Godly Self-Worth

Spiritual pride is the source of all haughtiness and unrealistic self-confidence. Our soul inflates with self-importance and we brag foolishly about our accomplishments. Contrarily, the humble Believer will only boast in the Lord, realizing that everything they produce is the direct result of the Spirit’s direction and provision (Psalm 34:2). They give God the praise and glory all day long (Psalm 44:8). When other people praise them, they appreciate the encouragement, but they give all the glory to God (Proverbs 27:1-2).

Our true self-worth does not come from who we are or what we do, but from our relationship with God, Our Father. Those with Godly self-worth admit to the consequences of our choices. We realize that blaming someone else is useless and stunts our spiritual progress. We know that we will never grow spiritually if we do not take responsibility for our own actions. God gives us all of the talents and abilities we need to live as good stewards for His glory.

God wants us to realize our limitations. Rather than to codependently attempt to meet every need we see, God wants us to volunteer to meet only those needs for which He calls and equips us. We may lose a battle, but Jesus already won the war on Calvary’s cross. We may have momentary failings; but by walking in the Spirit, we have no permanent failures. Belittling our self is always easy, but has no positive results (1 John 3:20).

There is no more condemnation in the life of an authentic Christian (Romans 8:1-2). We merely need to repent of our mistakes and believe that He is God and will reward everyone who diligently seeks Him (Hebrews 11:6). God has mercy on us according to His unfailing love and endless compassion. He blots out our transgressions, washes away our iniquities and cleanses us from all of our sins (Psalm 51:1-2).

We work out our own salvation with fear and trembling by realizing that we can only do this as God gives us the desire as well as the ability, power and strength to do His will (Philippians 4:12-13). God enables us to admit to the consequences and results of our choices, to realize our limitations without putting our self down, and to recognize our gifts and talents without taking the glory for them. He teaches us the secret of contentment in any situation, and leads us to make more and more righteous choices as we follow His Spirit moment by moment throughout the day.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for exchanging Your righteousness for our sins, and Your holiness in exchange for our ungodly thoughts and behavior. We may continue to do bad things, but that does not mean we are bad people. You faithfully forgive every sin we confess and sanctify us from any ungodly behavior (1 John 1:9-10). As long as we walk by Your Spirit’s direction throughout our day, we will accomplish the works You called us to do before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 2: 8-10).

Thought for the Day:

God’s Spirit dispells our feelings of defeat and doubt and gives us the faith to move mountains. – Matthew 17:20

The Cosmic Struggle

Read: Galatians 5

“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves.” - Galatians 5:16

Both good and evil forces influence every human being ever born. Satan, the god of this age and of this world, blinds the eyes of countless unsuspecting humans against seeing God’s truth (2 Corinthians 4:4). He appeals to their humanistic reason and draws them away from faith in God by every conceivable lust and doubt in his arsenal. Those who do not believe in the name of God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, have already condemned themselves (John 3:16-19). They reject the Light of God who came into the world. They love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil (2 Thessalonians 2:12-13).

If we choose to believe that Jesus is God and to repent of our sins, we are not condemned, and our spirit is Born Again. God is just. He faithfully forgives anyone who is willing, and purifies us from all unrighteous thoughts and lifestyles. If we simply confess our sin and call upon Him, He will hear us (1 John 1:9). He gives His Spirit to everyone who will repent and believe (Mark 1:15). By choosing a life in Christ instead of one immersed in sin and degradation, we ultimately find a fullfilled life, overflowing with blessings.

At times, we cannot fathom the reasons behind God’s plan and actions. A stubborn pull toward sin and depravity remains within our fleshly, carnal nature, even after our salvation (Galatians 5:17). God does not mind us questioning Him, accusing Him of some lack or walking out of His will now and then. Through the process of Sanctification, however, we are slowly but consistently losing our doubts and carnality, as He conforms us into the image of Christ (John 17:17-19; Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:1).

The more we feed our spirit by prayer, Bible study, worship and obedience, the stronger it is, and the weaker our flesh becomes (Galatians 5:16, 24). It takes faith to accept some Biblical truths, while others are plain to see, as God works out His will in our life. Satan tells sinners that the Bible is an archaic book written by deceptive men in ancient times; but every Believer knows this holy book is inspired, alive and life-changing (Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16).

God is the purifying fire and the silversmith who removes the dross from our lives. As He turns up the heat ever so slightly throughout our lifetime, He eventually begins to see His reflection when He looks into our soul (1 Peter 1:7; Proverbs 17:3, 25:4; Isaiah 48:10; 2 Timothy 2:21). In the center of God’s will and in total surrender to Him in every area of our life, we live in total peace and joy.

Prayer:

Father God, we find that there are dire consequences for ignoring Your justice and holiness. Your wrath will consume unrighteousness and Your holiness forebears no breach of conduct or thought. However, You never send judgment without first sending us a warning. All of Your prophets, as well as Jesus Himself, gave warnings to the people of their day. Today, You give us Your Holy Word, which provides unlimited warnings of what is to come. Help us to heed Your Word and to share its truths with everyone You bring our way.

Thought for the Day:

There is a cosmic struggle within each life between satanic forces and God’s Holy Spirit. It is up to us to break the tie.