A Prayer to Forgo Comparison

0:00Life Audio Thank you for listening to your daily prayer, or we help you find the words you need to connect to your Father in heaven. No matter what is happening in your life today, you can trust that God wants to hear from you. Right after this short worth of our sponsors, we'll pray that today's prayer to forego comparison. Is your education moving at the speed of the world around you? Grand Canyon University doesn't settle for the status quo. They shatter it. At GCU, they offer industry-driven programs built to move at the speed of relevance, focusing on practical skills and career readiness for every learner. With over 132,000 students joining in, both on campus and online, GCU is proving that

1:03education can be affordable and exceptional. GCU is purpose-driven education. Find your purpose today at gcu.edu Hey listeners, it's Kelly from Life Audio. We know life gets busy, and sometimes it's easy for your faith to get pushed to the side. That's why we created the Good Word, a free weekly newsletter designed to give you a moment to slow down, be encouraged, and reconnect with what matters most. God's Word. Inside, you'll find devotionals, guided prayers, podcast recommendations, and other faith-built content we think you'll love. No ads, no clutter. Just good content to help you stay rooted in God's Word throughout your week. Find out for the Good Word today at lifeaudio.com-forward-slash-the-good-word. That's lifeaudio.com-forward-slash-the-good-word. A prayer to forego comparison, written by Tammy Darling, read by Carrie Eichberger.

2:15Each one should test their own actions. Then, they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else. Relations 6 first four. The day was the perfect combination of yuck and ugly. From the moment I woke up, my attitude was yuck, and I felt nothing but ugly, inside and out. I was cruising Facebook to the help. One friend was going on vacation, another extolling the myriad accomplishments of her teenage daughter, and still another posting before and after pics of her 25 pound weight loss. Once again, I played the comparison game, and every time I play, I lose every single time. There's a cost to comparison that we just don't consider beforehand. To leave this bankrupt in the end, comparison began in the Garden of Eden, when Eve compared what the snake told her with what God had already said.

3:19After comparing the two, she decided she'd rather have what the snake was offering. Comparison has been a problem ever since. There's a huge lie swirling around us that sounds weird not enough. Just look at her. You should look that good. You see his wife, his car, his position in the company. What have you got? And so our hungry heart seeks that which cannot be fulfilled by the world. Comparison is fear-based. It rises from the lie that we're not good enough or are inadequate. We fear we're missing out that we'll never measure up. The others are more valued or favored. The result is insecurity. And before long, we're no longer living from who we were created to be. At its core, comparison is a heart issue. It reveals our brokenness and leads to dissatisfaction with who we are and what we have.

4:19When things aren't right on the inside, we'll seek approval from the outside. But the world cannot provide what only God can give. It has a specific plan for each of our lives that cannot be fulfilled if we look to others for validation. One of the greatest costs of comparison is that it steals our destiny and our potential. We should never trade our destiny with what someone else has. What another person has wasn't meant for us and won't take us where we need to be. We can get so caught up in what everyone else is doing that we miss the opportunities right in front of us. We're looking out the window at the neighbor while God has just opened a door in the next room, but we don't even realize it. Comparison warps our identity and we lose sight of how awesome we really are. You are richer than you think, more left than you know, more beautiful than you believe.

5:19But when we compare ourselves to others, we forget what God says about us. I spent many years comparing myself to other women. I was miserable beyond measure. No good thing comes from comparing oneself to another. Finally, I got a clue. There are a million ways to die, but only one way to truly live. The way God made me. Instead of comparing myself to others, I learned that my true beauty is revealed when I make peace with my own reflection. The danger of social media is in believing that what you see or read is all there is to the matter. No one is as happy-clippy as they make it out to be, but like a cancer, social media comparison eats away at our being. A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rods the bones. Instead of comparing myself with others, I've started comparing myself to myself.

6:20For instance, if I'm using the treadmill to improve my health, I no longer compare myself to someone who just heighted 10 miles or ran the 5k. That's the fastest way to get discouraged. Instead, I compare today's progress to yesterday's progress and my improving, meeting my own time, becoming healthier. And we know that we've done our best, there's no reason to compare ourselves to anyone else. If we rely on God's opinion, rather than others, when it comes to what defines success, beauty, and so many other things, we won't compare ourselves to anyone else. We have God's measuring stick, not our own or that of others that we can live by. And that is enough. In fact, it's more than enough. I don't want to forfeit my true heart's desire because I'm playing the comparison game. I wasn't put on this earth to live for the approval of others or to beef them in some imaginary

7:24game of life. I want to remain faithful to who I am, who God created me to be. Comparison is ugly, no matter how you try to color it. The cost of comparison is simply too high. It's a price I'm no longer willing to pay. You don't want to live bankrupt. My heart's desire is found in God alone. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we renounce all comparisons and lay down the need to judge ourselves against others. No more stare and compare. Comparison is not of you. We thank you for being fearfully and wonderfully made. You do not make mistakes and our individual unique qualities and quirks are specially designed by you, our master creator. May we learn to embrace who you created us to be. And may we remind ourselves each day who you say who we are, in your great name we pray.

8:30Amen. Your daily prayer is a production of life audio and salamedia. If you haven't already, be sure to follow the show and your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. For more faith-tilt inspirational podcasts, visit us at lifeaudio.com. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances. God invites us to cultivate thankful hearts by turning our eyes toward Him in good times and bad. To listen to more Abide Christian meditations, just go to lifeaudio.com or search your favorite podcast app for Abide Christian Meditation. You can also download the Abide app from more Biblical meditations at abide.com.

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