Pride, Low Self-Esteem and Hearing God Part 4/4

Pride, Low Self-Esteem and Hearing God: Part Four of Four 

Practical Tips for Cultivating Self Esteem

• We must begin to see our pride and low self-esteem as sin.  We cannot rescue ourselves from our sin; we must find redemption through Jesus.
• Ask the Lord to help you honestly evaluate yourself – your strengths, weaknesses, etc.
• Our method of uprooting pride and low self-esteem must include a sincere desire to deal with it through confession and repentance.
• We need to ask God for humility and surrender our lives to Jesus so He can take His rightful place in our hearts and lives.
• Meeting with Jesus daily and growing in Him through obedience and submission is a powerful weapon against pride and low self-esteem.
• Thanksgiving is also a great tool, so is apologizing when you have made a mistake as well as forgiving others.
• Practice listening to others, avoiding the spotlight. 
• Invite God into your everyday life by seeking His guidance and perspective through reading the Word, praying with others, listening in prayer, etc.
• Go to an encounter (even a re-encounter) and/or book a personal ministry session.
• Make it your goal to please the Lord and not others.
• Allow yourself to be pulled away from cultural norms.
• Throw out the self-help books and go to the “One” who can truly help you.

 

How does pride and low self-esteem relate to Hearing God?

God speaks to both the proud and the humble but the proud person often cannot hear properly or accept what God says properly.  The opposite of pride/low self-esteem is humility. Humility is a key characteristic in hearing God better.  Pride (incl. low self-esteem) keeps us from hearing God properly because both are rooted in self-glorification. The more we humble ourselves the more clearly we can hear His voice and glorify Him with our lives.  

1 Peter 5:5b (NIV) All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble."

James 4:6 (KJV) God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV) If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Isaiah 66:2 (ESV) …this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.