You can and must think well of yourself. Not more than you ought. I'm knowledgeable about pride etc. But I'm more familiar with being beat down. My father was harsh and very critical of me as I was the firstborn. First born are Guinea pigs and often catch the worst of it. Especially in a pagan home. I had cousins in a horrible home. My uncle was a scoundrel and as a consequence my female sharp tongued cousins saw and heard many things no one should experience.
I was younger than them and they took their venom out on me. I was a little fellow and children believe what you tell them. I was told I was stupid, ugly and so forth day after day. It crippled me all of my young life. Until I was 33 when Jesus saved me I still believed it.
An unknown visiting prophet called me out in a church service and said God was delivering me from a spirit of inferiority. They were right on! I never considered myself as good as others. As smart, as able. Going to college was out. A stupid person like me needn't even try. But God had given me a gift of reading and I escaped into books, so began to teach myself many things.I'd read for 12-14-16 hours a day on weekends until blinding headaches stopped me. I'd lie in a dark room with a wet rag on my head until I was better.
It took a long time - years to begin to accept that I wasn't backward, wasn't stupid, wasn't the little #$++*%!! That I was called when I was three. Self esteem, balanced, is very important.
Not thinking more of yourself than you should is important, but knowing you are not less is at least so. As a consequence when our miracle babies came, as they grew we never let them call each other names. Never. Refused to let one put down another. Never. No beat down spirits allowed here.
Whatever you tell a child they believe. You must build them up. There are multitudes ofwounded adults that have been beaten down by family, by circumstances, by being poor. By the world the flesh and the devil.
I have one memory that even now pains me some. I was about 13 or 14 and in Jr. High. There was a dance at school and I would have loved to go but knew I couldn't. I walked to school that night and looked into the windows at the other kids having a good time. It was painful. I walked back home in the dark. I was or became a loner because of being beat down. Low or no self esteem is a painful unwell burden.
But God gradually helped me after the prophecy. I formed a small corporation and went into business for myself employing 7 or eight draftsmen, designers and engineers. Even though I didn't have an engineering degree God helped me succeed. This is bragging here but on Jesus! How great the riches of His creativity He's bestowed upon us who believe.
Amos 9:11 KJVS
In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:
We designed literally millions of dollars worth of equipment and systems for the forest products industry. God took a castaway and rebirthed him into a retrieved, rescued and healed disciple.
This is a large saw I designed for the company I contracted with. The saw is 7ft.in diameter. The log slashing saw unit weighs 14,000 lbs and moves via computerized controls at 5 feet per second. Jesus showed me how. They sell these all over the USA.
Thank you Jesus. Not bad for a person who once thought they were dumb, too stupid to perform common tasks. God erased all of those words and set me upon a rock. The power of God to heal goes far beyond diseases and reaches into the very past, into the depths of crippled and wounded hearts. Thanks to God is not nearly enough friends, not nearly. What are your needs?
Psalm 147:2-3 KJVS
The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. [3] He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
Yes, we must not think more of ourselves than we ought. We must not have a pride filled look about us. We also must not look down at the ground because we feel less than those around us. But we can look a man or woman in the eye, offer them a firm handshake and speak the truth in love. Giving neither false praise nor condescending criticism to hearts already suffering the pangs of firey darts.
Praises be to the Great Creator God Almighty who has designed His eternal redemption through the sacrifice of Jesus the Christ whom we worship with all of our heart and strength and soul and mind. Amen
