Be All Woman Blog

I have nt arrived and neither has anyone else. We are all in the proces of becoming. For much of my life I felt that I would never be OK until I arrived, but I have learned that is not the truth. My heart desires to be all God wants me to be and I want to be like Jesus.

In Romans 7, Paul said the good things he wanted to do, he could not do; and the evil things he did not wanted to do, he always found himself doing. He said he felt wretched. I can relate to that, what about you?

You know, we all have a way to go. I was worried about how far I had to go and it seemed satan reminded me of it daily. I carried a constant sense of failure, a feeling that I just was not what I needed to be, that I was doing good enough, that I should try harder and yet when I did try harder, I only failed more.

So, I heard somebody this  slogan and adopted it for myself as a new attitude: “I am not where I need to be, but thank God I am not where I used to be; I am OK and I am on my way!”

Then we know with all our heart that God is not angry with us because we haven’t arrived. He is pleased that we are pressing on, that we stay on the path. I you and I will just “keep on keeping on,” God will be pleased with our progress. Keep walking the walk. A walk is something taken one step at a time. This is an important thing to remember.

We have been considering how to have a good self-image. One way we do that is by realizing that we have not arrived at perfection, that we have some growing to do, bu that in the meantime we are OK. It is true that we have to keep pressing on, but thank God we don’t have to hate and reject ourselves while we are trying to get to our destination.

What is a normal, healthy Christian attitude toward self? here are a few thoughts that reflect that kind of wholesome, God-centered self-image:

1. I know God created me andI know He loves me.
2. I have faults and weaknesses and I want to change. I believe God is working in my life. He is changing me bit by bit, day by day. While He is doing so, I can still enjoy myself and my life.
3. Everyone has faults, so I am not a complete failure just because I am not perfect.
4. I am going to work with God to overcome my weaknesses, but I realize that I will always have something to deal with; therefore, I will not become discouraged when God convicts me of areas in my life that need improvement.
5. I want to make people happy and have them like me, but my sense of worth is not dependent on what others think of me. Jesus has already affirmed my value by His willingness to die for me.
6. I will not be controlled by what people think, say or do. Even if they totally reject me, I will survive. God has  promised never to reject me or condemn me as long as I keep believing.
7. No matter how often I fail, I will not give up, because God is with me to strengthen and sustain me. He has promised never to leave me or forsake me.
8. I like myself. I don’t like everything I do and I want to change, but I refuse to reject myself.
9. I am right with God through Jesus Christ.
10. God has a ood plan for my life. I am going to fulfill my destiny and be all I can be for His glory. I have God-given gifts and talents and I intend to use them to help others.
11. I am nothing and yet I am everything! In myself I am nothing and yet in Jesus I am everything I need to be.
12. I can do all things I need to do, everything that God calls me to do, through His Son Jesus Christ.

When you have a poor self-image; you feel very insecure and it certainly affects all your relationships. It even affects your future. If you have a poor self-image, it has already adversely affected your past, but you can be healed and not allow the past to repeat itself. Let go of all what lies behind, including any negative ways you have felt about yourself and press on toward the good things God has in store ofr you.

God has a plan for each of us, but not all of us experience it. many times we live far below the standard that God intends for us to enjoy. Most Christians don’t exercise their own rights and privileges as a child of God. This is because most of them don’t even know they have rights and privileges. Although they are Christians and they believe they are going to heaven  when they die, they don’t know that anything could be done about their past, present or future.

Then as second reason they live far below the level of life God intended for them was simply the wrong way they perceive and feel about themselves. They have a poor self-image  and it is affected by day-to-day living, as well as their outlook for the future.

God has plans for you!
God does not have a bad attitude towards you and you should not have one toward yourself! Shake of the past and set your sights on the future. The apostle Paul wanted to do things right and yet realized that he was growing and learning and would not always manifest 100 percent perfection.

Press on!
Philippians 3:1 says: “Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (The Messiah) has laid hold of me and made His own.

In the next verse, Paul went on to say that he forgot what lay behind and strained forward to what lay ahead.
We see this principle in many places in Gods Holy Word. The prophet Isiah had the same revelation when he brought forth the message of the Lord: Do not [earnestly] remember the former things; neither consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing! (Isaiah 43:18,19)

Almost everyone of us could use some improvement in our self-image. It takes time to grasp the hope for ourselves that God has for us. To realize how much hope God has for us, all we need to do is remember what we were like when God called us into His family. It is so wonderful and comforting to know that when everyone else only sees our faults, God sees our possibilities.

The Lord doesn’t wait for us to get all fixed up before He got involved with us. He starts with where we are and takes the responsibility for getting us to where we need to be. He does this everybody, so laso for you!

God chooses the Unlikely like you and me!
God purposely chooses those who are the most unlikely candidates for things He needs done. By doing so, He has a wide open door to show His grace, mercy and power to change human lives. When God is using ethe unwise and the less educated, we realize that our source is not in ourselves but in Him alone.

Each of us has a destiny and there is absolutely no excuse not to fulfill it. We cannot use our weakness as an excuse, because God says that His strength is made perfect in weakness. We can not use the past as an excuse because God tells us through the apostle Paul that if person is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things have passed away and all things have become new. (2Cor.5:17)

How God sees us is not the problem, it is how we see ourselves that keeps us from succeeding. each of us can succeed at being everything God intends us to be.

As I listen to friends and women around me I can hear through their own words if they feel rejected or accepted. The most important pat in this is, that you accept yourself and love yourself the way you are. Rejecting yourself doesn’t change a thing, it actually multiplies your problems. Acceptance causes us to face reality and then begin to deal with it. We cannot deal with anything as long as we are refusing to accept it or deny its reality.

The will is involved in this whole process of acceptance. You can choose to accept yourself or not to choose to accept yourself. God is offering you the opportunity to accept yourself as you are., but you have a free will and can refuse to do so if you choose.

People/women reject themselves do so because they cannot see themselves as proper or right. They only see their flaws and weaknesses, not their beauty and strength. This is an unbalanced attitude, one that was probably instilled by authority figures in the past who majored on what was weak and wrong rather than on what was strong and right.

Acceptance gives approval and agreement. If we are having problems accepting ourselves as we are, I suggest that we need to get into agreement with God that what He created is good and that includes you and me.

Amos 3:3 says: ” Do two walk together except they make an appointment and have agreed? To walk with God, we must agree with God. He says He loves us; therefor, if we agree with Him, we can no longer hate and reject ourselves. We need to agree with God that when he created us, He created something good.

I should emphasize here that everything we do is not good, but at this point we are discussing ourselves, not our behavior. I will discuss in another post in detail how God views what we do; right now we are more concerned with who we are in God’s sight.

I remember the time when God revealed these principles to me. You see the things that need to be changed and it is very difficult for you to think or say. “I accept myself.” You feel that to do so would be to accept all that is wrong with you, but that is not the case.

You see I really don’t believe we can even begin the process of change until this issue is settled in our individual lives. You see Change requires correction. Hebr.12:6 says: “For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves and He punishes, even scourges every son whom he accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes.

This truth about God’s correction and discipline of those He loves is verified by Jesus Himself in revelation 3:19 when He says: Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I tell your faults and convict and convince and reprove and chasten [I discipline and instruct them]. So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude].

Change requires correction; people who do not know they are loved have a very difficult time receiving correction. Correction does no good at all if it is not received. We won’t receive His correction properly if we don’t have a revelation concerning His love for us. We may hear His correction and even agree with it, but it will only make us feel angry or condemned unless we know it is ultimately going to bring about the change that is needed in our life.

We cannot trust unless we believe we are loved. To grow up in God and be changed, we must trust Him. Often He will lead us in ways that we cannot understand and during those times we must have a tight grip on His love for us. Accept God’s love for you and make that love the basis for your love and acceptance of yourself.

Receive His affirmation, knowing that you are changing and becoming all that He desires you to be. Then start enjoying yourself - where you are - on your way to full spiritual maturity.

For as he/she thinks in his heart so is he/she.. Proverbs 23:7

Let me ask you a question: “Do You Accept Yourself?” Don’t be like most women, because most women don’t like themselves. Some women know it and others don’t even have a clue that is the root of many other problems in their life. Self-rejection is the root of many relationship problems. God wants us to have great relationships. You know the bible is a book about relationships. God wants a relationship with us and He wants to come as close as we let Him.

1Peter 3:11 says: …[Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!] So, God wants us to have good relationships and also teaches us how to develop and maintain those relationships. But, first things first: you must believe that God loves you. You have to! He is not waiting until you are perfected to love you. He loves you unconditionally and completely at all times. And then: you must recieve Hiss love.

The receiving part is sometimes very difficult for us. When we receive from God, we actually take into ourselves what He is offering to us. God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given to us. So pray now: “Heavenly Father, I am grateful that even in hard times I can feel Your love and You are always working in me a greater sense of hope.” When we realize that we are filed with God’s love, we can begin loving ourselves.

Remember: we cannot give away what we don’t have! So, now we know what we have and we can bestow it on others. Ask yourself what are you doing with the love of God that has been freely given to you. Are you rejecting it because you don’t think you are valuable enough to be loved? Do you believe that God is like other people who have rejected and even hurt you? Or are you receiving His love by faith and beleive that He is greater than your failures and weaknesses?

What kind of relationship do you have with God, with yourself and ultimately with people around you? I never thought about the fact that I had a relationship with myself. That was something that I never had thought about until I heard somebody talk about it. It is so important that you realize that you spend more time with yourself that anyone else and it is vital that you get along with yourself!

After all you cannot get away from yourself. It is so painful to work with somebody that we don’t get along with, but at least we don’t have to take that person home with us. But guess what? We are with us all the time, day and night. We cannot walk away from ourselves - therefor it is very important tat we have peace with ourselves.

We cannot reject ourselves; it doesn’t do us any good. It will not change us, it even will multiply our problems. Acceptance is much better because it causes us to face reality and the begin to deal with it. we cannot deal with anything as long as we refuse to accept it or deny its reality. You have to use you will! You can choose or not choose to accept yourself.

God is offering you the opportunity to accept yourself as you are, but you have a free will and can refuse to do so if you so choose. It is very sad when women/people reject themselves because they cannot see themselves as a valuable person. They only see their flaws and weaknesses, not their beauty and strength. We need to agree with God that when he created us, He created something good.

During the time of my life I have discovered that most people really don’t like themselves. This is a very big problem, mych bigger than you just might think. If you don’t get along with ourselves, it may seem to us as that others reject us as well. Relationships are a large part of our lives. How we feel about ourselves is a determining factor in our success in life and in relationships.

What about you, but when I am around people who are insecure, it makes me feel insecure about them too. It is certainly not God’s will for us to feel insecure. Insecurity or rejection is a work of the devil. Acceptance is a work of God. Jesus has come to bring restoration to our life.

Our self-image is the inner picture we see of ourselves. If what we see is not healthy, we most likely live in fear, insecurity and misconception about ourselves. We even really can suffer from this. When you are insecure about yourself, you suffer in your mind and emotions and also in your relationships.

It is not a nice feeling when you be with people and feel that they don’t like you or you might want to do things and don’t feel free enough to step out and give it a try. The most important thing you can do is studying God’s Word and read about the amazing Love He has for you. To read that He accepts you will bring healing to your life.

We all have a destiny and we should be free to fulfill it; however that fulfillment will not happen as long as you feel insecure and have a poor self-image.

You have to know that God approves of you!
Jeremiah 1:5  says: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew and approved of you [as My chosen instrument].
God never intended for us to feel bad about ourselves. He wants that we know ourselves well and that we can accept ourselves.

Nobody other than God knows us better than God does. Even we still make mistakes and sometimes even reject Him to take care of us the way He would like to take of us.; He still keeps loving us and accepts us. Remember, He loved you first and came to you to save you. He does not approve of our behavior, but He is committed to us. You see, God can hate what you do and still love us; He is able to to separate the two.

God sees our hearts; isn’t it comforting to know that God does not judge us in the same way that other people often judge us? Or even in the harsh way in which we sometimes judge ourselves?  God is concerned with what is in our hearts. That means He cares about our thoughts, passions, attitudes and whether we trust in Him and love His ways. He does not place value on our outward looks, social status, financial standing or any other external measure that the world considers so important.

What is God seeing in your heart today? Take a heart inventory right now. First pray that God would reveal and then remove anything in your heart that doesn’t belong there - resentments, anger, sinful thoughts, wrong thoughts about yourself. Pray that God would help you see the parts in yourself that need renewing. Make your heart available to God’s power and see what amazing things He will do through you.

Click Here To Read  Part 2

Prov.20:5 “Counsel in the heart of man is like water in a deep well, but a man of understanding draws it out.”

This woman at the well here is just totally amazed why Jesus is asking her to draw water from the well for Him. There is some sarcasm and prejudice here. Jesus didn’t have any prejudice towards her though. But she probably had met some Jews that treated her badly. She is wondering if Jesus as a Jew would have talked to her if He hadn’t need anything.

This woman has s lot of bitterness in her. When there is bitterness in you, you have to change before you receive from the Lord. These things hinder you and your heart from being receptive. The bible says: faith works by love. If you have a lot of hate, animosity, bitterness and prejudice in you; that’s not love. When love is not operating and faith works by love; faith will not work.

You cannot harbor ill will, animosity or prejudice against people and walk in faith to have victory. You just cannot do it. You also cannot be shallow to judge everybody by somebody’s actions. You cannot say “all women are that way” or “all white people are that way” or “all men are the same”. Because they are not. Don’t label people so quickly.

This woman at the well here is convinced that the Jews don’t have any dealings with the Samaritans. She might have missed out if it hadn’t been for Jesus here in this situation. This whole passage is around a well and they talk about the well and about water. Jesus took this opportunity to talk about salvation isn’t it?

John 4:13-14 Jesus says “all who drink of this water will be thirsty again. But whosoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (continually) within him for eternal life.”

Jesus is talking here to her about the work of the Holy Spirit in the new birth. When you are born again, you have the Holy Spirit on the inside of you. He is the spirit of life. There is also a following experience that everybody should receive and that is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. That has to do with an endowment of power upon a person. It gives you power to be a witness for Jesus.

This endowment of power is described in John 7:37  “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” There is a difference between a well and rivers.

The well describes the work of the Holy Spirit in you for your own personal benefit. You draw water out of the well for your own personal benefit. But the rivers flow out. The rivers are not contained in one container. The Holy Spirit wants to flow through you; come upon you to touch other people’s lives as well. That is the rivers.

We need the well and we need the rivers. We need it all. The well has more to do with your personal life. The woman said here: “Sir, the well is deep and you don’t have anything to draw with. Where are going to get this living water?” Maybe you feel that way; the well is deep and you think you don’t have anything to draw with”. You don’t how to get anything out of the well.

You have to understand that within you is the Holy Spirit; the Greater one. The Holy Spirit is God and he lives inside of you if you are born again. All that He is and all that He has is in Himself and He is in you. So, all that He is, is in you. And all that He has is in you. There is a reservoir inside of you of unlimited resources. The strength of God is inside of you, the life of God, the wisdom of God, the knowledge of God, the understanding of God, the love of God, the peace and the joy of God, IN YOU!!

Come back and learn how to draw it out.

Read Part 1

John 4:13-14 Jesus says “all who drink of this water will be thirsty again. But whosoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (continually) within him for eternal life.”
Prov.20:5 “Counsel in the heart of man is like water in a deep well, but a man of understanding draws it out.”

It is not a coincidence that Jesus met this woman at the well and that their conversation was about the well. Jesus had been traveling and it probably was hot and He is there at the well thirsty and dry. The well is there but there is no way that He can get the water, because the well is deep and there wasn’t a drawing bucket there and not just anybody could draw water out of the well, because it was a community well.

There is plenty of water, but it is deep. So, you need to have an apparatus; they usually used a piece of pottery like a vase of some sort with a loop on it and a rope or a line. Kind of like a bucket with a rope that you could lower down into the well and let it fill up and then pull it back up. That is how you would draw water out of the well.

So, while Jesus is standing there and maybe looking down into it and wishing he would have some of that water; this woman comes by. She has something to draw with; she came to draw water. Jesus looks at her while she probably is lowering down her vase or bucket. Jesus looks at her and she might look back at him. Jesus asked her “would you give me a drink?”

She says: Why are you asking me for anything? You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan. She even might have said that sarcastically, because there was a lot of prejudice between the Jews and the Samaritans. The devil has always been around to stir up people against each other; hasn’t he? It’s not the color or background of somebody that tells us how a person is. It is the heart of a person that counts. Aren’t you glad that God looks at the heart of an individual?

So, Jesus is standing here at the well and asks her for a drink. One translation of the Bible says the Jews don’t drink from the same dishes as the Samaritans do. There was a lot of prejudice. Jesus smiles and says “if you would know who is asking you for a drink you probably would ask him for a drink and he would have given you living water.”

The woman says: “well, sir the well is deep and you don’t have anything to draw the water with.” He says: “the one that comes to me and believes on me; he’ll receive living water. There will be in him a well of living water that springs up into everlasting life. You drink this water and you will thirst again. But the water that I am talking about, that I will give you will cause you to not ever thirst again.

This woman became interested and wanted to have this water so that I don’t have to come here and draw any more. Jesus knew how to turn the conversation from prejudiced things into spiritual things.

When Jesus comes to you as your friend He wants to talk to you about things that you really need. This woman needed the living water that only Jesus could give her. She needed her heart restored and a change of mind. Jesus knows how to get you there. He wants you to know everything you need is on the inside of you. That is what this story at the well is about.

Kimberley Kennedy has felt the pain of disappointment and rejection and has found hope and healing. Twelve years ago, Kimberley had it all. She had a good friends, good family, wonderful career in TV, and she was about to be married to the man of her dreams. She focused on this man and anticipated the life that they were going to have together. On the eve of their wedding, Kimberley sensed something was wrong when her husband-to-be was late for their wedding rehearsal and dinner. His family was there and didn’t suspect anything. When he finally did show up, his sister took Kimberly to the minister’s office where he said five devastating words, “I just can’t do it.”

Kimberley was publically humiliated. Being a TV anchor in Atlanta magnified the pain. The encouraging words that were sent days before from fans turned into condolences when breaking news about their split was released within hours. Friends and fans were very supportive of Kimberley and she received a large stack of letters. Ten days after the nearnear wedding, Kimberley’s ex-fiancée reached out to her through a letter apologizing to her. She took him back and her heart soared. She saw her ex-fiancée on and off for the next year. This made getting over the break up take longer. When he started seeing another woman, Kimberley finally decided to break up with him for good because the emotional strain was wearing her out.

Kimberley says she had faith, but it wasn’t strong enough to help her through this difficult time. She now realizes that when she was left at the altar that she was a Christian in name only. That was why she could find no peace or comfort, though Christ promises both. She is thankful that she now has a deep walk with her Savior.

MAN’S REJECTION, GOD’S PROTECTION

Not long after Kimberley was left at the altar, a stranger stopped her at the mall and said something to her that she believes are words from God that have become planted deep within her soul, “Man’s rejection, God’s protection.”

Kimberley recites these words to herself everytime she feels rejected in any area of her life. Though a man rejected her, God was still there protecting and loving her and trying to draw her close if she would just let Him. God was preparing her for a brand-new relationship - with Him. She was not ready for a new relationship; she still wanted the old one and wanted to be in charge. In hindsight, Kimberley believes that God protected her from divorce. She has a new relationship with God, and God is preserving her and preserving her husband-to-be.

She quotes Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Since her “altar-cation,” neither Kimberley nor her ex-fiancée has married anyone, but Kimberley is trusting in God that He will still send her His best choice for a husband.

HEALING FROM REJECTION

Kimberley’s healing was a gradual process. She didn’t have an “aha” moment. She was grieving over her heartbreak. That grief turned to self-pity, and when it got to that point it didn’t appeal to her.

She got angry with God. She wondered why He didn’t protect her from this situation. Kimberley says it is in times like these where women feel rejected by God.

Don’t see yourself as a victim, what you’re not, or dwell on what happened. This blocks healing. You must know that everyone will be rejected, but God turns good things out of bad.

Finally, she was able to give her relationship over to God, and it took her faith to a deeper relationship. Because of this situation, she was able to have a real relationship with God. She truly began to learn that God is the only one who will never leave, forsake, or reject anyone. She began to learn to see God’s truth and learned that she had to reject the negative and the lies and believe the positive and the truth. When we experience rejection we think there is something lacking with us. Women need to see themselves as God sees them and choose to believe what He says. It takes a long time to process, but you have to turn it over to God, forgive yourself, and forgive God.

TOOLS FOR RECOVERY

Here are 10 tools that Kimberley shares that will help you move on and be the person God meant you to be. They worked for her:

1. Get into a good women’s Bible study or small group.
2. Lose the fear.
3. Don’t talk about rejection when you do start dating.
4. Realize that you will inevitably compare every man who comes along to the one who rejected you.
5. Don’t make it a priority or become obsessed with replacing that person who rejected you.
6. Develop patience.
7. Beware of loneliness.
8. Continue to reject the deceiver’s lies.
9. Realize that you may very well be rejected again.
10. Allow God to reveal to you the exciting plan he has in store for you.

Kimberley Kennedy

Jesus met this woman at the well at a time in her life when she was in great need. She probably didn`t know what to do with her life. She had tried so many things and here she was at the right time in the right place, meeting Jesus. She didn`t know yet that this incident would change her life completely.

Where are you in your life? Where have you been, what did you experience? Do you want somebody to know how you really feel on the inside or do you want to hide? Did you watch the little video? Look at this woman at this specific moment in her life; meeting Jesus her Saviour.

Nowadays you can be glad you made it so far in life. You survived abortion so to speak. The most dangerous place for a human being is in the belly of its mother. You are blessed when you are wanted and loved today. And then when you grow up you get bombarded from every side not to use too many resources on this earth because there is not enough for everybody.

The woman at the well is an example to us and Jesus used this incident to teach us that there is a well on the inside of us. In John 4 the woman came to the well to draw water. Jesus started a conversation with her asking her to give him some water. Jesus was there without the disciples. Jesus told her about the gift that was on the inside of her which is also on the inside of us. The woman recognized that Jesus didn’t have anything to draw with and the well was deep.

She also heard for the first time that Jesus was talking about the living water. In John 4:13-14 Jesus says “all who drink of this water will be thirsty again. But whosoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (continually) within him for eternal life.”

The passage goes on to tell what happens in the situation, but I wanted you to notice that particular portion. There is another scripture that I want to show you in Prov.20:5 “Counsel in the heart of man is like water in a deep well, but a man of understanding draws it out.”

So, a woman of understanding will draw it out; draw out from those deep waters.
He says that there is deep counsel in the deep waters of us and if a person understands; they will draw it out.
The story from the woman at the well has historically really happened, but there is also great symbolism and great significance. It is not a coincidence that they met by the well and the conversation was about the well.

Think about it; do you realize that there is a well on the inside of you? Do you realize that God has planted His will for you on the inside of you? How can you know His will? There are many ways and here I like to talk about the way of the deep counsel in the deep waters of you as a reader.
So, please come back to read some more in the next part.