The Lord gives perfect peace to all who trust in him, all whose thoughts are fixed on him! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. Isaiah 26:3-4

Because all of us live in time and space—we live in relationships and responsibilities—our day-to-day circumstances can have a significant effect on how we feel about ourselves. That means it’s natural for our circumstances to influence how we feel, how we behave. How other people treat us—or not—influences who we feel we are in our lives. A lot of the time, these influences aren’t telling us the truth. Daily affirmations will help us remember the Truth.

Unless we are tied in to Jesus’ affirming love, we can come dangerously close to allowing our circumstances to dictate our worth…  people’s disrespect or disregard will determine our self-respect and confidence… the events in our lives will overshadow His affirming Words in the Bible and in our lives. These temporal circumstances will short-circuit our trust in God’s promises if we don’t stay fixed on Him.

Instead of recognizing that our circumstances and the sins and negligence of others are unfortunate realities of living in a fallen world, we can internalize all that’s coming at us and question our own value and intrinsic worth. It’s human nature to question our worth based on the opinion of someone else, or the trials and disappointments we face. It’s easy to do.

It’s easy to let random circumstances, the sentiments/attitudes of others (even complete strangers) tell us WHO we are, especially the behaviors/responses of others. We end up believing things about ourselves that simply aren’t true. This leads to self-doubt, condemnation, and accusations. Yes, it gives the enemy an open door to harass us. His agenda for our lives is filled with depression, hopelessness and fear—a far cry from the abundant life Jesus came to give us.

Self-confidence and self-respect aren’t about “self” at all—not in the fleshly, sinful way we describe someone who is boastful and arrogant. It’s about living out our position in Jesus and fulfilling our God-given purpose. And while we need to walk in humility and awareness of our dependence on Him, we also need to walk confidently, knowing who we are in Him. We need to be clothed in truth about our personal value to Jesus, and adorned with God-confidence because without it, we’ll never be able to live in His peace, His joy, His patience —and ultimately His love.

Thinking rightfully about ourselves is incredibly important to our health, purpose, and stability. Seeing ourselves through Jesus’ eyes is key to being effective in His kingdom. Here’s God’s truth on who you and I are:

1.      I am precious to God and He will take care of me (Matthew 6:25-44)
2.      I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13)
3.      I am equipped for every good deed and lavished with every grace. (2 Corinthians 9:8)
4.      I do not have to walk in darkness or dark thought patterns (Psalm 27:1)
5.      I am cared for by God in time of need (Psalm 46:1)
6.      I am safe because the Lord is my rock and refuge (Psalm 18:1-2)
7.      I do not need to be anxious or afraid (Isaiah 41:10)