The Key to Breakthrough

Do you ever find yourself being your worst critic? Do you ever feel like you’re your own enemy? Like no matter what you do, it seems like you just can’t ever be at peace with yourself? How a friend can give you the most wonderful compliment, and you somehow find a way to shoot it down?

What if the key to our breakthrough was in how we treat ourselves? How do we think about and talk to ourselves when we are alone in our own thoughts? Would you talk to your best friend the way that you treat yourself?

In Matthew 19:19, Jesus said “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” I’m sure you have heard many teachings on how we are to love our neighbors, but how many have told you how important it is to love yourself first? If we can’t love ourselves, how will we be full or empowered to love anyone else?

Starting today, let’s work on giving ourselves some grace! If you failed at something or didn’t hit it off the way you thought you would, tell yourself “you know what, things didn’t turn out the way I wanted, but I’ll do better next time. I’m so proud of myself for giving it a try. I’ll get there.”

Look in the mirror in the morning and instead of despicable thoughts, tell yourself you see nothing but beauty and thank God for creating you to be the way you are. You are fearfully and wonderfully made!

The Lord showed me that many may be open to receive his love and even the love of others, but then go back home and “poke holes” in their “jar” through negative and destructive thoughts and words toward themselves. One cannot expect to be full of the love of God and others if you are damaging your own vessel (which the Lord himself chose to live in!).

Perhaps the path to fullness was as simple as treating ourselves kindly?

If you would like to start fresh and begin to experience this for yourself, pray this with me:

Father in heaven, I praise you and thank you for your Holy Name, and for your Son Jesus. I thank you that you love me with an everlasting love beyond comprehension. I ask for forgiveness for all the ways I have not been kind and loving toward myself, including my spirit, soul and body. I speak blessing and life over every part of my being and come into agreement with how you feel about me. No longer will I allow dark and negative thoughts to override your Truth about me, which is that you Love me with an everlasting Love! I thank you for grace to love myself each day, so that I can be a vessel of blessing to those around me. In Jesus’ name, amen.