Don't Stop: In Search of Inner Beauty

By Anna Ly

"Through these lines written from Anna Ly's heart, guided by the Word of God, the Lord will remind you of powerful truths about your identity and your purpose in Him."

-Pastor Carla Villacres, Casa de Fe Church

"This is a work of excellence that will be a great blessing since it is a powerful tool for the transformation of many wom

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Jun 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685560591

Anna Ly

Anna Ly is a young singer & songwriter who was born in Ecuador and lives in Florida. She's married to Anuar Eljadue and has a beautiful son, Elias, and a baby girl. They're worship pastors at Lifepoint Church. She travels the world giving concerts andconferences, encouraging women through her songs, reminding them of their value and dreams. She's also ambassador for the non-profit organizations Mercy's Hands and Seeds of Hope, which work with children in South America and Central America.

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In Search of Inner Beauty

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Proverbs 31:30 (ESV)

I remember having a joyous childhood when I was little. I was blessed to know God at an early age. I am the granddaughter of a pastor, and as you can imagine, everything pointed to having a life without any problems. But when I arrived at school, I found a difficult reality where I became a queen—a queen of nicknames and jokes. There were so many lies that I received as a child that I remember starting to adopt them as my truth.

As a result of this, my parents changed my school several times because they wanted to protect my heart from bad jokes that were making me a girl who was sad, who constantly forgot her value, and had a self-esteem that was in danger of extinction. I know I haven’t been the only one who has suffered in this area. I’ve heard so many girls affirming so calmly, It happens to all of us when we are little. And, to be honest, this statement worries me because it shows us that this is so normal for our society, and because of this, we have not given it the importance that it needs to heal wounds that can become our shadow and an obstacle to achieve our dreams.

If we analyze our environment, we will be able to realize that we are surrounded by lies that the enemy has used since the beginning with Eve, and his attack has been in a special way against us women because, without doubt, his objective is to finish us. Yes, finish us! Do you remember those words that the serpent said to the woman? What God said to you is not true.

Does it sound familiar to you? We don’t have to think too long about it. That’s why some of these questions appear in our heads: Why am I ugly? Why don’t I have what it takes? Why am I not a good wife, mother, daughter? And the list goes on…

I remember the day I assisted at a youth conference where nobody knew me, and a pastor was praying for all the young people who had just graduated. I was part of this group. The pastor was at my other end, and to be honest, I did not think my turn would come, but, suddenly, he turned around and said, The last will be first, and walked to where I was. He told me that I would be hosting a TV show and that it was not my external look that would draw the attention but the inner beauty that God had placed in me.

What’s that? I wondered. I didn’t know if there was any trace of this type of beauty left in me because of my bad experiences in the past. But that day, I realized the importance of cultivating our inner beauty—because a woman who knows who she is is dynamite in God’s hands. Don’t get me wrong; I love makeup, I love dressing well (who doesn’t?). I can spend hours getting ready and preparing for interviews or concerts, but let’s be honest, what pleases God the most? What is He most interested that we take care of? The answer is our heart.

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

1 Peter 3:3–4 (NIV)

Those bad thoughts of insecurity and fear can only be overcome with God’s promises. In other words, guard your emotions and your thoughts and spend time cultivating your inner beauty, which will ultimately be your greatest weapon and will keep you steady when bad days come knocking on your door. We must change the concept that was born in our society that beauty is measured by appearance. God does not focus on how we see ourselves on the outside but on what is on the inside. That is the most important thing. If we develop our inner beauty, this will be reflected in everything we are and do.

"Who made you believe you’re something less than enough?

Don’t believe the lies that say you should just give up

Your reflection doesn’t define your worth

Your Beauty is in the stories that you fought for."

—Anna Ly, Don’t Stop

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What are the lies that you have believed throughout your life?

What areas of your life should you work on to achieve that inner beauty?

Has your focus on your appearance fixed your eyes away from God?

Day 2

Did I Do Well?

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

Have you ever heard of the imposter syndrome or fraud syndrome? It is a psychological disorder in which people find it difficult to assimilate their achievements. It is the fear of exposing yourself to people and being a fraud. You feel inadequate for a task that you are performing, even if you are doing it well. This term was coined in 1978 by psychologists Dr. Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Ines. They say seven out of ten people suffer from this, and I was one of those seven.

It is interesting that there are people in the world who are victims of these thoughts. I used to wonder, after an interview or performance, Did I do it right? Did I sing well? Speak well? And this had nothing to do with wanting constructive criticism to improve. I thought I was a fraud and wanted to clear this fear with words of acceptance and validation. These thoughts led me to think the opposite of the truth. When was the last time you felt inadequate?

There was someone in the Bible who felt this way: Elijah, the great prophet. After doing so many wonders and killing all prophets of Baal, he hid himself as soon as Jezebel sent word that she was going to kill him as he had killed the prophets of Baal. Elijah walked through the desert one day and was so sad that he wanted to die. He said to God, God, I can’t take it anymore! Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors (1 Kings 19:4, NIV). He had thoughts of failure. God, as soon as He saw Elijah’s situation, asked him, What are you doing here, Elijah?

His question showed surprise. Imagine for a moment how this great man, this instrument in the hands of God (which is the meaning of his name), was hidden.

How long have you been hiding behind your thoughts? Why do you refuse to fulfill God’s call in your life? What is your cave? God created us to be overcomers and to rise above the challenges that come our way. God called us to be life bearers.

In this scene, an angel appears to Elijah and prepares food for him. God knows not only where we are hiding but also what we need. Today, my words are intended to