Choose to see yourself the way God does

INTRODUCTION

3 MINUTES

Hi, everybody! We’re in the last week of our series on comparison called The Thief of Everything. We’ve been talking all about the ways we can get caught up in it and what we can do to break free from comparison by relying on Jesus.

Let’s pray.

I want to share with you a story about a guy that had a lot of comparison and expectations thrown around in his life.

This guy, as a young boy, dropped out of school at a young age after failing to join the Army. And here comparison to others ran throughout his mind and was spoken over his life.

He later then wanted to start a business, but it went bankrupt, and outsiders thought he couldn’t run a successful business. Again, comparison ran throughout his mind and was spoken over his life.

Then he joined a Missouri newspaper company, and was later fired for “not being creative enough.” Again, comparison ran throughout his mind and was spoken over his life.

Well, this guy later came up with a company that was and still is responsible for generations of childhood memories and dreams. From Snow White to Frozen, Disney Studios will continue to entertain the world for generations to come.

This guy is Walt Disney, and he came across many times of comparison in his mind and others speaking this into his life. It would have been easy to just give up, but he decided to break away from this thing called comparison.

See, it’s easy to get caught up in comparison, but we must shift our perspective. This perspective should be rooted in the way that God sees us.

TENSION

2.5 MINUTES

In this series, we’ve been talking a lot about comparing ourselves with other people. Oftentimes, this is what we do with the people or circumstances that happen in our lives—we compare our lives to those things. It’s what Walt Disney struggled with, I’m sure.

Now, let me clearly state: there’s definitely nothing wrong with looking up to someone, being inspired by them, or even hoping to be like them! This is why we put you with incredible small group leaders each week. It’s a great thing to have people you can look up to who can motivate you to make positive changes, live a more full life, and most importantly to draw closer to God. That’s an incredible gift!

The problem comes when the comparison shows up. When we make the switch from looking up to them to thinking that in order for us to be enough, we have to achieve what they’ve achieved, do what they’ve done, or become like they are. The reality is, that kind of comparison will always leave us feeling like we’re not enough. The more we compare ourselves to other things or people, the worse we feel about us.

Sometimes we get so caught up in comparison with others that it changes the way we see us. And it’s NOT change for the good. It becomes the thief of self-esteem, self-worth, and confidence.

If that sounds exhausting, it’s because it is. It’s the thief of everything, and it’s not how you and I need to be living our lives. There’s got to be a better way, right? The question is, how do we break out of this cycle of never feeling like we’re enough and realizing that God loves us the way we are…he created every little thing about us.

TRUTH

5 MINUTES

To help us with this, we’re going to look at something a guy named Paul—a leader in the church—wrote to other Christians thousands of years ago. The people he wrote to in this particular letter were dealing with the temptation to compare themselves to people around them, especially people who struggled to have faith. This was a case of Christians comparing themselves to non-Christians, but what Paul says can apply to all different types of comparisons.

Paul says this:

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2 NLT).

Paul told them right away not to copy the people around them. And he could’ve stopped there, right? He could’ve said, “Hey, don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world!” and that’s it. It was definitely something they needed to hear, and that sentence alone was a good reminder for them to quit worrying so much about the people around them.

But Paul didn’t stop there. And I think the reason why is because he knew this isn’t easy. It’s like telling a kid, “Don’t eat too much candy.” That’s difficult. Comparing is something that we all struggle with. I think that’s why Paul took it an important step deeper. He said, “But let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” Paul’s not just talking about a good thing to do—stop copying and comparing to others. He’s talking about a new way of thinking!

He’s talking about a transformation—a major change.

A change into what? A whole new person!

And it all starts by allowing God to change the way we think.

See, Paul put a tiny bit of focus on them. He said, “Don’t copy or compare.” He put a lot of focus on you. He said, “Let God transform you.” It’s a shift in focus to go from comparing yourself to them to allowing God to transform you.

When you and I start to understand what God says about us and how He sees us, we realize that God changes everything for the better. When old thinking is replaced by new thinking, it takes our focus off of someone else’s life and moves it toward who God created us to be. We can choose to live with this mindset everyday by being intentional about the things we think about, thanking God for the good in our lives. This is how we break the cycle of comparison and never thinking we’re enough. This is how we lock up the thief of everything!

But I want you to think about a few key words Paul uses in between talking about them and talking about you:

“But let God transform you.”

This means you need to DECIDE to let Him. You proactively determine to move in a different direction.

Think of it this way:

Choose to see yourself the way God does.

When we choose to see ourselves the way God sees us, it’s different. (Put the dollars in the second cup as you talk through this list). We focus on…

God’s love for us.

The worth God assigns to us.

How valuable God says we are.

God’s purpose for our lives.

The gifts and talents God’s given us.

A few verses later, Paul says this…

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith.” (Romans 12:6 NIV).

Paul is saying, “Let’s just go ahead and be who we were made to be…we all have different gifts that God gave us.” We are made by God, and we are loved by God. We were formed and created with specific gifts and traits that make us more than enough!

APPLICATION

2 MINUTES

Believing this truth has the potential to help you break free from comparison and put the thief in lockdown. It also has the power to help you change your thinking into believing that you’re enough.

Let’s start by trying two things:

Identify what’s not true. In order to really change your thinking and start believing what is true, you’ve got to first identify what’s not. Ask yourself, “What areas of my life leave me feeling like I’m not enough?” Look for the places in your life that lead you to compare—things like I’m not smart enough or “cool” enough.

Replace old thoughts with new ones. Identify the negative thought, and then think of how God would describe you. Replace your thoughts with truths about who God says you are. You can literally say things like…

God says I am loved.

I’m a child of the King.

God considers me a friend.

I am important to God.

God made me with incredible gifts!

The Spirit of God lives in me!

This may not be easy at first. Ask God to help you. You may have to find a place where you can write down these truths and say them out loud over and over again. One day, they will sink in! Over time, I think you’ll begin to see God open your eyes to more amazing things about who you are and how God created you. You’ll begin to see that to God, you are more than enough!

LANDING

1 MINUTE

And listen, isn’t this a much more freeing—and less exhausting—way to live? Imagine if instead of living with a thief, you could start living in the freedom that Jesus gave you! Choose to see yourself the way God sees you. Because listen, God sees you with so much worth and value!

Let’s pray.