Author: Kevin Sherman

I’ve been stuck in a story the past few days. It’s the story of the rich young ruler in the Gospel of Mark coming to Jesus and asking Him a question.

 

Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, That is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”

And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”

But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, because he had great possessions. (Mark 10:17-22)

 

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him.”  Those words are jumping off the page at me, and I have been intrigued, awed, bewildered, amazed, shaken, undone, and probably left with more questions than I have answers for. I’ve read this story many times over the course of my life, and never paid much attention to those two words: Loved him.

Why did Mark include that in the story? Because that is the story. For years I made it a story about riches, giving, hundredfold return, etc. It’s a love story. And that’s why it is wrecking me. Jesus looked past the fine clothing and all the possessions the man owned and looked into his soul and saw a man asking a sincere, heartfelt question – “What must I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Before we look into this, I’m going to ask you to take off your traditional American evangelical glasses for a moment.

Eternal life. Most of us have been trained to think of this as going to heaven. Going to heaven happens when I die. What about right now? The word “life” as it is used here comes from the Greek word zoe. It means the absolute fullness of life. It’s the same word used when Jesus told us He came to give us life more abundantly (John 10:10).  Eternal life begins the moment you say yes to Jesus.

I imagine this man had gone to other rabbis asking the same question, “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” He probably got this answer from them: “Observe and keep the Law, then you will have eternal life.” He was already doing this. Wasn’t that enough? I have a suspicion that he had heard or even seen with his own eyes that there was something very different about this particular rabbi named Jesus. His message was so foreign to the life this rich man was accustomed to living.

Jesus was in essence saying, “You have everything you want. You know all about keeping the rules. However, there is one thing you need. Sell everything you have, give it to the poor. Let Me be your source. Follow Me.” The man was sad when he heard it and walked away.

I love the way The Message Bible tells the rest of this story:

 

Looking at His disciples, Jesus said, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who ‘have it all’ to enter God’s kingdom?” The disciples couldn’t believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: “You can’t imagine how difficult. I’d say it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for the rich to get into God’s kingdom.”

That set the disciples back on their heels. “Then who has any chance at all?” they asked. Jesus was blunt: “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it.”

Peter tried another angle: ‘We left everything and followed you.”

Jesus said, “Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land – whatever – because of me and the Message will lose out. They’ll get it all back, but multiplied many times in homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land – but also in troubles. And then the bonus of eternal life! This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first.” (Mark 10:23-31)

 

There is a supernatural joy found in living life with an open hand. It is a hand that is always open to receive from God’s good hand and having received, keeps it open to give.

Back to those words that jump off the page. “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him.”

These words are making me wonder… was there a time later when this rich man took to heart what Jesus had told him and proceeded to do it? I’d like to believe that there was. Why am I so hopeful for this man? Because Jesus loved him.

I leave you to think on this.

From one He loves,

Kevin

 

“I don’t listen to that guy. He’s just one of those ‘feel good’ preachers.” Those were the words an acquaintance used in a recent conversation when a certain well-known minister’s name was brought up. I walked away after the conversation scratching my head in bewilderment, not because I didn’t know what she meant by those words, but wondering what she had against feeling good. I was fully aware that her idea of good preaching was good old “hellfire damnation, have them squirming in their seats feeling the flames of Hades licking at their worthless selves.”

Here’s an idea for a church advertisement: “Feeling good about yourself? Optimistic about the future? Hopeful? Then our church is not for you! You should be ashamed! Tired of that “feel good” gospel? Come visit us at Feel Bad Fellowship!”

I realize the satire is a little ridiculous, but not so much when you realize that a good number of Christians still think this way.

I can all too well remember a time in my life when I shared that belief. Don’t misunderstand me. I still believe there’s a place called hell.

I can’t recall any time ever that a sinner has come up to me asking, “Where can I find a church that will make me feel bad? That person living without hope is already feeling bad. Ok, I know I’m making a play on words here, but you get my drift.

Having read the Gospels many times, I’ve never found an instance where someone who had an encounter with Jesus walked away feeling bad. Unless, of course, they were a Pharisee, Sadducee, scribe, or the rich young ruler. They walked away feeling bad because they refused to recognize who He really was. The sick, the blind, the lame, the demon-possessed, the prostitute, all of these encountered the transformational power of the Living Word and walked away feeling pretty good.

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics, and He healed them. (Matthew 4:23-24)

I can only speak for myself, but that kind of preaching makes me feel good!

We must change the way we think about the gospel. The word “gospel” means good news. People who are oppressed are looking for good news. They’re looking for hope.

Jesus never used shame or guilt to get anyone to follow Him. In fact, He never talked anyone into following Him. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. (1 Cor. 4:20) If you can be talked into following Jesus, you can be talked out of it. But if you’ve had a transformational encounter with the love of God, you can never be the same. In fact, you’ll feel good!

If a person who is lost and without hope were to hear our conversation about “feel good” preaching, what kind of hope would that give them?

Things began to change in my mind when I came into a greater understanding of the goodness of God. It’s the goodness of God that leads us to repentance (see Rom. 2:4). To repent means to change the way that we think. When you begin to see just how good He really is, you can’t help but change the way you see Him, yourself, and others. That, my friends, is the “feel good gospel.”

 

Feeling good,

 

Kevin

How many times have we read the stories in our bibles with obvious themes and yet missed some of the finer nuggets of gold subtly positioned between the lines?

I often refer to the written word of God as a deep treasure chest filled with gold and the rarest of beautiful gems waiting for the diligent seeker who is willing to open it, casting all presumption aside, and find what usually escapes the eye of the casual seeker.

One such treasure is found in the account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem the week prior to His death, burial, and resurrection. Ok, I know it’s a few days past Palm Sunday, but bear with me. Here’s the story…

Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey,’” So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!” And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

– Matthew 21:1-11 (NKJV)

You may have read this story more than once in your lifetime, but have you ever put yourself in the place of the donkey?

Here are a few observations of mine:

1. Get untied! “…you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to me.” What holds you back from stepping into the full potential of all He’s purposed for you? Let Him find you and loose you from whatever ties you down. Sincerely ask Him to show you. He will.
2. Understand that He needs you! “…you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them…’” It’s hard to comprehend that Almighty God would need anyone, much less me, but He does. It has always been His plan to have us partner with Him in carrying His glory to the ends of the earth. He could certainly do it on His own, but He chooses us to be His carriers.
3. Realize that, just like the donkey, you are a carrier of Jesus of Nazareth!

“So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Nobody said, “Look! What a magnificent donkey!”

No, all eyes were on the Son of God.

His desire is that we carry Him everywhere. Just as the disciples carried Jesus to the world when they left the Upper Room, so we carry Him.

This Jesus who saves, we carry Him.

This Jesus who heals, we carry Him.

This Jesus who sets the captives free, we carry Him.

Now, be a good donkey, and carry Him!

 

Kevin

As a child growing up in the sixties and seventies, many nights I would fall asleep with the transistor radio next to my ear tuned to the local top 40 station. (For those of you younger than forty, just ask your parents what a transistor radio is.) To an impressionable youngster growing up in a dysfunctional home, the melody and words to so many of those songs proved somewhat comforting and shaped a good portion of my belief system back in those days.

“Que sera, sera.

Whatever will be, will be.

The future’s not ours to see.

Que sera, sera.”

I can still hear the smooth, silky voice of Doris Day singing that hit song from the sixties. The words of that song shaped my outlook on life for many years.

As with most human philosophy, there is always a little truth thrown in the mix to make it palatable.

As I got older, I began to search for the whole truth of the matter. I had heard the world’s outlook on the future and heard well-meaning preachers and teachers give theirs’ also. I wanted to know what God Himself had to say about the future. My future. The world’s future. In the religious circles I grew up in, were we told in no uncertain terms that God was ticked-off, the world was going to end, everything was going up in flames and He was going to snatch us off the planet just in the nick of time. “Well, there’s your future, young man, keep your head up and have a nice day!”

Now I don’t want to be too hard on Doris Day. She was partly right. We don’t know everything that will happen in our future. However, I do know Who is in it. I know that His plans for me are good (Jer. 29:11).

Things started to change in my mind when I began to understand that His dominion is an everlasting dominion, His kingdom is from generation to generation (Daniel 4:34). This earth is the Lord’s. It doesn’t belong to satan and never will!

I know now what my future holds – it’s found in Isaiah 9:6-7 (you know, the scripture you mostly hear around Christmas).

 

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this.”

 

God’s kingdom is not some far off distant place in the future. It’s here. It’s now. He is establishing His kingdom and we get to be part of that mission. That’s good news! Regardless of what you may hear from the news media, Christ’s government and peace are increasing. When I replaced my old toxic doom and gloom “the world is going to hell in a handbasket” thinking with what God really says about me, peace, like I had never experienced, flooded my being. He is called Prince of Peace, right?

Kevin, you’re being just a bit too optimistic, aren’t you? Yes! Yes I am, and I love it! I’ve tried the cynical, pessimistic view and I must tell you I like my current state of mind much better.

I have a future and a hope. His name is Jesus and He rules and reigns right now. You can change your mind and join me and millions of others on this adventurous, joy-filled journey.

Any takers?

Now, please excuse me while I listen to another hit song from the past –

 

“I see trees of green, red roses too. I see them bloom for me and you.

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white.

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night.

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces of people going by.

I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do.

They’re really saying I love you.

I hear babies crying, I watch them grow.

They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know.

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.”

 – Louis Armstrong

 

Kevin

Have you ever started to do something risky? Was it something that came from a heart desire? When you proceeded to do it, did you hear these words – “Who do think you are?”

I’ve heard those words in my head more times than I can count. Numerous times in my life I would dream of doing something great for the sake of God’s kingdom, or just merely something adventurous. Inevitably I would talk myself out of it. In fact, I heard those words when I first proceeded to start writing a weekly blog. I rejected them. Why? Because it really is about who I think I am.

In the previous blog I talked about what we think about God. Have you ever thought about what He thinks about you?

“How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!”  (Psalm 139:17-18 NLT)

Isn’t that beautiful? What makes it even more beautiful is that this was written before Jesus came to earth! In fact, this is why He came to earth. Remember John 3:16? If you’ve been born again, you’re a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17-18). If you refer to yourself as “a sinner saved by grace,” stop! You’re not a sinner anymore. That fellow died. That is no longer your nature.

Here is just a short list of who you are now –

1. You’re a son/daughter of God
2. A saint
3. An heir of God
4. A joint-heir with Christ
5. His beloved

Why is it so crucial that we know who we are? I believe the answer can be found at Jesus’ baptism.

“And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him Like a dove.

Then a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’”

For a long time, I questioned why God the Father would say those words to Jesus. Did He not know that he was God’s Son? Did He not know His Father was pleased with Him?

Here’s something interesting to consider: Jesus had not performed any miracles, signs, or wonders up to this point, yet The Father calls Jesus His Son and says He is well pleased with Him. Wasn’t there anything His Father could point to in Jesus’ life where He had proved that he was God’s Son?  He was about to be led into the wilderness for 40 days to fast. These very words that His Father spoke to Him were about to be tested.

“If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

 “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.”

 Why would satan come after Jesus’ identity? Didn’t Jesus know who He was? Of course He did. I believe the devil was trying to get Jesus to step outside of His identity and do something apart from His relationship with the Father.

Jesus had nothing to prove. His identity came from who He was, not what He did. It’s the same with us. Jesus is our pattern.

When I began to realize this truth, I experienced freedom like I had never known before. Look at this:

“…having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:5-6)

Wow! So get this, from the moment you received Him as your Lord, the Father says the same thing about you that He said about Jesus! Oops! Let me correct that. He has always had those thoughts toward you. He just waits patiently for us to acknowledge it. You are completely loved and accepted as a son/daughter of God. There is nothing you or I could ever do to make Him love and accept us more than He does right now.

Because of that, I no longer live for love and acceptance, but from love and acceptance. That’s an amazing place to live. I’m a son. If I really know I’m a son, I’ll act like a son.

His beloved son,

Kevin

 

 

When I was a young boy, perhaps 9 or 10 years old, if someone had asked me to draw a picture of what I thought God looked like, I probably would have drawn something completely different than I would now. The picture I had in my mind as a child was that of a stern, menacing looking old man waiting for me to disobey. Punishment was surely awaiting me. God was the Great Punisher. That was my concept of what He was like.

That idea would shape my thinking and consequently my behavior for many years after that. When God is The Punisher, you live your life in fear of punishment. So why am I giving you this personal glimpse into my past? It’s an example of how satan will deceive us concerning the nature of God.

How different our world would be if we were all taught from birth the true nature of God and saw it demonstrated before us. It would be impossible to completely cover the topic of God’s nature in this one blog article, so I won’t attempt it. However, what I will do is share with you how God enabled me to tear down the “punisher” concept and replace it with the correct one.

As a direct result of this false concept of God, I had developed a toxic thought. That thought became an established way of thinking for me. To sum it up in one sentence, that thought was: I and others who fail should be punished. The Apostle Paul tells us as believers that we are to be casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (2 Cor. 10:5)

There were two character traits of God that I was missing revelation on –  God is Love, and God is Good. I’ll cover these two more in depth in future blog posts. I knew I couldn’t go on allowing this toxic thinking to have its way any longer. It influenced so many decisions I had made, not to mention the impact it had on relationships.

When a toxic thought is destroyed, it must be replaced with a healthy thought. For me, the new healthy thought was – “I see myself and others as the objects of His love.”

            1 John 4:10-11 (The Message) says “This is the kind of love we are talking about – not that we once upon a time loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.

            My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other.”

We’re talking about unconditional love here. Love that is not earned or deserved. You can’t adequately love others if you don’t know that you’re unconditionally loved.

So, through the direction of the Holy Spirit, I was able to identify this toxic thought and replace it with “I see myself and others as the objects of His love.”

I did this for 21 days (said it to myself multiple times each day). I was blown away at the change that started happening in my mind. I began to see myself and others in a different light. There were regular (and still are) times alone in His presence when I would feel like I was literally being immersed in the love of God. A baptism of love, if you will!

1 John 4:18 (NKJV) says “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has torment (punishment). But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

In my journey I’ve been discovering what this perfect love looks like. Jesus! I’ve found myself more and more being drawn back to the gospels and studying the life of Jesus when he lived as a man on this earth. All of the libraries in the world couldn’t hold everything that could be said about this man and I sure won’t attempt to in this blog. Do you want to know what love looks like? Look at Jesus. Do you want to know what good looks like? Look at Jesus. Do you want to know what God looks like? Look at Jesus.

I’ll end with a quote taken from C. S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1):

“Aslan is a lion – the Lion, the great Lion.” “Ooh” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”…”Safe?” said Mr. Beaver…”Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

 

He’s good.

 

Kevin

I recently heard someone say, “One of these days when you cross over into eternity to stand before God and you’re able to see your adversary, the devil, you’re going to say, ‘Are you kidding me? This is the little wimp that caused so many problems?’”

Before you start accusing me of minimizing satan’s influence, let’s remember this, he is a created being. That means he’s lower than God. Much lower than God. I believe he gets credit for a lot more than he should. His greatest weapon against us is not his supernatural ability to do weird tricks through Ouija boards. His greatest tool is deception. Lies. He is the father of lies. (John 8:44)

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)

            If this statement by Jesus is true, then what do lies do for us?  They bind us.

They hold us back from fulfilling the purposes of God. How does the devil lie to us? Obviously he doesn’t just walk up to us and whisper in our ear, “hey, you want to hear a good lie?”  He deceives us through thoughts, and those thoughts are built through our experiences, religious training, and yes, even our DNA. There was a popular comedian in the 70’s who’s most famous line was “the devil made me do it!” It was good comedy, but in reality the devil doesn’t make us do anything. Through lies he influences our thoughts and our thoughts make us do bad things.

There is good news, however. There is truth to destroy and replace every lie from the enemy. The greatest example we have of this Jesus Himself. When He was in the wilderness fasting for forty days, the devil came and tempted Him three times. Each time, the Son of God used the word of God (“it is written”) to silence the tempter. You can read it in Matthew 4:1-11. This is why it is so necessary that we have a close relationship not only with God, but also His written word. I love the way Psalm 1:1-3 reads in The Message version:

            “How well God must like you – you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon, you don’t slink along Dead-End Road, you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College. Instead you thrill to God’s Word, you chew on scripture day and night. You’re a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month, never dropping a leaf, always in blossom.”

I have personally become aware of three areas in which the enemy of our soul can bind us through deception:

1. The nature of God. (Who He is and what He is like)
2. My identity. (How God created me and what He thinks about me)
3. The future. (Why am I here and where am I going?)

We are going to look at each of these areas in the next three blogs. I hope you’ll join me and get a taste of the freedom I’m experiencing. You’ll see how the truth really can set you free! See you next week!

 

Kevin

 

“Nothing ever goes right with me.” “I’m really worried about what might happen to me.” “I hope they suffer for what they did to me!” “You’ll never amount to anything.” “I always get sick this time of year.” “I can’t help but be anxious about it, anxiety runs in my family, you know.” “I’m stupid.” What do all of these statements have in common? They’re toxic thoughts.

What are toxic thoughts?

Dr. Caroline Leaf says, “Toxic thoughts are thoughts that trigger negative and anxious emotions which produce biochemicals that cause the body stress. They are stored in your mind, as well as in your body.” Wow! No wonder so many people are sick – physically and mentally. In fact, scientific research has shown that 75 – 98% of mental and physical illnesses come from our thought life.

Why would these toxic thoughts be responsible for such widespread damage? Because they are contrary to the original design. We were originally created for perfection. We were wired for love. We were designed for dialogue and relationship with our Creator. We’ve chosen thoughts that result in death rather than life. The words that God speaks are life. (John 6:68)

These toxic thoughts grow like little trees in our brain. They have branches that grow every time we think. God has graciously given us the ability to choose what kind of trees we want to grow in our brain. Do you want healthy trees full of life, or do you want toxic trees full of death?

Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT says, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live.”

Did you catch that last part, “so that you and your descendants might live?”

Not only do our thoughts affect us now, but also our children, and their children, and so on. Our DNA is actually changed either positively or negatively through the biochemicals released every time we have a thought, whether it be toxic or healthy.

I would like to share with you some practical steps I have used to renew my mind and thereby change my brain.

 

1. Catch your thoughts. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” We must recognize those thoughts that are opposed to the truth of God’s word. When we catch them and bring them into the light, then we can begin the process of destroying them and replacing them with healthy thoughts.

 

2. Replace it with the truth. Find out what God says about it. What God says about us or about any situation is truth. We replace lies with truth. It is His truth that sets us free. (John 8:31-32).

 

3. Meditate on it daily. When you find this healthy replacement thought, then you make a conscious decision to think about it throughout the day. Psalm 1 speaks powerfully to this. I encourage you to read it.

 

It has been proven that it takes at least 21 days get rid of a habit and replace it with a new one. We didn’t build these toxic thought patterns overnight, and we won’t get rid of them overnight. It’s a process that will take perseverance and most importantly partnering with the Holy Spirit.

You can begin by starting your day alone with Him. Thank Him, praise Him, and worship Him. Then ask Him to show you a specific toxic thought that needs to be destroyed. He is more than willing to reveal it to you. Chances are, you already know what it is! When you know what it is, write it down. (I suggest you get a journal if you don’t already have one).

Then, ask Him to show you the healthy replacement thought. You may already know. Write it down. Go over this thought at least 7 times or more during the day. Do this for at least 21 days. I’ve been doing this daily for the past year and it has changed my life.

Change your mind, change your life!

Yours in Him,

Kevin

It seemed fitting that this mind renewal project of mine would begin where it did – in the beginning. Literally. “Then God said, Let us make man in Our image, according to our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26). We were designed for perfection. That was the original intent of our Creator in the beginning. His creation was good. It was very good. It was perfect. Now it’s not. What happened? Somebody believed a lie. How could someone made in the image of Almighty God Himself believe anything other than what He Himself had spoken? These caretakers of the garden, into whose nostrils God Himself had breathed life, chose death instead.

Like my ancient ancestors, I too had believed a lie. I had spent most of my life comparing myself to others. I never measured up. When I saw the damage this toxic thinking had done, I knew it was time for change. Yes, we can change. It’s as simple as asking Holy Spirit to uncover what we can’t see. I couldn’t see how this way of thinking had robbed me of the abundant life that Jesus had promised (John 10:10). So, what is the remedy that He gave me to replace this toxic thought? I am created in God’s image. His likeness! In fact, God is so creatively full of imagination that he made every one of us completely unique. Distinctly different! And to top it all off, in Christ He makes us a new creation! (2 Corinthians 5:17). There is not another person on this entire planet like me or you.

“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.” (Psalm 139:14).

Now I can say with complete confidence, I am marvelous!

Stay tuned…