Be A Better You!

Grab your bible, a pen, and a notebook, and let's do a devotional!❤️

*This month, I would like to encourage you to stand strong and be the best version of yourself!😊 Be A Better You through:

*PERSONAL GROWTH*

I have learned that there are so many benefits to personal growth. Sometimes it's easy to get distracted and become consumed with this hectic life, and a lot of times, personal growth just isn't really on our list as a priority. Seasons in our lives change and circumstances change. It is so easy to lose ourselves in the moment.

There have been seasons in my life when I've been guilty of this and got caught up in the situations of my life, and I started to feel unattached to myself. Every day was coming and going. My moods were changing, my emotions changed, and nothing seemed to align in my mind as it should. I just didn't feel peace. My mind was just too cluttered. I was always worried and concerned about "the next thing." Like, what needed to be done and who needed what. Or, what did that person mean when they said that? Why did they say that about me? Or, the most common; I just can't seem to get everything done! I would constantly question myself with things like, What if this happens? What if that goes wrong? Or, I should've done this, I should've done that....It was something ALL the time!

Sometimes we feel like we just have to figure out every single detail. God helped me understand how to manage this.

Don't get me wrong, it is okay to stay on task, plan ahead, and figure out things sometimes because it's a busy life, time goes on and we can't freeze time; but dwelling on things and letting them consume us to the point of being in a state of stress with no peace, is when it's time for a change.

Let's first acknowledge the facts to remind ourselves:

*Worry does nothing, except rob me of trusting God like I should.

*Time does not stop, life goes on, so I shouldn't waste it with overthinking.

*I have gotten distracted and lost focus.

*I can't control every situation & prevent every problem.

(WRITE THESE DOWN IF YOU FEEL LED TO👍😊)

After praying to God about my stress, acknowledging these very things, and accepting them......I felt the stress start to leave me. I started to feel peace.

In order to keep my peace, I have to pray DAILY and remind myself DAILY that:

*I may not be able to control things that trigger my stress, but I CAN control my reaction to them!* It IS hard, but it IS possible. This takes a good bit of self-discipline.

"But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men it is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible."

Matthew ch. 19 verse 26

The fact is, we are all different and we are all unique in our own ways. We all have different gifts. The enemy knows this. Therefore, when life starts to get stressful, he wants to distract you through situations and struggles. He does this hoping that we will lose focus, and adopt the stress from life's circumstances. Why does he do this? Because he sees your gifts. He is threatened by what he knows you can do for the body of Christ. That is why he likes to get into our heads. He wants to weaken us. So what we must do is ask ourselves, how we can better ourselves, so that we won't fall victim to his sneaky little schemes; because he is a crafty one and knows our weak points and what hits us the hardest. That's why personal growth is so important.

***Communication with God is key to personal growth. I encourage you to make time to talk with Him every day. Open your heart to Him❤️

I hope that my sharing a part of my experience was helpful to you. If anything in this post speaks to your heart, write it down, pray about it! (Prayer with journaling is what always helps me)😊

Have a wonderful day and may God Bless you all!