Satan wants to push us towards egocentrism. Such an attitude is expressed in two forms, both equally problematic. In my opinion, he doesn’t care which one we choose, because both keep us away from God’s will and deprive us of the power that belongs to the child of God. Both are based on determining our worth based on our “self” and not on God.

An arrogant, proud, independent, self-sufficient person who relies only on themselves reacts like this: “No matter what happens, I handle it, I don’t need God.” Many people are unaware they hold this position: we say we need God, but this attitude is subtly revealed through our actions. We don’t act as if we actually need God. As believers, our trust rests in God, not in ourselves.

The Bible repeatedly emphasizes that we are not supposed to place our trust in ourselves. Instead, we should place our trust in God and believe that He acts through us. Satan wants those who choose the other attitude to condemn themselves. They are angry with themselves, given their mistakes and faults. They hate themselves and judge themselves as worthless, insignificant, and devoid of any interest.

Some people have too high an opinion of themselves, while others have too low. Many people don’t appreciate their appearance. They consider themselves unattractive or are convinced they are ugly, when in reality, they are attractive. The devil is a liar (John 8:44). Through deception, he seeks to distance us from the truth about our identity and inheritance in Christ. He wants to prevent us from fully enjoying the life God has planned for us and diminish or even destroy our effectiveness in God.

One day, during a conference I was leading, the Lord prompted me to ask all those who didn’t like their appearance to come forward for prayer. His request surprised me. It was the first time in my ministry that I made such a call: “Let all those who consider themselves ugly come forward.” The response was impressive. A young woman in line looked like a model! She was beautiful.

Assuming she hadn’t understood the topic of the call, I approached her first to ask, “Did you understand that the invitation was for all those who consider themselves ugly?” Tears began to flow down her face as she replied, “All my life, I believed I was horrible to look at.” Faced with such a confession, I wondered if she needed glasses. This is a perfect example of demonic deception. If the devil doesn’t keep you busy enough beating yourself up for your mistakes or weaknesses, he will try to use a good thing in your life and make you see it as bad!

God approves

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you… Jeremiah 1:5

After creating us, God didn’t say, “Well, now I think it’s time for me to get to know you.” The Bible says He knew us and approved us even before forming us in the womb. In Ephesians 1:6 (NKJV), it says that God made us accepted in the Beloved through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. God approved us before anyone had the opportunity to disapprove of us.

If God approves and accepts us as we are, why worry about what others think of us? If God is for us, who can be against us who can make a difference? (Romans 8:31)

This text is an excerpt from the book “How to Regain Self-Confidence?” written by Joyce Meyer.

We invite you to read the following article “Perfection: the Impossible Quest.“