God Esteem, Not Self-esteem

God Esteem, Not Self Esteem Summary It seems that "self esteem" is a household phrase nowadays. But for those who have low self esteem it's more than just a phrase. It represents real pain. Trying to boost your own self esteem, at times, is so difficult. Good self esteem can be very fragile. People or circumstances can really shake our feelings of self worth. Too often life seems to control us by shaping our feelings. We all desperately want to find approval, acceptance, hope, and comfort. Life seems so hard. We just want relief. We all want to discover our true value and purpose. But we can't always control situations or other people. So what can we do? The answer lies not in what we do, but in how we think. The challenge is to change how we think. Rather than focusing on how much we esteem ourselves, we should focus on God's esteem for us. Complete contentment results from considering how much He loves us. At the core of God esteem is an intimate awareness of God. He who created the universe created you - not by mistake, but by loving design. God esteem is the knowledge that there is One who loves you unconditionally even when striving to please others fails. He loves you when everyone else rejects you or betrays you. He forgives you and still loves you when you fail or sin. He demonstrated that love when He sent His only Son to die for you. God esteem involves an assurance that you have a purpose in life. There is a confidence that God, who esteems you so highly, will take care of you (even through difficult times). It's a matter of shifting focus and trusting in Him. Shifting from self esteem to God esteem results in relief from the hidden, helpless feelings of inadequacy. As you relinquish your need to control your self esteem and allow God to minister to you, He will guide you through life. Trust the Lord to minister to you and heal those emotions we refer to as poor self esteem. In this book you will find promises that the Bible has for you. As you read them you will gain an assurance that God will complete the good work He has begun in you. He is faithful and He loves you. The entire thrust of the book is to help you transform your thinking about self esteem. Practical suggestions are offered to address feelings typically referred to as poor self esteem. They include: Shift your focus to God. Shift your focus to helping others. Be a God pleaser and not a man pleaser. Pray for God to reveal His will for you and to enable you to do it. Work hard. Change your expectations. Expect tribulation rather than accept the popular belief that we are all entitled to a life of complete comfort. Ask God to reveal your gifts and talents. Periodically do a "reality check." Look around and see that problems are all relative. We all experiencing difficulties. Life doesn't seem so unfair when we consider what others have to deal with. Our challenges in life sometimes pale in comparison to the ordeals of others. We can always find someone who is worse off. Welcome mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow, rather than viewing them as failures. It's at those times we see God working the most.