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Excerpt From:

Understanding The Role Of Suffering And Rising Above The Pain

GOD-ESTEEM:

YOUR ATTITUDE ABOUT GOD

God-esteem is a concept the Lord gave me one day. I began to notice the things that people say about God, the confessions that people make with their mouths, and began to realize that our thinking about God affects our relationship with him. It is hard to have a good relationship with someone who does not think much of you. God-esteem also directly affects our ability to rise above the pain of trials and tribulations. The enemy of our souls wants us to think that God doesn’t love us because He allowed pain and suffering to touch our lives. If we buy into the lies of the devil, we will think some destructive things about God, and will have low God-esteem.

 If you think God hates you, or is against you, how can you fathom His awesome love and grace?

If you think God is not thinking about you, or He is punishing you, how can you respond positively to him? 

Let’s further define what we mean by this concept of God-Esteem. Let’s start by looking at the word esteem:  

Main Entry: ²esteem
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English estemen to estimate, from Middle French estimer, from Latin aestimare
1 archaic : APPRAISE
2 a : to view as : CONSIDER <esteem it a privilege> b : THINK, BELIEVE
3 : to set a high value on : regard highly and prize accordingly
synonym see REGARD[1]  

Notice that synonyms of this word are THINK and BELIEVE. We know without faith it is impossible to please God, and so this is key to our relationship with Him. If you don’t think very much of someone, it comes across in your actions and your words. If you don’t respect them or regard them highly, it is noticeable.  

You may think to yourself, “Of course I esteem God!” it may be difficult to ask yourself the question or to truly consider if your God-esteem is where it should be. Remember, however, we are human, and we don’t always understand what God is doing. The Bible says we see through a glass darkly…..we know in part and we prophesy in part[2]. As long as we are in the flesh, we will not have 100% wisdom, knowledge, or understanding of all things. This is why we cannot please God without faith. You cannot have faith in someone you do not esteem.  

Consider this carefully: how you think about God is going to determine your quality of life. He wants only the best for us, and He stands ready to meet every need. God is on our side! He loves us tremendously! Our attitude toward Him must reflect his love. You know the old song: ‘Oh how I love Jesus, because He first loved me!’[3]  How is your God-esteem? Are you hurting? Has the enemy tried to make you think God is against you? He is the father of liars. God loved you first! Be honest with yourself. Think about your level of God-esteem and what you think about God and His role in your life. If there are negative attitudes the enemy has put in your mind, confess them, and reject them!

How does God Esteem effect our daily lives? I believe your level of God Esteem dictates how much victory you experience in life. Let's discuss this important concept in the Fellowship Forum.