What is the remedy, biblically, for being consumed with self?

Hi Jess,

Have a read of the following article which was posted recently:

http://archive.openheaven.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=27714&a mp;KW=marc - http://archive.openheaven.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=27714&a mp;KW=marc

Love Mandy

Hi Jess and Mandy,

it really is just living, walking in Spirit. great article reference Mandy. one thing which can be tricky is we can become self -absorbed in the looking at what we are or are not doing. when we rest in the knowledge of being our Father's son's and daughter's and a fully looking to Him, the Author and Finisher of our faith, enjoying His Presence..we in Him and He in us..all these things, mentioned in the article are the product or birthing out of this relationship. it flows supernaturally naturally...no more striving. if we stumble or fall, if we miss the mark, if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father through Whom we can go and confess our sin, our failing, our shortcoming..calling it what it truly is and He is Faithful to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

In this little portion ..it becomes all about Him and Who He is and what He has accomplished and nothing in or of ourselves. There is nothing we can make boast in of ourself..but Jesus, our Father and His most beautiful indwelling Holy Spirit. 

Amen Kathy.  Thanks for adding in...especially the bit about learning to rest in being our Father's sons and daughters, and everything else just flowing from that.

Love Mandy

D              G  D
Jesus, all for Jesus
    A
All I am and have
               bm A
And ever hope to be

D              G  D
Jesus, all for Jesus
    A
All I am and have
               D  D4 D
And ever hope to be

VERSE 2:
D
All of my
         G      D
Ambitions, hopes, and plans
    A
I surrender these
        bm  A
Into your hands

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All of my
         G      D
Ambitions, hopes, and plans
    A
I surrender these
    D     D4 D
Into your hands

CHORUS:
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For it\'s only in
             D
Your will that I am free
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For it\'s only in
             D    A
Your will that I am free

�1991 Word\'s Spirit of Praise Music
Words and Music by Robin Mark and Jennifer Atkinson

Oh my gosh thank you Larry! I have a new song to sing! I love to sing, only people don't always like to hear me sing hehe, but I know Jesus likes it

I was hoping if someone new a bible verse that says what replaces selfishness, like "perfect love casts out fear." I don't know if there is such a verse though.

I can't keep friends. I'm the "toxic" friend that God leads people to let go of. I wisH I could keep friends. Or make new friends. Usually they drop me all of a sudden and I have no chance or change, or they might give me one suttle warning I don't understand and then drop me. Yeah. But it's like God protecting them fom me. I guess I just need to grow up. (I'm 27 but I don't feel it!)

Hi Jess,

I refer you again to what Kathy wrote above.  It's all about getting to know your Daddy and resting in his love for you.  The rest will flow out from that place of being loved.  The outward cannot be fixed until the inner is fixed, then it will just come right without you trying to fix it.  Draw close to Daddy and let him fix you.

Love Mandy

Awe...I dont know what your personality type is but some people i cut out of my life and some i reposition. maybe they are repositioning you - kind of like a base ball game, some have front row some in the middle some higher up.  some people expect others to carve out a front row plce in their lives for them. we lose a lot of friend from disapointment and disapointment comes from expectations.

maybe they became dissapointed in you because you were not meating their expectaions. maybe someone didnt expect you to be so needy or clingy and because they have issiues with communication they just cut you off which is wrong - instead of evaluating how they are dealing with you.  the bible say withdeaw thy foot from your neibors house les he be weary of thee and hate thee so needy and clingy person...  not saying  that you are this way - but - you should never say to them "im always here when you need me" because they will expect that and become draining  and time consumming to another person. if that person doesnt communicate well they will just avoid you instead of verbally communicating their thoughts and setting boundraies. so needy people you have to monitor your actions with them.

Anyway, I dont have a lot of time on this computer. I hope i made since. Not everyone knows how to communicate or love people properly. we have to be taught. I learned alot about people personalities from my job training.

If you can point out your weakness or why you think these people are doing this to you I can give you a few suggestions on what you can do diferently.

Love you sis

Thanks Lisa. Yeah, God showed me that verse. Because I did, keep going to her house and knocking on her door but she wouldn't answer. Until once when God told me to go there (after I hadn't for a while) and she answered and fianlly explained to me that she needed to take time for herself. So that like was God-given closure. I did go back one more time to her house, because I was kind of having a breakdown at the time (I was driving around the city crying in my car in parking lots, and hyperventilating and felt like I was going to pass out because I coudn't breath and I was all alone in a parking lot in the industrial area = but ANYWAY,) oh yeah I went to her house that time but people in the upstairs were smoking pot (I think because there was a foul smell and my friend told me the people who live above there do that) ad I think it affected me!! ack, so I never went back there since. Thanks God.  I didn't talk to her a long time after that and she since emailed me!  So I guess she still wants to be friends but at a distance.

Today I went to an outdoor young adult service and it was raining. I went late (I was going to go to the church because it was raining but God had other plans and I ended up at the park and everyone was there!! yay God!) When I got there I was so happy to see everyone, but I don't know anyone much there, except a few people but I usually don't get to talk to them - because like I said I think God is keeping me from them. Well - I was walking and Daniel (who is engaged to Jasmine) said "Hi!" to me like he usually does - but I usually don't talk to him much because he is engaged..., anyway, I said hi and he said "do you want to stand under the umbrella?" so I said ok even though it felt odd. I went to - but then I felt like it was weird to stand under the umbrella so I just stood at the edge of it, and he said "you can even go right underneath if you want to" and I said, "no, that's ok" and stepped back. Then I realized that Jasmine was standing there and she looked at me, and then I realized that my friend Dave was to my left. Anyway, then I was just so tickled happy that God led me to friends! (I don't like my immature, selfish spirit). The next thing that hppened - a dog came walking accross the bridge (we were on a bridge) and I said "hi doggie" and then I realized that there was another dog - and they had a connected leash - and they were walking on either sides of me = and I just stood there, and of course the leash pulled me and I was pulled away from my friends and the man with the dogs swore the f word, and then I walked around the dogs, and then I felt embaressed (I think they thought that was God trying to get me away from them, which I think too) and then my friend Dave stepped over to put his umbrella over me, but I suddenly said, "I'm going to go get my sweater I'll be right back" and left abruptly. When I got bacfk I could not find Daniel or Jasmine and I saw Dave but he walked away from me and I followed him but he stopped and asked some strangers if he could buy them dinner. So I left him alone because that seemed like such an awsome thing to be doing. Then... I went and walked alone in the park, and when I got bac to the people I saw Dave but I thought "he doens' twant to talk to me!" and felt so rejected and chose to be mad and rejected and angry and went to be dangerous and walk all alone in the park (its downtown) because I was so rejected. I stopped on a bench and read my bible a bit though it was raining. Yeah then later I felt so bad and started thinking about how bad I felt in rebellion really bad so that finally someone walked up to me (from the group) and interrupted my bad thinking (thanks God....) and talked to me. Everyone was leaving. Then I went home a bit depressed.

I can tell my behavoir is so bad. I dno't exactly know wha tto do about it. God keeps telling me to grow up. I love Him so much. I don't want to be rebellious or hurt Him. Please pray that I change. Thanks.

Hi Jess,

I used to have what some call a spirit of rejection.  Because of so much previous experience, I would expect people to reject me, and guess what?... they did!  It's like you attract rejection when you carry this spirit.

It has been the healing love of God in my heart which has set me free, not in trying to change my behaviour.  Behaviour does change when God heals our hearts, but it happens naturally, not through our own efforts.

I encourage you to keep inviting God into your heart to heal all the brokenness.  It's only His love that can do it.

Love Mandy