"For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh,
nothing good dwells;
for to will is present with me,
but how to perform what is good I do not find."
Romans 7:18
One of the sayings of the world is that the root of many problems in the human psyche is "low self-esteem." The world therefore teaches that to be well, we must pursue growth in "self esteem." This is a deception that almost all fall for.
The Bible calls for the humility of recognizing the truth, and the truth from the Word of God is that we are NOT great, we are NOT wonderful, and we are NOT worthy. One of the greatest human struggles in the face of the truth of God, is to come to realize that we are fallen. Sin dwells within us.
"There is none righteous, no not one."
Romans 3:10"
“The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked;"
Jeremiah 17:9
Few people are able to admit that they are "desperately wicked." Most see themselves as mostly "good" people, they compare their weaknesses to the weaknesses they see in others and assure themselves therefore, that they're not that bad; then they justify whatever they see as weaknesses (sin) within themselves. But until one acknowledges that he truly is "desperately wicked," he is denying the Word of God.
The beginning of the healing of the human soul takes place when the sinner bows before his Creator and accepts what the Word of God tells him he really is. And THEN the Lord begins the work of healing and restoration. There is no room for pride in this process, rather it involves continual recognition of, and repentance of, our sin as the Holy Spirit reveals it to us. It's not a one-time thing. The process will continue on for the rest of one's life.
I was guilty of that blindness as we all are before the Holy Spirit reveals the truth to us. I didn't commit the sins that the world would say are the worst ones, so I thought I was ok. Well one night as I was preparing to go to bed, the Lord suddenly spoke to my spirit that I am a "murderer."
"WHAT???"
He went on to bring to me the Scripture that says: "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer..." (1st John 3:15) and there WAS someone whom I truly hated. Had the Spirit of God not spoken that to me, it would never, ever, have occurred to me that I was guilty of "murder" according to the Word of God.
You know that sinking feeling you get when you first discover something really bad? I had to sit down, get over the shock, and think that one over; and of course I knew that what the Word of God was showing me was true. But here's a key point as we look at this: I hated this person so intensely that I knew I could not escape from that hatred.
What do you do when you find yourself incapable of doing what you know you have to, but cannot? Well ...right then and there I answered God and told him this hatred was so deep that I was totally unable to escape from it, to let it go, to overcome it. And that's exactly where the Lord wanted me. That's exactly where the Lord wants you when you realize you cannot overcome in whatever area the Lord is focusing his spotlight on. Before he heals you, you have to realize your need to be healed - and that's what I asked that night, the cure, the remedy, whatever it would take to escape from this deadly hatred. And when the Lord healed me some time later, it was a supernatural act, so much so that afterwards I couldn't even remember the hatred I had carried for that person for so long. This was a supernatural healing that set me free.
Happiness does not come from an incorrect evaluation of ourselves. Happiness and peace come from the true admission of our fallen state and the joy of watching the Lord change us. For the born again believer, Jesus Christ has purchased our shack with the price of his own blood, and he then begins the process of turning our shack into a palace fit for the King to reside in. And in that, is the joy and the peace we so unsuccessfully sought out through the philosophies of the world. To be told I was a murderer certainly didn't boost my self esteem. But from there - I was rescued from the darkness that dwelt within me.
If you have not been born again through an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ, ask him to come into your life to purchase your shack, and express to him your willingness to surrender all as he knocks down walls, replaces the foundation, and totally remakes it into a palace that he is pleased to dwell in. If you are truly willing to surrender all to him, the change he will make in you and in your life will exceed all you could have hoped and dreamed for. It will involve pain, because having one's walls torn down and having one's foundation replaced is painful. When you go to a doctor and he diagnoses an illness, you are willing to submit to the treatment that is needed, oftentimes unpleasant, to bring you to health. How much more therefore, must we be willing to submit to our Creator and follow all his directions as he permanently cures us from our fallen state and makes us new.
No, he will not restore our "self esteem," in fact he will destroy it because the correct term for it is "pride" which is the deadliest of sins - pride caused Satan to fall from heaven. But in its place the Lord will create something beautiful that so far supersedes it that one will wonder how on earth he ever could have wanted that which the world chases after, the pitiful goal of "self esteem."
"I waited patiently for the Lord
and he inclined to me, and heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock,
and established my steps."
Psalm 40:1-2
Though we may be in "a horrible pit," the Lord will not leave us there. He WILL bring us out and set our feet upon THE ROCK.
Patience is one of the most important factors in prayer -- and one of the most difficult. Sometimes it seems the Lord is not listening. It may be though, that he is testing one's heart to see how long one will remain faithful even when not seemingly getting results. Does the lack of apparent results suggest that what we are asking isn't God's will? NO. It means God is working something out and it requires time. The answer will come in the right time, IF you do not lose heart.
"And let us not grow weary while doing good,
for in due season we shall reap
IF WE DO NOT LOSE HEART."
Galatians 6:9
When the Israelites were in the wilderness, the Lord called Moses to come up on the mountain to receive God's Word. Moses told the people to wait for him to return and he ascended the mount. But he was gone a long time and the people got tired of waiting, and they got into grievous sin which brought terrible judgment upon them. Because they refused to wait.
It is amazing how many stories in the Bible required men to wait. God promised Abraham a son through his wife Sarah, but the wait was so long that they took matters into their own hands and Abraham brought forth a son he named Ishmael through Sarah's maid - a sin whose results wreak havoc to this day, for Ishmael is the father of the Arabs. The results of not waiting on the Lord can have long-term disastrous results.
Patience and maintaining faith are virtues the Lord values highly. Every believer will be in the position of having to wait after a promise is given. His patience is tried. His faithfulness is tried. But when the answer comes, it will be far greater than what the believer asked for.
"Now to him who is able to do
EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL THE WE ASK OR THINK..."
Ephesians 3:20
Wait and do not waiver. Do not get tired of praying but continue for as long as it takes. Do not be tempted to give up. Do not be tempted to think God doesn't care. He may be creating a story behind the scenes that you know nothing about. Wait on him. The time may seem long, but the answer will surely come and that will lead to far greater rejoicing than you expected.
"Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.
He who continually goes forth weeping,
bearing seed for sowing,
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
bringing his sheaves with him."
Psalm 126:5-6
"For sin shall not have dominion over you..."
Romans 6:14
Romans was always my least favorite book in the New Testament because try as I might, I just could not understand it. But as time went on I didn't realize that it was being made alive to me, until suddenly realizing that I DO understand it now. Why? Because I've seen it worked out in my life. I've seen the demonstration of it. And it's astounding.
I think the reason for the lack of the ability to understand it is actually quite simple. Most of us when we start out with the Lord, realize that there is no way on earth that we can overcome the weaknesses (sin) inherent in our individual makeup. Most of us try to overcome, but soon realize it's impossible. We might play games with ourselves, seeking to make a gain here or there, but whoever is honest with himself will know that he/she just can't do it. It's like a New Year's resolution. It just doesn't work long term. But that's where the Lord meets us.
vs 3:
"Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into
Christ Jesus WERE BAPTIZED INTO HIS DEATH?"
There is a great truth in being united with Christ in his death. We go down into the waters of baptism which represents the grave, but it doesn't end there, that's only the beginning.
vs 4:
"Therefore we were buried with him
through baptism INTO DEATH,
that just as Christ was RAISED FROM THE DEAD
by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in NEWNESS OF LIFE."
I remember thinking back in those days, "if the power of sin (death) is so great that one cannot overcome it, then the power of resurrection must be even greater."
vs 5:
"For if we have been united together
in the likeness of his death,
certainly we also shall be
in the likeness of his resurrection…"
But I hardly dared to believe it because it seemed like asking the impossible. And of course ...it WAS. It's a supernatural thing, something not possible in the natural.
It wasn't until long after, when I began to notice the changes inside, I was absolutely astounded because the POWER of what used to rule me simply was no longer there. I remember going over and over and over it in my mind trying to figure out how on earth that happened, then came to realize that I was seeing the absolute truth of the Word of God being demonstrated to me right before my eyes in my own soul. It was not New Year's resolutions. It was the power of God in the life of a believer.
Does that mean that one who has experienced such a thing is sinless? No, only when we leave this earth will we experience the total deliverance, when "we shall all be changed." Only then will we "put on incorruption..." (1st Corinthians 15:53).
Until then, the power of the resurrection is worked out in us even now, if we walk in total surrender to the Lord and allow him to have his way in our lives. We still have the CHOICE to do so or not. We still will hear the lies of Satan who seeks to destroy our walk with the Lord. And we still will be kept humble as we realize the areas that have not yet been changed.
It takes time, a lot of time. But once that submission to the death represented in baptism has taken place, the POWER of the resurrection begins working - almost imperceptibly for a long while because one is born again as a babe. As the believer walks with the Lord he will suddenly begin to realize the changes that have taken place and is brought to his knees in utter and heartfelt thanksgiving; for that which was impossible to him was made possible through the power of the resurrection of Christ at work in him.
This is not religion. Religion will NEVER be able to do this. Religion CANNOT produce this. The Scripture specifically says that the religion of "the last days" will be powerless. Men will be religious, but their religion will be useless:
"Having a form of godliness, but denying the POWER thereof;
from such turn away."
2nd Timothy 3:5
Friends, if your religion has not changed you on the inside, then your religion is powerless and the Scripture says "from such turn away!" This is not speaking of behavior, most religious people control their behavior outwardly. This is speaking of the inherent sin nature that rules you. Only if you are born again will you see that sin nature dying with Christ, and the power of his resurrection raising you to new life.
More:
Born Again -What Does That Mean?