How do I love myself?

[chihuahua14]

I struggle a lot with self hatred and low self esteem. How do I love myself in a biblical and Christian way not in a prideful and self worship type of way?

I want to be comfortable with myself and end this inner conflict within myself. I am always beating myself up over past mistakes - no matter how long ago they were. I can always find something to beat myself up over or feel bad about myself over.

I want to love myself so I can love others better. Help!

 

[chihuahua14]

Most people on here don't seem so interested in helping me I think I will just leave. Sorry I am so annoying to everyone here. I just thought this was a place where people would want to help other people instead of just constant arguing and fighting on here.

 

[Charlie24]

Most people on here don't seem so interested in helping me I think I will just leave. Sorry I am so annoying to everyone here. I just thought this was a place where people would want to help other people instead of just constant arguing and fighting on here.

I have the same thing going on with guilt of past wrongs. I talked to my pastor and he said that God doesn't remember those wrongs anymore, why should I. He quoted 2 Cor. 5:17

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

He also reminded me of a great Christian who we can read about in Scripture who beat himself up over past wrongs.

He put it this way.

Phil 3:13-14

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Those thoughts still come, but I'm not stuck in a rut, I know what I have to do, press on knowing God no longer remembers my wrongs.

 

[Dave M]

yeap me to what helps me best is remembering God is for us!! he loves us and forgives us. I look at Israel in the OT and see how GOd loved them so much and forgave the time after time for their disobedience. Well now that I have been born again I live for God and remember he is for me not against me..

I still have a little voice that says things to me like "that all your giving , you need to give more" but now I know that is not from God but a voice that is trying to make me feel bad,,, or when I pray,, that little voice will say that's all the time your going to spend praying,,, but again I know that is not God,,,, or if I am reading the Bible the little voice will say your finished already?? My heavenly father is for me, and he know I love him, he is not trying to guilt me into something, ,,,that is the flesh we all have to combat,,,,,,,,, this is a pretty recent development for me to realize this,,,,,,,,

God loves when we do good because we love him,,,,,,,,,,,, the flesh will try to trick you into thinking your not doing enough,,,,,,,,,,listen to the spirit of God with in ,,,and he will lead and guide and rejoice with us as we full hardly serve God by serving others, not because we are feeling guilty.....

 

[Charlie24]

yeap me to what helps me best is remembering God is for us!! he loves us and forgives us. I look at Israel in the OT and see how GOd loved them so much and forgave the time after time for their disobedience. Well now that I have been born again I live for God and remember he is for me not against me..

I still have a little voice that says things to me like "that all your giving , you need to give more" but now I know that is not from God but a voice that is trying to make me feel bad,,, or when I pray,, that little voice will say that's all the time your going to spend praying,,, but again I know that is not God,,,, or if I am reading the Bible the little voice will say your finished already?? My heavenly father is for me, and he know I love him, he is not trying to guilt me into something, ,,,that is the flesh we all have to combat,,,,,,,,, this is a pretty recent development for me to realize this,,,,,,,,

God loves when we do good because we love him,,,,,,,,,,,, the flesh will try to trick you into thinking your not doing enough,,,,,,,,,,listen to the spirit of God with in ,,,and he will lead and guide and rejoice with us as we full hardly serve God by serving others, not because we are feeling guilty.....

I think there's a positive side to guilt in Godly sorrow. it's a sign of repentance, that we belong to God.

We all have to find a way to deal with it, but as you said, God is for us and not against us.

 

[Curtis]

I always remind myself even Jesus said the same thing about himself, “I can of my own self do nothing” ( John 5:30 ) The scriptures also tells us, “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me” ( Phil 4:13 )

 

[chihuahua14]

I have the same thing going on with guilt of past wrongs. I talked to my pastor and he said that God doesn't remember those wrongs anymore, why should I. He quoted 2 Cor. 5:17

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

He also reminded me of a great Christian who we can read about in Scripture who beat himself up over past wrongs.

He put it this way.

Phil 3:13-14

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Those thoughts still come, but I'm not stuck in a rut, I know what I have to do, press on knowing God no longer remembers my wrongs.

Do you think God really forgets our old sins or is it that He just doesn't hold it against us anymore? I read somewhere that this was the case but I'm not really sure. How does God forget something? Not being hateful I am really just asking because I don't know

 

[chihuahua14]

yeap me to what helps me best is remembering God is for us!! he loves us and forgives us. I look at Israel in the OT and see how GOd loved them so much and forgave the time after time for their disobedience. Well now that I have been born again I live for God and remember he is for me not against me..

I still have a little voice that says things to me like "that all your giving , you need to give more" but now I know that is not from God but a voice that is trying to make me feel bad,,, or when I pray,, that little voice will say that's all the time your going to spend praying,,, but again I know that is not God,,,, or if I am reading the Bible the little voice will say your finished already?? My heavenly father is for me, and he know I love him, he is not trying to guilt me into something, ,,,that is the flesh we all have to combat,,,,,,,,, this is a pretty recent development for me to realize this,,,,,,,,

God loves when we do good because we love him,,,,,,,,,,,, the flesh will try to trick you into thinking your not doing enough,,,,,,,,,,listen to the spirit of God with in ,,,and he will lead and guide and rejoice with us as we full hardly serve God by serving others, not because we are feeling guilty.....

Yeah I need to remember that God is for us. It is the devil who is against us and it is probably the devil who is always reminding me of my mistakes and condemning me all the time. I think God convicts not condemns. I think the devil wants us to feel like we are the mistake not that we made a mistake. To God we are someone who made a mistake not that we are the mistake. What do you all think?

 

[chihuahua14]

I think there's a positive side to guilt in Godly sorrow. it's a sign of repentance, that we belong to God.

We all have to find a way to deal with it, but as you said, God is for us and not against us.

I guess we have to be able to tell the difference between conviction and condemnation. I think conviction helps to motivate you to change what you are doing while condemnation just makes you feel bad about yourself and it is hard to gain the knowledge and wisdom from your mistake so that you can change. It is not motivating it is just painful. We have to want to be able to change so we can become more and more like Jesus. That is a big part of what Christianity is all about right? Becoming more like Jesus and following Jesus? I want to learn more about my faith and Christianity

 

[chihuahua14]

I always remind myself even Jesus said the same thing about himself, “I can of my own self do nothing” ( John 5:30 ) The scriptures also tells us, “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me” ( Phil 4:13 )

Can you explain John 5:30 a bit more?

 

[Charlie24]

Do you think God really forgets our old sins or is it that He just doesn't hold it against us anymore? I read somewhere that this was the case but I'm not really sure. How does God forget something? Not being hateful I am really just asking because I don't know

I think the point is that God has taken away our sins as though they never existed.

Psalms 103:12

"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us."

 

[chihuahua14]

I think the point is that God has taken away our sins as though they never existed.

Psalms 103:12

"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us."

Ok thank you for clearing that up for me. What do you think God sees when He looks at us? He does not see our mistakes He just sees us? Or does He see Jesus and what Jesus did for us? Or both?

 

[Charlie24]

Ok thank you for clearing that up for me. What do you think God sees when He looks at us? He does not see our mistakes He just sees us? Or does He see Jesus and what Jesus did for us? Or both?

The way I see it, we are in Christ, righteous, faultless, and pure before the Throne of God.

All of us believers have sin in reality, but God see's us in Christ by Grace through faith.

 

[chihuahua14]

The way I see it, we are in Christ, righteous, faultless, and pure before the Throne of God.

All of us believers have sin in reality, but God see's us in Christ by Grace through faith.

Ok thank you so much for helping me

 

[Curtis]

Can you explain John 5:30 a bit more?

Every where Jesus went he claimed that his words were not his and that it was his father living inside him that did the works that every saw him doing.
Jesus told his followers that without him they could do nothing. The entire Bible is about God working together with those who have faith in him. We do the beleiving God does the working through us his church.

 

[Dave M]

I want to learn more about my faith and Christianity

Praise God love seeing that !! no better way then reading the word of God and praying all the time,,, God really speaks to us through his word, it is how we grow, it is our sword our protection our bread of life, it is one of the most important things I do every day,

Conviction from the Holy spirit because we sin is very clear

guilt felling because I did not do enough of something, or because of past is easier to discern the more I grow in Christ, we should have no guilt feelings I know I still do , but I am starting to see more and more that is from my evil flesh and not from the Loving graceful perfect Holy spirit ,,,,,,is what I truly believe.

 

[Eve2021]

I struggle a lot with self hatred and low self esteem. How do I love myself in a biblical and Christian way not in a prideful and self worship type of way?

I want to be comfortable with myself and end this inner conflict within myself. I am always beating myself up over past mistakes - no matter how long ago they were. I can always find something to beat myself up over or feel bad about myself over.

I want to love myself so I can love others better. Help!

Hi Chihuahua14,
I think it all start how much we spend our time reading Gods word and praying.
You mentioned how you experiance inner conflict, the more you start investing your time believing Gods love and his promise the less you feel and hear those negative thoughts and view of your self.

For a start post bible verse on Gods love and forgiveness where you see it everyday and internalise it everytime you read it. And suround yourself with people that encourage you to be close to God in bible teaching and prayers. The more you do these things the more your self perspective will change to the image that the bible says about you.

1 John 3:1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

Ephisians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God


Blessings

 

[Dave M]

I think it all start how much we spend our time reading Gods word and praying.

Amen Amen and Amen !! truer words have never been spoken !! Gods word pure not devotionals, not listening to sermons those are good to bu nothing like Gods word !!

 

[chihuahua14]

Every where Jesus went he claimed that his words were not his and that it was his father living inside him that did the works that every saw him doing.
Jesus told his followers that without him they could do nothing. The entire Bible is about God working together with those who have faith in him. We do the beleiving God does the working through us his church.

Thank you yeah I am trying to focus on only controlling the things I can and letting God control the things I can't.

 

[chihuahua14]

Praise God love seeing that !! no better way then reading the word of God and praying all the time,,, God really speaks to us through his word, it is how we grow, it is our sword our protection our bread of life, it is one of the most important things I do every day,

Conviction from the Holy spirit because we sin is very clear

guilt felling because I did not do enough of something, or because of past is easier to discern the more I grow in Christ, we should have no guilt feelings I know I still do , but I am starting to see more and more that is from my evil flesh and not from the Loving graceful perfect Holy spirit ,,,,,,is what I truly believe.

Thank you that helps a lot.