10 Biblical Ways to Joyfully Be Truly Yourself and Thrive

Sharing is caring!

“Be yourself. That is something you can do better than anyone else. Listen to that inner voice and bravely follow it.” – Anonymous

Hmmm.

That’s the message of today, isn’t it? Be true to yourself. Just follow your “heart” or your “gut” or whatever.

So, I searched—How to be Yourself and found…

How to Be Yourself: 10 Steps – WikiHow

1. Find yourself, and define yourself on your terms.
2. Avoid fixating on the past.
3. Stop caring about how people perceive you.
4. Be honest and open.
5. Relax.
6. Treat yourself as you’d treat your own best friend.
7. Develop and express your individuality.
8. Stop comparing yourself to others.
9. Follow your own style.
10. Accept that some days will be great and others will not.
(Click here to read the details.)

That sounds great but I wonder if in this age of technology we aren’t hiding our true selves more than ever.

We put our “best” selves forward while we struggle with the inner message that says – you need to follow the crowd, you’re not good enough, you’re a mess, you’re _______.

Why?

Because the enemy has used people, events, and circumstances to wound us. We’ve experienced failure, criticism, and rejection. So…

You’re afraid to be truly yourself.

And I’m afraid to be truly myself.

It’s possible you’re completely comfortable in your own skin and you have no idea what I’m talking about, but many of us struggle. We’re afraid to put ourselves out there. Afraid that if we reveal our true selves we won’t be good enough. We won’t be liked. We won’t be loved.

If you do feel like you’re able to be truly yourself right now, you may worry that it won’t last . . . afraid you’ll say or do something and it will all be gone. Just. Like. That.

And I wonder if you and I are constantly worried about being recipients of the approval of others . . . is that really “being truly yourself?”

What if the world’s definition of being ourselves isn’t what God intended for us? What if we’re not supposed to excuse the parts of ourselves that are selfish, lazy, envious, and judgmental?

Paul wrote to the Romans:

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:2

I want that. I want and need God’s transforming power to mold me into the person He created me to be.

So, I decided to rewrite WikiHow’s list with…

10 Biblical Ways to Be Truly Yourself

1. Pray and ask God to help you become who He wants you to be. (Psalm 32:8)
2. Repent and receive forgiveness for your past, learn from it, then let it go. (Acts 2:38)
3. Don’t worry about what people think. (Galatians 1:10)
4. Be honest with yourself about yourself. (Romans 12:3)
5. Trust God’s will; know His peace. (Isaiah 26:3)
6. Love others. Love yourself. (Luke 10:27)
7. Learn your unique personality, talents, and gifts . . . develop and use them. (1 Corinthians 12:4–6)
8. Don’t compare yourself to others—care about others. (Galatians 6:4–5)
9. KNOW, TRUST, and FOLLOW God’s will. (Proverbs 3:5–6)
10. Accept that some days will be great and some will be challenging – don’t give up. (Philippians 4:13)

You are a unique one-of-a-kind wonderfully made child of God.

God wants you and me to be truly ourselves . . . the people He created for His plans and purposes.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:10

Let’s pray…

A Prayer for God’s Help to Be Truly Yourself

Father, Your Word tells me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made by You. It says that You know everything about me . . . what I think, how I feel, even how many hairs I have on my head. Your loving care overwhelms me!

Please forgive my selfishness. Please forgive me for believing that being myself has to do with my wants and whims. I’m so sorry. I believe You want so much more for me. You created me to accomplish Your wonderful plans and purposes.

Please fill me with Your Spirit. Help help me Know Your will, Trust Your heart, and Follow Your commands. Help me want to follow You more than the ways of the world. Help me know and use my gifts and abilities for Your glory. Help me focus on things that are true, honorable, pure, lovely, excellent, and worthy of praise. Make me truly myself that I might shine the light of Your love. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

The world tells us it’s important for us to be ourselves, then it insists that we conform and model our wardrobe, hairstyles, thoughts, words, and actions to popular groupthink.

God wants more for us.

He knows we’re confused, easily frustrated, and opinionated. That’s why He sent Jesus . . . to save us from our brokenness and show us how to be truly ourselves.

So, let’s take some time to KNOW what He wants for us . . . to discover who He created us to be. Let’s prayerfully invite Him to help us fight selfishness and conformity. Let’s ask Him to work in us and through us so that we might accomplish His plans and purposes for us. Let’s live with faith, hope, and love.

The Lord wants the best for us. He gave us His Best. He gave us Jesus to make all things possible.

May God bless you today and give you everything you need to joyfully thrive and be truly yourself.

We would love to pray for you.
You can leave your prayer requests here…

and even take a few minutes to pray over the list left by our friends.

Never Miss an Update

Leave your email address and I’ll send you a short email every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to alert you to each new devotion. Plus you’ll receive a copy of 30 Ways to Bless Your Marriage and Keep the Spark Burning

I always enjoy hearing from you! Please take a minute to say ‘hi” and share your thoughts in the comments below.

And if this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone? Maybe a friend, family member, coworker, or through the links below…

Thanks again for visiting! Don’t forget to check out the links below to find additional posts that will bless you…

Sharing is caring!