22 Ways to Care for Your Soul

Believe that you matter. You have value and worth. Don’t swallow the lies and rejection of others that can make you feel worthless. These words aren’t from God and they are not true (1 Corinthians 6:20, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Thessalonians 1:4)

Agree with what God says about you in His Word. Agreeing is faith in action. When you agree with God, there’s no room for the enemy to enter the conversation (Psalm 139:14, Jeremiah 31:3, John 4:19).

Love God with your life. The greatest command, the one most important thing God asks of us is to love Him with heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30).

Intentionally receive God’s love. Hold out your hands and your heart and actually say it, “Lord, I receive your love. Thank you!” (Ephesians 3:16-19, John 3:16, John 1:16).

Rely on Christ for your needs. (Phil 4:19) When we trust Christ to meet our needs, we can stop trying so hard to get love, acceptance, security, value, and worth by our own efforts and coping skills. Freedom to love yourself in a godly way is  found by living in the Spirit not working in the flesh.

Accept Yourself. You are loved and accepted by God. When you believe this, you will be free to accept yourself. You cannot love what you refuse to accept (Psalm 139).

Embrace the truth of God’s Word. Scripture is filled with truths to set you free to live and love with joy and freedom (John 8:32).

Speak truth to yourself. Stop repeating the old messages and lies–the I can’ts, I’ll never’s, I should’s, and I’m not’s. Stop keeping records of your mistakes and sins. God isn’t counting, why should you? (Psalm 103:12, 1 Corinthians 13:5).

Trust God with your imperfections and insecurities. He’s promised to bring you to completion. Trust Him to finish what He’s started (1 Thess. 5:23-24, Philippians 1:6).

Care for yourself: body, mind, and soul. You take care of others. It’s time to put yourself on the list (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Rest and honor the Sabbath—rest is a physical need and a holy command. (Exodus 33:14, Psalm 37:7, Psalm 23:2-3).

Love God with your life. The greatest command, the one most important thing God asks of us is to love Him with heart, soul, mind, and strength.The more fully we grasp the wonder of God’s love, the more we love Him. And the more we can accept and love ourselves.(Mark 12:29-31).

Show kindness to yourself. Do you ever say unkind things to yourself that you’d never say to someone else? It’s time to stop. Kindness is a fruit of the spirit that is both internal (for you) and external (for others). (Galatians 5:22, Proverbs 3:3, Provers 31:26, Ephesians 4:32)

Be patient with yourself. Focus on growth rather than perfectionism. (Colossians 3:12-13, Ephesians 4:2, Colossians 1:10-12).

Let go of negative thinking. God’s guide for good thoughts applies to how you think about yourself.whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things (Phil. 4:8).

Forgive yourself. Why do you say, “I can’t forgive myself,” when God has forgiven and forgotten? Accept God’s forgiveness by forgiving yourself. Hold onto the truth rather than your feelings of guilt. (Psalm 103:12, Jeremiah 31:34).

Forgive others. Refusing to forgive others is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die. Unforgiveness holds you captive (Ephesians 4:32, Mark 11:25).

Embrace truth and read your Bible. Loving God and learning His word is a relationship to enjoy, not a rule to perform or a standard to keep. Discover life and freedom through the power of God’s word. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the difference between God’s truth and the counterfeit philosophies of the world (John 6:63, John 8:32, Hebrews 4:12).

Stop lecturing yourself. Stop apologizing for being you. Learn the difference between healthy evaluation and self-condemnation (Romans 8:1, Romans 8:31-38, Philippians 3:12-14).

Refuse to compare yourself to others. Easier said than done, but in Christ, there’s freedom from the trap of comparison. Rely on Him to stop worrying and striving to be the best,  make your mark, or get your prize (2 Corinthians 10:12, Galatians 5:25-26).

Ask God to put His desires in your heart.  Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. This giving goes two ways: getting what we want and wanting what God desires to give(Psalm 37:4, Jeremiah 29:11).

Believe God pleased with the work he is doing in you. “…for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Phil. 2:13, Zephaniah 3:17)