Self-hatred

A lot of us express self-hatred as we look at our personal appearance and our life experiences.  Perhaps we were brought up in an abusive home. Perhaps the bare necessities of life were not available to us and we lived in anxiety about our future.  We compare our lot with that of others and grumble about how disadvantaged we are in so many ways.  We blame God and others for our missed opportunities and the way we are today.

Many of the people we read about in the Bible lived lonely fruitless lives until God called them out of their darkness and walked with them on the path He had planned for their lives.  Moses was a murderer and unsure of his ability to speak when God called him.  Gideon was a coward and hiding from his nation’s oppressors when God called him.  However imperfect or ineffective we see ourselves God is calling us and empowering us to fulfill the plan He has for our lives. 

Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.  (Acts 3:16 NLT)

When we give our will and life over to the care of God, it is faith in Jesus and His finished work on earth that restores us in body, mind, and spirit. 

So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. (Hebrews 10:22-23 MSG)

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, You are mighty to save, please deliver me from the demonic oppression of self-hatred.  I have come to believe that, through Your finished work on earth, I am presentable both inside and out. Amen