Secure Your Self-Esteem Series

Secure Your Self-Esteem

The Habits of Happiness Part 4

Ephesians 5:1-7

We all want to be happy.

I bet there is no single person who intentionally chooses to be unhappy.

However, so many people in this word are not happy for one reason or another.

In order to be happy, this is what we have to realize.

Happiness is our choice.

Happiness is something that we choose.

In order to be happy, we must do things that will bring happiness.

Therefore, during this series, we are talking about habits that we must build to experience happiness in our lives.

And today we will talk about the importance of building our self-esteem.

Most of us have fallen for the temptation to use external symbols of significance to prove we matter.

For some, it is designer clothes.

For others, it is expensive jewelry.

For still others, it is fancy shoes or fast cars.

We see magazines that show models who are well dressed and look confident.

There are ads describing which watch, which tie, which shoes, which car will make us feel like that person.

And the advertisers say, “Just buy these symbols of success, and you can also feel important.”

They say, “Buy these symbols of significance, and you will finally solve your self-esteem issue.”

It is a plausible theory.

However, problem is this: It does not work!

All the symbols of significance offer some boost.

However, they do not last.

They are not permanent.

In fact, they usually put us on the treadmill of having to keep acquiring all the newest and latest symbol of significance.

This is why some people always have to upgrade to the newest stuff.

However, this turns into very expensive, time consuming, unsatisfying road to nowhere.

Today I want to talk about real substance, not symbols.

I want to talk about permanent cures, not short-term fixes.

I want to talk directly about how we can secure our self-esteem.

As with most real cures, the process of securing healthy self-esteem is not magical, instantaneous, or effortless.

But it is effective.

This one is guaranteed by God Himself.

The Apostle Paul tells us to follow these things if we want to secure healthy self-esteem.

I. We must believe the right thing (vv. 1-2).

Almost all of us grew up believing in Santa Claus.

However, at a certain age, we realized that they were not real.

Therefore, we adjusted our beliefs regarding Santa Claus.

Similarly, our self-esteem is largely based on how we were treated in the past.

During those early formative years, if we were loved, trusted, and accepted, we conclude that we are loveable, trustworthy, acceptable, and valuable.

And we developed a healthy self-esteem.

However, if we experienced disinterest, anger, rejection, embarrassment, and conditional love, we concluded that we are unlovable, unacceptable, unimportant, unable or incompetent.

And some of us continue believing in those early beliefs even though they are not true.

We kept on believing them.

The most important step in building our self-esteem is to subject our belief about our value to the evidence revealed in the Bible.

Then we must make a decision based on the evidence in the Bible.

We must cling to the truth and not believe the myths.

The Bible says that we matter so much to God.

One of the example is in Ephesians 5.

Verses 1-2 say this.

1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

In verse 1, the Apostle Paul told us that we are dearly loved children of God.

In verse 2, he said that Jesus loved us so much that He gave Himself up for us to save us.

It tells us that every single person matters enough to God that He sent Jesus to die for our sins.

Jesus values us so much.

Therefore, we too must believe that we are valuable.

We have a choice to make.

What will we choose to believe about how much we value?

Will we choose to believe distorted, inaccurate things that others say or will we choose to believe what God says?

It is our choice.

This world judges us based on the degrees that we acquired, job that we have, money that we make, the house that we live in, the clothes that we wear, and the car that we drive.

But we must not believe what they say about us based on these.

We chose to give up believing in Santa Claus.

What about our worth?

Isn’t the biblical evidence absolutely overwhelming?

We must give up the myth that says that we do not matter, and begin to believe what the Bible says.

That is the foundational first step.