Change Your Image
Romans 8:24-25 For by hope we are saved; but hope which is clearly seen is no
longer hope. Who hopes for what he
clearly sees? But if we hope for something that we do not see, we then
patiently wait for it.
- What is the image
you carry of yourself?
- Do you see yourself as healthy? Overweight? Wealthy? Broke?
- Are you where you thought you would be at this stage of your life?
- Do you see the person you dreamed you would be as a youth?
Hard
questions no doubt, but ones we need to be asking ourselves regularly. We only get one shot at life. This is not a dress rehearsal, so if things
are not as they should be, then another all-important question we need to ask
ourselves is this, What needs to change?
If
life as you now know it is not what you ordered, change the order – change the image.
According
to scripture, hope is actually looking at something you cannot see. But that’s crazy! How can one look at something he cannot
see? By looking with the eyes of his or her
spirit - God’s word is full of amazing promises – internalizing God’s word,
reading and meditating on it until your inner eyes form the picture necessary
to effect change. Because what you see
is what you get, what you see won’t change until your inner man sees the
change.
Where
there is a strong desire for something, and a corresponding expectation of
obtaining it, which constitutes true hope - then we can wait for it with
patience. Where there is a strong desire
without a corresponding expectation of obtaining it, there is impatience.
You
see hope that is seen, that is, enjoyed, is no longer hope, it is fruition: and
a man cannot hope for that which he has in his possession.
If
the image you have had of yourself all your life is of a physically fat person,
it will be very difficult if not impossible for you to lose weight. And your
outer self will exactly match your inner picture.
Or
if the image you have of your life is one of just getting by, second hand or
discount shopping, poverty or lack… guess what?
No abundance will appear in your life.
Again, your outer reality will line up perfectly with your inner
reality.
So
how do we change the image that has been so deeply buried within us over the
years?
1- Set aside
some serious time for introspection and self-evaluation, perhaps with a very close friend or spouse who will
help you. You need some good input to
offset the bad. We are already too adept
at bashing ourselves. What we are
looking for is hope, not utter despair. Compare your inner images to
what God says about you!
2- Admit to
yourself what the image is. This could be the biggest and possibly most
difficult step on the road to lasting change.
Identify what doesn’t line up with God’s word and ask Him to help you
see yourself as He sees you – a miraculous work of divine creation, imbued with
His likeness.
3- Find
scripture and positive, uplifting books, audios, and magazines that address
these unhealthy images, and meditate on them daily. You can’t
change a very dark colored wall to a light color with only a single coat of
paint! In fact, the darker the color,
the more coats of paint it will take to go light. Plus the under coat will affect the lighter
top coat. You spent years getting where
you are now, so don’t expect a “one coat” change! The more you want or need to change, the more
you will need to read, meditate on God’s word, and pray for divine aid. Some of our issues are deep strongholds
within us and will only be removed when there is a proper image to replace
them. The way you drive out the negative
image is by developing its positive replacement.
4- Finally… Commit
to the process. BELIEVE that the God in you can change the images inside
you! Speak His word and what it says
about you into your spirit! His word, daily communion with Him, and prayer
combined with worship and that positive self-talk, will move you from those
feelings of despair to the hope that only comes from a life in Christ! Create a blueprint of the image you desire
yourself to be and develop your faith to build upon it!
Romans 4:
17a …”the
God who gives life to the dead and calls things that don’t exist into
existence. 18 When it was beyond hope, he had
faith in the hope that he would become the father of many nations, in
keeping with the promise God spoke to him: That’s how many descendants you
will have.[d] 19 Without losing faith, Abraham, who was nearly 100
years old, took into account his own body, which was as good as dead, and
Sarah’s womb, which was dead. 20 He
didn’t hesitate with a lack of faith in God’s promise, but he grew strong in
faith and gave glory to God. 21 He
was fully convinced that God was able to do what he promised.” (CEB)
