We must make the connection between how we see ourselves and how we will approach life. If we see ourselves as bad, insignificant, inferior, or targets of God’s wrath, we will never feel as if we can trust God to equip us, bless us, or use us. But if we see ourselves as the chosen bride of Christ, we will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we can approach our Bridegroom with confidence, and that He will give us all that we need to do whatever He wants us to do (Philippians 4:19).

…When you sense God asking you to do something or talk to someone, remember who you are. You are not an abandoned orphan, but God’s own cherished child whom He loves without measure. Whatever He calls you to do, He will lovingly provide the resources for you to be successful. Do you need strength? Courage? A vision or a plan? Finances? Wisdom or discernment? Our God can provide all those things and more in abundance. If we believe that His love is constantly flowing into us, that love will nourish us, equip us for our mission in life, and enable us to be a source of God’s love in others’ lives as well.

I can’t stress enough that how we see ourselves in relation to God has everything to do with our spiritual growth and effectiveness. We must learn to see ourselves as His beloved bride in order to identify with the purpose for which we were created: to be in relationship with and in service to our heavenly Bridegroom.

Some would say that it is selfish to try to cultivate a deeper love for ourselves, or that we already love ourselves too much and need to love ourselves less. But Jesus said that the first and greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind,” and that the second commandment, to “love your neighbor as yourself,” is equally important (Matthew 22:37-39 italics mine).

I want to pose the question: How can we give something we don’t have? How can we show others how much God’s love changes a person for the better if others don’t see us as the recipients of His lavish love? Does a woman who knows she is deeply loved by God consistently walk around moping, stressed, depressed, and complaining about life? Not if the love of God has entered her heart and penetrated her soul. I’m not saying that Christians should never feel stressed or depressed by life’s difficulties, but we can’t let our circumstances continually rob us of personally experiencing and expressing the love of God.

Indeed, what we believe about ourselves may seem like a small thing, but like the incredibly slight shifting of the earth’s crust beneath the ocean floor, it is not. Those tiny shifts in the depths of the ocean cause a mighty chain reaction at the surface, possibly creating a tsunami of deadly force. Similarly, those little beliefs deep within your heart create an overwhelming effect on the surface of your life. Positive beliefs can create a tidal wave of blessings, while negative beliefs can create a tidal wave of destruction.