Surfing Life’s Ups and Down: Self-Esteem and Spiritual Development

The emotions and experiences we encounter in life test our wits and character in what the apostle James described as fiery trials (James 1:3-4). While time and circumstance happen to all, there are times when the waves of unfortunate events and challenges overwhelm and weary us (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Storm surges of circumstance dash our self-esteem against life’s rocks and hard places, demanding that we rely on the Truth to revive us.

Our Messiah has offered bold and lofty promises to inspire and encourage us to be, do, and have all that He intended. While it seems that these evade us in difficulty, Jesus didn’t intend to dilute power for us to live in lowliness, watering down faith to match our circumstances.

The Upward Call

Christ has been calling people upward for ages. He will continue until He returns to bring His Church home. As our resurrected Savior, Jesus defied death and its threats. He took its authority and access to cut off life from those who would place faith in Him. Although the adversary works overtime to persuade us of our unworthiness, God has settled the question of our value once and for all in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:57).

As Champion and Redeemer, He has conquered every foe. Jesus is not intimidated by the disheveled landscape of our lives. Nor does He want us to cower in fear from what appears impossible or insurmountable. Instead, Christ admonishes us to embrace the power, anointing, and authority of His Holy Spirit to shift our perspective and our position to align with His.

We are accepted in Him, seated in Heavenly places (Ephesians 1:6,10; Colossians 3:1-4). The Word of God encourages our self-esteem, drawing us to look up, lift up our heads and hands, bind up our broken hearts, and come up into His Presence (Psalm 121:1-2, 24:9; Hebrews 12:12; Isaiah 61:1; Revelation 4:1).

Downward Descent

It is common for humanity to stumble across our vulnerability amid trial and temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). Here, the enemy often speaks lies; and too often, we entertain them. Such suggestions masquerade under the cover of what threatens to weaken and capsize our faith by accusing our Father of withholding good or being insensitive to our needs and concerns. Those evil whispers root negative thoughts and flourish in limiting beliefs regarding our own identity in who the Father has called and created us to be.

The devil’s devices oppose the health of our minds and our emotions and strive to keep us down. Whether that is in our mental and emotional well-being, spiritual wellness, or physical health, the enemy seeks to displace our focus from looking up to Jesus, who authors and develops our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2). He uses what’s in this world, (things like fear, pride, and lust) to distract, derail, and depress. As the accuser, he imprisons our self-esteem in shame so we won’t consider ourselves worthy of God’s love or the identity and authority that the Father gives through Christ.

Prayer

Jesus modeled prayer for His first followers and for us. Prayer, as the communication system, through which we listen and talk with God, recalibrates our hearts to release lowliness in exchange for the identity and confidence Jesus gives. It is the command center where the Holy Spirit works from the secret place to shift our minds from limitation.

We don’t always realize it, but often we focus on earthly appearances in people and situations, unaware of the spiritual reality behind the scenes (Ephesians 6:12). Prayer develops and disciplines our ability to see, hear, and speak according to our Father’s heart.

Prayer and the obedience that follows reshape our hearts and their desires to mirror the Father’s. When devotion and love characterize our relationship with the Lord, we submit to the authority that affirms our worth.

The attention that we give to anything reveals its value. When we esteem God above everything, we prioritize what He wants. He empowers and enables us, through His Holy Spirit, to extend His Kingdom righteousness, peace, and joy over the darkness and the downward trajectory of this world and all that’s in it.

Partnership

False religion would have us believe the lie that God prefers us to be downtrodden, lowly, and fearful, marking this as an indicator of humility. By contrast, a loving relationship with God is a partnership, where we submit to the sovereignty of His Lordship. This includes healthy esteem and confidence based on the compassion and mercy of the Father.

Our identity is not rooted in who or what we have to offer in and of ourselves, but rather in belonging to God. We belong to a Father who sent His Son to redeem and endow us with His Spirit to be strong and do great works that point to His redemptive love for all of humanity.

Partnership invites us to recognize how valued we are by the King. As kingdom sons and daughters, we enjoy the privileges and responsibilities of extending His righteousness, peace, and joy.  In doing so, we pattern ourselves after Him, by actively sharing the kind of love that continually transforms us.

Receiving the Father’s love and validation positions us to offer a proper worshipful response to Him in the way that we treasure Him and what He’s placed within. In turn, we extend His Kingdom, by releasing virtue and value to others made in His Image.

Proclaim

Through prayer, we gather clarity concerning how God envisioned us, even when we were with Him from before the earth’s foundations (Ephesians 2:10). It is through the time of stillness and reflection, where He validates the unique qualities and life experiences that have contributed to how He’s formed us and what He intends to use.

Unmistakably, the Holy Spirit confirms God’s intentions, navigating us to verses that affirm and celebrate our identity and authority. In partnership, we train our minds to follow the trajectory of the Word as a greater authority than even our own emotions and experience. Yet, when we confess His Word aloud, we exact the power and authority of God to deconstruct the hold that fear has exerted over our self-esteem.

Instead, agreement with our Father and Creator, activates the authority to build and plant the self-esteem and soul health that God desires to see blossom in our lives (Jeremiah 1:10; 3 John 1:2). Proclaiming and professing the Word is more than repeating a collection of feel-good statements. Scripture, when spoken and heard, spearheads the arc to manifest the Father’s will in heaven, as our reality on the earth (Matthew 6:10).

Submitting ourselves to the truth of God’s Word drives the enemy out of places he once ruled, revealing a transformed life (James 4:7; Romans 12:1-2). Like Jesus, we will reflect the Savior, His salvation, and His strength, not only in the content and quality of our thoughts but also in how we process them. We live our faith, when we allow that renewed mind to inform our self-concept, self-confidence, and self-esteem.

Next Steps

Regardless of what you encounter in the ups and downs of life, hope in Christ is the anchor to steady you in safety and security (Hebrews 6:19). In Christ alone, is the stability that preserves and promotes you to ascend into all God intended.

Sometimes, it takes time and support to navigate life’s ups and downs. However, hope and help are available through a counselor to coach and cheer you toward your spiritual development goals. Search this site, and schedule to meet, so you can surf the ups and downs in your adventure with the Holy Spirit.