Pride)?

Test YourSelf with these Questions:

• I can truly look in the Mirror and like WHO I see? (Notice I did not say WHAT you see)
  
• When I am ALONE with mySelf and I think of how I treat others am I happy with that?
• I compare mySelf, my husband, my children, my career path, my position, my life in general with others all the time?
• When I shop, I buy outfits that I think will make me look better than others and not because I truly like them?
• Most of my motives are impure?
• I have to be the life of the party or I am not happy?
• I don't really buy name brands because I like the quality or not buy them because they are not good quality; I HAVE to buy them to have a certain status with everyone?
• If others are talking about how much they like someone, that makes me feel insignificant?
  
• Pretending is what I do best?
• I give my children what I see other children with to satisfy me, not my child?
• I also give my child, not according to their level of responsibility, but according to what will make us "look" good?
• Most of the time, I say what I hear other people say, because I really don't know how I feel about mySelf?
• This is the best one......I need a position or title to make me feel important!

Depending upon how you answer these questions.....you can determine, very quickly, whether you are operating in Confidence or Pride!! If you need something external to make up your Self-Image, then you will be the one to most likely operate in False Confidence (Pride). My Self-Image is based in the Word of God!! That is my Foundation.....that is where YOU should start to build the "right" Self-Image and then you should be HAPPY with that! Confidence can be mistaken for Pride, especially by those who are NOT operating in true Confidence!! I have often heard....."Who do you think you are", You think that you are all that, You think you are cute and more!! They are so right!! If they felt this way about themSelf, then they could NEVER say that about me. I can identify a Confident person immediately and I can identify a person with False Confidence just the same!! People who love themSelf......LOVE others!! Develop your Confidence and Change those things about YourSelf that are causing you to have False Confidence!! Love you!!