SUMTHINGOOT

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 Be alert. Guard your right to choose. Keep your mind clear so you can see things for what they really are. When your mind is clouded by drugs or alcohol, you can't "see" situations clearly. That's the best time for the enemy to attack. God gave you the freedom to choose. Choose life! The devil is prowling around, looking for someone to kill. When animals hunt they focus on the sick, the young and the one that is away from the herd. SICK: If your heart is sick, through pain, sadness, bad experiences or even physically sick, the devil wants to lure you deeper into the darkness of depression. Resist the devil and he will run from you. Every time you think a bad thought, cast it out and give it to God. Don't let negative thoughts stay on your mind. YOUNG: If you are young, the devil wants to sneak up on you and plant the seeds of sin into your mind. While you are innocent and unprepared, he plants harmful seeds that take root and grow. These can be anything from self-hate, critical thoughts, unhealthy curiosity or obsession toward sex (porn) or things that are dark (death, macabre, occult-ish).

Sometimes you are faced with adult circumstances (divorce, abuse etc.) that taint your childhood especially because you don't have the tools to know how to deal with it. Seek God in your troubles, He will always give you the wisdom to get out of a bad situation no matter how young or old you are. Ask for help! Know that God can heal you in any situation. He is just that powerful and just that good. ALONE: The devil wants you to be alone. When you're alone, he gets you all to himself to tell you horrible things. Things that can hurt you, things that can hurt others. When you're with others, they help keep you grounded in reality. Your family and friends can help take your focus off of negative thoughts, they can tell you when things are true or not, they can help keep you sane.

You were not created to be alone. Don't isolate yourself because that's when the devil can best lure and attack you...when you're away from the "herd". Get connected, allow yourself to be loved, reach out and ask for help whenever you need it. YOU ARE LOVED.

YOU ARE PRECIOUS.

We live in a world where the pursuit of perfection seems almost attainable.

We read stories of young entrepreneurs that are born super smart, who knew what their gifts were before they graduated high school and on top of that have built successful businesses that earn them six figures a year. With so many of these success stories circulating it's easy, for me at least, to get overwhelmed by the fact that I'm just an average person with average abilities. The truth is, I don't know if I'll ever make millions, I'm not half as self-assured as "those people" and I don't know if I have what it takes to make it big.

It's easy to get caught up in thinking that my value is based on my performance. If I perform well, if I'm born with the right skill set and if I can make people happy and make money doing it, I have value...right?

Wrong. That's a lie. 

Our value is intrinsic. That means, it's not based on our performance. It's easy to get lost in the cares of this world, especially because we want and need approval. But the truth is that God knows our intrinsic value; He created us out of love and to Him we are his beloved children. He knows that it's only through him that we rise or fall.

Accomplishment is not that we have earned all that we have by our own accord, but that we acknowledge that all we have has been given to us by God and that we have been good stewards of it.

If you feel overwhelmed by the expectations of life, trying to be perfect to feel valued, please remember that God paid a high price for you, so don't be enslaved by the world (1 Corinthians 7:23) You are valuable no matter what you do or achieve. Your value is intrinsic and not performance based.

One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 3:5-6:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

It reminds me that my own understanding of how things work is limited and flawed. God's math doesn't make sense, so it's useless to try to put together my future based on my own understanding of my present situation. It says, "In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. It DOESN'T say, be perfect and awesome at everything and He will direct your paths. Our job is to acknowledge Him (recognize, express appreciation/gratitude) and trust that He is in total control of our lives.

Psalm 127: 1-2

If the Lord does not build the house, 

the work of the builders is useless;

if the Lord does not protect the city, 

it does no good for the sentries to stand guard.

It is useless to work so hard for a living, 

getting up early and going to bed late.

For the Lord provides for those he loves,