Romans 12:3 NKJV

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

What are the attitudes you have about yourself? What have you believed about yourself? One of the areas the word of God deals with when we start to read it consistently is our minds. The mind is a powerful thing that creates perceptions and mindsets that determine one’s reality. The Bible tells us that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. It also informs us that we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Just the other day, while doing my morning show, a lady texted in to ask if her salvation was valid because of some things she had gone through before she gave her life to Christ. In her mind, what she had done was so bad that she was having a hard time believing that God would accept her. With that kind of mindset, it is very difficult for one to serve the Lord because you will always feel unworthy and you will disqualify yourself. The truth is a good number of believers struggle with such thoughts and mindsets, it’s only that we have not voiced them. When we see others who are serving God and being used by him in a powerful way, we think they are perfect and special, and we wonder if we will ever be used by God in such a manner.

The word of God reminds us that we who are in Christ are a new creation, the old is gone and the new has come. Our new identity is in Christ Jesus, we are the righteousness of God through Christ. That being the case, we are reminded not to think more highly of ourselves than we should because apart from Christ we can do nothing. All we have, we have been given. This should be a reminder for us to walk in humility and love for each other because we are saved by grace through faith, not by our works but as a gift from God, lest any one of us should boast.

The place of humility and having a teachable spirit are paramount if we are to be effective ministers for Christ. The Apostles were known to be common men, but because they saw themselves through their identity in Christ, they were able to turn their known world upside down.

Ohh, and we must also guard against false humility. This is when we do not submit to God’s will, many times giving excuses and forgetting that it is God who empowers us to accomplish what he has called us to do. The other kind of false humility is where we talk the talk, but we never walk the talk.

We must also be honest enough to admit when we make mistakes because we will, and we must run to God to find forgiveness, for he has promised it to us if we confess our sins.

May we learn to walk in total surrender to God, having a biblical view of who we are in Christ and taking on the mandate that he has given us in faith and obedience.

Reflections

• What three words come to mind when you think about yourself?
• What are some things you have believed about yourself that keep holding you back?
• How can you break free from self-defeating and limiting beliefs?