Hi, I’m Jeanne Nigro, author and speaker and founder of Jeanne Nigro Ministries. Welcome to God Today. We all want to draw closer to God. Did you know that it is impossible to draw closer to God when you don’t see yourself as He sees you? Are you seeing yourself, today, as He sees you? Do you even know how He sees you? If you are down on yourself at all, if you put yourself down, if you think negatively about yourself, if you feel ashamed for any reason, or you’re bad, or not good enough, or you compare yourself. That is not how God sees you. It is impossible to have closeness or intimacy with Him when you’re having thoughts like that about yourself, or emotions, or you don’t like yourself. He loves you. Not just loves you like “He loves the whole world”. He actually likes being with you and He misses you when you’re not focused on Him. He desires you more than you could ever imagine and He delights in you.
You know what I’ve found? I have to remind myself of that all day long. My natural tendency is to beat myself up and to feel like I always stay focused on what I’m not doing right, or who doesn’t like me, or who is rejecting me, or what I am doing wrong. It is old messages from growing up, that I always felt like I was bad for whatever reason. I have to really make an effort throughout the day. Sometimes I speak out loud or under my breath, “Thank you, God, that you desire me. Thank you that you are rejoicing over me with singing. Thank you that you can’t get enough of being with me, that you want me.” All the things that maybe you didn’t feel growing up – I know I didn’t – He wants you to experience now, today.
Let’s pray that we can all be more aware of the things that block that closeness with Him. Lord, God, we want the intimacy that you desire. Show me the thoughts and the motions about myself that are just on automatic record. I don’t even realize I am believing or thinking them, but yet, they are not how you see me. Help me to be aware of those things. Reveal to me, show me, God, how you see me. You rejoice over me, you desire and you delight me, and even when I am not perfect, when I am weak, God, you see me as beautiful. Help me to be aware of that and to dwell on that throughout the day and to grow closer to you. In Yeshua’s name. Amen.