22 Oct Our Biggest Idol: Ourselves

One thing I have realized in ministering to others and in receiving healing and deliverance in my own life, is the issue surrounding self-worth.

Our worth does not come from what we do, how we behave, or what occupation we have. It comes only through the Blood of Jesus.

I am beginning a 4-part series on “self worth” to bring light to the body of Christ about not only what it truly is but what the enemy of our soul would like us to believe.

Literally everything we DO is influenced by the way we feel about ourselves:

• Our emotions
• Our relationships
• Our decisions
• Our attitudes
• Our trust in God
• Our ability to excel
• Our confidence to serve God
• Our faith in difficult times
• Our ability to give and to receive love

A person who sees herself in a negative light is a person who also sees others in a negative way. The opposite is true, as well. A person who sees herself positively also looks for the good in others. It’s all in one’s perspective. We act as we see ourselves.

However, the biggest idol that we have as a people and as a body is the idol called “Self.” This idol demands its own way… demands that everyone serve it and not the Lord… demands that we do our own thing, despite what everybody else says. Over and over we bow down to the needs of the flesh and we begin to serve self.

In The True Measure of a Woman: Discover Your Intrinsic Value As You Learn to See Yourself As God Sees You, by Lisa Bevere, she states that we need to stop focusing on self. Whether your feelings about yourself are good or bad, they can still become an idol. It is the worship of self.

Oh, “I don’t worship self,” you may argue, or you may say, “I have a poor self-image.” But whenever you are limited to your self-image – good or bad – the image of self becomes your master.

An image of self is not something we are born with; it is forged through pain, pressure and praise. Pain will cause us to become aware of something we previously were not aware of. Pressure will bring hidden talents or flaws to the surface. Praise will test what you are made of and point to our talents or assets. This is what God wants for us – that we become so totally aware of our relationship with Him that we lose our awareness of what is around us. He doesn’t want to draw us close to see our flaws; He wants to hold us close to captivate us with His love.

Self-image is a defense mechanism. It is the image we project while we try to protect who we really are.

What we must understand is that the opposite of self-conscious is not a “good” self-image or self-esteem. The opposite of conscious is unconscious. We become less conscious of self and our will as we become more conscious of God and His will.