YOU, YOUR SELF-ESTEEM AND SUCCESS 1

Self-esteem, which is also known as self-worth, sense of worth, self-image, self-respect, self-regard, sense of worth, self-assurance, self-pride, e .t .c., is defined as confidence in your own merit as an individual person. Your self –esteem has so much to contribute towards your success in life, and the achievement of your God given assignments, as well as your personal goals. When your self esteem is normal or good, you are primed for success, it is only a matter of time, if you work hard, and have God on your side.
Your self esteem can be abnormal in two ways, as follows: (a) Very high or high- this person has an over -bloated ego. He thinks of himself or she thinks of herself more highly than she ought to think. Notice that this is contrary to the word of God as it is written in the book of Romans chapter 12 verse 3,” For I say through the grace that is given unto me, to every man that is among you, not think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.”It therefore becomes clear why we should not allow ourselves to be overtaken by pride because as it is often said, ‘pride goes before a fall.’ Every good student of the manual of life knows that this was what led to the devil’s (Satan’s) downfall, and Saul losing his throne, and has led to the downfall of so many. I am also aware, that an over bloated ego may not just be because somebody wants to be proud , but because of a mental illness known as bipolar disorder or manic-depressive psychosis. It could also follow a temporary elation due to influence of hard drugs such as marijuana, this however clears as the effect of the poisonous substance wears away.
On the other side is (b), a very low or a low self-esteem. This person feels low and in fact lower than he or she is in actual life. This is the main problem that we want to discuss in this article, as well as the solution, because this has dealt with so many Christians, and destroyed their purpose in life. It is a mighty weapon in the hands of our already defeated enemy, and he wields it at us all the time. We must learn to handle it right and get God’s people the healing and the restoration they need.
Firstly, let’s look at the causes of a low esteem-there are many possible causes of low self esteem, and I am going to state the few that come to my mind now. Although I am not as psychologist, or an anthropologist, life’s experiences, the Holy Spirit as well as study, have shown me many things about what I am talking about here. Some causes of low self esteem are not known, whereas many are known, and amongst the known causes are: marital conflicts for those that are married, financial difficulty, some personal failure. Also note that many people with these problems do not necessarily have a low self esteem, so it all depends. Biological and psychological vulnerabilities, contribute to depression and a low self esteem. Feelings of ugliness, ageing, open humiliation, job loss, deformities and congenital anomalies, certain illnesses, especially incurable or life threatening.
The aspect of these people that concerns me a lot is the part that has to do with the message of condemnation spoken constantly, by some ministers of the gospel to their members, which makes them feel worthless and unqualified for anything that is good. Together with these are the abusive words spoken by some people to their relatives, e.g. parents to their children calling them fools, idiots, animals, e. t. c., as a way of training or correcting them. Other relatives, such as aunts and uncles, cousins, at times are the worst culprits in this unwarranted destruction of the hidden power of men and women that God has designed to propel them to destiny.