We all have areas of self doubt and feeling “less than”.  But for many of us this can bigger than feeling bad about a past mistake or believing we are too fat or short or tall. It can be much deeper and  become an area where we are unable to forgive ourselves and turn to a kind of self loathing or even for some, self hatred.

To be successful in finding the peace of God and His healing power, we need to agree with God about the matter of self-love. So this lesson really follows last week when we looked at forgiving others, now we must be sure we are able to forgive ourselves so that the enemy is not able to create a stronghold in the area of self image.

Psalm 139:14

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works;
   my soul knows it very well.
Before we were ever knit together in our mother’s womb, God knew us. He made us exactly the way we are, our bodies, minds, talents and skills.
God loves us.
Isaiah 49:16

16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
   your walls are continually before me.
Zechariah 2:8
For thus said the LORD of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye…
God almighty created you, He engraved you on the palms of His hands and you are continually before Him, You are the apple of His eye!

Ladies & Gentlemen, please know that if we find ourselves unable to forgive ourselves or like ourselves we have simply believed a lie!
The enemy accuses us and lies to us and we believe him. We have to take responsibilities for believing these lies and destroy the works of the devil in our lives.
When we learn to wage this war in our minds using the knowledge of our new identity and the tools of spiritual warfare and then we will have victory.
Jesus came to deliver us from the bondage of sin.  God knew our ancestry and before we ever actually came to be. God knows each one of us as unique individuals, separate and different from anyone else.
If we find ourselves not able to forgive ourselves or feeling “less than” we are probably dealing with an unloving spirit that is attacking us. That spirit makes us feel rejected, unclean and unworthy. It speaks into our minds “you are not smart enough or rich enough or liked enough, you’re damaged goods”. Then we find ourselves focusing on every negative thing we see and hear that makes us feel less of a person.
We replay old tapes that keep us from enjoying all that God has for us.
We need to stop worrying about who we are and comparing ourselves to others because we already know we are precious in God’s sight-it’s all that matters.
Competition and comparison always result in bitterness either toward another or ourselves.
We talked last week about the need to also look beyond ourselves and see those who have rejected us or victimized us with the eyes of forgiveness. They have serious problems of their own and when we can separate the sin from the sinner then we will have the ability to forgive and be free ourselves.
Another area where a lack of self love shows up is in the form of insecurity. Insecurity is a form of fear: fear of man, fear of failure, abandonment for rejection.
The word gives us two scriptural weapons to use when fear raises its ugly head.
1 John 4:18 says that perfect love casts out fear.
1 Timothy 1:7 says that we did not receive a spirit of fear but a spirit of love, power and a sound mind.

Self pity might also emerge, just another form of that unloving spirit takes. It binds us to the past, past sin, past failures, past lack. That binding keeps us from grabbing onto God’s future provision. It binds us to what others have done to us and what we have done to ourselves.
We need to take every negative thought about ourselves captive! Then choose to speak what God says about ourselves to ourselves. Preach to yourself and watch your faith grow and then your joy. There will be a new “you” in the mirror before you know it..

2 Corinthians 10:5
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
Romans 10:17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. ( remember this is the preached word)
What does the bible say? All of us are important and necessary! We have to stop debating this with God!
Tell those unloving spirits to stop talking. Never discount your value in and to the body of Christ. You are important and God created you and if we give Him our pasts, our brokenness and heartaches and trade them in for the new creation he has made us and promises He has for us we will walk in victory and those accusing lies will fall on deaf ears and the unloving spirit and spirit of comparison, victimization and self pity will leave us alone.
Reminders:
Your are Chosen : Ephesians 1:4
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.  

In love You are Saved: Ephesians 1:7  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

You are Sealed: Ephesians 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
You are Seated at the Right Hand of God: Ephesians 2:6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
You are Secure and in a family: Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God
Your position is one of Strength: Ephesians 3:16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
Art Mathias says this:
“We are created in the image and with the nature of God (Gen 1:27). But we were tarnished by Adam’s sin.  The choice of how to live is ours. We can choose to believe God and be set free, or choose to continue in bondage to Satan’s lies.”

Personally I am standing  with Joshua

Joshua 24:15
15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.“
In choosing to serve God we are choosing forgiveness towards others and ourselves and the bonds of bitterness will be unraveled and severed.
Freedom ladies! Victorious living is ours today.