I made you a special vessel for a special purpose, and I don’t require or even wish for you to be exactly like those you find it easy to compare with. You are different, with a different personality, role, and future. Take to heart what I told Peter when he was asking Me about John, saying, “Lord, what shall this man do?” I had been speaking to Peter, telling him what he was to do, but he still wondered how he stood in comparison to John and the others and what their role was to be. Part of it was curiosity, but a large part was his inclination to compare. Do you remember what I told Peter? “What is that to thee? Follow thou Me!”
I look at your heart, and I am concerned only by your love for Me, your desire to please Me, and your obedience in following what I show you to do. Don’t worry and fear about how far along you are, or look back and think that you haven’t learned as much as others may seem to have. Because comparing where you are at in life with where others are at will only confuse you. My plan for each person unfolds in different ways and at different times, so it isn’t wise to compare. Consider what I have said in My Word and let the Holy Spirit speak gently to your heart and show you what areas you can improve in. The Spirit is loving and gentle—unlike the Evil One, who will condemn you.
Remember that I am not the author of confusion, but of peace. I long to give you that peace in your heart that passes all your human understanding and gives you acceptance of the way I’ve made you. I give that peace freely, but I ask that you put aside comparing and negativity and accept My peace.
Your mind can be trained, and like a muscle, it can be strengthened and toned. You can start training your mind to react positively to otherwise negative situations. That doesn’t mean that you have to throw objectivity to the wind and become a blind optimist. But when your self-talk has condemning overtones, you need to begin the difficult but necessary task of taking back the control of your thoughts so that you can see things as I see them. I want you to bring every thought into captivity, and this is how you can begin to do that.
When you hear yourself thinking negatively about yourself, force yourself to bring up the positive side. Don’t let your thoughts turn into a monologue of negativity, but fight back with positive thoughts. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Even if you feel you’re just forcing yourself to think or react positively, don’t feel bad. If you’re faithful and persevere, in time it will become a good habit, and then you’ll actually feel better about yourself and develop a more positive outlook on yourself and things around you.
If you put forth that effort of a willing mind, I will help you to win the victory.