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This is the first in a series that I wish to share with you,  as you read through the material and scripture versus pray that the spirit will enlighten you and open your eyes to its relevance in today’s world.

There are many people following false teaching that has been present since the beginning of time but is gaining unprecedented popularity in the church today. It is the “doctrine” of self-exaltation and self-gratification.  This preoccupation with self is based on a misunderstanding of one’s relationship with God,  is unbiblical,  and deters spiritual growth.

Instead of pleasing or exalting yourself,  Scripture tells you to examine (or confront) and humble yourself (Matthew 23:12; I Corinthians 11:31).  You must do this because your heart is deceitful,  desperately wicked,  and beyond full understanding (Jeremiah 17:9). 

The first step in confronting yourself is to realize your own sinful, lost condition before God (Psalm 14:1-3; Romans 3:10-12) and, 

Second,  to turn to God as your only hope of eternal salvation (Romans 6:23).

According to His mercy,  God provides salvation through faith as a free gift of His grace,  not because of any good thing in you and not because of any good work you could do to merit His love and favor (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7).

Confronting yourself must continue throughout your Christian walk if you are to avoid the hypocrisy of judging the failures of others without first examining your own life in a biblical manner (Matthew 7:1-5; Luke 6:41-42).  Most importantly, confronting yourself must be achieved in accordance with the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12).

Confronting yourself in a biblical manner will often be difficult and will sometimes be a grievous experience.  However,  the Holy Spirit, the Helper, will assist you (John 16:8, 13-14) to face your own sins,  failures,  and shortcomings.  Then He will comfort you,  teach you,  and guide you into all truth so that your sorrow may be turned into everlasting joy (John 14:16, 26; 15:11).

If there is a single emphasis that I am trying to relay,  it is for you to determine biblically whether you are seeking to please yourself or seeking to please God in all you think and do (II Corinthians 5:9; Colossians 1:10; 3:2, 17).  As you will soon discover,  the objective of this is not to learn how to save your life but instead how to lose it for Jesus’ sake (Matthew 16:24-25; Luke 9:23-24) through the process of evaluating yourself biblically.

Blessings!

Pastor JR