Total Makeover in 21 Days
by
Shiva Johnson
Copyright 2011 Shiva Johnson,
All rights reserved.
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0291-8
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
Day 1
The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad (evil), your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness.
Matthew 6:22-23 (NKJV)
Do You Have Good or Bad Eyes?
Whether you have good or bad eyes will determine how you see things, which in turn will determine how happy you will be. Two people can see or hear about the exact same event, but perceive it differently, due to having different types of eyes. The one with bad eyes sees things through negative lenses. If for example someone he knows doesn’t greet him warmly, he automatically assumes that the person has something against him, instead of thinking perhaps the person had a lot on his mind.
Negative perception will bring about an unhappy emotion. Unhappy emotions will collectively result in unhappiness in your life. Therefore, you need to stop unhappy emotions at the onset, which means perceive things positively in the first place. Jesus said, “The lamp of the body is the eye.” If your source of light becomes darkened, then what’s going to give you light? Nothing, and you will find yourself in a very dark place.
Prayer or Reflection
Lord, heal my eyes so that I may have good eyes to see with. Let me see things through positive lenses. Let me see thing through the eyes of love and faith.
Amen
Suggested Scripture Reading for today: John 12:46
Day 2
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart;…
Jeremiah 1: 5
Fulfill Your Purpose or Attain the Status Quo
God has created every person for a specific purpose which would ultimately fit into His overall divine plan. Since your purpose was determined before your creation, God has placed in you the specific talents and gifts you need to fulfill that purpose.
You may even be one of those children whom parents refer to as an accident, because they didn’t plan your conception; but planned by parents or not, your birth was predestined by God. Your parents were vessels who brought you into this world, but it was God who created you for a purpose.
If you allow society to sway you away from your purpose, toward the status quo, you will miss your destiny. To men you may seem like a number, just another person on earth who is trying to make it in life, but to God you hold a piece of the puzzle which completes the big picture of God’s plan.
Many dear souls have bought into the lie that they are the result of an accidental event, the big bang or evolution. Having bought into this deception, disconnected from their creator, they may never find the true meaning of life and their purpose.
To find your purpose, you need to first get in contact with your creator. A personal relationship with God will give your life purpose and meaning. This kind of close loving relationship with God is possible through Jesus Christ. Ask Jesus to come into your life and turn from your own ways. Walk with God and He will walk you on the path of your destiny, whether you see that destiny right away or not. It took Joseph 13 years to realize that God had been walking him on the path of his destiny all along.
Prayer or Reflection
Lord, reveal to me my purpose, as I walk with you; and each day, show me the step I need to take toward my destiny. Amen
Suggested Scripture Reading for today: Jeremiah 1:5
Day 3
Let all that you do be done in love.
1 Corinthians 16:14
The Highest Purpose
Even though everyone has a God-given purpose in life, yet there is a higher purpose, that is, to love. Even though there are specific things God has assigned for you to do, the motivation behind doing them should be love. Once you find out God’s will and purpose for your life, you must do it out of love, not out of obligation, or for greatness, or any other motive. You must do it because you love God and want to make him happy; and you must do it because you love the people that will be affected as a result of you fulfilling your purpose.
If you carry out God’s plan without the love motif, God’s purpose will be accomplished, but you won’t reap spiritual benefits from it. The apostle Paul puts it best in 1Corinthans 13:3, “If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
God is love (see 1 John. 4: 8). In order to conform to God’s image, our capacity to love must increase progressively. Most of us begin the journey of love by only loving those who love us, and those who are lovely. As we progress in our walk with God, we start adopting more and more of His love nature, until we become just like Him, in being able to love even those who don’t deserve our love. Jesus said, “Love your enemies.” (Matthew 5: 44)
One main sign of spiritual growth is that you notice your capacity to love has increased. Many Christians mistake their increase in biblical knowledge or having spiritual experiences, with spiritual growth. You have grown spiritually if you have become more Christ-natured. Christ’s nature centers around two things: holiness and love. If you only strive for holiness and not for love, you become self-righteous and judgmental. Holiness and love must grow side-by-side.
Prayer or Reflection:
Lord, forgive me for doing any works with any motivation other than love. Impart to me unconditional Christ-like love. Help me to love even my enemies. Let love be the motivation for everything I do
Amen
Suggested Scripture Reading for today: 1Corinthians 13:1
Day 4
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew