Spiritual Self-Esteem or Spiritual Self-Respect But by the grace of God I am what I am…. 1 Corinthians 15:10

Members of the Royal Family, listen up! How would you like it if someone told you that you could have the confidence and ability to deal with every stress and every problem in life? Well, God has told us just that! We can have spiritual self-confidence by learning, believing, and using Bible doctrine. We can develop spiritual self-esteem, or spiritual self-respect. We can rely on God’s thinking and His power to give us confidence and self-assurance!

Ephesians 3:12 In Whom we have boldness and confident access [spiritual self-esteem] through faith [doctrine] in Him.

Self-esteem can be defined as respect for self, satisfaction with self, or a good opinion of self. In spiritual self-esteem, our confidence is based on Bible doctrine, the thinking of the Lord Jesus Christ. We recognize that we are what we are by the grace of God. We depend on God’s grace gifts for making us steady as we go forward in His predesigned plan. We have confidence in God. What a great spiritual place to be!

When we reach spiritual self-esteem, we reach spiritual adulthood. It doesn’t matter how old we are in our body. We can be spiritual adults at any age. What matters is how much Bible doctrine we learn, believe, and use. The more we learn, believe, and use, the more we grow spiritually. Bible doctrine is the spiritual food we need to handle stress and become spiritual adults!

Proverbs 19:8 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding [believing Bible doctrine] prospers.

The Characteristics of Spiritual Self-Esteem or A Picture of Spiritual Self-Esteem   1. Spiritual self-esteem is self-confidence from Bible doctrine in our souls. We become courageous because we have the thinking of the Lord Jesus Christ. 2. Spiritual self-esteem is self-realization from the process of learning, thinking, and using Bible doctrine. We start to realize why we are here, to bring glory to God. We begin to understand what God has provided for our spiritual life, like the ten problem-solving tools. We start to understand why we have difficulties and suffering.   3. Spiritual self-esteem is self-direction, or spiritual momentum from living and functioning in the predesigned plan of God under the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. We know the path that we should follow. The more doctrine we have, the more precise our self-direction will be.   4. Spiritual self-esteem is self-identity, which is grace orientation combined with doctrinal orientation to produce a personal sense of destiny. We know what grace is all about and combine it with doctrine. We know that we are members of the Royal Family of God and headed for heaven for all eternity.   5. Spiritual self-esteem is self-motivation from personal love for God the Father, from occupation with Christ, and from knowing the unique characteristics of the Church Age.   6. Spiritual self-esteem is self-vindication, or proof of the value of self because of using the predesigned plan of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. We become invisible heroes. We become members of the pivot of the client nation. In other words, because of our positive faith in God, He protects our nation. We receive blessings that God has been holding until we have the capacity for them; God blesses us beyond what we can imagine! We glorify God in the angelic conflict!

Evidence of Spiritual Self-Esteem

1. When we have spiritual self-esteem, we have a lifestyle of tranquility of soul. There are times when our emotions will go a little haywire or off course, but we will rebound and get right back on course. We have a relaxed mental attitude most of the time.   2. We have a stability of mental attitude. We don’t feel threatened by others. We avoid being too ambitious and too competitive. We control our emotions.

3. We have composure with self-assurance when faced with a problem. We apply correct doctrine to life.   4. We have grace orientation to life. We know that God treats us with grace. We treat ourselves graciously and others graciously. 5. We have doctrinal orientation to life. We live our lives using the Bible doctrine in our souls. We are humble, objective, and teachable. We use common sense and avoid being too ambitious and too competitive. We don’t let Satan cause division in the Royal Family of God.

6. We make good decisions from a position of strength. This includes motivation from our personal love for God the Father plus divine-viewpoint thinking. We see the value of the Word of God and have our priorities straight. 7. We have personal control of our lives through understanding Bible doctrine. It makes sense to us to use it in all of our thinking and circumstances. We lean on our relationship with God, not our relationship with people. We don’t let the details of life control us. 8. We have a personal sense of destiny. We know why we have been created. We know that God guides us in certain directions. 9. We have self-confidence from wisdom. This wisdom is from the Bible doctrine in our souls. Since Bible doctrine is the thinking of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have the best thinking and wisdom to use! 10. We have poise. This is the believer under spiritual self-command. When we are in a bad situation, we step back and get control of our emotions through God’s thinking. Then we apply God’s Word to the situation. We know that our sufferings will eventually be turned into blessings. God is molding us to the image of His Son. He wants us to be like Jesus! Gal. 4:19

When we have spiritual self-esteem, we begin to have momentum in the spiritual life. We are grateful for all of our problems because after each one is overcome, we become stronger and more able to meet those that are still to come. Mistakes are not failures in life. They are a way to gain experience for handling more problems that will come along our paths. Our successes can be measured by the obstacles we have overcome while trying to succeed. We can choose our own direction! God gives us the energy and the way to be victorious. Through the filling of the Holy Spirit, we will have the energy; through Bible doctrine, God will show us the right way! We have no excuses not to have spiritual self-esteem!

1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

Spiritual Self-Esteem  or Spiritual Self-Respect References used:                     Robert R.McLaughlin Bible Ministries   www.gbible.org                                         Lesson: 10-19-2006

[ Back to Home Page ]