Depending upon how you were raised, and what you experienced in your life, it can be hard for you to feel worthy to receive God's abundance. Perhaps you didn't have very much money, or you weren't the most popular-- I didn't and I wasn't, that's for sure.
When you carry over baggage from your past, subconsciously, you may struggle with the belief that you don't really deserve to have all God desires to bestow upon you. And it manifests in your behavior. You have trouble being good to yourself, and demanding the respect you deserve.
You may even experience things like "buyer's remorse" when you spend money on yourself... and I'm not talking about splurging. I'm referring to simple purchases like a $25 sweater. Somehow, you'll convince yourself that you're being wasteful when you treat yourself well. Does that sound familiar?
This is just one of many examples of the subconscious behavior I'm talking about. And I say "subconscious" because, not many of us look at ourselves and literally say, "I'm not worthy to have good things. I do not deserve a $25 sweater. I deserve to be degraded and disrespected." Honestly, if anyone asked us, we would emphatically declare our worth.
But just because we don't say "I'm unworthy" with our words, doesn't mean we truly value ourselves. If you really want to know the truth, examine your behavior. After all, your actions speak louder than words. One of my favorite quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson says, "What you are speaks so loudly, I cannot hear what you say." Isn't that powerful?
We need to examine our behavior, as a means of getting to the core of our issues. We spend lots of time censoring what we say. But do we spend enough time paying attention to what we do? Many of us know how to say all the right things, but when the rubber meets the road, how do we behave?
In order to analyze external patterns of behavior, you must first evaluate the internal condition of your heart. Think about your inner-relationship with YOU. What do you really believe about yourself. When nobody is around and you strip away your facade, how do you feel about you?
Listen, I believe that God has great things in store for you, but He still wants you to change the way you view yourself. The magnitude of the blessings he has in store for you will be much too intimidating if you don't recognize your worth. You'll have a hard time accepting God's best, if you don't believe the best about yourself.
You'll end up settling for less and living beneath your privilege.
Remember, you're royalty. Start acting like it.
Until next time... may you be empowered to prosper!
Dianna Hobbs
