Your calling is to fulfill the royal law of love as given to us in this Scripture: “You must love and value your neighbor as you love and value yourself!” James 2:8 (TPT) Saying, “I love myself!” carries a negative connotation today. Yet the Bible says it’s essential that we love ourselves. Why?  We can only value others to the extent that we value ourselves. After all, we can’t give what we don’t have. So, the more we understand how much God loves us, the easier it is for us to see value in others and extend that same love to them.  The problem is, we often mistakenly pin our value to things like bigger paycheques, brand-name clothes or a degree behind our name. Unfortunately, …

Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. Psalm 8:5 (NLT) Do you want to know how to take a quick trip to unhappiness? Focus on trying to find value and purpose outside of your relationship with God.  In the same way that Adam and Eve clung to the idea that the forbidden fruit held the answer to whatever they lacked, we too can mistakenly seek self-worth from the wrong “fruits” in our lives. For example, I remember watching a romantic movie where a woman gushed to her love interest, “You complete me!” Talk about a relationship headed for disappointment! Why? Because no one holds the ability to satisfy our hearts fully except God. We can …

What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Psalm 8:4 (NLT) How we see ourselves affects our self-worth.  Satan knows this. That’s why he continually works at convincing us that we’re less than others. The more he can hook us into thinking that we’re somehow lacking in some way, the easier it will be for us to latch onto something outside of God to try to find that value.  Satan used this same tactic with Eve in the Garden of Eden. First, he caused her to question whether she lacked something in her life. Then he worked to convince her that the forbidden fruit—something outside of God—would fill that void. The result? Total disaster!  Maybe …

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). John 10:10 (AMP) If you’re breathing, you have life, but life is not just about being alive. I’ve often heard it said that life is not about how many breaths you take, but how many moments take your breath away. If you’re going through a tough time, you’re not alone. Life will bring seasons of pain and struggle, but you need to realize something very important. If you feel like anything in your life is being stolen or destroyed—your joy, peace, family, business, health—it’s not God’s doing. According to our verse today, Satan …

Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose. Proverbs 18:21 (MSG) We need to understand the power of language if we want to experience joy in our lives.  The words you speak influence your future. In Mark 11:23, Jesus said that you will have what you say if you believe it. Proverbs 18:21 says that your words either bring life or death. The way you talk can bring death to your relationships, it can cause you to either love or hate your job, and it can also influence whether or not you live each day with joy.  If you’re married, you could say, “I had no idea being married would be so much work. Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it.” Just …