A better you…

If you sat down and really asked your self, how can i be better than what i am now, what would your honest response be? If i was asking myself that very question, i would definitely start with a list of all the things i do not like about myself. I’m easily angered, doubtful, insensitive to others feelings, self centered and most times selfish. The list goes on and on. People would say, if you know all the things you don’t like, why not change them? Easier said then done. Right? Well i know first hand, that there is a lot of things in the world that you can not release yourself from. These things are what i like to call chains or strongholds. A couple of mine use to be drug addiction, alcohol and worldly possessions, such as relationships that i held very dear to my heart. You see, most would say that i just decided to quit one day. But if i agreed, then i would be lying. When i look back at those nights where i laid in bed at 5 am wishing i would die, or thinking of ways to just end it all, it makes me grateful to God that he broke those chains. I struggled with that most of my life, especially alcohol. Some of the worst decisions of my life were made under the influence, decisions that i now live with everyday. You see, God is a deliverer, he breaks chain and strongholds daily, i am living proof of that. He changes people for the better, to live according to his purpose. Its been about 3 months now since the last time i used. Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, ANYTHING. And for most, that’s hardly anytime at all. But for me, those are months i thought i would never see. So i guess the next question is how? You would have to know God to really understand that question. For me, he’s the God that comes just time. I had already given up on myself, which is why i chose to do drugs in the first place. But he allowed me to remember those times when i was strong in faith and reminded me of all his promises. He put the thought in my head to come back to church, because if anyone could fix me, it was him alone. I don’t believe that things happen by chance, i believe everything happens according to a bigger plan. Not one life in this world is purposeless, not even mine. For us, followers of Christ, we are walking on a harder path. Its easy to give in to sin, its easier to not hold your self accountable for your worldly temptations, its not until you choose to better yourself that you realize all the wrong you have done in life. And the sooner you realize that those mental battles are already won, not by you, but by OUR lord and savior Jesus Christ, the sooner you will be a better you. I just want to finish with this final thought, instead of looking at your strongholds as just a list of things you do not like about yourself, look at it as chains that have already been broken by Christ. Stop fighting a battle that is not yours. You want to be a better you? Figure out who YOU are in Christ, then pray to live according to that. Because if your anything like i use to be, you will soon see that; that person you think you are now, is not even who you are. My advice is to find out who Jesus Christ is, and live like he did, because he is the ultimate example of living. No matter how you start, with God, you will always be better than you were.