Dearest Saints,
I always like to find out the root of a real problem from allowing the enemy to have gained an initial foothold that has allowed ourselves to be a prisoner of serving "self" that leads to worldly sorrow. I always believe the enemy of our soul does not have any legal entry in to the lives of Christians unless we allow him or give him access. Jesus Himself said that the devil had nothing in Him because He did not allow the devil to have any access in to His life (John 8:49). One of the most devastating and destructive bondages I have dealt with in my life is being "self-ish". So I have to wonder, why is it that I had a problem being selfish and some others whom I had known weren't bothered by it? I always like to find the causes of different reasons why a person becomes selfish and self centered. This doesn't mean that we are not to look after ourselves, but it becomes a problem when we are so fixated on our selves that very little care is ever being considered towards others. The Bible speaks often about having a healthy balance where neither extremes are good. When we do Gods will, it is always for our own benefit. While selfishness is obviously not Gods will for us, we aren't expected to just look after others while we don't ever take a minute for look after ourselves, which is not healthy either. The Bible tells us in two verses in Proverbs:
1. Proverbs 20:10
Differing weights and differing measures--both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.
2. Proverbs 20:23
Differing weights are an abomination unto the LORD, and a false balance is not good.
So when we are talking about being selfish, it is taking it to a level that is completely out of balance when we do need to take care of ourselves at the same time. There may be more than the examples I would like to share, but here is a start. When we see the result of someone being selfish, I believe here are some examples:
a. Someone being hurt so many times in the past by others or badly hurt with deep emotional wounds that results of you not trusting anyone else and the fact that this person doesn't even trust God, which is a great barrier when we fail to put our trust in the One whom we should, which is Christ Jesus.
b. When you fixate your mind on something someone else has and it gets to the point that you want it so bad, you lust after it. This is that covetous spirit that causes a person to think that if they don't have this material possession or other satisfying goal such as travelling the world, or any other ambition that they won't be happy. Especially when we see others doing them or having them and you don't. This comes when we compare ourselves to the others who may have more than us rather than seeing ourselves that are most likely much better off than 90% of the world. When this occurs, a person becomes competitive which leads to a person becoming envious and jealous, which the Bible often warns of its severe consequences, and we forget how blessed we really are.
c. When you don't feel that you measure up to other peoples standards, qualifications or expectations which I believe is also a condition that may cause a person to be consumed with "self", or you don't value yourself as God values you.
d. It may be by being a people pleaser that you value your reputation rather than being a pleaser of God that develops Godly character.
I heard it once said that the difference between when a person values their reputation is when they care about what others think of them. On the other hand, a person who learns to develop Godly character cares about what God knows about them, despite what others may think of them. Valuing our own reputation is another sign that eventually develops worldly sorrow when we are always concerned about valuing ourselves to what people say or think of us. When we can identify some of the root causes, we need to see how to stop feeding our flesh in these areas of our lives that would promote ourselves developing worldly sorrow and see what we need to do to change that as we seek Gods Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us and purposefully allow ourselves to have a teachable spirit within us.
These segments that I write are not simply just any subject that I pull out of a hat and try to study them in order to share, but it is part of my life experience in each case which I have learned from. I now realize more than ever is important to share with one another what we have learned and to pass vital information to others who may desperately need to hear from our experiences. The reason why I think I may have learned much about different issues is not because I have any educational intellect, but because I tend to be one of those people who have to learn the hard way rather than just initially listening to advice and wisdom from others instead. When we can share a real life testimony, this is a powerful tool that shuts the mouth of the accuser (the devil) in Rev 12:11. When we see how we have handled situations that lead us down the wrong path, we can now look at what we can do with Gods help to promote changes in our life that will lead us down the path that leads to life. So when we have our moments of grieve, with Gods help, we can make progress to promote Godly sorrow that really does in fact heal us and brings forth life. Next, we will look at ways of how we can make positive progress from what we have identified some of the root causes.
Richard
Associate Director – Answers2Prayer
http://sites.google.com/site/greatestbuilderforourlife
http://www.answers2prayer.org/
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