Seeing Yourself As God Does
Numbers 13:1-2, 30-33NKJV
A man in the prairie observed an eagle fatally wounded by gunshot. He writes: “With his eyes gleaming…he slowly turned his head, giving one last…longing look towards the sky. He’d often swept those starry spaces with his wonderful wings…the sky was the home of his heart. There he’d displayed his strength a thousand times…played with the lightning and raced the wind. Now far from home, the eagle lay dying, because- just once- he forgot and flew too low… My soul is that eagle. This isn’t its home. It must never lose its skyward look.”
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.”
Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
Israel had repeatedly witnessed God’s power; why were they intimidated? It’s a perception problem called low self-esteem, and it’s how the enemy prevents you from winning. The Israelites quickly forgot their Red Sea deliverance but instead remembered Egypt where they’d lived as salves.
Be careful, hard times can make you think you don’t deserve to be blessed!
Key #1, Remember, anytime you have something of value, the enemy will attack you. You’re blessed because God proclaims it.
Listen to 2 Samuel 5:17NLT When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king of Israel, they mobilized all their forces (full force) to capture him. But David was told they were coming, so he went into the stronghold.
Key #2, Until you claim your rightful place in Christ, satan will tell you that you deserve to be mistreated. (You did this and that.)
A man who was feeling depressed went to see a psychiatrist. After sharing his problems he expected some profound words of wisdom that would make him feel better. Well, the psychiatrist exclaimed, “Ive diagnosed your problem. It’s low self-esteem- and it’s very common among losers!”
2 Corinthians 3:18NIV And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Key #3, If you view yourself negatively you tend to gravitate toward people who talk down to you. Wow!
Jeremiah 29:11NLT For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Key #4, When you receive scriptures like this, your entire outlook should change. Remember this, with God you can’t lose.
Think about this, “Right this very moment, you are being transformed into His likeness.” P.H.
Ever gone to a garage sale or an antique show looking for a bargain? To the untrained eye most of the stuff looks like junk, but the experienced eye can see the treasure in disguise.
Key #5, The devil always tries to devalue your worth.
Again, Numbers 13:1-2TM God spoke to Moses: “Send men to scout out the country of Canaan that I am giving to the People of Israel. Send one man from each ancestral tribe, each one a tried-and-true leader in the tribe.”
Key #6, The devil tries to devalue anything that bring spiritual significance.
Verse 2 again, God said to get, Tried-and-true leaders…
Satan refuses to see maturity, he just sees another chance to bring deception.
Again listen to verse 30TM, Caleb interrupted, called for silence before Moses and said, “Let’s go up and take the land—now. We can do it.”
Key #7, Allow silence to be your friend. (Meditate, ponder, think back or remember). God’s love, faith and grace can become louder than the devil’s lies!
Philippians 4:8-9TM Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
Numbers 13:31-33TM But the others said, “We can’t attack those people; they’re way stronger than we are.” They spread scary rumors among the People of Israel. They said, “We scouted out the land from one end to the other—it’s a land that swallows people whole. Everybody we saw was huge. Why, we even saw the Nephilim giants (the Anak giants come from the Nephilim). Alongside them we felt like grasshoppers. And they looked down on us as if we were grasshoppers.”
What became these 10 Israelite leaders problem? Their mind and mouth was louder than God’s promise to give them victory!
These destructive thought patterns were identified by psychologist Albert Ellis (1973).
1. “I must be loved or approved by virtually every other person in my life.” (Stop giving people the power to determine your self-worth.)
2. “My past history is an all-important determiner of my present behavior; because something once strongly affected my life, it should definitely continue to do so.”
3. “I should be thoroughly competent, adequate, and achieving in all possible respects in order to consider myself worthwhile.”
How does God see you?
What kind of report does He have concerning you?
Do you take note of people that are better than you are?
Benediction.
