Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you. None of this is based on what we do rather, it is grounded in what God has already accomplished through Christ.

These truths assure us of GodвЂ™s unconditional love, and of the intimacy, security, and hope we find in him.

Our spiritual inheritance is one of forgiveness, an intimate relationship with Jesus, and hope of spending all eternity enjoying fellowship with God (see EphesiansВ 1). Our identity is that of a child of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. It is rooted in his freedom-giving mercy. Related article: Dealing With Low Self-Esteem Our identity is found in Jesus Christ. And men shouldВ be competent spiritual leaders, provide for and protect their families, be a вЂњmanly man,вЂќ and be in touch with their sensitive side, too.В If we live to please our church community, we may find ourselves negating the interests or gifts that God has given us. We may even feel pressure from our church community to measure ourselves according to certain stereotypes - women are supposed to be nurturing, quiet and gentle,В raise well-behaved children, and maybe even do crafts. If we are living to make sure that others love us, we give people the power to determine our self-worth. Eating disorders abound - anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating, to name a few. Even as adults, we buy into the beauty myth, thinking that our appearance is our number one asset, and that it will bring us acceptance and approval from a spouse. Or we might deny ourselves food to lose weight to try to fit in with the body images portrayed in magazines. As adolescents, we might sacrifice our own identity to get attention and acceptance, even to the extent of pretending not to be bright or kind because we think the opposite sex wonвЂ™t be impressed. Many of us are so concerned about being loved that we give the opposite sex permission to evaluate our self-worth. Have you ever been in a situation where you have to make a decision and you can hear your parents saying, вЂњThatвЂ™s not responsibleвЂ¦вЂќВ or вЂњI told you that would happen?вЂќ When we leave home, many of us have вЂњinternalized parentsвЂќ who are now voices in our head that tell us what we should do, what is important, and how we should do things. If we are living to make sure that others love us, we give them permission to evaluate us based on what we do - we give people the power to determine our self-worth. I must be loved or approved by virtually every other person in my life. We will contrast these ideas with what 1В PeterВ 1 tells us about how we can вЂњprepare our minds for action.вЂќ Adjusting our thinking to Scripture is the foundation ofВ being holy in all we do ( 1В PeterВ 1:15).ДЎ. These destructive thought patterns were identified by psychologistВ Albert Ellis (1973). I want to look with you at three thought patterns that can act as roadblocks to thinkingВ -В and living -В the way God desires. If only we could see ourselves as God sees us! So many of us find ourselvesВ basing our self-worth on how others see us and on our accomplishments, feeling shame from our past, defining our value based on our looks, or setting unrealistic standards for ourselves.Д«ut it doesnвЂ™t have to be this way. What thoughts have you had about yourself today? How do you see yourself? Pause for a moment and think about it.

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