Body Image Issues? Read this!

                                              Pic Credit: Rclbeauty101
                    

I was just 14 years old. That's when my issues worsened. Throughout my life, I was an anxious introvert and it was difficult to make friends. But at 14 years of age was when I started having body image issues. 

I would look in the mirror, shift and slowly twist my body from side to side. There would be a slightly disgusted expression on my face as I saw my reflection... This was something that would happen quite often. 

I can't wear this top.. I have a paunch. I can't wear this skirt... my butt looks too big... My hair is ugly and dry. The list went on... 

Some of my friends would tease me and call me fat. I know they didn't mean to hurt me, but the comments fed my growing insecurities. I'm not saying that I never felt beautiful and constantly hated my reflection. But wasn't fully comfortable in my own body. 

Let's fast forward a bit. I am in high school now.. 17 years old. New school and new classmates. I do believe that it was God's will that I ended up here as this particular high school wasn't my first choice but certain circumstances brought me there. And this is where I met two of my closest friends. 

You must be thinking that they gave me advice and then I got rid of my low self-esteem. That's not what happened. The thing is that one of my friends had even worse body image issues. In fact, it was so bad that she even struggled with depression. When I saw the twisted negative way she saw herself, I realized... "Wow, all this is so stupid." 

Magazines, TV, and sometimes even your own friends and family put ideas in your head on what you should look like. Your waist and thighs should be thin but your other parts should be round, but maybe not too round... Some years back skinny girls and those who were "size zero" were praised. Then 'skinny' was out of fashion and 'curvy' girls were considered attractive. I noticed that the world's standards kept changing and if you don't fit the description, then you aren't attractive.

 I woke up. I saw how stupid this all was. 

                                               Pic Credit: Meme Generator 

That was when I slowly started seeing myself in a different light... How my eyes turned a lighter shade of brown in sunlight, and other things I didn't really appreciate before. And those "flaws" which aren't really flaws didn't seem like a big deal anymore. I am beautiful. And so are you. (Ps: My friend is fine now by the grace of God. ) Wait... I'm not done yet! 

Later on, I was introduced to what God said in the Bible about me...

Do you know that when you insult yourself you are insulting the handiwork of God? You insult God when you insult yourself! Out of all the galaxies, etc, you are the most beautiful to Him!! 

If the One who created all the beauty in this world created you and calls you beautiful, who cares what other human beings think?

You are God’s “WORKMANSHIP, created IN CHRIST JESUS for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” - Ephesians 2:10. The Greek word for “WORKMANSHIP” is POIEMA which means POEM and POETRY.

Those who write poetry know that it's an amazing way to express themselves.  The words written are an expression of the artist. A lot of thought goes into it. It's a work of art. You are God’s creative masterpiece!

When you look at yourself this way, you begin to understand your incredible value in Jesus Christ.

Memorize, ponder, and speak these verses OUT LOUD daily: 

"I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well." ~ Psalms 139:14 

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." ~ Ephesians 2:10 

"Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body." ~ 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 

So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.~ Genesis 1:27 

 

You can make it more personal when you're speaking out these verses. For example, you can say "I am His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that I should walk in them." 

I recommend speaking these verses at least 50 times a day. This way your mind is forced to focus on them and will get renewed. Don't only keep it in your mind, SPEAK it out.

True Stories: Psalms 91 Miracles

 

You have your own bodyguards. Did you know that?

Not just average bodyguards. But the most elite security. Even in this #Covid-19 #pandemic.

Before I tell you 2 interesting true stories that happened to someone I know, let me ask you a question…

Do you believe that you are surrounded by angels?

 

Incident #1 (as narrated by that person)

Some years back there were riots In Mumbai, India. On that day I had to collect some booklets called ‘Why is it called Good Friday?’ which I had given for printing. The same week these riots happened. The man in charge of printing urged me not to come because of the riots. I went anyway, but I parked my car a fair distance away from the printing facility and said these words: “El-Shaddai is with me”. That means ‘God Almighty is with me’.

 

………………………………

What happens when I say  ‘God Almighty is with me’ ? Go to Psalms 91. It says “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” So when I say “El-Shaddai is with me” that means I’m under the shadow of the Almighty.

Let’s go to the next verses.

Psalms 91

1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;

My God, in Him I will trust.”

When I SAY that the Lord is my refuge, fortress, My God, in whom I trust, THEN you are under His feathers. You are under the shadow of the Almighty.

………………………………

Now with this Psalm in my mind I start walking the remaining distance. There are people and police around and I’m the only one walking on the street with that verse in mind. Suddenly stones were thrown and a massive ‘lathi charge’ (police attacking and trying to disperse crowds with sticks) began. People were running everywhere but I wasn’t. 

I was thinking that whoever gets arrested will be taken to the police station. So, if they take me as well for one or two days, I will get the opportunity to preach the Word of God to them. I tried to go closer to them so that they will arrest me. At the same time, I was saying “El-Shaddai is with me”. At one point there were three people to my right and my left. God is my witness… all 6 of them got pasted by the police but they didn’t touch me. I collected my printouts and walked back to my car.

I began to question God. ‘I only used two lines - “El-Shaddai is with me. God Almighty is with me.” How come I became so invisible? They couldn’t see me! Then God spoke to me in my heart and said “Didn’t I promise you that when you say ‘God is my refuge and fortress’ you are under My shadow and My feathers are going to cover you like a mother hen covers her chick?”

 

Incident #2

Here is another true story of mine. I was coming to Bangalore from Bombay in a bus with my two small daughters. On that day a famous man called Rajkumar died which led to some violent acts by people. So my wife called me early morning and told me to go to a hotel and wait there for 1 or 2 days until things settles down. ‘Don’t bring the children home!’ she said.

I called my team and told them to pray “Jesus You are refuge, You are my fortress, my God in You I trust.” I don’t know where we were dropped. All the buses stopped there. There was no public transport and I didn’t know what to do. I told my daughters to just say that same verse and that the Lord knows what to do.

A rickshaw driver came and everybody pounced on him. He said ‘I’ve not come to take anybody.’ After 15 minutes, he parked his rickshaw, came to me and said “I’ve come to take you. Where do you want to go?” I remembered by wife’s words warning me not to bring the children because at a place near where they live some people burnt a car. She saw this on the news channel.

But I kept saying “El-Shaddai is with me. You are my refuge, fortress, My God, in whom I trust.” I know Lord that you have covered this rickshaw with your wings. Ours was the only vehicle running on the road and we reached home without a scratch! If you miss Psalms 91:2, the whole Psalms 91 doesn’t work for you……

If God is not your refuge, fortress and if you don’t trust Him and you are in fear, the protection is not there because you have not yet believed in His Promise.

There are so many more incidents in my life where this verse 1 and 2 has worked every time for me. 

With my eyes I can see vehicles are being burnt and the road is lonely. But with my heart I can see that I am going with the top security of angels all around me because I am walking with the Most High God.

.

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By faith I know I’m surrounded by angels. Can I see them? No. But I know that they are there because the spiritual world is what the Word of God says it is. When I confess with my mouth and believe in my heart that I’m surrounded by angels then I receive those things in my life.

 

How To Come Out of Depression (Part 7)

 

Freedom. Finally.

God confirmed His Word for me. I was thinking ‘Oh I have to do all this labour.’ BUT THE DAY CAME WHEN I WAS FREE!

(Please study the previous post of this series before you read this one. This is the continuation of the notes which helped this person come out of depression.)

11) Even if you see what you see, feel what you felt, and hear what you heard – speak God’s Word. Because if you speak God’s Word out of the good treasure of your heart you bring forth good things. ~ Matthew 12:35

(I couldn’t see myself alright. I felt weird. People can say that you’re useless, weird, lazy, sleeping the whole day, etc, but you keep speaking God’s Word. Not everyone is going to be sympathetic towards you. Some may say that you’re pretending.)

When you speak about your worries, trials, anxieties, you’re bringing an evil report in your life. Your words change your destiny. When you speak God’s Word you’re work-in-progress and you’ll soon see results. Believe that your words have power in the line with God. Your healing, protection, and deliverance is on the way. God always confirms His Words. ~ Mark 16:20.

God confirmed His Word for me. I was thinking ‘Oh I have to do all this labour.’ But the day came when I was free!

12) Fellowship with people of faith. This is very very important. These people of faith can encourage you, bless you, help you, give you Scriptures to speak, follow up with you, etc. Don’t follow up with people who give you wrong instructions/ messages. Otherwise you can go deeper into your problem instead of coming out. (I might have even become bedridden listening to that lady.)

13) Renounce, rebuke the evil spirit. Tell the evil spirit ‘you have no power and no authority over me. I belong to Jesus. I’m covered by His precious blood. Depression, sickness, infirmity, etc, you have no power over me.

14) Labour to be at rest. Rest is of your mind. When you’re depressed it is your mind that is working overtime. I could be sleeping the whole day but my mind isn’t relaxed.

How can you be at rest? When you’re fixed on the Word of God. I’m not going to see what I’m seeing, I’m not going to feel what I’m feeling, I’m not going to hear what I heard. I’m only going to be focussed on what the Word of God says. The Word of God is the eternal Truth, my situation is just a temporary fact. So I’m just going to tell my mind, ‘you are not going to think all that, you are thinking and fixed on what the Word of God says and nothing more.’

If I don’t labour to be at rest with the Word of God, I could get back into the same situation and it may be 7 times worse. ~ Matthew 12:43-45. After getting healed I can’t just sit in a rocking chair. I have to be in the Word of God all the time.

In my life when I’m reaching out to someone I have to speak the Word of God. I have to study the Word of God myself if I’ve to give somebody a Scripture, so again I’m in the Word of God. Your labour to help somebody with the Word of God is actually helping you. It maintains your healing. Otherwise you run the risk of going back in the pit.

You can listen to the Word of God even while sleeping. We have the jcilm radio app and the jcilm YouTube channel. You can put it on the whole night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxxxH_cX1zg (You can watch her whole video testimony here, if you want to. Her phone number is in the description box of the video.)

(Hope you guys read the whole series of posts. Do share with whoever is suffering with depression, anxiety, stress, worry, and suicidal thoughts. Remember that you are not alone. You are precious and loved and all of you have a purpose in life ❤ )

How To Come Out of Depression (Part 6)

 

I already got comforted by God in my affliction (depression, anxiety, etc), and now God is telling me to comfort others in their affliction. (2Cor 1:3-4) I have to teach them and give them Scriptures so that they can come out of their affliction. This is what we are ALL called to do.

These are the notes I took down to get rid of Depression:

1) Face the issue. God is on your side.

2) Take action to break the depression by renewing your mind with the Word of God.

3) Thoughts can’t be fought with thoughts. Thoughts can be fought with the Word of God.

4) Find the relevant Scripture according to your situation to know what God had to say about it. (My Scriptures were Isaiah 41:10, Concerning Worry and Fear prayer, Luke 4:18-19, etc.) You can ask someone for Scriptures. But please make sure that the person you’re asking counsel from is into the Word of God. If whatever they tell you isn’t backed by the Word of God, please do not listen.

(One lady had told my mother that if I didn’t read Scriptures I would be bed-ridden. Does God say that? No! I then used to read Scriptures with fright. Please be alert when asking for counsel.)

5) Your situation is a fact which is subject to change. God’s Word is the Truth and can never change.

6) Speak to your mountain and tell depression or whatever you’re going through to leave in Jesus’ Name with the authority of Jesus. Speak to your laziness, procrastination, anxious thoughts, etc. (I used to get weird thoughts and vivid dreams because of the medicines. In my sleep I used to feel like I was awake and when I was awake I used to go to sleep. I had to keep speaking to this mountain to get out of me in Jesus’ Name.)

7) Let God’s Spirit govern your mind. Speak to your mind and command your soul to be brought under subjection to the Word of God. I had to command my 5 senses, intellect, decisions, and thoughts, to be subject to the Word of God. I used to tell my mind ‘C’mon you have to be under subjection to the Word of God.’

8) THE WORD OF GOD IS AN ENEMY OF DEPRESSION. God says ‘I will deliver you from your enemies.’ He can’t deliver you from your friends. If depression is your friend God can’t deliver you. You’ve got to say “Depression is my enemy.” Depression is from Satan, not God.

9) Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ~ Hebrews 13:8 . He can go into your past. He can cleanse all the bad memories. He can cleanse all the negative thoughts. He can cleanse whatever you suffered and went through. He can clean up all the afflictions. He can go into your yesterdays and make all things right.

10) Stop thinking about your guilt, sickness, anxieties, worries, negative thoughts, and suicidal tendencies because Jesus has taken it all on the cross and by His wounds you have been set free. Suicide is an act of selfishness. You just want to end your life but you don’t think of the misery you leave the other people with. Don’t ever ever think about it.

TO BE CONTINUED

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxxxH_cX1zg (You can watch her whole testimony here, if you want to, before I upload the written version of it. Her phone number is in the description box of the video.)

How To Come Out of Depression (Part 5)

 

I used to shout at myself.

I would say, “Marina do you want to get alright??? If you want to get alright listen to what the preacher is saying. Otherwise stay there only and you’re never going to get alright. You better be obedient.”

If someone is obedient they will learn faster. The next thing I did was I stopped reading newspapers. It gives all the sensational bad news. I’m not even bothered with the news now because I’m so much into the Word of God. That news just passes off soon whereas the Bible is forever. A depressed person is pressed with bad thoughts, so why add bad news?

(Marina did get the opportunity to meet the preacher personally.) After I was healed the preacher asked me, “Now what? Are you happy with your healing? ” If I don’t study the Word and go deeper and deeper into the Word, I might get that depression back. When you’re clean and those spirits have gone out, what happens? …..

Matthew 12:43-45- “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it EMPTY, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is even worse than the first.”

Why does the spirit find it empty? Because the person has done no labour to be in the Word of God, hasn’t reached out to anyone, etc. When I was told this, I really didn’t want it to happen. I had done so much labour to get rid of one or two spirits.

No way I wanted that verse to happen to me! I have to be obedient and I don’t want to go back into depression. So I slowly started reaching out to people – one phone call or just give one Scripture to someone. Afterwards I started reaching out to the sick and started counseling people.

TO BE CONTINUED

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxxxH_cX1zg (You can watch her whole testimony here, if you want to, before I upload the written version of it. Her phone number is in the description box of the video.)

How To Come Out of Depression (Part 4)

 

I couldn’t stop my medicines suddenly. I still went to the doctor even though I was in the Word of God. I changed my doctor and the medicines worked on me supernaturally. Within 3 weeks I was healed. I started smiling again. I was happy and laughing. 

 

The doctor was reducing the medicine to wean me off the medicine as they were quite strong. Over a period of 1 year the doses became lower and lower till they finally stopped. By then I was getting stronger and stronger with the Word of God. 

 

How did I start renewing my mind? I used to write declarations on my book and say ‘I’m blessed’, ‘my mind and thoughts are blessed’, ‘my family is blessed’, ‘my children are blessed’, ‘my home, food, etc, are blessed’. I really had to become a student of the Word of God right from Lkg. 

 

I had cut out many negative things. First of all I cut out TV – no violence, no sexual scenes, no crimes, no bad news. Nothing negative should enter my mind. If I’m going to be alright, I want everything positive. I stopped watching every TV channel except the channel with the Word of God which was on for 24 hours. (You can get the teachings on jcilm info YouTube channel.) I never put it off. I could hear it even when I went to sleep and when I woke up.

 

You have to be strict with yourself. 

 

TO BE CONTINUED

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxxxH_cX1zg (You can watch her whole testimony here, if you want to, before I upload the written version of it. Her phone number is in the description box of the video.)

How To Come Out of Depression (Part 3)

When we keep allowing these negative thoughts, we get into this situation where we become a captive and we don't know what we are doing. Those thoughts dictate you. If they say 'kill yourself' we feel like killing ourselves. Next day they say 'I'm frightened' then I'm frightened. The next day they say 'don't die' then I'm scared to die.... I have to learn first of all to change my thinking because my thinking was all wrong and negative and was destroying me. My labour was to renew my mind and change my thinking. I had to learn Scriptures. I took Scriptures that were pertaining to me. The Bible has Scriptures for every situation. Our labour is to find the Scripture pertaining to us, write It down, memorize It, speak It, record It on your mobile with your own voice. Play it again and again and again - even throughout the night. That's what I used to do.

A favourite scripture of mine was Isaiah 41:10- "Fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand." I needed to know that God was with me all the time and I didn't have to get scared. By just saying it once it wasn't entering my head. I was wondering how will God help me and strengthen me? I can't understand. But I was told to just obey. I don't need to know how it's going to happen. You just speak the Scripture and the Word of God will do It's job.

Next I was given the ‘Concerning Worry and Fear’ prayer... (I will put this prayer at the bottom of this post)... We were told on the TV to learn it by-heart. In my depressed state I was wondering how I’ll memorize such a long prayer. So I decided to take one line at a time. So I started to say “I am the body of Christ and Satan, sickness, laziness, depression, anxiety, procrastination, etc, has no power or place in me.” I used to write these things down because I may forget what I’ve to say the next day.

When you are in depression one day you may remember something and the next day you forget. I used to keep a diary and write down all the things I wanted to confess (speak out). I had also recorded it. When you write, your mind gets busy with the Word of God. If you’re just sitting and doing nothing, your mind begins to wander into a circle of thoughts. Writing the Word of God is beneficial for you. It’s like a medicine for you. Your mind gets renewed, your thinking begins to change, and your whole system gets cleansed.

TO BE CONTINUED

This Is The ‘Concerning Worry and Fear Prayer’ :

"I am the body of Christ and satan, sickness, sin has NO power over me and my family, for I overcome evil with Good (Romans 12:21), I am of GOD and I have overcome satan, for Greater is The SPIRIT OF GOD that is in me than the sickness/evil spirit that is in the world (I John 4:4), so I fear no evil, for Thou art with me Jesus. YOUR WORD and YOUR SPIRIT, THEY comfort me (Psalm 23:4; 2 Corinthians 1). I am far from oppression, depression and fear does not come near me (Isaiah 54:14)

No weapon formed against me shall prosper Isaiah 54:17), for my Righteousness is of The Lord Jesus (Romans 3:22). Whatsoever I do, Prospers, for I'm like a Tree planted by the Rivers of water. I am delivered from the evils of this present world (Galatians 1:4), for This is The Will of God concerning me: No evil shall befall me, neither shall any plague or sickness come near my dwelling, For my God has given me His angels to charge over me, and they keep me in all my ways (Psalms 1:10-11), and in my pathway there is God kind of Life and there is no a destruction/death (Proverbs 12:28).

I am a Doer of the WORD OF GOD (James 1:22) and I’m Blessed in my deeds (James 1:25), I am Happy in these things, which I do, because I’m a doer of the WORD OF GOD, I take the shield of Faith and I quench every fiery dart that the wicked one brings against me (Ephesians 6:16).

Christ HAS redeemed me from the curse of the law; therefore I forbid any sickness or disease to come upon my body. Every disease, every germ, every virus that touches my body dies instantly, in the Name of Jesus. Every organ, every tissue of my body functions in the Perfection to which God has created it to function, and I forbid any malfunction in my body, in the name of Jesus {{Galatians 3:13) (Romans 8:11)}.

I am an overcomer and I overcome the Word of my testimony (Revelation 12:11), I am submitted to God and the devil flees from me because I resist the devil and his empty promises in the Name of Jesus (James 4:7).

The WORD OF GOD is forever settled in heaven (Psalm 119:89), therefore I establish God's Word upon this earth/ in my Life, {{Matthew 18:16) (2 Corinthians 13:1)), so, Great is my Peace and the Peace of my family, for we are Taught of the Lord Jesus (Isaiah 54:13), we are Anointed and Protected, we are Blessed, we are Wealthy, we are Healthy, nothing is missing, nothing is broken, in our life and in the lives of our family."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxxxH_cX1zg (You can watch her whole testimony here, if you want to, before I upload the written version of it. Her phone number is in the description box of the video.)