23 FOR if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
25 BUT he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, THIS ONE WILL BE BLESSED IN WHAT HE DOES."
James 1:23-25 (NKJV)
• Good and unbiased self esteem is a way to triumph and be successful in life.
- God wants you, as a Believer, to see yourself as, or the way, He sees you.
- How do you see yourself, or what perspective you have about yourself?
- Some see themselves based on things they had gone through in life; the challenges and the ordeals they had experienced in their lives' journeys.
- Some see themselves based on the material results they have had in life; attainments in the world, wealth, social or political status, and whatever.
- Your self esteem; a positive or negative evaluations of the self, should be based on how God sees you, Whom God says you are. Anything apart from that, is a lie and deceit from the devil to steal your Joy.
- In Jesus' letters to the seven churches in Asia minor, in the book of Revelation; He told them His assessment about them. How they fared in their Christian journeys and their Relationships with Him.
- One of those churches, the Church of the Laodiceans (Revelation 3:14-18). The Church had the thoughts that they were rich, but Jesus Christ in His letter to them says they were poor (Revelation 3:17).
- They esteemed themselves higher, had a wrong assessment of themselves, because of their material possessions—their wealth. But Jesus unequivocally denounced the thought they had about themselves (Revelation 3:17).
- Jesus did not denounce them because of their material possession, their wealth, but because of their lukewarmness—they were neither cold nor warm (Revelation 3:15,16).
- They did allow their material possessions, their wealth, to take their minds away from God (Revelation 3:17).
- They had the Thoughts that they were Right; in their relationship and Fellowshipping with God, and did believe their being right was the reason why they were increasing in wealth:
“YOU SAY, ‘I AM RICH, WITH EVERYTHING I WANT; I DON'T NEED A THING!’ AND YOU DON'T REALIZE THAT SPIRITUALLY YOU ARE WRETCHED AND MISERABLE AND POOR AND BLIND AND NAKED" (Revelation 3:17 the Living Bible). - Godliness is not how wealthy you are, but about your Relationship and Fellowshipping with God—your standing or steadfastness in Him.
- Jesus is not against abundance of Blessings, but He surely does not want the Blessings to have you (Matthew 19:16-22).
- In other words, He does not want the Blessings or wealth or Prosperity to become another God of yours.
- Neither Superiority complex nor inferiority complex is of God. See yourself the way God sees you:
"FOR I SAY, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, NOT TO THINK OF HIMSELF MORE HIGHLY THAN HE OUGHT TO THINK, BUT TO THINK SOBERLY, As God has dealt to each one a measure of FAITH" (Romans 12:3 NKJV). - Some are boastful of their wealth, but have forgotten that whatever they have was given them by God: "FOR who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? NOW IF YOU DID INDEED RECEIVE IT, WHY DO YOU BOAST AS IF YOU HAD NOT RECEIVED IT?" (1 Corinthians 4:7 NKJV).
- No one can receive anything except it was given him from above, and if you had received it from above, why boasting about it (John 3:27; 1 Corinthians 4:7).
• The Self-esteem.
- It would not be right for you to allow the way other people see you, determines how you evaluate or feel about yourself.
- Those who were sent to spy the land of Canaan said: "THERE WE SAW THE GIANTS (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); AND WE WERE LIKE GRASSHOPPERS IN OUR OWN SIGHT, AND SO WE WERE IN THEIR SIGHT" (Numbers 13:33 (NKJV).
- They said, they saw themselves like grasshoppers, and they were like that in the sight of the inhabitants of the land.
- Do not see yourself the way you think or perceive that other people see you.
DO not think of yourself more highly than you ought to, And also, do not think of yourself less important than you ought to. Just see yourself the way God sees you. - If you allowed how other people see you, determines your self esteem, you would be living a fake life.
- No one can see you correctly, the way God sees you! Your self image or self perception should be consistent with what the Word of God says about you.
• God is the only One Who has the right assessment of your life! He knows what He deposited in you, what He created you for, and what He has trained you for. And this is the essence of whatever He has allowed you to pass Through in your journey in life.
- God does have an assessment card for every Believer. How you fared in your Christian journey, the assignment given you to do, and in your relationship and fellowshipping with God; are being recorded in the card.
- A number of Believers are living by the assessment of other people and of the self. Ask God to show you His appraisal or evaluation, how He assesses you—how you fared in your walking with Him.
- If you assessed yourself wrongly, or you lived on other people's assessments about you; It means you are living on the wrong assessment. Thus, you may esteem yourself wrongly.
- Do not dwell on what people say about you, but what God has said about you.
- God sees some, among His children, as disobedient ones, while some as obedient ones.
• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
- Should there be any sickness in your body, I declare that you receive your healing now in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
- Whatever is not planted in your life, that working against your health, is rebuked and uprooted totally in Jesus' name.
Peace!
TO BE CONTINUED