Overcoming the Feeling of Unworthiness

Do you ever have those moments, days, weeks, or even months where you feel like nothing you will ever do will be good enough? Do you feel as though you don't have a purpose or that you aren't worth anything? Have you felt like if you left this world, it would be a better place or that no one would even notice? Well, first off, you are definitely not alone, so don't feel that way! I know exactly what you're going through.

Would you like to know how to overcome these negative thoughts, feelings, and emotions? Great! Just keep reading!

It is human to sometimes have thoughts that make you feel like your life isn't worth anything. Sometimes, you will go through situation that take away all of the strength you could ever have. Do you want to know what makes the difference between a person who is depressed and a person who struggles yet overcomes? Well, the person who is depressed is feeling that way because that person decides to stay depressed. They allow those negative feelings to become masters over them instead of being masters over their depression. When you find yourself in a bad place, in a rut, or you feel like you have found yourself against the wall...fight. You don't have to stay where you are. Life is all about choices. You can choose to be happy. (Yes, I understand that it's not always as easy as it seems. I get it. I've been there; I'm just trying to make a point. lol.)

So, you're feeling unworthy? You're feeling like nothing you do matters?
One of the first steps on overcoming your feeling of unworthiness is by:
asking yourself...1.) Why do I feel unworthy?
Why do you "feel" like nothing you do matters? Could it be because no matter how hard you try in school, your grades are never good enough for your parents? Could it be that no matter how hard you try to fit in those friends you "think" you want as friends won't accept you?

Don't live your life by the approval of other people's opinions. You will only become a slave to them. Looking for others to tell you that you did a good job, or that you're pretty, or that you're awesome at this or that will never give you the satisfaction you're looking for. It will only leave you more empty than what you started off with...so, now, you're in the negative which sucks even more.

2.) You need to ask yourself, "What does the Bible say about me?" "What does God say about me?" "Who does Jesus say I AM?"

-Many times we run so wild and desperate for other people to tell us that we're good enough. We look for people to tell us that they're not going to leave us if/when we mess up. If you live your life based off of those methods, you will constantly be ran dry because what you're looking for is NOT in other people. Your WORTH is NOT in other people. Your parents can't give you the validation you're looking for. Your friends, your cousins, your teachers, your pastors, NO ONE can give you that true validation you're looking for except for in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 1:11-14 says, "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were in the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession to the praise of his glory."


If you have ever thought that you were born without a purpose, that thought is now false based on the Word. In Ephesians, Paul talks about how we were chosen in God. God chose us BEFORE we were even conceived. We were predestined to take part in God's plan somehow. God works everything out to fulfill the purpose of His will, therefore, all of His children, that's YOU, have been assigned a very special task that only YOU can fulfill for His Kingdom.
It also goes on to say that we were INCLUDED, that means we were purposely added to Christ when we heard God's Holy Word. And since we believed, we have been marked by God and given His precious Holy Spirit...
Although, this verse is somewhat self-explanatory, I want y'all to see that your life isn't meaningless. You're not some mistake. You're not just this person with no purpose, with no meaning. You are EVERYTHING meaningful! God chose us before we were ever even thought of. God had a specific purpose, and plan for our lives and that will never change.

When we feel like our life is worthless, we will still always have a purpose. You are worthy because God is worthy. He saved us from our sin. He died on that cross for us. He has given us the choice of repentance. We can turn from our sin to Christ, so we can abide in Him and so we can fulfill the Call He has placed on our lives!

God knows who you are. He knows what you're feeling. Go to Jesus to find your worth, not to other people. It simply will only make it worse. Go to God if you're feeling down or depressed. Sometimes when we're going through, when we pray that's not a time to talk about all of our feelings to God (although, it's okay to do that) but sometimes, we need to give thanks and praise to God. We just need to acknowledge and reflect on who God is and what He has done for us and that will make you feel so much better.
Even if you've never sang a song to God, just talk to Him. Just tell Him what you're grateful for, and it will make a major difference.


Jeremiah 29:11-14 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord."

God hasn't forgotten about you. Don't ever feel like you're not good enough. Don't ever feel like you don't belong on this earth. You have been crafted so preciously and have been blessed with talents and abilities that can change someone's life. You probably haven't found what your passion is yet. Once you've found your passion, you've found your purpose. You are worth it! Why? Because God said so! If we didn't have a purpose, if we weren't worth any kind of redemption, God never would have sent His son Jesus to die on that cross for us!

Jesus loves you. He wants you to know that your life has a specific meaning. He wants you to know that you are NOT alone and you will never be alone because Jesus is you. Always. Anything that you need, God will be for you, and don't you ever forget that.

So, the next time you feel as though you have no purpose, that you shouldn't be on this earth etc., you just look up to Heaven and you remind yourself who God is. You remind yourself that Jesus loved you SO much that He died just for YOU so that you can live with Him FOREVER!

You should always know that you are BEAUTIFUL and if you ever need a reminder, I'll be here to let you know that.

Ayanna

Has Your Thirst Been Real?

Sooo...I've been doing ALOT of thinking these past couple of days, and I feel like the Lord is trying to either teach or show me something....but that's a different story...
I was thinking about what the Lord would want for me to share with you guys this time, and the word reignite came into my head.

What does reignite have to do with anything? Well, I'll tell ya!
There comes a time in our lives where we go through a dry place or a dry season and it seems as though you're not producing any fruit. You cry out to God, but it seems as though He isn't there. You try to pray and seek God buttt it just doesn't seem to be happening and you feel as though your faith is stagnant.
I can personally testify to those many, many dry seasons, but I'm not here to talk about me; I'm here to encourage you through this dry season or post-dry season.

So, it's been a couple months since you've felt a deep connection with God. It's been a while since you really prayed and you really opened your Bible and really spent time with God. And that dry season seemed to be eating you alive...well, what happens when you feel and know that the Lord has finally brought you out of this dry place? Where do you go with your faith now? I suggest you go nowhere but up and forward.

After our dry season is over, we feel like it's been ages were we've truly connected in a deep, intimate worship with God, and of course you miss that personal time with God, and you want to get back into that routine, but you want things to be different than what they were and you want to be reignited with that passion for God you once had before.

Here's a few suggestions...:
1.) THINK: 
go back and reevaluate the things you did BEFORE you entered your dry season and WHILE you were in your dry season. In hindsight, were there somethings God was trying to get your attention on? Are there somethings you could have done differently that would have equipped you while you were going through your dry season? Think on those things that you did that were not so productive and pleasing to God...and once you've thought about all of those things, make a mental or physical note on what YOU ARE, not what you might, but what you are* going to do different that will help you get and STAY closer with God. A lot of times we can prevent issues from happening if we go back and think about the issues we went through before. It's like a mind map that helps you get around all of the obstacles...or a GPS, either one will suffice. Once you've figured out all of the errors that were made, if Satan ever tries to tempt you or if God decides to put your faith to test, you will know what to do this time because you've thought about how to triumph and not repeat the same things to put you in a desperate situation. Study & pass the test the FIRST time around!
2.) Chit-Chat:
Yes, have a little conversation with God about your heart's desires, dreams, and ambitions. Tell the Lord what you want to do for Him. Tell God how you feel and tell Him that you want to do what He has called you to do. Ask God to help you to stay strong and persistent and consistent through trying times and even the casual-flow times. Constantly talk to God. It is important that you daily build your relationship with Him...after all, He is your heavenly Father and friend! take advantage, He's got your back!
3.) Worship:
Worship has always been a very great thing for me that helps me feel close to God when I have no words to say in prayer or when it just seems like I can't read my bible. I always turn on some worship or praise, depending on the atmosphere, and I just sing to God. I just open my mouth and just sing how amazing and awesome God is. Victory is in your praise. Worship connects you with your Savior...it's intimate and personal time between you and Him. It's not like you're at church with other people. It's just you, God, and your personal space. Worship will help ignite that passion that you once had when you first became saved or when you had that encounter with God.
4.) Stay Aware:
A good preventer in not letting you stray away from God or for letting your fire dwindle inside is simply staying aware of what God has done for you. Staying aware of what He's doing in your life, and staying aware of all of the dreams, passions, and desires He has placed in your heart to do great things for Him. Make sure you also stay aware of when Satan is trying to tempt you and lure you aware from the good things God has surrounded you with. It is very easy to become complacent and let things sly by you when you know they shouldn't be sliding by. In both aspects, we have to stay aware because it is very important in our walk. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life."We always, always, have to stay watchful and alert and guard our hearts from the things that could potentially tear us away from God, or from the things that are trying to put our lights out.

Every once in a while, we always have to reignite our flame within, and that passion. We always have to stay thankful for what God has given us and I think that will help us stay where we need to be as well as putting in so much time with God so we can follow His direction.
Sometimes, we will go through dry seasons and our prayer, spiritual, or personal life will become very thirsty, but always remember that God is the River of Life...let Him flow through you and you'll never have to be thirsty again!

Always know that you are beautiful!
Ayanna

Going Through A Bit Of A Storm?

Ok. Here's what I have come to learn...

The work of the Lord still goes on...

You're probably thinking And? So?

Well, I say this because sometimes in our lives we will have situations or circumstances that will completely break our hearts and discourage us from moving forward and discourage us from ACTIVELY reaching out to God for help, and discourage us from allowing our faith to grow stronger. As a witness, and a continuing witness from my life, there have been times and days and weeks and months lol, where I have seemed to completely lost all touch of reality. I was tempted to give in. I wanted to throw in my towel because it felt like my situation that I was going through was just too tough and I couldn't get through it. And of course, I knew God, I had a relationship with God, but I did not take advantage of that relationship that I was so blessed to have with Jesus.

I responded in the wrong manner. Instead of getting on my knees and giving all of my cares to God, and trusting God that He will get me through, I instead, put matters into my own hands. When I say I put matters into my own hands, I mean that I stopped trusting that God could do it. I stopped trusting that God could make my situation better, that He would help me and guide me in the right direction. Instead of taking advantage of the opportunity of getting the chance to grow my faith, my faith was stagnant. Of course, I would pray and cry out to God, but I wasn't consistently doing those things because it "hurt" to much to do anything at all. I couldn't "focus" because the pain was just too deep.

I have learned that when you have a relationship with God and you actively seek Him when everything is full sailing, that you shouldn't stop and give up just because your path gets a little rocky, or you find yourself in some stormy weather. We, as children of God and ambassadors for Christ, have got to learn to put our strength in God and PERSEVERE when times get tough. Just because our personal lives might get a little shaky does not mean that we stop praying, going to church, living our lives for Jesus, and stop sharing the Gospel.

The Bible tells us to rejoice in our hard times...Jesus has our back. Our struggles and our hard times develops our testimony that will one day be of a GREAT help to someone in need.
Titus 4:5 says, "But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry."

The times where it seems like we can't go on...those are the times where we should be desperately on our face and knees making our relationship with Jesus stronger. Because, also, during those hard times, we become vulnerable to Satan's tactics. We cannot afford to let our guard's down even when the pain runs deep.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

If you're going through a storm, a struggle, or just a life-shake, and you just want to give up, I beg you not to give up on God because He won't give up on you. God hasn't forgotten about you. When it's the hardest to live for Christ, then that's when we keep pushing the most. It's only a storm, and the storm will pass. Jesus will take care of you...give everything to Him and He will work it out. I promise. Jesus has our best interest at heart, and even when the pain is coming through, God will hold your hand every step of the way. He won't leave you. Ever. That's His promise you can be secure in when all else fails.

Never forget that you are beautiful!

Ayanna