It’s kind of funny how we see ourselves. When you think about you, how would you describe yourself to another person? Your emotions, your thoughts, your memories, and your actions are stuffed inside your skin. You may see yourself on the surface, but what if you look a little deeper and you take an honest audit into your motivations, your desires, your lust, your triggers, and your temptations? Now I know most people, if they are honest, may be able to identify the weaker areas of their life. 

As you journey with God, He will start to show you your shadow. There are things we are able to hide or ignore really well when we have become too comfortable with using coping skills we have learned that may not be the best. When our defenses are up we tend to use the same coping skills we have been using through most of our lives. However, when God brings it to our attention through His Word or simply reveals it to us, then it should result in us wanting to change some things we say or do that’s not healthy or don’t reflect Him. 

It’s like our life is bliss when we don’t see our shadow, and go through life being content with mildly working on ourselves. When we come into a relationship with God and journey with Him, then we may start to see things about ourselves that maybe we didn’t want to admit or we wanted to ignore. It could be anything that doesn’t line up with God’s Word or His heart. Whether we have anger problems, hurting people with our words, being a rebel, not following God’s commandments, struggling to be positive, being miserable, carrying unforgiveness or bitterness, secretly hoarding jealousy or envy, not making good use of our time, living carelessly, having no self control, drinking too much, using drugs, using people to get want we want, and the list goes on. 

I want to encourage you not to run away or hide from your shadow. God intends to work with us and help us in our lives. He wants to heal us and deliver us, but the first step is us admitting to God want sins we struggle with and ask Him for help. The next step is to listen to the instructions He gives us, speak His Words over our lives with faith, let Him heal and deliver us, and yes, at times, we actually will get stronger in making better choices. 

Don’t run away from you! Have the courage to face all of yourself!

Activity:

Do the prayer challenge first. Then write at least 1-3 things you believe God wants to help you with. Within each of those categories try to write a few goals to better help you break away from your old ways or old thinking. Ask God to help you gain wisdom and knowledge on what to do better and learn better. 

The thing about this activity is you have to be intentional. You have to be willing to be corrected, receive the “what to do,” and then diligently try to do it.

When you are trying to input the new actions, have reflection times with yourself and God to try to understand yourself better in these situations. As you’re trying new ways of doing things you will probably mess up, but keep going at it. If or when you mess up, reflect and try to figure out what triggered you, try to figure out how to get stronger when you are in the situation again, and fine tune until you make progress. Believe God to lead you to resources or knowledge to help you grow in the areas you listed above. 

Prayer Challenge:

Father God, I pray You help me to not be afraid of dealing with my inner struggles. Father, if there are tormenting thoughts, poor coping skills, bad choice making, impulsiveness, entitlement, fears, or anxieties that keep me from moving forward and hinder my growth I pray You help me to not be ashamed to recognize it, know it, and then do something about it. I want to move forward in my life. I don’t want to stay stuck in my spiritual and personal life. Please help me plant new healthy seeds and remove the weeds from my garden. In Your Name Yeshua. Amen. 

Scriptures:

Galatians 5:1 NASB It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

James 4:7 NASB 7 Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

1 John 5 1-4 NASB 5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves the child born of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and follow His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whoever has been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.