Grave Clothes

Love yourself

37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' (NKJV)

Loving ourselves is not selfish but necessary. The bible says, "love your neighbor as yourself." If you have no love to give to yourself, what will you give to your neighbor?

There's nothing wrong with having some self-love. I know sometimes, it can be seen as something that is selfish. Loving yourself helps you in taking care of who you are. If you love yourself, you won't easily think of suicide. You won't easily think of selling yourself short all the time. You won't think of doing anything that could hinder you from becoming everything that God wants you to become.

Who is the real you?

A lot of times, we shy away from being who we are before people. It can be because of the fear of rejection. It's in our human nature to want to belong. To want to become a part of a society that accepts us. And the minute we sense that our "real self" cannot be appreciated, we can easily ignore who we are and take up an identity that suits our environment.

I have seen this among teenagers and even among older people. When I was a teenager, I wanted people to think I was cool. My idea of being cool at the time was fully expressed through the kind of clothes I wore. I wore tight skinny jeans that sometimes matched with my sneakers. And I'd wear snap-backs and ear rings. There's nothing wrong with looking good of course. But for me, it's what made people like me. If I wasn't dressed like that, then automatically I'd think I was disappointing my friends.

One thing they don't tell you about being a popular kid is that you don't have real friends. When you are popular, your entire identity is based off on pleasing people and doing things that make others have a certain kind of impression of who you are. And a lot of times, it can feel exciting, but you become someone who has no idea of who they are.

That was just my life as a non-believer. It was always about trying to become someone I really wasn't. And when I got saved, I had a different challenge. I was exposed to an environment that had people filled with the Holy Spirit. Some prophesied. Some performed miracles. And they seemed to have learned how to be led by God's Spirit. And it was a good environment for me. I was always amazed at the idea that God could speak to a man. I still am.

In my admiration of wanting to be led by God in such ways, I tried so hard to become "prophetic" and sometimes I'd think, if I pray a certain amount of hours, I'd achieve that. And that's where my problem was. I was trying to become something.

God doesn't teach us to become great or to appoint ourselves to be something we think is good for us. God gives the gifts. God is the one who anoints us. And we are only as effective as we are led by the Holy Spirit. This means, if we haven't learned how to be led by God through His Spirit, we'll always be in a place where we do so many things. But we wouldn't have the results that only the Holy Spirit can produce through a person.

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be []witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." – Acts 1:8 (NKJV)

Let's forget about the power for now and just focus on the significance of the Holy Spirit in shaping who we become. This can bring a lot of freedom. We don't have to be like other believers. We don't have to do things like other believers. Everyone has a different calling and a different kind of ministry altogether.

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. – Acts 10:38 (NKJV)