Key themes:
• The pathway markers of humility and confidence• The extremes of hopelessness/defeatedness vs. Arrogance
• What the source of our personal esteem is
The two key factors or lane markers I see which help us to Walk in The Way are humility and confidence. I see humility marked by the scripture that says, "We can do nothing apart from Christ" and I see confidence marked by the scripture that says "I can do all things through Him (Christ) who strengthen's me." But it is not one or the other rather it is a blend of both. I realize in my humility before God and men that it is only through His working in me that I am able to do anything, which then leads do a sense of confidence that realizes that with Him there is no limit to what we can accomplish. Maybe we might call this right esteem.
There has been a lot of talk in past years about children who have low self-esteem. This topic has worked itself into the church as well. I really think that it is a bit heretical. In the OT when men were building the tower in Babylon, God said that we can accomplish anything, so He then confused the speech of humanity to keep us from thinking too highly of ourselves. There is an inherent problem in thinking that we are good in and of ourselves; this is the basis of Humanism. Pretty soon we begin to think that we can accomplish anything and that we don't need to listen to someone else. I have read a few articles where people are recognizing that some children/people's esteem in themselves is so high that they think themselves better than others or more deserving than others. This leads to problems like sociopaths who view other people as mere objects to be used for their benefit.
Now I admit that there are also people out there whose esteem of self is so low that they they can only see themselves as failures. They see their future as nothing more than a long series of potential blunders. I do not think this as humility but something else entirely.
When we are walking in the Way of God our self-perception is almost a contradiction or paradox. In part we see that we are powerless apart from God, but then we see that in Him or by Him, we can do anything He sets before us to do. I believe that our true esteem is found in that we are created beings, who are redeemed to live a life worthy of God according to his work in us. Our esteem is not found in our perception of ourselves (good or bad) and our esteem is not to be found in the eyes of others (whether that be positive or negative). Our true esteem should only be found in the eyes of our Redeemer/Creator as tempered by his Grace and Mercy.
Our Redeemer knows everything there is to know about us. He knows our thoughts, our intentions and our motivations, and yet He still chooses to love us. Some people think that they must earn their ways in to his heart, others think that it doesn't matter what we do; both are wrong. We are reminded by scripture that we cannot earn our salvation through works, but rather it is a free gift from God. Yet on the other hand we know that there are behaviors that are hated by God (God hates sin if not sinners). Even if our salvation is a free gift, once we have it we are called to walk it out or work it out with fear and trembling.
So when I consider people who are walking in hopelessness or defeat (I also refer to this as brokenness), I get images of them saying how bad they are and how irredeemable they are. It's as if they are saying that their actions or their perception of self are beyond God's ability to forgive or redeem. I am convinced that this is a form of idolatry. I believe it is rooted in a lie from the evil one. These people have come to believe a lie that says their sin is too great or their hurt is too terrible for God to forgive or heal. This is typical of most lies from the devil. He twists or perverts God's word to serve his desires. Nothing pleases him more than being able to convince us that we are beyond the reach of God's love and mercy. But when we believe that our sin is so great that God cannot forgive us, we make our sin greater than God and that is idolatry.
The flip side of this also a form of idolatry, but here the person has become convinced that they in and of themselves are sufficient to every problem they face. They are convinced that they do not need God or anyone else. I think this is similar to the lie that the serpent used in the Garden of Eden. He convinced Adam and Eve that they could be like God if they just followed his advice. Arrogant people are just as deceived as those thinking they can do nothing good at all.
Now in our culture we tend to see defeated people as being victims and we tend to see some arrogant people as successful and confident people. I think it is really important that if we are to walk in the Way of God, then we must forsake these cultural ideals and instead embraced the ideals/values of The Kingdom of God. We are sinners redeemed from our former ways by the grace of God in the Person of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice upon the cross. We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit and now belong to God. As God's children, our thoughts, intentions and actions should be shaped by this redeemed relationship.
Final thoughts
I would like to remind you that my writings on walking in the way, are not a "how to be more godly" plan. But rather indicators that we should use to examine ourselves. Neither of these articles are meant to condemn anyone. If you find that you are off the path, it is just a reminder of where you need to be. When we find that our ways do not align with the Path/Way of God, then we must confess our wrong attitudes, repent of, change our ways and return to God, seeking his help and his wisdom so that we might live as children of God. It is an ongoing process, that refines us much as gold and silver are refined by fire.
I pray then that you will learn to experience the freedom and joy of walking in God's ways. Jesus himself has gone before us to show us how to live for God. Jesus sent his Holy Spirit to remind us and help us that we might live as the children of God. I pray that you will learn to fully cooperate with the work that God has begun in you, that you may see it completed and experience the fullness of a life in and with Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.
