Now back to our topic of the time – Authenticity which leads to spiritual excellence. Today I want to differentiate between spiritual self-esteem and worldly self-esteem

Since you are an individual, you must identify your value differently based on your uniqueness. You cannot compare how others develops self-esteem with how the God Family decides to build yours – again, comparison is the wrong path.  When someone asks you about an individual’s self-esteem, the first thing most people think of is: “Does the person have a positive, upbeat attitude and exude confidence?” If those attributes do not exist, then the person is probably said to have low self-esteem. However, everyone has insecurities that can cause “down times.” Quite often a low road of gloominess and depression causes us to have feelings of despair. Most believers end up asking the same question David asked: How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. (Psalm 13:1-4)

At this point, you would have every right to ask: “But if David were a man after God’s own heart, then shouldn’t he have had good spiritual self-esteem?” Yes, David had excellent spiritual self-esteem and you can see that in the way he ends this gloomy song with Psalm 13: 5–6: “But I trust in your unfailing love;/my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.”

His esteem is found in his relationship with God, not his position in life but by circumstances. You can also see that he finds his identity in Deity in Psalm 51. At the depth of his sin, he knew that if he asked, the Father would forgive him and reposition him right back in His lap! David’s spiritual self-esteem was based on his security as a believer. His faith always pointed him back to where he was safe—into the arms of the Father.

Also, consider the example of Job. By reading his story you will begin to understand why you should have spiritual self-esteem and what it takes to build it. Job’s story provides proof that Satan can see the Lord’s hedge of protection around Job (Chapter 1:10) This is the same hedge Elohim has placed around you. Even when the hedge was lifted, it raised only to a degree based on the foreknowledge of how the universal process would impact Job. God gave Satan permission to act on Job because more spiritual battles were going on than he could see.

God sees our lives and future on the stage of the universe, while all we see is what is happening in the visible here and now. Job not only gained spiritual eyes, but spiritual self-esteem—not because he was positive and upbeat but because he became secure in his position with God. Your hedge of protection exists; whether you can see it or not doesn’t matter. It is not much different than the sun’s energy or the wind. It is real, even though your experience of it is tenuous and limited.

Kids, your security is sure, therefore your self-esteem should be high. Never doubt it or worry. Your name is written in the book of life – never to be erased.

Love Dad