“Like the fairy tale suggests, the “mirror, mirror
on the wall” shows us the face of our enemy…we defeat ourselves far more than
we are defeated by external circumstances.”
(John Maxwell)
Introduction: We all want people to approve of us and be for us rather than against us, and some are, but we also find that some are not. When that is the case, it can be painful, and if we have experienced too many people who are not or were not for us, it can leave wounds in our souls that need to be healed.
Even the disapproval of one person, if it is a parent or a spouse, can deeply wound a person.
Joyce Myers said that she know people who are forty or fifty years old who are still struggling with dysfunctional lifestyles because they had a parent who rejected or showed continual disapproval of them.
Apostle Paul Encouraged the Romans….
· If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?] (Romans 8:31)
The Psalmist David said….
· The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? (Psalm 118:6)
Both of these men, who were used greatly by God, encountered many people who were not for them. They were comforted by and comforted others with the knowledge that although we will deal with people who are NOT FOR US and DO NOT APPROVE us, God IS ALWAYS for us, and He is on our side in our times of struggle, pain, and challenge.
We must make the decision to agree with God rather than agreeing with our enemies.
· It is time for you to be FOR YOU, and that simply means it is time for you to be a friend to yourself, to be your own best ally, and to learn to love yourself in a godly way.
o No matter how much God wants to do for and through us, He cannot do any of it unless we some into agreement with him, and that means we agree with His WORD.
o All of His promises become a reality in our lives only if we believe them.
o If God says we are greatly loved and filled with His wisdom, then we are.
o If He says that we are forgiven and that His plan for our future is good, then it is.
Are You Your Own Worst Enemy? – Pg. 169 bottom
· Have you listened to the negativity of others so long about yourself until now you have a low opinion of yourself?
· Do You like yourself?
· Do you see and appreciate the talents and abilities that God has given you?
· Do you realize that you are valuable?
A Life-Changing Thought
The Most important
thing that God had taught Joyce was that he helped her to receive healing for
her wounded soul. She knew that by
receiving that teaching, it taught her to love and accept herself as His creation
and daughter. Also, He taught her to
become a friend to herself.
1. You must go from self-rejection to learning to enjoy yourself.
2. You’ve got to learn to Like being with yourself.
3. Go to lunch with yourself.
4. Spend time with yourself.
5. Love, enjoy, and value yourself.
6. Because You will always be you.
We all change as we grow in becoming more like Christ, but there are things about ourselves that we will need to accept even if those things are not what we would have chosen for ourselves.
· We can waste our lives not liking one thing or another about ourselves, but it is much wiser to focus on your strengths and all the amazing qualities that God has given you.
· Learning to like yourself and be your own best ally is one of the best decisions you can ever make.
· No matter how many people love and admire you, if you don’t like yourself, you will never be happy.
I. QUESTION WE NEED TO ASK OURSELVES
Are you
feeling bad about yourself because of what someone else thinks about you or is
it because of what you think yourself?
Powerful Nugget
If we live in the reality of who GOD says we are, we can easily overcome any negative opinions that other people may have.
The Apostle People was frequently criticized, but he seemed to value God’s opinion of him more than he did anyone else.
The only way in life to never be criticized is to do nothing and be nothing, but even then we would be criticized for being lazy and unproductive.
Are our critics right?
1. When we are criticized it is wise to consider whether or not our critic might be right, and if they are, thank them; if they aren’t, pray for them.
Make Peace with Yourself
A. We can embrace who we are and go on in life to do great things.
B. God assigns a measure of weakness to each of us so that we will always need to depend on and need Him.
C. Thee are no perfect People.
D. Paul struggled with his weaknesses until God told him that His strength was perfected in and through them.
E. After that, Paul embraced them and accepted they were part of who he was (2 Corinthians 12:8-9).
F. God’s Word never promises us that we can reach a place where we will have no deficits, flaws, and weaknesses.
G. But it does promise us that God will be our strength.
H. God is not surprised that we have flaws.
I. He knows things about each of us that we have yet to discover, and He loves us unconditionally.
Stop Comparing Ourselves with others…..
We should take what we have been given by God and make it look the best we can, while refusing to compare ourselves with anyone else. If there is anything you don’t like about the way you look and you can do something about it, then do it, but if you can’t, make peace with it and enjoy being you.
You live with yourself all the time, and if you don’t like yourself, you are going to be miserable.
The Waitress with Freckles – Doris Day
A. She was absolutely beautiful in her movies
B. No one paid any attention to the freckles.
C. She followed her dream and succeeded.
Christians are taught to be humble…
A. A person who is truly humble doesn’t belittle themselves or think they are not as good as other people.
B. They simply know who they are in Christ and that any good thing they are able to do is a gift from God
C. They are not above or better than anyone else, but they are not less than them, either.
D. A truly humble person doesn’t spend their time thinking about all that is right with them or all that is wrong with them because they simply don’t have their mind on themselves excessively.
E. They are not overly concerned about how they look
F. They are not concerned about what people think of them or maintaining a position of being first in all things.
G. They are free to be who they are and do their best for God.
H. We are nothing without Christ,
I. We can do ALL THINGS through Him!
J. Jesus welcomes flawed people, and He delights in working through them.
The Agony of Self-Doubt
When we have a low opinion of ourselves, we rarely feel qualified to make decisions. We can easily fall into the agony of doubting ourselves about everything we think, feel, and decide.
No one is right all the time, and no one is wrong all the time, either, and we need to learn to follow godly wisdom and then trust ourselves to make good decisions.
The difficulty of making decisions
When we need to make decisions, we should ask God to help us decide what is right, and then once we have decided, we should not hesitate and be double minded about our choice.
The Apostle James said that if we are filled with self-doubt, we are not able to receive the help we need from God (James 1:5-6). Is the fear of making a wrong decision making you indecisive? The decision to make no decision is still a decision. We don’t protect ourselves from making mistakes by refusing to do anything. Even if you do make a mistake, it won’t be the end of the world and at least you can learn from it.
Don’t always depend on others to make the right decision for you. Their advice may be right for them but wrong from you. Don’t depend on people to always make your decision. Follow your own heart. If you don’t, you will be denying who you are and the right God has given you to make choices of your own.
Trust yourself to be able to follow your heart and to know the best thing that you should do.
Never do anything that God’s Word doesn’t approve of or anything that your conscience tells you is wrong, but always remember that many roads may get you to the same destination, and God has given you the privilege of deciding which road you want to take.
The decision you make isn’t wrong just because it isn’t what someone else would do.
When making a life-altering decision
1. Take plenty of time to make it.
2. Pray about it
3. See what God’s Word says about it
4. Follow peace
5. Believe that you can make good decisions.
6. Trust that God is guiding you
7. Live boldly without fear.
Make a decision to be your best friend instead of your worst enemy. Don’t defeat yourself. God is for you, and He wants you to be for yourself too.
You are a truly wonderful person who has a tremendous amount of potential, so start moving forward and being all you can be.