Fast From Wrong ThinkingSample

DAY 14 — “That’s Just the Way I Am”

Today we are fasting from the thought that says: “That’s just the way I am.”

One of the things that limit us and keep us defeated is the opinion we have of ourselves. Over time, we begin to accept a version of ourselves that isn’t God’s version. We also accept other people’s stigmas of us: “He’s shy”; “She’s self-absorbed”; “He’s all talk”; “She’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer.”

We often end up living up to the very opinions and expectations that others have had of us because we've been conditioned to do so.

LET’S CHANGE IT TODAY

1. You are a work of art—a work in progress. God is the potter and we are the clay (Jeremiah 18:1-6). God is working on you to make you what He wants you to be. Trust the Artist to make a masterpiece. Be flexible and adaptable. See yourself as a GOOD work in progress.

2. Withhold judgment of yourself (or others). Philippians 1:6 says, “He who began a GOOD work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Don’t prejudge what your capacity is or what your potential is. He’s only just begun!

3. God doesn’t throw you out. HE NEVER GIVES UP ON YOU. Jeremiah 18:4 says, “The clay was marred, so He made it again.” He didn’t discard it. He made it again. Thank God! He’s re-making you!

4. You are changing as you are reading this! Whatever flaws you have, they are not the final sentence. You are NOW being transformed to the very image of Jesus! 

5. EMBRACE the GRACE! Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “I AM what I AM by the grace of God.” It’s God’s grace IN YOU that is making you what you are. You are not a composite of your parents’ mistakes, your mistakes, or others’ opinions of you. You’re awesome! — a work of God’s grace.

6. Take another look! The Bible is a mirror that reflects what God and you really look like! We are everything God says we are. As Jesus is, so are we in this world! (1 John 4:17) THAT’S the way you are!

THINK IT AND SAY IT

I am unlimited in my ability to grow and change. God is the potter and I am the clay. I am what God says I am. He began a good work in me, and He will finish it. He is making me into something GOOD. I am His workmanship—His work of art. He’s good at this and has been doing it a long time! I am not in bondage to my weaknesses and former limitations. They do not define me. Every day and every moment that passes is making me more and more like Jesus!