Archive for March, 2025
Take a Look at Yourself – Part Two
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12: 2).
Self-identity is a basic core value. In what do you find your self-identity?
Some have to drive a specific car or they feel bad about themselves.
Others become a workaholic, greedy, and hoarding in order to accumulate wealth because they have such a poor sense of self-worth, it is needed to give them a sense of status.
For some, it is an academic degree that must be obtained or there is no good self-image.
The approval of an individual or peer group is sought by many at all costs in order to feel accepted and have self-worth.
All of these attitudes are consideration of yourself apart from God. Remember, never think of yourself apart from God.
Christian psychologist Lawrence J. Crabb Jr. observed, “The basic personal need of every person is to regard himself as a worthwhile human being.”
All of these things are attempts to make self feel worthwhile.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, “Worthwhile people don’t just happen. You aren’t born worthwhile. You are born with the capacity to be worthwhile. It is your job to discover and develop the person you ought to be.” Romans 12: 1,2, gives us helpful insight in developing a good self-image and establishing balance in self-worth. It speaks of – – –
“Do not be conformed” (Vs. 2a). This speaks of a conformed body.
Literally, “don’t be fashioned according to another pattern.” It refers to a person assuming an outward expression contrary to what is inside him or her.
“Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its mold.”
This is an appeal to avoid appearing to be something you aren’t. If you are a Christian, don’t let your conduct or appearance give the impression you aren’t.
Your self-worth is based on Whose and what you truly are inside, not on outward appearance.
“This world,” translated from the Greek “aion,” doesn’t speak of the universe, but a social order contrary to God’s will. It is a summary word for all that is contradictory to the will of God.
This is present passive indicative plus a negative meaning “stop being molded to the realm of worldliness.” Worldliness is a mental attitude. It is what you think when controlled by the old sin nature. All a Christian can do when controlled by the old sin nature is imitate an unbeliever.
Don’t try to use camouflage to blend into the world’s environment.
Take a Look at Yourself – Part One
Jesus alone is capable of meeting one of the basic needs of your life. If you are a normal person, you understand what the Swiss physician and author Paul Tournier meant when he said everyone has an “inexhaustible need to be loved and a continual fear of not being loved… The truth is that God alone can fill the affective need of men; God alone is always there, with His limitless love.”
When you enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then you know you are perpetually unconditionally loved and He is always there when you need Him. ALWAYS!
You ought never to think of yourself apart from God. If you do, you get an incomplete and distorted concept of yourself.
Test this fact by answering one question: “Do you like yourself?”
Does your action contradict your answer? Do you say “yes,” but do you so dislike yourself that you often wear masks because you are afraid people won’t like the real “you” professed by you to be liked?
Self-esteem is an expression so labeled in our present society. There are terms worthy of our use and which we need to consider. They are self-image and self-worth. Do you have a good wholesome self-image? That is, one neither given to self-inflation of self-effacement; not phoned to be egotistical or self-condemning. Do you properly view yourself?
Dr. Robert Magee, founder of “Rapha” in his book “Search for Significance,” says most people consider their self-worth by the formula: Self-Worth = Performance + Other’s Opinions. Simply stated, I must be approved by certain others in order to feel good about myself. That is the prison in which many people are held hostage. Namely, your opinion of me and my performance determines how I feel about me.
Some people are so insecure they have to compensate for what they are by what they have or what they do.
Some have to wear a certain clothing label or they are timid about going out into public. After all, everyone else is wearing that label and if I don’t I will be different and disliked. It might even take a certain shoe in athletic or social circles.
Start today by setting the standard for self-acceptance based on your relationship with the Lord. Frame this theme on the wall of your memory, “God made me and God don’t make no junk.”
That leaves no room for egotism or cause for inferiority.
A Mega-Shift Is Underway or Is That a Mega MAGA?
God’s people prayed. God responded, and a God thing happened.
The election of Trump in such a convincing manner was a God thing. Pundits are offering numerous explanations as to why Harris lost. They don’t get it. God was present and at work November 4, 2024, and the potential transformation of America was begun and along with it a global shift transpired. Governments around the world took note.
Many believe in God having been the enabling force in the election. Those and others now need to pray more than ever.
When Regan was president there was international uncertainty until 11,000 air controllers threatened an illegal strike. President Reagan said, “If you do, I will fire you.” They struck and were unceremoniously fired. Russia principally, but other nations alike said we need to be cautious, this man means what he says.
Once more there is a global sigh resulting from knowing we have a president who means what he says.
Indications are we are about to be unfettered from a WOKE, DEI agenda. The best qualified persons will get the jobs regardless of skin tone.
The candidate with the fewest votes l-o-s-t. That is the way it has always worked. Inconceivable the current losers haven’t caught on as of yet. They are still in a lugubrious state of mind. By the time they work through their grief they will awaken to find themselves in a brave new world.
Then the battle will begin. There is no indication the losers are going to react constructively, but contentiously. They will be recalcitrant and tetchy.
The task before President Trump is a big one. Opponents can be expected to exploit even the slightest misstep. They will try to eviscerate every objective. The secular national media will be in the vanguard of efforts to degrade his administration.
The ladies on The View are already blaming the election results on X (formerly Twitter) and “misinformation.” The New York Times claims we’re experiencing a “dark turn in democracy.” Rachel Maddow cried on MSNBC about the dangers of Elon Musk and New Media.“Big Media” has been corrupt and one-sided for decades.
Rebuilding our military will be a major task. DEI has demoralized our armed forces. Some of our generals say that our equipment and munitions are so low we would run out of combat ability in two weeks in a war with China.
How to remove the thousands of illegal aliens will be an emotional task. Rebuilding our border defenses will at times appear to be a heartless endeavor.
Entire departments, such as the FBI and Justice departments will require time, money, and personnel.
In general, a governmental makeover is coming. Let’s not rule out God in this undertaking. Doing all this in His way is important. On this end of the line prayer is needed. Don’t fail our nation after such a miraculous time.
Desire Is Essential for Success
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5: 20, 21).
In other words “Confusion comes and people are discombobulated.”
In case you missed it, that means confused, embarrassed, upset, broken, or mixed up. Are we there yet?
There is an optional lifestyle. It is to “Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).
If you delight yourself in the Lord that means you are pleased to do His will. Hence, God and you have the same desire. God is not going to let His will go undone. Remember now you and God have the same will at this point. When His will and your delight are the same the result is the desire of your heart is done. It is the good life.
Knowing and doing God’s will is the most fulfilling and satisfying lifestyle.
Why fight against yourself by refusing to do God’s will?
Prayer is best when our desire and His will are synonymous. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15: 7).
Desire and “do” are ideally aligned when God’s will is involved. Scripture warns “…but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have” (II Corinthians 8: 11).
Consider this illustration. Six frogs were on a log. One jumped in. Another decided to follow. Next, two decided to jump in. How many frogs were left on the log? Five, the first jumped in but the others just decided to jump in, but never did.
God has a desire, will that is, regarding your salvation, and is clear about it. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3: 9).
Some translations use the word “desire” instead of “willing.” That is, He does not desire for anyone not to be saved and enjoy heaven. His desire is for all to be saved. To not be saved one has to deny His desire for them. It is hard to find anything about that verse that supports any form of Calvinistic predestination.
“The starting point of all success is desire” wrote Napoleon Hill. If you want to be a diligent fulfilled Christian may your desire to be very strong. Do it.
Self-Rule Results in Self-Ruin
Let me tell you a Bible story. At first you might think it childish, but if you stay with it you might find it prophetically profound.
God put Adam and Eve in a beautiful garden and told them they could eat of every tree with one exception and that was the tree in the midst of the garden. God defined what was good and what was evil.
Along came Satan, represented as a serpent, the tempter. Let the story be told as in the original.
“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden.
And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3: 1 – 5).
You will be like God, knowing good and evil. A glimpse of what God is like is that He knew good from evil. Satan was telling them they would no longer need God to tell them good from evil. They could do it instead.
That is us today. Society in general is saying what is good and what is evil and it is a reversal of God’s standard.
Isaiah warned people would do so saying of them, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5: 20). Bingo!
Dan Desmarques, author of 30 Amazon bestsellers asks, “Why be human when you can be a god?” Some have settled on being a god, their god, themselves This results in a contrasting divided culture. That is where we are.
Biblically there was a convoluted day when there was no king, and “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21: 25). Today without the King of Kings ruling every person engages in self-rule based on their own personal determination of right and wrong.
There is a distinct difference between self-rule and self-control. Self-control is essential for coexistence. Biblically self-control is spoken of as a “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5: 22, 23). It is the result of being Spirit (God) controlled and living by His standards of right and wrong.
Self-rule involves the individual setting the rules and doing what he or she determines is right or wrong. It is being the god of self-determined good and evil, right or wrong.
Who is your God? Candidly, is it the object you see in the mirror? Or, is He the God you see in Scripture?