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Saturday, January 30, 2021

Purity 329: Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship


 Purity 329 01/30/2021 

Good morning!

Today’s sunset photo comes from a friend in Virginia who, like many of us, is going through a stressful season in their lives but recognizes that even in the midst of what feels like a time where they are losing their minds, they can find a moment of peace when they look to the heavens. 

This phenomenon of looking above the things of this world to something higher is what God gave us the heavens for. He knows the simple truth of His presence is written on all of creation and when we let go of our worldly troubles and look on something only He could make, we can partake in a measure of the peace that He has for us. 

 God isn’t some mystical impersonal force, or the universe itself.  He is a personal God that knows your entire history and cares for you. The personal nature of God is demonstrated through Jesus Christ who came to teach, to heal, and to love.  

 Christ came to give us peace and a new life.   I pray you experience a measure of each this weekend as you were meant not to just know these things intellectually but were meant to understand them experientially.    

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This morning’s meditation verse is:

James 5:16 (WesleyNT)
16 Confess your faults one to another, brethren, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed: the fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

 The way we live the Christian life is by recognizing the paradox that we are forgiven saints who can and will occasionally sin.   Until Christ returns and gives us glorified bodies, we will always fall short of God’s perfect will for our lives. Even if we avoid the things we typically think of as sins, we will undoubtedly fail to do all that we could do for the kingdom of God.  We will sin by commission or by omission.  

This fact when considered in light of our new life in Christ can make us feel condemned for failing and cause us to question if we really are a Christian. That is what the enemy loves to do: condemn and accuse the brethren. 

We have to remember that we need Christ all the time. There was no way we could “make it” without Him before placing our faith in Him and that remains true after we make Him our Lord and Savior.  

So we have to stand in our faith and believe that even our latest late breaking sin was paid for by Christ and has been forgiven.   

But in order to have peace, and to have victory over the sins that so easily beset us, God gave us one another to confess our faults to.   We can be healed of the pains of our offenses when we admit to God and someone else the nature of our wrongs.  With our confession, we are also to repent by not only thanking Him for His forgiveness but also by agreeing with Him and choosing to not repeat our transgressions in the future.  

While we can be healed of our guilt and shame by confessing and praying for one another, “the fervent prayer of a righteous man that availeth much” isn’t meant to be “the other guy”.  The righteous man is to be us, and we are to pray fervently to God for strength, wisdom, and guidance to abandon our sin.  Otherwise we are deluding ourselves and avoiding personal responsibility to live the life God has for us. 

We shouldn’t be running to “the other guy” to pray for us every time we mess up without also praying to God for ourselves.   Our relationship with God is personal and if we are looking to be prayed for constantly by someone else to “bless us”, we are missing the entire point of what our lives in Christ are supposed to be: an intimate continuous encounter with the Living God.   

So confess and pray for one another, but after you do make sure you keep the prayer conversation with God going because if you do, you may find that there will be a whole lot less that you will have to confess to your brothers, as you will be receiving continual guidance, strength, and wisdom to keep you in God’s ways. 

 

Today we will continue to share from Dr. June Hunt’s Biblical Counseling Keys on “Self-Worth: Discovering Your God-given Worth”.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Dr. Hunt’s books for your own private study and to support her work:

II. Characteristics of Low Self-Worth

In the throes of threatening circumstances, people react in one of three ways: fight, flight, or freeze ... get even, get going, or get hurt. Those who fight can quickly become aggressive victimizers. Because she was beaten and abused, Dorie chose to become defiant ... to clench her fists and dominate her peers by intimidation.

She would bully them into compliance, threatening to "get them in the yard" if they didn't drink her buttermilk for her or let her go to the front of the bathing line. She forced her will on them and terrorized them by pinching or hitting them without provocation. According to her own words, "I was mean, mean, mean!"

Because Dorie knew that no one would ever love her, she took the offensive and gave them no reason to love her. She cried alone at night and made others cry during the day. No one would get the best of her ... no one!

She had no one ... so she would need no one. That was her philosophy ... at least until the day she met Jesus and opened her heart to His life-changing love. He gave her a new heart. The Lord makes this offer to everyone ...

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."
(Ezekiel 36:26)

A. What Does Low Self-Worth Look Like?

When Dorie went to grade school, she said, "Those of us from the orphanage could be easily identified by our shabby clothes and distinctive haircuts." The harsh matron, Miss Gabriel, would place a bowl on their heads and snip off their hair with other children and parents staring. Dorie thought, "We're all oddballs and besides, I'm ugly." It's as though she kept looking through distorted mirrors.

Think about going to a fair and walking through "The Fun House" with its warped mirrors. When you turn the corner, you suddenly see a distorted image of yourself that immediately makes you laugh. Your head looks like a huge oval egg with narrow, slanted eyes. Meanwhile, your neck has disappeared. Your arms have become wavy tentacles and your hips the size of a blimp.

Unfortunately, people like Dorie walk around with mental images of themselves that are as warped as these distorted mirrors. Over time, their inner mirror has become warped by criticism, disapproval, and pain. Thank God He does not look at us from a warped perspective, but through the eyes of purest love. The closer we are to Him, the more we will be able to see ourselves through God's eyes. The Bible says ...

"Now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."
(1 Corinthians 13:12)

Checklist for Low Self-Worth

To determine whether you are suffering with low self-worth, note the statements below that are true about you.

  • Inner Insecurities
    • I am self-critical and have feelings of self-loathing.
    • I am fearful of failure and avoid risk taking.
    • I am overly impacted by the opinions of others and strive to meet their standards.
    • I am undeserving of and yet desperate for the approval of others.
    • I am unhappy with my personal appearance and personal achievements.
    • I am negligent of my appearance.
    • I am unable to set boundaries.
    • I am ashamed of my background, and I often struggle with depression.
    • I am controlled by a victim mentality.
    • I am inferior and have feelings of incompetence when compared to others.

If you struggle with insecurity, you need to take to heart these words of encouragement from the Word of God ...

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid ... for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
(Deuteronomy 31:6)

  • Relational Roadblocks
    • I am overly critical and distrustful of others.
    • I am demanding and unforgiving of others.
    • I am defensive when confronted.
    • I am argumentative and resistant to authority.
    • I am undeserving of and unable to accept compliments.
    • I am afraid to get close to people and establish intimacy.
    • I am a peace-at-all-costs people pleaser.
    • I am reluctant to express my true feelings.
    • I am hesitant to accept responsibility for my wrongs.
    • I am often afraid to defend myself.

If you struggle with establishing healthy relationships, you need to know that ...

"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe."
(Proverbs 29:25)


Biblical Counseling Keys - Biblical Counseling Keys – Biblical Counseling Keys: Self-Worth: Discover Your God-Given Worth.

 

-----------------------------more on Monday-------------------------

 

God bless you all!

 

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