[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.10.7″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.10.7″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Title” _builder_version=”4.10.7″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
written\u00a0<\/span>by Haley King,<\/strong> Children & Family Ministries Coordinator (October 2<\/span>, 2022)<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/coatsbaptist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Positive-Motivation-Love-Yourself-Instagram-Post-Presentation-169-pdf.jpg” title_text=”Positive Motivation Love Yourself Instagram Post (Presentation (169))” admin_label=”Image” _builder_version=”4.10.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text content_last_edited=”off|phone” admin_label=”Body” _builder_version=”4.10.7″ text_font=”gotham-book||||||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The world is continually telling you to love yourself and accept who you are. It promises that loving yourself will heal you, it will give you peace, or just maybe you\u2019ll find that self-confidence you\u2019ve been striving for. As we watch the world’s narrative play out before us, it is obvious that something is still missing. <\/span>Does embracing who you are actually fix the insecurities? <\/span>Has the new found \u2018self love\u2019 motto provided any type of relief for the mental health society?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n T<\/span>o be blunt \u2014 you don\u2019t have what it takes to heal yourself from the rejection, addiction, or depression. Your insistence on \u2018being yourself\u2019 by choosing things that feel good in the moment will only lead you to more pain until it becomes something you can not carry on your own. We see this as mental health and suicide continue to skyrocket. Self love is unreliable, conditional, and limited. We live in the most prosperous country with the most prosperous technology but we still can\u2019t find fulfillment. That\u2019s because we are looking for it in the wrong place, the god of self. If self is the source of our insecurities, depressions, and anxieties it can\u2019t possibly be the source of our fulfillment.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWho are we?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhy are we here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n These seem to be the questions the world is continually asking. The answer the world gives is \u201cYOU\u201d. It’s up to you to define who you are. It\u2019s up to you to determine your value and your truth. You are enough and don\u2019t let anyone tell you different. I’ve watched as some of my closest friends have believed the lie \u2018you are enough\u2019 all on your own. I watched as they lost their self with every step towards self confidence.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The standards of the world are constantly evolving and changing. It\u2019s impossible to be content in a world that continues to change its standards. Once you feel like you have reached a place of satisfaction, it’s no longer relevant and you’re off chasing the new definition of perfection. We don’t have to live in the emptiness and discontentment of the worlds standards.<\/span><\/p>\n So what is the solution? Where’s the hope? We obviously don’t have what it takes to love ourselves to wholeness. Jesus answers the questions above differently. Jesus answers \u201cMe.\u201d\u00a0 He defines who you are. He says you are valued because you are His. He holds Truth that actually stands the test of time.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Jesus Christ is\u00a0the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) We<\/span> serve a God whose reign never ends, and whose faithfulness never fails. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 tells us \u201cBut the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.\u201d<\/span> We have the privilege as children of God to cast all our cares and anxieties on Him\u2026. Because He cares! (1 Peter 5:7) No greater comfort than knowing that what you stand on is eternal.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n You alone will never be enough for you. Your desires will never be enough for you. The worlds promises of self affirmation and self empowerment will never be enough for you, but Jesus is.<\/span> Don\u2019t fall into the lie of \u201cyour truth\u201d or the importance of \u201cbeing yourself.” When we do that, we justify choices that not only hurt ourself but others. We convince ourselves that as long as our choices fall into line with \u201cwho we are\u201d then it\u2019s a good choice. We see this idea all across the mainstream media. The world says science and biology have nothing to do with how we identify, or when life begins. When the god of self rules none of those things matter, all that does matter is what we want.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n So that leaves us with the conclusion that morality within the god of self affirmation is not based on what is right, wrong, or true, but how we feel. This is why self love is so much more appealing than religion or a relationship with your Creator. It encourages people to do what feels good or right and removes restrictions and responsibility we have to others. It values self love over sacrifice, self care over service, and self interest over selflessness.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Christ has given us a standard of right and wrong through Scripture. Which means we aren\u2019t ruled by the current trends of this world or by how we feel about ourselves. God\u2019s moral standards will lead to peace. The worlds moral standards will lead you to confusion and pain. We must be submissive to God\u2019s standards to produce any kind of good. Otherwise, you might find yourself using trendy sounding excuses to justify your sin.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n When we follow Christ, we are never at risk of \u2018loosing ourselves\u2019 because our identity is found in Christ and Him alone. God asks us to surrender control over our lives and our feelings and direct our worship towards Him instead of ourselves. This is good news. Matthew 11:28-30 says \u201cCome to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n What a relief that we don’t have to waste our energy trying to serve or save ourselves. We have a God that has already done that for us and now we can be complete in Him. I encourage you, find yourself in Christ not in the lie of self love and affirmation the world is trying to offer you. Pray for Christ to replace your self-centered thoughts with new Christ centered ones. Hold to biblical truth, that is unchanging and infallible because Jesus is enough.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The god of Self written\u00a0by Haley King, Children & Family Ministries Coordinator (October 2, 2022)The world is continually telling you to love yourself and accept who you are. It promises that loving yourself will heal you, it will give you peace, or just maybe you\u2019ll find that self-confidence you\u2019ve been striving for. As we watch […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":6303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatsbaptist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6300"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatsbaptist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatsbaptist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatsbaptist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatsbaptist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6300"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/coatsbaptist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6317,"href":"https:\/\/coatsbaptist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6300\/revisions\/6317"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatsbaptist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatsbaptist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatsbaptist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatsbaptist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}