Dorothy Mae
Member
There is a tendency in the church to read scriptures indiscriminately and claim some for ourselves that were not written to be a description of ourselves. For example, how often have you heard "we have the mind of Christ and it says so right in the scripture." But when the thinking man looks around, or even the simple man, he finds that christians have all kind of different thinking on matters, even important ones. How can we have the mind of Christ when what is in our minds are so different and sometimes opposite? Is the scripture fiction?
No, I think what is happening is we are taking a description of certain believers then and applying it to ourselves because it makes us feel good about ourselves. Dare I say it, it bolsters the pride. That, were it to be fact, is a hefty claim. That is because if I have the mind of Christ, it means that what I think matches what he thinks. Can you see that this is not something we ought to boast about if it is not true? Can it be true? Of course, but the thoughts in your mind must match what Jesus thinks of the matter. Until that time, it is not wise to claim greatness for yourself that is not actually true. And make no mistake, saying your mind is the same as Christ's IS claiming greatness.
This is similar to a thread discussing healing. "By his stripes we are healed" is a scripture we look at in regards to physical healing. But what if we are still sick after claiming that? Some take refuge in deciding it means "spiritual healing" although I have not found that in scripture. But it is a way to make the scripture still be true when what it meant to the author is not what it describes what the condition of our bodies is. I think there is a better way than forcing the scripture to describe you.
I think it is wiser to realize that not all scripture describes you. We know this when it comes to the uncomplimentary scriptures. They, of course, do not describe us. But do the complimentary ones really describe you? And if they do not, isn't it better to admit this? We have the mind of Christ, for example, when our thoughts match his. When they don't we don't. And I mean in points in time. I believe that in the minds of believers, certainly some of the time their thoughts match his. It is, in those moments, a fact, not fiction. Peter was told that what he had uttered was given to him by God. That is, his words matched the mind of God (Christ,) but just a few minutes later he was told his thoughts matched the Devil. So do you see how this can be true for us some of the time but not all?
But what about those with a sagging self-esteem and need bolstering up? Don't those scriptures make them feel better about themselves? I do not see that they do if they are a lie, frankly speaking. So what is the answer to low self-esteem? First, if it is based on guilt, we need to ask forgiveness of God AND MAN as necessary. Second, we need to rebuke the enemy as there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus and stand on that FACT! Third, instead of us using scripture to help our self view, we need to let God use scripture. That is, ask God to speak to you about what He thinks of you. If the world (people) are pounding on you personally, ask God to show you his view of you. You know their view and its not helpful.
You will find that if God speaks to you through his word about you, there is power there to heal and give you strength to stand the storms of life that beat against your self-worth. Those words will resonate and be like the oil that runs down and soothes every part of you. These words that He say are fact and rock solid fact. No one can take them away. No alternate view of man can diminish what God, Alrighty God who really does know you to the core of your being, says that about you.
I highly recommend this as a way to deal with low self-esteem from the world beating on you. It can cause a stirring of desire for truth in your thinking. He desires truth in the inner most being. It is so much better than applying scripture yourself, which in the core of your being you suspect is fiction in the way you use it. When God says, "I love you" that fact alone is so strong, you will never forget it and it no longer matters what men think of you. You are not great, you are loved.
No, I think what is happening is we are taking a description of certain believers then and applying it to ourselves because it makes us feel good about ourselves. Dare I say it, it bolsters the pride. That, were it to be fact, is a hefty claim. That is because if I have the mind of Christ, it means that what I think matches what he thinks. Can you see that this is not something we ought to boast about if it is not true? Can it be true? Of course, but the thoughts in your mind must match what Jesus thinks of the matter. Until that time, it is not wise to claim greatness for yourself that is not actually true. And make no mistake, saying your mind is the same as Christ's IS claiming greatness.
This is similar to a thread discussing healing. "By his stripes we are healed" is a scripture we look at in regards to physical healing. But what if we are still sick after claiming that? Some take refuge in deciding it means "spiritual healing" although I have not found that in scripture. But it is a way to make the scripture still be true when what it meant to the author is not what it describes what the condition of our bodies is. I think there is a better way than forcing the scripture to describe you.
I think it is wiser to realize that not all scripture describes you. We know this when it comes to the uncomplimentary scriptures. They, of course, do not describe us. But do the complimentary ones really describe you? And if they do not, isn't it better to admit this? We have the mind of Christ, for example, when our thoughts match his. When they don't we don't. And I mean in points in time. I believe that in the minds of believers, certainly some of the time their thoughts match his. It is, in those moments, a fact, not fiction. Peter was told that what he had uttered was given to him by God. That is, his words matched the mind of God (Christ,) but just a few minutes later he was told his thoughts matched the Devil. So do you see how this can be true for us some of the time but not all?
But what about those with a sagging self-esteem and need bolstering up? Don't those scriptures make them feel better about themselves? I do not see that they do if they are a lie, frankly speaking. So what is the answer to low self-esteem? First, if it is based on guilt, we need to ask forgiveness of God AND MAN as necessary. Second, we need to rebuke the enemy as there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus and stand on that FACT! Third, instead of us using scripture to help our self view, we need to let God use scripture. That is, ask God to speak to you about what He thinks of you. If the world (people) are pounding on you personally, ask God to show you his view of you. You know their view and its not helpful.
You will find that if God speaks to you through his word about you, there is power there to heal and give you strength to stand the storms of life that beat against your self-worth. Those words will resonate and be like the oil that runs down and soothes every part of you. These words that He say are fact and rock solid fact. No one can take them away. No alternate view of man can diminish what God, Alrighty God who really does know you to the core of your being, says that about you.
I highly recommend this as a way to deal with low self-esteem from the world beating on you. It can cause a stirring of desire for truth in your thinking. He desires truth in the inner most being. It is so much better than applying scripture yourself, which in the core of your being you suspect is fiction in the way you use it. When God says, "I love you" that fact alone is so strong, you will never forget it and it no longer matters what men think of you. You are not great, you are loved.