10 Steps to Destiny - #3 - Know and Love Yourself!Grace and peace be unto you again, my dear sisters (and brothers) in the Lord! As we continue on the "10 Steps to Destiny series", let me briefly remind you of the first two steps. Number one was to understand the concept of destiny. You absolutely must know that destiny is a predetermined part of your life, and that God has equipped you to reach it. This truth points us to the second step, which is to have faith. What would our lives be without it? I submit to you that we'd merely be going through the motions without an ounce of hope for a brighter day. And as Christians, we should already know that there is no way we can please our Heavenly Father without faith (Hebrews 11:6).
Now, let us focus our attention on the third step to destiny; and it merely reminds us that we've got to know and love ourselves. I cannot begin to stress to you how very important this is, particularly the first aspect of this concept. You see, when we are in touch with ourselves, we understand that God has equipped us with everything we need to win. On the surface, this may seem a bit superficial. "Of course, I know who I am," is the natural response of many a believer. However, the diversity of hats that I wear as a pastor, professional and entrepreneur, I clearly see where a much different picture has been painted. What I have discovered is that the pressures of life, especially in times of a "stifled" or "downturned" economy, have a way of convincing people that their circumstances are far greater than their God-given power to overcome any of life's obstacles. For this false conception, I boldly decree that the devil is a liar.
God reminds us several times in scripture that He has equipped us with everything we need to win in life. He told us in Deuteronomy 8:18 that He gives us the power to get wealth. He says to us in 2 Corinthians 2:14 that He always causes us to triumph. In Psalm 139:14, He tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. In Joshua 1:8 he tells us that if we stay in His Word, abide in it, we will come to know good success. And in Philippians 4:13, we are comforted with the revelation that we can do all things through Him because He gives us the strength for the journey. These are only a few assurances, yet they are powerful enough to reinforce the fact that we should never walk around in defeat. Furthermore, when you know who you are in Christ, you don't have to be intimidated nor envious of any other person. You don't have to be apprehensive about approaching the things that God has called you to do.
Once you have a solid grip on who you are in the Lord, it clears the path for you to wrap your arms around yourself and simply love you. Before you can love anyone else, before you can share love with a dying world, you've got to first love yourself. When I encounter people who are consistently wreaking havoc on the job, in the church or in the marketplace, I guarantee you that nine times out of 10, the source of the problem is that they really don't love themselves. Things are not right in their lives, so they refuse to walk that lonely road by themselves. If I might borrow a familiar adage, let me just tell you that misery loves company. They are unhappy and would much rather see you be unhappy, too. Lord, have mercy.
Years ago, R&B singer George Benson blessed the world with a beautiful tune called, "The Greatest Love of All." In its lyrics, he states that learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all. Now, in the body of Christ, we are not deceived; for we know that truly there is no greater love but that Jesus would lay down His life for His friends, those of us who choose to accept Him as personal Lord and Savior and then live for Him. Nonetheless, Mr. Benson's musical impartation brings validity to the importance of self-love. And the term, self-love, is not indicative of a need to exalt ourselves above others. For we know that we should not think any higher of ourselves than we ought (Romans 12:3). But given this, we should also know that we should celebrate those unique blessings and gifts that God has given to each of us.
There is sooooo much God wants to do for you! And I hope that this third step to destiny of knowing and loving yourself puts you just that much closer.
Pushing You Towards Destiny, I am
Pastor Alonia Jernigan
