Considering I just posted a video with Paul Washer’s comments, I felt I needed to follow up with a blog about self-esteem. We hear so much about self-esteem these days! Every time I turn around it seems like I have people that say they’re believers telling me about their self-esteem. Even some of those closest to me seem to think that self-esteem is of utmost importance in this life.
I find it so strange that for so many (thousands) years God was pleased to put into His Word about how prideful mankind is and how they need to love others JUST AS they love themselves (mental note: JUST AS). He also put in the Word of God how pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall (Satan, for example). This is all well and good until we hit the 20th and 21st centuries.
Suddenly, all of mankind have this horrible humility problem. People are so humble now that they need to learn how to love themselves before they can learn to love others! (Oh, my! Poor us!) It gets worse! Not only do we need to learn how to love ourselves properly but now we are going to have to learn to forgive God for any and all things that HE has done against us. We also need to learn to forgive God for any PERCEIVED wrongs done toward us!
Leviticus 19:18 says, “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” The part that says as yourself is not saying that you have to learn to love yourself first, the meaning is exactly what it says! You already love yourself and you should be loving others as you already love yourself. Here are a couple of other meanings that make it understandable: in comparison of yourself, or like yourself. Interestingly enough, even the New Testament uses a lot of the same meaning but even more so!
The Bible goes on to speak about how we are sinners! “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
“For the wages of sin is death….”
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way…”
“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?” (There are many more that tell us what wicked creatures we are, such as Romans 3:10-23.) We MUST realize what we are in the eyes of God because otherwise us sinful, depraved human beings will NEVER, EVER make it to heaven. Pride was the downfall of Satan and that is exactly what self-esteem is in God’s eyes! We cannot come to God on our terms, it must be on God’s terms and according to Scripture!
As for us having to forgive God! This is a lot of nonsense because God has done ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to be forgiven of! We are the depraved creatures and to say that we need to forgive God even for perceived wrongs done to us is blasphemy! God is holy, just and righteous and it is us that have wronged HIM not vice versa!
So, there we have it! Self-esteem comes from the pits of hell and from Satan himself. Are you willing to admit that God knows everything? Whether or not you are, God cannot deny Himself and His Word says that one day the wicked will face His wrath! There they will be sent to an eternity where “…the worm doesn’t die and the fire is not quenched.”
True believers, I pray that God will wake us up and give us a heart of courage to face the suffering and persecution that will one day befall us! Take a stand for what is right according to God’s Word!
Standing For Truth,
Desert Pastor’s wife
Standing For Truth 