It makes me so angry when I hear people put themselves down and go through life with a negative self-image. I’m not mad at the people, but the one behind this evil strategy. One of the most effective ways Satan can absolutely stop the plan of God for your life is by stealing your true identity and convincing you to have a poor self-image. He wants you insecure, feeling inferior, and walking around with low self-esteem. Why? Because once you’ve accepted a distorted identity, you make choices that support the way you feel about yourself:

You behave in a manner consistent with how you see yourself:

• trhe relationships you choose
• your job
• the way you dress
• how you let others treat you
• the words you speak
• the opportunities you pursue

These all reveal how you feel about yourself.

John 17:4 (MSG) says, “I glorified you on Earth by completing down to the last detail what you assigned me to do.” You have an assignment during your time here on earth. You are supposed to be doing what God uniquely chose just for you.

If the devil can steal your identity and replace it with a distorted, negative self-image, you will never have the confidence to fulfill your God-given purpose. Satan will do anything he can to kill, steal, and destroy your life. He wants you to stay in that experience, that bondage, that hurt, that memory for the rest of your life. He will use words spoken over you, abandonment, physical or sexual abuse, rejection, comparison, to steal your identity.

I can relate. I’ve experienced so many painful experiences, violations, rejections myself. I was convinced I was ugly, incapable, and worthless. Because of this, I continued to allow others to treat me poorly. There were so many things I hated about myself: my giant eyes, my freckles, my hair, my knock-knees, my thighs… I could go on and on.

The devil should have stopped when he was ahead. Because when I finally got so desperate for change, I determined to torment him for the rest of my life like he had tormented me. You’ve got to learn to fight him back.

General Douglass McArthur said that one of the most important rules of war is to know your enemy. Know this, your war is not with people; it’s not with that person who abused you, violated you, rejected you or made fun of you. Your war is with Satan. He is the identity thief. He’s the one who’s had a plan since the day you were born to kill, steal, and destroy your self-image! One of the best things you can do to fight him back and to dramatically transform your self-image is to get a revelation of just how much God loves you! Not everybody else, but you. YOU!

God loves you so much. He is not mad at you. He forgives you. He adores you. You can’t change yourself by yourself, but you can seek the One who can change you. Empty out all the junk that’s on the inside; all the pain, the wounds, the hurts from your past, and simply lift your hands and say, “Lord, I receive your love.” God’s love casts out fear and will transform your life. You need to be rooted and grounded in His love for you. It’s not conditional, it’s everlasting, and it never fails.

It’s hard to wrap our minds around, but I’m telling you from first-hand experience. God’s love will heal every wound from your past, restore your soul, and make you whole. You don’t get or obtain His love, you simply have to receive it. Nobody can make you receive God’s love. It’s something only you can do alone with Him. 

Another positive step I have taken to change the way I see myself is to fill my time with hearing God’s Word. As you consistently hear the Word, faith comes. (Rom. 12:2) And when faith comes, fear goes! Insecurity, inferiority, and a poor self-image are all rooted in fear.

You have to take deliberate steps to hear God’s Word in order to be full of faith and not fear or insecurity. But you can do it! You can “push play” and build your faith while getting ready in the morning, taking a bath, doing laundry, making your bed, washing dishes, jogging, driving, etc.

I’m writing this while I’ve been ministering in the United Kingdom and France. While praying during this time, I thought, who would have imagined that insecure little red-headed girl would have the courage to go around the world, walk into an auditorium full of strangers, grab a microphone and preach with her child-like voice!

I can only do this because I allowed God to transform my self-image. I got on a quest to hear God’s Word every single day. Now, I’m not the person I used to be. God wants to do the same in you. I pray that you are so full of godly confidence, you no longer allow a person or an experience to shape the way you see yourself. I believe you will boldly do what He chose you to accomplish with your life.

Your best days are not behind you, they are ahead of you! I’m praying for you every day and believe you will fulfill your assignment on earth.