ACT RIGHT.

There are many churches that teach doctrine, and that is good. We all need a strong foundation of good solid doctrine. But along with that doctrine, we also need to know how to live our lives. If we are going to represent Jesus properly, we need to walk victoriously. The Bible states we are more than conquerors (See Romans 8:37) and we are to reign as kings in life through Jesus Christ (See Romans 5:17). If we are defeated and lack victory, no one will want what we have. But when we are victorious, others see it and want the same victories in their lives. To put it plainly, if we want other people to accept Jesus, we must show them that having a relationship with Him makes a real difference in our lives. When we call ourselves Christians and go to church but repeatedly behave badly, people think we are hypocrites and phonies. G.o.d has given us the power to make right choices and manifest right behavior. How we act is important!

G.o.d has given us the power to make right choices and manifest right behavior.

The realization that I was a Christian with very little victory is what urged me to seek a deeper relationship with G.o.d. That took place in 1976. As a Christian I knew I was saved by grace and that I would go to heaven when I died, but I was not enjoying the journey. I was miserable, and I had a negative att.i.tude and life. Whatever effect I was having on others was probably not a positive one. I needed a big change. I was going to church but I did not truly know G.o.d's Word. I trusted Him to go to heaven but not for everything that concerned me. I called on Him in emergencies but did not let Him into my everyday life. G.o.d had a much better life for me than I ever dreamed of, and He has the same thing for you.

Don't settle for anything less than the best G.o.d has to offer you. You can have a deep, intimate, personal relationship with G.o.d through Jesus Christ. You can enjoy daily fellowship with Him and walk in victory as you travel through this life. The Lord desires to teach us how to live, how to think, how to talk, and how to act for our own good and happiness as well as to glorify Him. These principles are clearly taught in the Bible. When we diligently study the Word and allow the Lord to bless our life with truth, there is no end to what He can show us.

We are His personal representatives in the earth and we need to represent Him well (See 2 Corinthians 5:20).

Don't settle for anything less than the best G.o.d has to offer you.

DOCTRINE VERSUS LIBERTY.

But [as for] you, teach what is fitting and becoming to sound (wholesome) doctrine [the character and right living that identify true Christians]. (t.i.tus 2:1) I went to church for years and years and never heard a message about the power my words had on my life. I may have heard something about my thoughts, but if so, it wasn't enough to make any impact on my life because it did not change my thinking. I heard about grace and salvation and other good things. But it wasn't everything I needed to know in order to live in the righteousness, peace, and joy G.o.d offers to all who believe (See Romans 14:17).

There are many wonderful churches that teach G.o.d's Word in its entirety and I encourage you to make sure that wherever you choose to go to church, it is a place where you are learning and growing spiritually. We should not go to church just to fulfill an obligation we may think we have to G.o.d. We should go to church to fellowship with other believers in Jesus Christ, to worship G.o.d, and to learn how to live the life Jesus died for us to have and enjoy. We are called salt and light in the Bible (See Matthew 5:13-16). That means our lives should make people thirsty for what we have and bring a bright spot into their darkness.

Sometimes religious teaching doesn't take us far enough.

It just stays in the realm of doctrine. Sometimes we get so tied up in church doctrine and rules and regulations that we never really get over into the power, victory, and freedom Jesus died to give us. For example, I was taught to pray but never told I could come "boldly" to the throne of grace. I wasn't taught about righteousness through Christ; therefore James 5:16, which states that tremendous power is made available when a righteous man prays, had no effect on my life. I tried to pray while I was filled with guilt and condemnation. I tried to pray while feeling insecure and fearful that G.o.d was not pleased with me. As a result my prayers were weak and not very effective. I learned about the princ.i.p.al of prayer but not the power of prayer available to the believer who understands righteousness.

Even more, I was given the impression that it was spiritual to feel unworthy and to see myself as a poor, miserable sinner. Although we have all sinned, it is not spiritual to feel bad about ourselves and be insecurea"to feel as if we are no good, terrible, awful people who can never do anything right. I felt that way without Jesus, and I ended up feeling the same way after accepting Him as my Savior and Lord. That was wrong.

It is G.o.d's willa"and therefore spiritual and pleasing to Hima"to see ourselves in Christ. We should believe that if we have repented of our sins and accepted Jesus as our Savior, He has given us His righteousness. We are to walk in this life with our head held high because we are children of G.o.d and He loves us.

RELIGION AND RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Some people within the religious community become upset with hearing someone like me talk about righteousness. I have received more judgment and criticism from some religious people over the one issue of righteousness than over anything else I teach. I have been accused of saying I am without sin, which I have never said. I know I do wrong things; I sin, but I don't concentrate on and continually fellowship with my sin.

My fellowship is with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (See 1 John 1:3 KJV). Since G.o.d has made provision for our sins, I ask Him to forgive all my sins. I receive His gift of forgiveness, and then continue fellowshipping with and serving Him. I don't believe I have to add my guilt to His sacrifice. His sacrifice was complete and perfect, and no work of my flesh can improve on what He has done: My little children, I write you these things so that you may not violate G.o.d's law and sin. But if anyone should sin, we have an Advocate (One Who will intercede for us) with the Fathera"[it is] Jesus Christ [the all] righteous [upright, just, Who conforms to the Father's will in every purpose, thought and action]. (1 John 2:1) Obviously our goal should be not to sin. But if we do sin, G.o.d has already provided Jesus, Who has been perfect in our place. He has conformed to righteousness in every area. Succ.u.mbing to a lifetime of guilt is just another form of approval addiction. We feel we are earning G.o.d's forgiveness by feeling guilty. It is our fleshly way of "paying" for our mistake. The good news is that Jesus has already paid and we can look to and identify with Him when we need forgiveness. Jesus did not die for us so we could have a religion. He died for us so we could have an intimate relationship with G.o.d through Him. He died so our sins could be forgiven and we could have a right standing with G.o.d. He died so we could come boldly to the throne of grace in prayer and have our needs met.

Succ.u.mbing to a lifetime of guilt is just another form of approval addiction.

ARE YOU FELLOWSHIPPING WITH G.o.d OR WITH YOUR SIN?.

The devil delights in reminding us daily of all our mistakes from the past. On Monday he reminds us of Sat.u.r.day and Sunday's failures; on Tuesday he reminds us of sins committed on Monday, and so on. One morning I was spending my time with the Lord, thinking about my problems and all the areas in which I had failed, when suddenly the Lord spoke to my heart: "Joyce, are you going to fellowship with Me or with your problems?" It is our fellowship with G.o.d that helps and strengthens us to overcome our problems. We are strengthened through our union with Him. If we spend our time with G.o.d fellowshipping with our mistakes from yesterday, we never receive strength to overcome them today. Meditating on all of our faults and failures weakens us, but meditating on G.o.d's grace and willingness to forgive strengthens us: For by the death He died, He died to sin [ending His relation to it] once for all; and the life that He lives, He is living to G.o.d [in unbroken fellowship with Him].

Even so consider yourselves also dead to sin and your relation to it broken, but alive to G.o.d [living in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:10-11, emphasis mine) Our relationship and fellowship is to be with G.o.d, not with our sins.

How much do you fellowship with your sins, failures, mistakes, and weaknesses? Whatever time it is, it is wasted. When you sin, admit it, ask for forgiveness, and then continue your fellowship with G.o.d. The Scripture above says we are alive to G.o.d, living in unbroken fellowship with Him. Don't let your sins come between you and the Lord. Even when you sin, G.o.d still wants to spend time with you, hear and answer your prayers, and help you with all of your needs. He wants you to run to Him, not away from Him!

ACCIDENTAL SIN.

No one born (begotten) of G.o.d [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, for G.o.d's nature abides in him [His principle of life, the divine sperm, remains permanently within him]; and he cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten) of G.o.d. (1 John 3:9) I like to put it this way: I used to be a full-time sinner, and once in a while I accidentally slipped up and did something right. But now that I have spent many years developing a deep, personal relationship with G.o.d and His Word, I concentrate on being a full-time obedient child of G.o.d. I still make mistakes, but not nearly as many as I once did. I am not where I need to be, but thank G.o.d I am not where I used to be. There are times when I accidentally make mistakes, but it is not the desire of my heart to do wrong. I do not deliberately, knowingly commit sin. I do not habitually sin. So I don't allow those occasions to make me feel insecure. I don't do everything right, but I do know that the att.i.tude of my heart is right.

I can be having an absolutely wonderful day, feeling very close to the Lord and quite spiritual. Then my husband, Dave, comes home and says he does not care for the outfit I am wearing, and I suddenly become angry and defensive, telling him everything I don't like about him either.

I don't intend for that to happen; in fact, I plan to be very sweet and submissive when he comes home. But, as Paul said in Romans 7, the things I want to do, I don't do, and the things I don't want to do, I end up doing.

I am not where I need to be, but thank G.o.d I am not where I used to be.

I am so glad G.o.d sees our hearts and not our sins!

I am like the man who lay in bed praying: "Dear Lord, so far today I have not done anything wrong. I have not been grouchy, selfish, or impatient. But in a few moments I am going to get up, and after that I will need a lot of help." Or, as I like to put it, I have no difficulty getting along with people when no one is at home but me!

We plan for right behavior because our hearts are right, but like Paul our plans don't always work. Thank G.o.d for His mercy that is new every day (See Lamentations 3:2223).

COMPEt.i.tION.

Just because you are a Christian does not mean you are going to do everything right all the time. But because you have been made right with G.o.d, you can stop comparing yourself to and competing with everyone else. Our acceptance is not found in being like someone else, but in being who we are through faith in Christ. Be the best "you" that you can be! Don't find some other person in the church you think is "Sister Super Christian" or "Brother Saint," someone who seems to have it all together, and then try your best to be like them. That is just the side of their nature they show at church. There may be a totally different side they show at home.

We all have our baggage we try to hide in public. Despite how wonderful we may appear to others, we all make mistakes. You are no worse than anyone else. You have strengths and weaknesses, and you do things right and you do things wrong. You sin, just as everyone else does. And sin is sin, despite its nature or magnitude. Regardless of how hard we try, none of us will ever be completely perfect in this life, but not being perfect at everything we do does not mean we have no worth or value.

You are speciala"uniquea"and that means there is only one like you, imperfections and all. My husband has a s.p.a.ce between his front teeth. Some time ago we talked about having it fixed. After thinking about it, I told him that I would rather he leave the s.p.a.ce there because it is part of him, and I like him the way he is. The world may consider it a flaw, but to me it is just Dave. Our children feel the same way.

Regardless of how hard we try, none of us will ever be completely perfect in this life.

Competing and comparing ourselves with others can cause only two things. It can cause an att.i.tude of pride because we deem ourselves to be better than others, or an att.i.tude of insecurity because we deem others to be better than we are. Both of these att.i.tudes are unG.o.dly and should be avoided.

According to Scripture, Jesus broke down the dividing wall between people (See Ephesians 2:14). None of us has any value except what we have in Christ. Our strengths come from Him as gifts, and we cannot take credit for them. Our weaknesses are covered by His grace, and we can only thank Him for it. Since our strengths are gifts from G.o.d, it is pointless to judge our worth or value by comparing ourselves to others. If G.o.d gives the gifts, we certainly should not feel inferior just because He did not give us the same gifts He gave someone else. We all have gifts, but they differ from one another (See Romans 12:38).

In Scripture we see an instance in which the disciples of John the Baptist felt threatened by the popularity of Jesus' ministry. They went to John and said, "Everybody is flocking to Him." John's reply should be seriously considered by all those who feel the need to compare themselves or their gifts and abilities with others: John answered, A man can receive nothing [he can claim nothing, he can take unto himself nothing] except as it has been granted to him from heaven. [A man must be content to receive the gift which is given him from heaven; there is no other source.] (John 3:27) John knew what he was sent to do, and he was doing it. He was not threatened by anyone who looked greater or better than he did. He knew that he was only responsible to be the best he could be. He was not responsible to be anyone else or even to be like anyone else.

Sometimes we seek to be like others, hoping to gain their approval. We must remember that G.o.d's approval is what we truly need, and we have it, as long as we pursue His will for our lives. G.o.d will never help us be anyone other than ourselves. I believe the Holy Spirit is grieved when we compete with others and compare ourselves with them. He wants us to be ourselves and to like who we are.

Please remember that you don't have to be like someone else to be acceptable. The world's standards are not G.o.d's. The world may say you need to be like this person or that person, but G.o.d's will is that you be yourself.

I spent many years trying to be like someone else: my husband, my neighbor, my pastor's wife, et cetera. I became so confused that I lost sight of myself. It was a great day of victory for me when I finally realized that G.o.d only wanted me to be me, that He had created me with His own hand in my mother's womb, that I was not a mistake, and that I could stand before Him as an individual without needing to compare myself with others.

The world's standards are not G.o.d's.

Jesus is our standard, not any other person. If you are going to seek to be like anyone, let it be Jesus Himself. He is our righteousness. So embrace that righteousness, which produces feelings of being right rather than wrong, and begin to live free of insecurity.

Now let's take a look at how important having a sense of worth is to overcoming approval addiction.

Chapter 4.

Changing Your Self-Image

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. (Proverbs 23:7) G.o.d wants to help you change your self-image. Your selfimage is the picture you carry of yourself on the inside of you. You may carry pictures of your spouse, your children, your grandchildren, or someone else in your purse or wallet. If somebody says, "Let me see a picture of your family," you open it up and show them. But what if I said to you, "Let me see the picture that you carry of yourself in your heart"? What would I see?

It is interesting to me that a lot of people don't even know they don't like themselves until I call it to their attention. I have been convinced for years that a large percentage of people's problems comes from how they feel about themselves. I think that insecurity is why some people struggle for position and power. They derive their sense of worth and value from what they do rather than from who they are. That is why some people become approval addicts, always needing the approval of others to be happy and secure. That is why some people are so compet.i.tive they can't even enjoy playing simple games. Their att.i.tude is, "I have to win." To feel valuable, they have to be first or the best.

Many people struggle to be first. Yet Jesus said that the last will be first, and the first will be last (See Matthew 19:30). He was referring to the believing Gentiles who would be received by Him before the unbelieving Jews, but I think that Scripture can be applied to those who try to succeed without His help. Psalm 75:6,7 says that true promotion comes from G.o.d. We may manipulate circ.u.mstances and people to get a promotion, but we will never be truly happy with it. I have learned by experience that if I have to be phony and pretend and manipulate to get something, I will have to do the same thing to keep it. Eventually we become tired of living that way but find ourselves in a trap we don't know how to break free from.

THE POWER OF POSITION.

Sometimes we think having a certain position will give us power, when in reality the position may end up having power over us.

I can well remember the time that I wanted a position in a church I was attending. I knew that in order to get the position I would have to be liked and accepted by a certain group of people who had the power to vote me in or out. I made all the right compliments, sent gifts, and gave invitations to dinner. I did and said all the right things again and again until I finally got what I thought I wanted. After getting the position, I soon discovered that if I did not let those people control me, they could be very vindictive. There existed a "silent" message: "We got you this position, and if you want to keep it, you had better keep us happy."

I wanted the position because at that time I needed it to feel valuable and important, yet it ended up making me feel miserable and manipulated. Whatever we gain by the works of our own flesh, we will have to maintain the same way we gained it. As soon as I did a few things these people did not like, they all rejected me. Our entire relationship was phony; they did not really like or care about me, and I really did not like or care about them.

That position was not going to make me feel permanently secure and approved of, because my real problem was "inside" me not in my circ.u.mstances. I did not need a position; I needed a revelation of G.o.d's unconditional love. I needed to seek G.o.d's approval, not man's approval.

Until we accept and approve of ourselves, no amount of approval from others will keep us permanently secure.

Until we accept and approve of ourselves, no amount of approval from others will keep us permanently secure. The outside approval we seek becomes an addiction. We work to get approval or a compliment and it feels good for a short while, and then we find that we need another and another and another. True freedom never comes until we fully realize that we don't need to struggle to get from man what G.o.d freely gives us: love, acceptance, approval, security, worth, and value.

The world is full of pretense, and sad to say the church is not immune to it. People play some of the same silly games in church that they play in the world. They vie for position and power for all the wrong reasons.

I had a poor self-image, so I tried to enhance my image through position. What I really needed was to know that I was valuable to G.o.d as a person totally apart from my position in life. I am the president of Joyce Meyer Ministries, which is a worldwide ministry with eight foreign offices in addition to the one in the United States. My position sounds important, but I have learned from past experience not to let my sense of worth and value become attached to what I do. Should the time ever come when I can no longer do what I am doing, I want the a.s.surance and confidence that I am still equally as valuable to G.o.d apart from my work.

I encourage you not to let your value become attached to a position. Positions can come and go in life, but G.o.d and His love for you remains. G.o.d is not impressed with the positions that people hold (See Galatians 2:6). The bottom line is, if we know who we are in Christ, then we can have a healthy self-image apart from our position or job t.i.tle.

I also held a position at a different church in St. Louis, Missouri, for many years. When G.o.d told me it was time to lay it down and start my own ministry, I had a difficult time being obedient. Actually I was not obedient for quite some time, and the longer I remained in disobedience, the more miserable I became. I liked my position. I had a t.i.tle, a parking place with my name on it, a guaranteed seat on the front row of the church, and everyone's admiration. I was on the "inside." I always knew what was going on. I actually did not realize how dependent I was on the position to give me feelings of security until G.o.d told me to walk away from it.

I finally did obey G.o.d, but I was shaken to the core by the feelings I experienced after I left the position. I still attended church there, but I felt really out of place each time I went to a service. My seat and my parking place had been given away, all kinds of things were going on that I knew nothing about, and I didn't know where I belonged anymore. G.o.d had to teach me that my place is in Him, and that as long as I know that fact, I don't have to be uncomfortable anywhere with anyone.

Have you ever felt like all the props in life have been kicked out from under you? If so, consider that G.o.d may be doing you a huge favor. Sometimes we are "propped up" by people or positions, and the only way we realize it is to have those things removed. A prop is something that holds something else in place, something that makes it secure. G.o.d wants our security to be in Him, not in things. He is the only thing in life that is not shaky, the only thing that is certain and sure. G.o.d allows some "props" in life while we are getting rooted in Him, but eventually He removes all those other things we have depended on excessively. It frightens us initially, but it ends up being the best thing that ever happened to us. When we don't have anyone else, we develop a deep relationship with G.o.d that will carry us through anything life brings our way.

The only thing or person in life we absolutely cannot do without is G.o.d.

If you feel right now that you have lost something or someone that you just cannot do without, you are wrong. The only thing or person in life we absolutely cannot do without is G.o.d. He is our Strength, our Stronghold in times of trouble, our High Tower, our Hiding Place, and our Refuge (See Psalm 9:9; 31:4; 32:7; 37:39; 46:11).

When I lost my friends, and again when I lost my position at church, I hurt so much emotionally I thought I would not survive. These events eventually helped me realize that I depended entirely too much on people and their opinion of me. I depended on my position. I thought if I held a high position then people would think well of me and accept me. G.o.d removed it all and taught me the things I hope to teach you in this book. Our worth and value, our acceptance and approval, come from Him. As long as we have that, we have the most valuable thing in the world.

When we need what the world offers in order to feel good about ourselves, G.o.d often withholds it. Once we no longer need those things, He can give them to us, because they will not control us. Now I have friends, influence, position, authority, acceptance, et cetera, but the key to keeping them is knowing beyond a shadow of doubt that I don't have to have them to be happy and fulfilled.

I am convinced that as long as we keep G.o.d first in our life, He will give us everything else. However, if we allow anything else to take His place, He will become jealous and remove it.

FACE THE TRUTH, AND BE FREE.

And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free. (John 8:32) It is interesting to me that there is only one thing that will set us free, and that is the truth. Yet that is the one thing we have a hard time dealing with. We don't mind facing the truth about everyone else so much, but when it comes to facing the truth about ourselves, it is quite a different matter.

It was difficult for me to face the fact that my security was tied up in the position I held. It was hard for me to say at that time, "I am insecure, I don't like myself, and I need G.o.d's help and healing in this area of my life." But as I always say, there are two kinds of pain in the world: the pain of never changing, and the pain of changing. If I had refused to face the truth, I would still be in bondage. I would still be trying to please people, addicted to approval in order to keep a position that I probably would not even like. As it is, I am free. I know who I am in Christ apart from what I do. I want to please people, but I am not devastated if they are not pleased with me. As long as I know my heart is right, that is sufficient. If I am doing the best I can and people don't approve, what they think will have to be between them and G.o.d.

I want approvala"n.o.body wants to be disapproved ofa"but I am not addicted to it. I enjoy it, but if I have to live without it, I can. I went through the pain of facing truth and change, and it brought me freedom. The only way out of bondage is to go through what we need to go through.

I strongly encourage you to be careful not to let anything become more important to you than it should be. Keep G.o.d first so He can bless you with other things you desire. As Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) says, "Seek first the kingdom of G.o.d and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."

FAILING DOES NOT MAKE YOU A FAILURE.

Don't see yourself as a failure just because you have failed at certain things in the past. n.o.body is good at everything. Don't let the picture you carry of yourself, your selfimage, be marred by past mistakes. Sometimes the only way we can find out what we are meant to be doing in life is to step out and try some things. The process of elimination is often helpful, but we may make some mistakes in the process.

When I was seeking G.o.d's will for my life in ministry, I tried working in the nursery. It didn't even take two weeks of time to know that was not my ministry. I knew it, and so did the children. I also tried street ministry, and although I did it, I was very uncomfortable and actually disliked it very much. At first I felt guilty that I didn't want to go out on the streets and tell people about Jesus, but later I realized that if G.o.d had intended that type of ministry for me, He would have given me a gift and a desire in that area. I mentioned earlier that my first church job was as secretary to my pastor, and I got fired the first day. Just because I failed at that job does not mean I am a failure; I have gone on to be quite successful.

Sometimes the only way we can find out what we are meant to be doing in life is to step out and try some things.

GETTING PAST YOUR PAST.

A lot of people let the past dictate their future. Don't do that! Get past your past. We all have a past, but we all have a future. The Bible teaches us in Ephesians 2:10 that we are recreated in Christ Jesus so we might do the good works He planned beforehand for us and live the good life He prearranged and made ready for us. The word recreated indicates we were created, messed up, and in need of repair. In Jeremiah 18:1-4 we read of the potter who had to remake his vessel because it had been marred. That is a picture of us in the hands of the Lord, the Master Potter.

We are said to be new creatures when we enter into a relationship with Christ. Old things pa.s.s away. We have an opportunity for a new beginning. We become new spiritual clay for the Holy Spirit to work with. G.o.d makes arrangements for each of us to have a fresh start, but we must be willing to let go of the past and go on. We make a way for the new by believing what G.o.d says about it: For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. (Jeremiah 29:11) Satan wants us to have a negative att.i.tude and to feel hopeless, but G.o.d's Word says we should be "prisoners of hope": Return to the stronghold [of security and prosperity], you prisoners of hope; even today do I declare that I will restore double your former prosperity to you. (Zechariah 9:12, emphasis mine) Don't ever stop hoping. Romans 4 teaches us that Abraham had no human reason to hope that G.o.d's promise would be fulfilled, but he hoped on in faith. It says that no doubt or unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of G.o.d, but he grew strong as he gave praise and glory to G.o.d. Abraham remained positive and hopeful, and we know from the Bible that he received his promised blessing of a child. Don't let your past failures leave you hopeless about your future success. Your future has no room in it for the failures of the past. As I have stated, just because you have failed at some things does not make you a failure.

Don't let your past failures leave you hopeless about your future success.

Whatever Satan has stolen through deception, G.o.d will restore doubled, if you are willing to press forward, forgetting the past. You have to let go in order to go on!

PEOPLE WITH A PAST.

Mary Magdalene was a woman with a past. She had sold her love by the hour; she was a prost.i.tute. She was called "an especially wicked sinner" by the Pharisees (See Luke 7:37). She was called Magdalene because she was from Magdala, which was an unremarkable town. Of Jesus' hometown of Nazareth, the people said: "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46). I mention these two examples to show you G.o.d does not always choose people from popular places with a lot of skills and a lovely past.

In Luke 7:36-50 we see the account of Mary anointing Jesus' feet with a bottle of very expensive perfume, washing them with her tears, and drying them with her hair. Since she was a prost.i.tute, the perfume was probably either a gift from one of her clients or was purchased with money she had earned from her profession. At one time Jesus cast seven demons out of her (See Luke 8:2). Her act of love was seen by other people as being erotic because of her past, but Jesus knew it was an act of pure love.

When we have an unpleasant past, people often misjudge our actions, and we find ourselves caught up in the approval game, trying to convince others that we are acceptable. People don't forget our past as easily as G.o.d does. The Pharisees could not understand Jesus' allowing Mary to even touch Him. Jesus said that those who have been forgiven much will love much (See Luke 7:47). Mary knew her past well; she loved Jesus greatly because He had forgiven her for her great sins. She wanted to give Him the most expensive thing she owned; she wanted to serve Him. He saw her heart, not her past.

Mary showed humility by the fact that she was at Jesus' feet. Some want to be at His head, but not many are seeking to kneel at His feet. Many want to know what He knows, to be in on the planning, and to sit in positions of leadership. Our position does not impress G.o.d, but our posture does. Where are you postured?

Mary traveled with Jesus in His ministry and supported Him out of her property and personal belongings (See Luke 8:2-3). It is possible that her wealth came from her past. You may have useable things from your pasta"some experience, some wisdom gained, or even some material goodsa"that can now be used in the kingdom.

Mary was at the crucifixion of Jesus (See John 19:25). She did not disappear when the going got rough. She stayed with Him until the end. Mary was at the tomb and found it empty (See John 20:1-13). The first words spoken at the empty tomb were to a woman. The angel said, "Go quickly and tell His disciples, He has risen from the dead" (Matthew 28:7). Jesus met Mary as she went, and when she recognized Him she clasped His feet and worshiped Him. He told her, "Go and tell My brethren to go into Galilee, and there they will see Me" (vv. 9-10).

My main points are these: Mary was a woman with a past, Jesus forgave her, and she certainly had a great future.

She has been talked about in every generation since Christ, and the stories from her life give us many rich examples that can be applied to our own lives. She could have succ.u.mbed to approval addiction and spent her life being miserable, but she put her trust in Jesus and embraced her new life in Him.

Will G.o.d use us if we have a past? I am not sure He can use us if we don't have some kind of past. We gain experience by the things we go through. Much of my teaching comes from my past. I have a past, I have applied the Word of G.o.d to it, and I am enjoying the future G.o.d promised me.

Let's look at a few more people who had questionable pastsa"and that G.o.d still used mightily.

PETER.