7 Lies You've Believed About Yourself

1. Perfection Is Required!

You’re not perfect, so something’s wrong with you, right? Most teenage girls long to be perfect, when perfection is really the absence of reality. Advertisements yell silently – yet so violently, “Get the perfect hair you’ve always wanted!” or “Fit into these perfect jeans!” If we are spending every penny trying to be perfect, then when will we have the time to actually be perfect? We need to live our lives knowing perfection is impossible, but that being who we are is real. When we are ourselves, our thoughts will consist more about others, rather than focusing selfishly on trying to reach personal perfection – which is completely impossible. God made you with a freckle on your right arm because it was His way of saying “You’re different” and “You’re incredible!”

2. Fashion Is Mandatory!

Are you tired of being a slave to the latest trend? Does it bother you when the latest thing just isn’t right for you? So what if some Hollywood diva wore a see-through skirt to the big after-party – and everybody was shocked! You know that such a stunt is wrong for you … for a lot of reasons. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, the human body is a temple. Wow. Then, that means that a girl who respects herself can’t display God’s temple like that diva – even if it will bring all the boys to the yard with their tongues hanging out! No, we need be protective of ourselves and how we display God’s marvelous handiwork! Loving the latest runway fashions can be a struggle sometimes, especially when hot trends for summer are so cute! But do you feel dirty wearing tight, cropped T’s and short-short shorts? Knowing how and why God created us the way He did is so important. We are His!

3. I Gotta Be Irresistible!

Combine Adele’s Grammy-winning talent, Kim Kardashian’s derriere and Blake Livley’s stlye and you have what many would call an irresistible woman. Unfortunately, comparison is many women’s middle name. Our emotions often override our heart, and we jealously judge others because of our past hurts and failures. It’s something most girls struggle with. There will always be the world’s definition of beauty, but thankfully we love a God who tells us that we are the apple of His eye (Psalms 18:8). If God loved us while we didn’t even care what He thought (Romans 5:8), why do we feel like we have to prove ourselves to keep Gods love? You may not always feel like an irresistible woman, but know this, the Creator of the universe finds you irresistible and is unconditionally in love with you!!

4. It’s Cool to Put Myself Down!

Do you find yourself trash-talking yourself – sounding like Simon Cowell’s rudest remarks on a bad day? Remember: God don’t make no junk! Don’t judge yourself negatively. Listen to conversation and you’ll be amazed at how it reveals other people’s view of themselves: “I hate this, I hate that.” Genesis 1:27 says we are created in God’s image. He constantly receives complaints from the majority of His beautiful creations on an hourly basis. Can you imagine how that must make Him feel? Imagine how it must grieve His heart every time a girl thinks of herself as ugly or less of the perfect being He created. God did not, and does not make junk, so for you to trash-talk yourself not only affects you, it hurts our Creator.

5. I Gotta Impress the World!

Stop trying to jack yourself up trying to impress others. We cannot impress God. You have nothing to prove! God’s heart-cry for His children is for us to depend on Him, to thank Him for how He takes care of us daily. He appreciates it when we thank Him humbly, when we quietly worship Him in our hearts, thanking Him for everything he does. In the Bible, Hebrews 12:2 instructs us to keep our eyes on Jesus. Whew! That’s not easy! But in doing so, we take the attention off of our needs and onto His Majesty. God loves us just the way we are, we do not need to prove anything to Him. When we are focused on Him we lose focus on trying to please others.

6. I Don’t Dare Follow My Heart

If your heart is telling you not to do something – then you’d better listen! Pay attention to that still, small voice deep inside you that urges you not to do those things that you shouldn’t be doing. Suck it up! Be grateful that you know the difference between right and wrong. So, do the right thing! If you let your whims, your friends, your emotions control you, you will never feel satisfied. Your deepest longing, believe it or not, is knowing God’s love for you. He will give you the desires of your heart – and help you line them up with His plan for you. And His plan is marvelous. It is beyond your greatest hopes and dreams. If you goof up and make the wrong decisions, God will love you no more and no less. He may let you suffer the consequences of your bad choices … and will gently ease those consequences when you call out for His help and forgiveness. But doing the right thing always benefits you! You cannot gain His love by doing the right thing. No, His love for you is freely given. He loves you no matter what! But He knows what is best for you. So, listen!

7. God Doesn't Like Me Very Much

To truly love someone means to overlook their flaws and mistakes. With all of our mistakes God still loves you unconditionally. Even if you mess up. “We now have this light shining in our hearts,” promises 2 Corinthians 4:7 – a verse from the Apostle Paul’s second letter to God’s people in Corinth, Greece – who were a mess. They actually got drunk at church! “But we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure,” Paul wrote to them. Wow! Our human bodies contain something valuable – us, our eternal spirit! This verse also makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. As in any relationship, if we are to feel loved, we must love back. Make God your treasure and your first love. You will begin to understand that He loves you just the way you are.

How Did the 12 Disciples Die?

Jesus called these men to do extraordinary things. Read next feature >