4:8 Principle -- Knowing who you are

Too many people resign themselves to lives far below what God intended for them. They don't see themselves as worthy. For some, this insecurity may manifest itself in relationships, finances, health, and all sorts of areas. As a result, instead of working to grow and advance, they walk in mediocrity and settle for less.

This is a necessary transformation of the mind. We are not meant to be second rate. We are designed to be the best of who we were created to be. But what do you do when your heart and mind has taken root in negative lies and disbelief?

Much discouragement and underachievement result from dwelling on the failings of our human nature. A mediocre self-concept does not come from God, but from the world. It results from continuing to identify who you are with the failures and short comings experienced in life. When this happens, we need a reminder. We need to reminded of our true identity.

When we start to exercise the principles in Phillipians 4:8, we can take control of our negative thoughts, turn them around and rewrite the belief system in our minds to be that of a positive nature. How you perceive yourself sets the ceiling for what God will do for you and in you. Remember, our joy is an outward expression of our faith in what God is doing and will do in our lives. If that joy is but a spark, God's glory is diminished. But if you choose to see yourself as more than a conqueror through Christ, you will certainly operate on a more courageous level and tap into the joy that comes from capturing God's positive thoughts for you.

Your self-concept is your impression of yourself as a human being. It is a combination of your convictions, assumptions, experiences, memories, feelings and dreams. These are bundled together to fashion the image that you hold of yourself. In the next few blogs, we are going to uncover three elements that build your self-concept. We are also going to address how to make positive choices in these areas, creating a more positive impression of ourselves.

Today's exercise:

List 5 things you are thankful for right now