Girlfriends in God - Nov. 2, 2007

 

November 2, 2007

Before and After - Your God Makeover

Angela L. Craig

 

We hope you are enjoying the Girlfriends in God daily devotions.  We (Mary, Sharon, and Gwen) would like to introduce you to some of our special friends in ministry, our “Friday Friends."  Grab your Bible and a fresh cup of coffee and drink in the words from our "Friday Friend", Angela Craig.

 

Today’s Truth

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone and the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)!

 

Friend to Friend

Fall is upon us! The thing I love the most about entering a new season is that it naturally invites the idea of change, refreshment, and new beginnings. All around us, things are changing. School begins, schedules adjust, and nature turns green leaves into brilliant colors of red, yellow, and orange.

 

Another familiar theme for fall is found in the “before and after” make-over television shows. I am always fascinated (and a little envious) of those women who are chosen from the audience to have their hair, make-up, and wardrobe transformed within a matter of hours. The before-and-after pictures are always so dramatically different. With my eyes glued to the screen, I am convinced that those women’s lives are somehow magically changed in the process. I envision them walking perfectly through each day without a hair out of place, commanding respect and exuding confidence. I’m positive that the makeover recipient’s husband (without taking an eye off his beautiful bride) offers to cook, clean, and put the kids to bed while she relaxes with a good book. I think to myself, “I want that beauty and quiet confidence!” Have you ever felt this way?

 

I have good news friends! As Christian women, God has already given us a “before-and-after” makeover. Second Corinthians says “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone and the new has come”. The question is: Have you accepted His makeover invitation?

 

Your “God makeover” is more than the gift of eternal life. Jesus wants to transform your daily life as well. He wants you to know that when you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life, His awesome power, peace, and blessing is yours for the taking.

 

What I realize is there are many areas in my life where I freely accept God’s power and grace to change my life, and then there are areas in which my life is still run by old patterns of behavior. My weight, for example, is one of the areas of my life that is maintained by the old patterns of behavior. My mind taunts me with things like: “Scales are evil; look at what they do to a woman’s body image.” “You have never been able to keep the weight off; why bother starving yourself?” “You have always been at least ten pounds overweight; you might as well accept it.” and “Diet, is a four letter word with the word ‘DIE’ right in the middle of it.”

 

But the bottom line is that my body is a temple of God. I do not need to feel defeated by my thoughts because I am a new creation, with Jesus dwelling inside me, giving me the power to have a healthy and active lifestyle! None of those negative thoughts is productive, only defeating; therefore, you can be sure that they are not thoughts from God.

 

The real freedom and transformation will only occur when we choose to let go of our old self and accept our “God Makeover.” Girlfriend, I hear your name being called! Now run to Him and accept the invitation to be made new. What are you waiting for?

 

Let’s pray

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus, who lives inside us providing us with the power to overcome our old nature and accept the new nature You have already given us! We pray, Lord, that You will open our eyes to areas we have not surrendered. We thank You for Your love and patience as we become the women You desire us to be. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

Now it’s your turn

1. God sees you as flawless. To begin the process of change you must accept His love, grace, and forgiveness. What old pattern of behavior do you need to surrender to a “God Makeover?” Write it down and then use white-out to erase it.

 

2. The temptation will come to fall back on old patterns of behavior and negative thoughts. Take time to empower yourself with God’s Word by choosing one or two Bible verses to write down and take with you this week as your armor against negative thoughts (I listed two for you below). To overcome negative thoughts, read these verses aloud.

 

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV) “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”

 

2 Corinthians 5:19 (NIV) “…God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.”

3. Be brave and ask someone you trust to be your accountability partner. Give your accountability partner the freedom to make you aware of any negative self-talk in your life.

 

More from the Girls

I would love to have a makeover! But I seem to be more concerned with the outer changes than I am with inner change. Do you have that same struggle? If so, Sharon’s book, “Ultimate Makeover” is the book for you. Let’s pray for each other to focus on inner beauty through the power of God.

 

 

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Girlfriends in God

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Matthews, NC 28106

www.girlfriendsingod.com

 

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Originally published Friday, 02 November 2007.

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