My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  Galatians 2:20 (NLT) Nobody but you is responsible for how you feel—not even God. Yet all too often, we tie our emotions to other people. We let their actions put a damper on our day or damage our self-worth. We may even manipulate them into giving us the love or respect we want.  But real love doesn’t manipulate or use force. In Isaiah 6:8 (NLT), God asks, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” These words show …

What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. Psalm 8:4–5 (AMP)  Yesterday we saw how important it is to develop a sense of self-worth—because you have no ability to love people more than you love yourself.  These days, we think that to love yourself is a mark of arrogance. But if you do not value yourself as God’s creation, the love you offer others will be tainted. For example, a parent who needs their kids to affirm their worth will end up driving their children away. Why? Because those kids are not meant to fill that need. …

“The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”  Mark 12:31 (NLT)  How do you feel about yourself? Sadly, some people look in the mirror and see only what’s wrong with them. In a room full of people, they feel like they don’t belong. This leads to pain in relationships as they try to pull from others what’s missing inside them.  If you can relate, I want to show you something in God’s Word that will set you free.  Jesus said one of the most important commandments is to love your neighbour as yourself. Your ability to love others cannot exceed the love you have for yourself. If you want your relationships to thrive, you need to get a healthy view of …

His divine power has given us everything we need to experience life and to reflect God’s true nature through the knowledge of the One who called us by His glory and virtue.  2 Peter 1:3 (VOICE)  If you’re feeling stuck in a cycle of thoughts or behaviours you don’t like, I want to show you just how easily you can change!  When you receive Jesus as your Saviour, two important things happen: one is legal and one is experiential. Legally you become a new creation. You’re forgiven, your record is cleared and you are entitled to an inheritance in Christ.   But a legal change is not enough if you can’t experience the change. You could be married on paper, but whether you experience the love and romance …

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”  Matthew 16:24–25 (NKJV)  When you accept Jesus as your Saviour, your spirit is completely recreated. But it’s possible to still feel stuck in your old feelings and behaviours.   Now, this world can teach you how to monitor those things, but the Word shows you a way to change that’s deeper and more permanent. It teaches that there is the old you, which has its residual memories and wrong habits—and the new you, which is born again in Christ. This new identity …