Lie:  Everybody else has it all together except for me.

Truth:  

Rom 3:23:  For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

1Co 10:13:  The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience….

Lie:  There is no hope for me.  I will never change.

Truth: 

Eph 2:10:  For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

 Phl 1:6:  And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Rom 12:1:  And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

 Rom 12:2:  Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

When we look at these scriptures, we can see, that we are God’s work–but we are not His puppets—He wants us to respond to Him and what He is doing in and through our lives, by trusting Him, and offering our lives to Him.  This is when we really start to see the transformative work of God in our lives.  This is when Hope is born.

Rom 5:5:  And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Offering ourselves to God is an act of faith, just as beginning a relationship with Him is an act of Faith.    Faith can be expressed through prayer.  If you want God to fill you with His Holy Spirit, you can ask Him to do this.   Here is a link to click on that will explain more about being filled with God’s Spirit.

As always, May We Be Encouraged!