WEBVTT 00:00:11.470 --> 00:00:14.169 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:14.269 --> 00:00:17.309 Do you like who you are? When you look in the 00:00:17.309 --> 00:00:20.030 mirror, do you like what you see? Or do you wish 00:00:20.030 --> 00:00:22.449 you were a little taller or a little stronger 00:00:22.449 --> 00:00:25.910 or a bit thinner? Do you like yourself or do 00:00:25.910 --> 00:00:28.949 you struggle with feelings of inferiority? Today, 00:00:29.070 --> 00:00:32.649 I'd like to talk with you about three keys from 00:00:32.649 --> 00:00:36.509 the Bible to develop a positive, healthy, biblical 00:00:36.509 --> 00:00:41.159 self -image. Stick around. When you look in the 00:00:41.159 --> 00:00:44.240 mirror, what do you see? Someone unique and wonderful 00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:47.320 or someone who doesn't measure up? Distorted 00:00:47.320 --> 00:00:50.759 mirrors trap us in feelings of inferiority. I'm 00:00:50.759 --> 00:00:52.600 Dave Drewy, and today on Living on the Edge, 00:00:52.820 --> 00:00:55.359 Chip Ingram shows us how to break free from low 00:00:55.359 --> 00:00:58.000 self -esteem and discover our true identity. 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:01.259 In our series, Experience Breakthrough, we're 00:01:01.259 --> 00:01:03.799 learning how to stop feeling confined by life's 00:01:03.799 --> 00:01:06.579 biggest barriers. Today's barrier might be the 00:01:06.579 --> 00:01:09.200 most personal of all, the way we see ourselves. 00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:12.519 Here's Chip with his message on how to overcome 00:01:12.519 --> 00:01:16.359 inferiority and low self -image. Did you know 00:01:16.359 --> 00:01:20.739 that according to personal observation, it is 00:01:20.739 --> 00:01:23.799 almost impossible for a human being to walk by 00:01:23.799 --> 00:01:28.900 a mirror and not look at themselves? Did you 00:01:28.900 --> 00:01:32.620 know that when you are giving a photo to someone, 00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:35.620 And their picture is in it with a group of people 00:01:35.620 --> 00:01:37.519 that the very first person that they look at 00:01:37.519 --> 00:01:41.540 is themselves. Did you know they did a study 00:01:41.540 --> 00:01:43.560 of five and six year olds and they found that 00:01:43.560 --> 00:01:47.719 how a child views him or herself is a higher 00:01:47.719 --> 00:01:53.299 determinant of success than even their IQ? Did 00:01:53.299 --> 00:01:59.719 you realize that how you view yourself is pivotal 00:01:59.719 --> 00:02:02.540 in the quality of your life? and the quality 00:02:02.540 --> 00:02:06.040 of your relationships. It's what I call mirror 00:02:06.040 --> 00:02:08.560 madness. We're all involved in it every day. 00:02:09.719 --> 00:02:12.620 We're all asking and answering questions. Sometimes 00:02:12.620 --> 00:02:14.520 it's physically and we look in the mirror, but 00:02:14.520 --> 00:02:16.560 more often it's emotional and psychologically 00:02:16.560 --> 00:02:19.259 as we look into people's eyes and we have these 00:02:19.259 --> 00:02:21.759 thoughts as we look into the mirrors of life. 00:02:22.639 --> 00:02:26.219 And some of the questions we're asking are, who 00:02:26.219 --> 00:02:31.750 am I? Where do I belong? Do I fit? Am I okay? 00:02:31.949 --> 00:02:34.669 Am I competent? Am I a somebody? Am I significant? 00:02:35.870 --> 00:02:38.250 What are other people going to think of me? So 00:02:38.250 --> 00:02:39.770 let me ask you, when you look at the mirror, 00:02:39.909 --> 00:02:43.590 what do you think? When you look into the mirror, 00:02:43.650 --> 00:02:46.990 what do you see? Do you see someone that is unique, 00:02:47.169 --> 00:02:51.789 beautiful, wonderful, full of potential? Or do 00:02:51.789 --> 00:02:53.469 you look in the mirror and say, oh, I wish I 00:02:53.469 --> 00:02:56.330 was a little taller, a little shorter, a little 00:02:56.330 --> 00:03:00.699 thinner, a little stronger? When you walk around 00:03:00.699 --> 00:03:03.240 in your world, what are the messages that you 00:03:03.240 --> 00:03:05.379 say to yourself? Do you look at other people 00:03:05.379 --> 00:03:07.259 and say, boy, I'm glad they're the way they are, 00:03:07.280 --> 00:03:12.000 but I'm glad who I am. Or do you kind of unconsciously 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:14.659 say, they all look happy. They've got it together. 00:03:15.639 --> 00:03:17.879 They have lots of friends. I don't think I'd 00:03:17.879 --> 00:03:20.199 fit in. I don't think I'm worth very much. I 00:03:20.199 --> 00:03:22.219 hope no one asks me anything because I'm sure 00:03:22.219 --> 00:03:24.319 I don't have much to say. If I really got to 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:26.960 know them, I know they wouldn't like me. Do any 00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:28.580 of those thoughts ever float through your mind? 00:03:29.039 --> 00:03:33.520 They do for most of us. See, the problem with 00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:37.139 the mirror madness is that there's more distorted 00:03:37.139 --> 00:03:39.620 mirrors out there than there are good mirrors. 00:03:39.900 --> 00:03:42.719 And distorted mirrors will destroy our lives 00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:45.000 because a distorted mirror doesn't tell you the 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:47.159 truth about who you are. A distorted mirror, 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:51.900 it gives you a picture of what's not true. Have 00:03:51.900 --> 00:03:53.319 you ever gone down to the boardwalk and gone 00:03:53.319 --> 00:03:55.080 through like one of those fun houses or at a 00:03:55.080 --> 00:03:57.379 carnival and they have the section where they're 00:03:57.379 --> 00:03:58.919 the weird mirrors, you know, with all the bends 00:03:58.919 --> 00:04:02.259 in them. Those are real funny. Except you know 00:04:02.259 --> 00:04:06.259 what the reality is? The reality is for most 00:04:06.259 --> 00:04:08.500 of us, all of our lives, through our culture, 00:04:08.620 --> 00:04:10.599 through the media, through multiple relationships 00:04:10.599 --> 00:04:14.080 and family, we have distorted mirrors that have 00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:16.699 been telling us stuff about us that is totally 00:04:16.699 --> 00:04:19.920 untrue. Can you imagine living if the only mirror, 00:04:19.980 --> 00:04:22.639 what if there was never a real true mirror, and 00:04:22.639 --> 00:04:25.160 you walked around looking like you do, but you 00:04:25.160 --> 00:04:28.639 thought in your mind, I am one foot tall and 00:04:28.639 --> 00:04:31.879 I'm nine feet wide. Now, the reality wouldn't 00:04:31.879 --> 00:04:33.560 change, but if you thought that way about yourself, 00:04:33.879 --> 00:04:38.000 just imagine how you would buy clothes. Imagine 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:41.120 certain places you would never go. I mean, the 00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:45.779 beach would be out for you. Let me give you three 00:04:45.779 --> 00:04:50.350 distorted mirrors. The first is the appearance 00:04:50.350 --> 00:04:53.790 mirror. We are shot through with it, especially 00:04:53.790 --> 00:04:56.709 in this country. It says my value depends on 00:04:56.709 --> 00:04:59.629 how I look. So we find pretty people and we give 00:04:59.629 --> 00:05:02.490 them millions of dollars. We give them all kind 00:05:02.490 --> 00:05:05.269 of makeup, wind machines and multiple surgeries 00:05:05.269 --> 00:05:09.529 so they fit this ideal. And then we all try and 00:05:09.529 --> 00:05:15.449 be like that person. It's how you look. Second, 00:05:15.610 --> 00:05:17.389 distorted mirror is the performance mirror. My 00:05:17.389 --> 00:05:19.629 value depends on what I can do. You gotta be 00:05:19.629 --> 00:05:21.910 good. You gotta be successful. You gotta be a 00:05:21.910 --> 00:05:23.329 great athlete. You gotta be a great student. 00:05:23.410 --> 00:05:24.709 You gotta be a great artist. You gotta be a great 00:05:24.709 --> 00:05:26.110 this. You gotta be a great that. You gotta be 00:05:26.110 --> 00:05:28.750 able to do, do, do, do, do. And so your whole 00:05:28.750 --> 00:05:31.610 life, your whole value revolves around your performance. 00:05:31.670 --> 00:05:33.230 If you do well, you're great. If you don't do 00:05:33.230 --> 00:05:36.769 well, you're a loser. Third, distorted mirror 00:05:36.769 --> 00:05:39.810 is the status mirror. My value depends on what 00:05:39.810 --> 00:05:44.060 other people think of me. And so we dress. Talk, 00:05:44.279 --> 00:05:48.000 drive, buy, go to certain groups, don't go to 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:50.680 certain groups, eat certain things, don't eat 00:05:50.680 --> 00:05:53.680 certain things. Why? Because it matters what 00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:59.079 everybody thinks. Those three distorted mirrors 00:05:59.079 --> 00:06:04.379 are tools that will destine you and destine me 00:06:04.379 --> 00:06:08.360 to feel inferior. Because the rules always change, 00:06:08.439 --> 00:06:15.079 don't they? It's a no -win situation. We're talking 00:06:15.079 --> 00:06:17.759 about how to overcome inferiority and low self 00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:20.399 -esteem. My thesis is until we see ourselves 00:06:20.399 --> 00:06:24.959 as God sees us, we are destined, not maybe, we 00:06:24.959 --> 00:06:29.040 are destined to feel inferior. Until you and 00:06:29.040 --> 00:06:32.959 until I can see in my mind's eye that can sink 00:06:32.959 --> 00:06:36.459 down into my emotions how God looks at me as 00:06:36.459 --> 00:06:39.800 the true mirror of who I really am, that my value 00:06:39.800 --> 00:06:43.160 doesn't... depend on how good I am. My value 00:06:43.160 --> 00:06:45.779 doesn't depend on how I look. And my value doesn't 00:06:45.779 --> 00:06:47.819 depend on what other people think. Until you 00:06:47.819 --> 00:06:51.620 get three of those things, you are destined to 00:06:51.620 --> 00:06:54.019 feel inferior. Now, before I go on, let me highlight 00:06:54.019 --> 00:06:57.220 something. What I've said so far, most of you, 00:06:57.259 --> 00:06:59.220 you haven't nodded because it would be embarrassing. 00:07:00.699 --> 00:07:02.980 But in your hearts, most of you have been going, 00:07:03.079 --> 00:07:05.800 yeah, man, that's right, man. I don't like me 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:08.139 very much. I mean, real down deep. But there's 00:07:08.139 --> 00:07:11.980 a small percentage of you And you wouldn't say 00:07:11.980 --> 00:07:13.459 this either because it would be more embarrassing. 00:07:13.879 --> 00:07:18.519 It's sort of like, I like me. In fact, I wish 00:07:18.519 --> 00:07:20.399 most people were like me. In fact, the world 00:07:20.399 --> 00:07:22.839 would be a lot better like me. And you look in 00:07:22.839 --> 00:07:25.759 the mirror and you say, this is how people I 00:07:25.759 --> 00:07:30.100 love. And when you go to work, everyone's slower 00:07:30.100 --> 00:07:31.560 than you. And you're thinking, man, if they could 00:07:31.560 --> 00:07:35.220 just get with the ball game. And these kind of 00:07:35.220 --> 00:07:38.769 people often project ultimate confidence. And 00:07:38.769 --> 00:07:40.649 like they've really got it together. And can 00:07:40.649 --> 00:07:44.769 I tell you something? Everyone feels inferior. 00:07:46.209 --> 00:07:50.910 Inferiority just wears multiple masks. Paul Turnian 00:07:50.910 --> 00:07:53.089 in a book that literally transformed my life. 00:07:53.310 --> 00:07:55.629 The book had one thesis and then the rest were 00:07:55.629 --> 00:07:58.610 stories. He's a Swiss psychologist of many years 00:07:58.610 --> 00:08:01.850 ago. Book's out of print, but the book was called 00:08:01.850 --> 00:08:04.410 The Strong and the Weak. Thesis of the book, 00:08:04.949 --> 00:08:09.160 every person is desperately inadequate. and insecure. 00:08:10.279 --> 00:08:12.980 And all of us as human beings will either express 00:08:12.980 --> 00:08:15.959 that with strong reactions or weak responses. 00:08:16.680 --> 00:08:19.139 So we're all insecure. We all have this feeling 00:08:19.139 --> 00:08:20.720 that something's wrong, that we're inferior. 00:08:20.920 --> 00:08:24.720 And so some people will be shy, withdrawn, low 00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:27.480 self -esteem. I'm not worth much. No one wants 00:08:27.480 --> 00:08:29.319 to hear me. I probably wouldn't do very well. 00:08:29.420 --> 00:08:31.040 I don't want to try because I'd probably fail. 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:35.500 I know they won't like me. To cover their insecurity. 00:08:36.750 --> 00:08:38.490 But there's another group of people who are just 00:08:38.490 --> 00:08:40.990 as desperately insecure who say, man, I got it 00:08:40.990 --> 00:08:42.730 together. I'm going to be on top of this. They're 00:08:42.730 --> 00:08:44.429 powerful. They're aggressive. Hey, get out of 00:08:44.429 --> 00:08:46.870 my way. And you know what those strong things 00:08:46.870 --> 00:08:52.250 are doing? Covering the same insecurity. I know 00:08:52.250 --> 00:08:56.950 I was that person growing up. Arrogant. Loud. 00:08:58.289 --> 00:09:01.710 Pushy. Because I was so afraid if anyone saw 00:09:01.710 --> 00:09:04.590 who I was really like inside, I knew they'd reject 00:09:04.590 --> 00:09:08.889 me. You're listening to Living on the Edge. More 00:09:08.889 --> 00:09:11.129 from Chip Ingram in just a moment. But first, 00:09:11.230 --> 00:09:14.129 if today's teaching is resonating with you, don't 00:09:14.129 --> 00:09:16.509 keep it to yourself. You can easily share this 00:09:16.509 --> 00:09:19.970 message with friends and family by visiting livingontheedge 00:09:19.970 --> 00:09:23.450 .org. There you'll find not only today's program, 00:09:23.710 --> 00:09:26.049 but an entire collection of biblical resources 00:09:26.049 --> 00:09:28.250 designed to help you experience breakthrough 00:09:28.250 --> 00:09:31.690 in every area of life. It's all available at 00:09:31.690 --> 00:09:35.629 livingontheedge .org. Well, let's continue with 00:09:35.629 --> 00:09:37.690 Chip's message. Here's what I want to do today. 00:09:37.789 --> 00:09:41.389 I want to tell you that you do not have to be 00:09:41.389 --> 00:09:45.090 in bondage any longer to the distorted mirrors 00:09:45.090 --> 00:09:48.590 of our world, but you can do three things, three 00:09:48.590 --> 00:09:50.690 keys God's going to give us today. Now, it's 00:09:50.690 --> 00:09:52.990 going to be a lifetime of working it out, but 00:09:52.990 --> 00:09:55.230 you can get the data today. There's three keys 00:09:55.230 --> 00:09:57.990 to getting what I call a healthy biblical identity 00:09:57.990 --> 00:10:02.029 or a healthy self -concept. The first one has 00:10:02.029 --> 00:10:06.860 to do with knowledge. You must get God's view 00:10:06.860 --> 00:10:09.139 of you. You've got to see yourself from God's 00:10:09.139 --> 00:10:11.539 perspective. It's knowledge. Remember what Jesus 00:10:11.539 --> 00:10:13.360 said? You will know the truth and the truth will 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:17.279 set you. Good job. If you don't know the truth 00:10:17.279 --> 00:10:20.139 about you, you'll believe lies. But knowing the 00:10:20.139 --> 00:10:23.259 truth doesn't change your life. The second key 00:10:23.259 --> 00:10:29.460 is you must believe God's view is true. So you 00:10:29.460 --> 00:10:32.080 can know it, but think, oh, that's like for everybody 00:10:32.080 --> 00:10:37.240 else, but not me. And then third, you must discover 00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:40.100 the you that's true. You've got to experience. 00:10:40.500 --> 00:10:43.299 You've got to get involved in some risky, out 00:10:43.299 --> 00:10:45.720 of your comfort zone relationships where you 00:10:45.720 --> 00:10:49.360 actually experience through people being deeply 00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:51.740 loved and deeply affirmed. And we're going to 00:10:51.740 --> 00:10:54.539 talk about how to do that. So now, by the way, 00:10:54.580 --> 00:10:56.779 what I've given you today, you can do a Bible 00:10:56.779 --> 00:10:58.919 study for the next week or two. I'm going to 00:10:58.919 --> 00:11:00.440 just highlight because what I want you to do 00:11:00.440 --> 00:11:04.230 is get big picture. I'm going to give you five 00:11:04.230 --> 00:11:08.529 reasons why you are very significant, regardless 00:11:08.529 --> 00:11:10.850 of what the world may or may not say. You're 00:11:10.850 --> 00:11:14.350 significant first because you are unique. Jot 00:11:14.350 --> 00:11:18.629 that down. Genesis 127 says you're made in the 00:11:18.629 --> 00:11:24.000 image of God. Psalm 139. 13 and 14 say, for you, 00:11:24.179 --> 00:11:28.080 God, created my inmost being. You knit me together 00:11:28.080 --> 00:11:30.440 in my mother's womb. I praise you because I'm 00:11:30.440 --> 00:11:33.100 fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are 00:11:33.100 --> 00:11:35.899 wonderful. I know that full well. You're unique. 00:11:36.179 --> 00:11:41.120 You are not one in a million. Your DNA is different 00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:44.200 than any other person on the face of the earth. 00:11:44.519 --> 00:11:49.179 God created you uniquely. That makes you significant. 00:11:50.250 --> 00:11:51.970 You know, it's like an original piece of artwork. 00:11:52.230 --> 00:11:53.690 You know, there's an original piece and there's 00:11:53.690 --> 00:11:56.330 prints. God doesn't have any prints. You're an 00:11:56.330 --> 00:12:00.549 original. So you're significant. Second, you're 00:12:00.549 --> 00:12:04.710 significant because you are loved. Jeremiah 31, 00:12:05.009 --> 00:12:08.889 three says, the Lord appeared to us in the past 00:12:08.889 --> 00:12:11.049 saying, I have loved you with an everlasting 00:12:11.049 --> 00:12:13.570 love. I have drawn you with loving kindness. 00:12:15.090 --> 00:12:17.509 Because of some things in my background, I have 00:12:17.509 --> 00:12:21.190 a hard time with that. The performance trap is 00:12:21.190 --> 00:12:25.090 mine. I feel loved when I do well and I feel 00:12:25.090 --> 00:12:27.190 not loved when I don't do well. That's a lie. 00:12:27.690 --> 00:12:30.289 I have been working at letting it soak into my 00:12:30.289 --> 00:12:34.110 mind, seep into my heart and realize God loves 00:12:34.110 --> 00:12:37.850 me unconditionally, not because of anything I 00:12:37.850 --> 00:12:40.889 ever have done or I ever will do, but because 00:12:40.889 --> 00:12:44.629 he is creator. I am creation and I am the object. 00:12:44.830 --> 00:12:50.139 I am the object of his love and compassion. See, 00:12:50.200 --> 00:12:52.240 God doesn't love somebody somewhere out there. 00:12:52.340 --> 00:12:55.879 He loves you. He's totally committed to you. 00:12:55.980 --> 00:12:58.720 He knows your situation, your struggle, your 00:12:58.720 --> 00:13:01.480 hurts, your depression, your relational chaos, 00:13:01.720 --> 00:13:03.940 your dysfunctional background. And he looks at 00:13:03.940 --> 00:13:06.259 it all and he says, I love you. And I want to 00:13:06.259 --> 00:13:09.320 be close to you. Third, you're significant because 00:13:09.320 --> 00:13:13.159 you are valuable. First Corinthians 6, 19 and 00:13:13.159 --> 00:13:15.799 20 says, do you not know that your body is a 00:13:15.799 --> 00:13:20.070 temple of the Holy Spirit? who is in you, whom 00:13:20.070 --> 00:13:22.870 you have received from God, you are not your 00:13:22.870 --> 00:13:25.389 own. You have been bought at a price. Therefore, 00:13:25.629 --> 00:13:29.269 honor God with your body. See, we always evaluate 00:13:29.269 --> 00:13:31.909 things by what they cost, right? Now, I would 00:13:31.909 --> 00:13:34.389 never want to be a slave of any kind in any situation. 00:13:35.190 --> 00:13:39.289 But if I were a slave and they were selling us, 00:13:39.389 --> 00:13:44.470 I'd like someone to walk up and say, I'll give 00:13:44.470 --> 00:13:48.809 you $5 million for Ingram. Because if I'm going 00:13:48.809 --> 00:13:51.110 to be a slave, I want to be a valuable one. I 00:13:51.110 --> 00:13:52.210 mean, I don't want someone to walk up and say, 00:13:52.230 --> 00:13:54.029 I'll give you $5 .95 for him. I don't think he 00:13:54.029 --> 00:13:57.870 could lift a thing. You know, the fact of the 00:13:57.870 --> 00:14:02.990 matter is, though, we're all slaves. Before you 00:14:02.990 --> 00:14:05.610 trusted Christ, the Bible pictures you and pictures 00:14:05.610 --> 00:14:08.909 me as being in the slave market of sin, bound 00:14:08.909 --> 00:14:11.970 by desires and lusts that we can't break out 00:14:11.970 --> 00:14:15.710 of. And the Lord walked in as he saw you on the 00:14:15.710 --> 00:14:18.409 block in the slave market of sin. And he says, 00:14:18.429 --> 00:14:20.370 I'll take this one, this one, this one. No, you 00:14:20.370 --> 00:14:24.789 know what? I'll take them all. Price tag, the 00:14:24.789 --> 00:14:28.330 death of my son. The blood of Jesus paid on the 00:14:28.330 --> 00:14:31.730 cross as your substitute. That's how valuable 00:14:31.730 --> 00:14:35.090 you are to God. And, you know, we get uptight 00:14:35.090 --> 00:14:37.610 like, oh, God doesn't care about me. And won't 00:14:37.610 --> 00:14:38.970 he show me about what's going to happen in the 00:14:38.970 --> 00:14:40.389 future? And what am I going to do about this? 00:14:40.470 --> 00:14:44.159 He that spared not his own son. How will he not 00:14:44.159 --> 00:14:49.240 with him freely give you all things? Our problem 00:14:49.240 --> 00:14:50.960 is not that God doesn't love us. Our problem 00:14:50.960 --> 00:14:55.440 is we don't believe he loves us. Fourth, you 00:14:55.440 --> 00:14:57.299 are significant not only because you're unique, 00:14:57.519 --> 00:15:01.779 loved, and valuable, you are secure. Things that 00:15:01.779 --> 00:15:04.220 last have a lot of value. Paper plates aren't 00:15:04.220 --> 00:15:07.220 worth much in my home. You eat them all, they're 00:15:07.220 --> 00:15:11.000 done. It's priceless heirlooms. They're gonna 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:14.759 last. That's what's valuable. You want to know 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:17.220 how long every believer in Jesus Christ is going 00:15:17.220 --> 00:15:20.779 to last? How secure? Ephesians chapter one, verse 00:15:20.779 --> 00:15:24.299 13, it says, and you also were included in Christ. 00:15:24.340 --> 00:15:26.240 Speaking of believers, people have come to Christ. 00:15:26.700 --> 00:15:29.580 Well, when did this happen? When you heard the 00:15:29.580 --> 00:15:32.559 word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. 00:15:33.419 --> 00:15:35.879 Having believed at a point in time in our life, 00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:38.120 we need to come to where we believe in Christ, 00:15:38.120 --> 00:15:40.539 that he died in our place and we receive him 00:15:40.539 --> 00:15:44.029 as our savior. Having believed, notice this, 00:15:44.250 --> 00:15:47.509 you were marked in him with a seal, the promised 00:15:47.509 --> 00:15:51.750 Holy Spirit. You're secure. The word picture 00:15:51.750 --> 00:15:53.470 here meant a lot to people when this was written 00:15:53.470 --> 00:15:56.330 because in Roman days, they would put a seal 00:15:56.330 --> 00:15:59.110 on a document. You know, the wax and then the 00:15:59.110 --> 00:16:00.809 emperor would put his ring on it. No one could 00:16:00.809 --> 00:16:03.450 break that document except the power and the 00:16:03.450 --> 00:16:06.259 authority of the emperor. God says when you trust 00:16:06.259 --> 00:16:08.700 in Jesus Christ and accept the free gift of salvation, 00:16:09.000 --> 00:16:11.340 you are sealed, but not with wax and not with 00:16:11.340 --> 00:16:13.419 a ring, but it's with the authority of God himself. 00:16:13.700 --> 00:16:16.399 He seals you and marks you off by the Holy Spirit. 00:16:16.519 --> 00:16:18.399 In fact, the scripture says that the Holy Spirit 00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:21.340 is a down payment or literally it's earnest money 00:16:21.340 --> 00:16:24.860 to remind you of how valuable you are and that 00:16:24.860 --> 00:16:26.860 every promise God ever made to you in scripture 00:16:26.860 --> 00:16:30.200 is going to be true. People put, I've heard of 00:16:30.200 --> 00:16:32.100 people, they're putting their house on. the market, 00:16:32.179 --> 00:16:34.399 and they get two or three bids, they're getting 00:16:34.399 --> 00:16:36.779 more than they're asking. And as they do that, 00:16:36.840 --> 00:16:38.779 what do you ask people to do? To put down earnest 00:16:38.779 --> 00:16:42.220 money. You know, you put $50 ,000 down on a house, 00:16:42.279 --> 00:16:44.379 you're pretty interested. And you know what God 00:16:44.379 --> 00:16:48.039 has done? He's put down earnest money. He's placed 00:16:48.039 --> 00:16:51.700 the Holy Spirit in you as a believer, as a deposit 00:16:51.700 --> 00:16:54.460 to let you know he's committed and you're secure. 00:16:55.740 --> 00:16:57.679 Now, wait a second. Do you really think this 00:16:57.679 --> 00:17:00.539 way about yourself? Do you believe that you're 00:17:00.539 --> 00:17:02.799 loved, that you're secure, that you're valuable, 00:17:02.980 --> 00:17:04.700 that you're unique? Let me give you one more. 00:17:05.359 --> 00:17:07.680 According to God, when he looks at you, not the 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:09.059 person next to you, we're talking about you, 00:17:09.160 --> 00:17:15.640 you are indispensable. Indispensable. Ephesians 00:17:15.640 --> 00:17:17.539 chapter four, the apostle Paul is talking about 00:17:17.539 --> 00:17:19.539 the church and how God put it together. And the 00:17:19.539 --> 00:17:21.839 church isn't a building. It's just a place where 00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:24.619 anytime believers are gathered, that's the church. 00:17:25.609 --> 00:17:28.089 I encourage you to take those passages and do 00:17:28.089 --> 00:17:31.069 a little Bible study and let it sink down through 00:17:31.069 --> 00:17:33.049 your mind into your heart. First, you need to 00:17:33.049 --> 00:17:35.289 understand faith is built on God's word. Hebrews 00:17:35.289 --> 00:17:38.029 10, 17, faith comes by hearing, hearing by the 00:17:38.029 --> 00:17:40.990 word of God. I do not understand this. I don't 00:17:40.990 --> 00:17:42.950 understand it, but I'm telling you that when 00:17:42.950 --> 00:17:45.089 you expose yourself to the scripture, when you 00:17:45.089 --> 00:17:47.750 hear the word of God, when you read the word 00:17:47.750 --> 00:17:50.490 of God, when you put Christian music on that 00:17:50.490 --> 00:17:54.309 has content and lyrics and truth, faith grows. 00:17:55.650 --> 00:17:57.589 Secondly, though, it's not enough just to be 00:17:57.589 --> 00:17:59.529 exposed to the scriptures. It grows when you 00:17:59.529 --> 00:18:03.690 renew your mind. Romans 12, 2 tells us that don't 00:18:03.690 --> 00:18:07.029 be conformed any longer to distorted mirrors. 00:18:07.170 --> 00:18:08.910 Don't be conformed any longer to this world, 00:18:08.970 --> 00:18:12.349 but be transformed how? Metamorphosized from 00:18:12.349 --> 00:18:15.930 within, changed by the renewing of your mind, 00:18:16.009 --> 00:18:18.990 that your life or your lifestyle could demonstrate 00:18:18.990 --> 00:18:21.369 what the will of God is, that it's good, that 00:18:21.369 --> 00:18:23.170 it's acceptable, that it's perfect. The key is 00:18:23.170 --> 00:18:26.420 the renewal of your mind. See, one of the things, 00:18:26.500 --> 00:18:28.220 you know, I've got some real problems with the 00:18:28.220 --> 00:18:31.119 whole positive thinking movement. I mean, they 00:18:31.119 --> 00:18:33.160 promise pie in the sky, you think it, think and 00:18:33.160 --> 00:18:34.839 grow rich, think and do this, think and do that. 00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:37.839 A lot of that is thinking by their books and 00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:41.299 they get rich is how it works. But there's a 00:18:41.299 --> 00:18:43.880 tremendous kernel of truth in the positive thinking 00:18:43.880 --> 00:18:46.200 movement. You know what it is? You are what you 00:18:46.200 --> 00:18:49.500 think. You are what you eat and you are what 00:18:49.500 --> 00:18:52.700 you think. Whatever you think, eventually, because 00:18:52.700 --> 00:18:55.160 that's scriptural. Proverbs 23, 7, as a man or 00:18:55.160 --> 00:18:57.859 a woman thinks in her heart, his heart, so he 00:18:57.859 --> 00:19:03.420 or she becomes. This is Living on the Edge with 00:19:03.420 --> 00:19:06.099 Chip Ingram, and we're in our series, Experience 00:19:06.099 --> 00:19:09.099 Breakthrough. Today, Chip revealed three keys 00:19:09.099 --> 00:19:12.319 to developing a healthy biblical identity. Chip 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:14.940 has one more crucial point to share, so please 00:19:14.940 --> 00:19:17.980 stay with us. The distorted mirrors Chip described 00:19:17.980 --> 00:19:21.680 today—appearance, performance, status—they're 00:19:21.680 --> 00:19:24.200 everywhere in our culture. And breaking free 00:19:24.200 --> 00:19:26.619 from their lies requires something more than 00:19:26.619 --> 00:19:29.859 a one -time decision. It takes consistent exposure 00:19:29.859 --> 00:19:32.880 to God's truth, allowing Scripture to gradually 00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:36.039 reshape how we see ourselves. That's exactly 00:19:36.039 --> 00:19:38.680 what Chip's free devotional, Psalms of Hope, 00:19:38.819 --> 00:19:42.000 is designed to do. Over 10 days, you'll explore 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:46.519 Psalm 1, Psalm 15, and Psalm 23. Passages that 00:19:46.519 --> 00:19:49.000 speak directly to finding your identity in God 00:19:49.000 --> 00:19:51.920 rather than the world's constantly shifting standards. 00:19:52.299 --> 00:19:55.400 The format is straightforward. Chip teaches for 00:19:55.400 --> 00:19:57.980 10 minutes each day. Then you spend 10 minutes 00:19:57.980 --> 00:20:00.359 letting that truth soak into your heart through 00:20:00.359 --> 00:20:03.700 prayer and meditation. Get Psalms of Hope completely 00:20:03.700 --> 00:20:07.359 free by going online to livingontheedge .org. 00:20:07.579 --> 00:20:11.200 Just search for Psalms of Hope and begin today. 00:20:12.279 --> 00:20:14.140 You know, every resource we offer, including 00:20:14.140 --> 00:20:16.980 this devotional, exists because listeners like 00:20:16.980 --> 00:20:19.359 you believe in the mission of Living on the Edge. 00:20:19.500 --> 00:20:22.220 When you give, you're helping people around the 00:20:22.220 --> 00:20:24.480 world discover their true identity in Christ. 00:20:24.819 --> 00:20:27.940 Would you join with us today? Support this ministry 00:20:27.940 --> 00:20:31.700 at livingontheedge .org or mail your gift to 00:20:31.700 --> 00:20:35.519 Living on the Edge, P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, 00:20:35.779 --> 00:20:40.480 Georgia, 30024. You can also call us at 888 - 00:20:42.930 --> 00:20:45.670 And we've added something new to the Living on 00:20:45.670 --> 00:20:48.509 the Edge podcast, the Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast. 00:20:48.970 --> 00:20:52.009 Now you can hear Chip's complete, unedited sermons 00:20:52.009 --> 00:20:54.910 as they were originally preached. Just subscribe 00:20:54.910 --> 00:20:57.769 to the Living on the Edge podcast on your favorite 00:20:57.769 --> 00:21:01.869 podcast app. Well, now here's Chip. Jesus was 00:21:01.869 --> 00:21:05.690 standing before a group of people. They had just 00:21:05.690 --> 00:21:10.089 believed him and received eternal life. And he 00:21:10.089 --> 00:21:13.069 said to that group who had just believed on him, 00:21:13.130 --> 00:21:17.430 if you abide in my words, you will know the truth 00:21:17.430 --> 00:21:20.930 and the truth will, you can finish it for me, 00:21:20.950 --> 00:21:25.470 can't you? The truth will set you free. What 00:21:25.470 --> 00:21:27.529 we're really talking about today is the power 00:21:27.529 --> 00:21:31.599 of the truth to set you free. And rarely is there 00:21:31.599 --> 00:21:33.640 an area that's more sensitive, not just in the 00:21:33.640 --> 00:21:35.920 Christian community, but in the world at large, 00:21:36.019 --> 00:21:39.079 of people seeing themselves through faulty mirrors. 00:21:39.700 --> 00:21:42.079 You know, there are beautiful, beautiful people, 00:21:42.180 --> 00:21:44.079 wonderful people, and they look in the mirror 00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:46.880 and they don't see a beautiful or wonderful or 00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:49.859 caring or loving person. They're looking at their 00:21:49.859 --> 00:21:51.660 lives through warped mirrors and they don't like 00:21:51.660 --> 00:21:54.059 themselves. And there's a lot of people that 00:21:54.059 --> 00:21:57.759 are taking drugs and abusing alcohol. and are 00:21:57.759 --> 00:22:00.900 in codependent relationships, and who are workaholics, 00:22:01.059 --> 00:22:03.880 and who are desperately, desperately trying to 00:22:03.880 --> 00:22:07.039 be free and trying to be a someone, but the distorted 00:22:07.039 --> 00:22:09.240 mirrors of their past have warped their thinking. 00:22:10.680 --> 00:22:13.980 Jesus says that when we know the truth, the truth 00:22:13.980 --> 00:22:17.160 can set us free. And in our next broadcast, we're 00:22:17.160 --> 00:22:19.710 going to talk about... getting the kind of knowledge 00:22:19.710 --> 00:22:21.990 from Scripture so that happens. We're going to 00:22:21.990 --> 00:22:24.789 talk about how you grow in your faith so it actually 00:22:24.789 --> 00:22:27.769 occurs, how your mind is renewed, and then specific 00:22:27.769 --> 00:22:31.089 steps of experience where God can make true in 00:22:31.089 --> 00:22:34.789 you what is already true of you. But today I 00:22:34.789 --> 00:22:37.650 want to close out our broadcast by talking very 00:22:37.650 --> 00:22:39.750 honestly and personally with some of you that 00:22:39.750 --> 00:22:42.630 have warp mirrors. You know, the warp mirrors 00:22:42.630 --> 00:22:45.230 are, one, my value depends on how I look, the 00:22:45.230 --> 00:22:48.339 appearance warp mirror. You know, we are so flooded 00:22:48.339 --> 00:22:51.319 with information and the magazine racks and TV 00:22:51.319 --> 00:22:53.500 and commercials that, you know, if a gal's not 00:22:53.500 --> 00:22:56.680 5 '6 and 105 pounds, and you know what, that's 00:22:56.680 --> 00:22:59.920 pretty skinny. But, you know, on those magazine 00:22:59.920 --> 00:23:01.900 racks, they make those people look so pretty 00:23:01.900 --> 00:23:03.480 and so beautiful. And we've got a whole generation 00:23:03.480 --> 00:23:05.880 of young women who look in the mirror and who 00:23:05.880 --> 00:23:08.670 are beautiful but think they're fat. We've got 00:23:08.670 --> 00:23:10.970 this whole eating disorder thing that has occurred 00:23:10.970 --> 00:23:13.869 because of faulty mirror. I have a very close 00:23:13.869 --> 00:23:19.190 friend. She is just a great friend of our family 00:23:19.190 --> 00:23:21.970 and a friend of our church. And as Teresa was 00:23:21.970 --> 00:23:23.710 doing some teaching in the life of our church, 00:23:23.769 --> 00:23:26.190 got to know this gal. And I mean, she's drop 00:23:26.190 --> 00:23:28.630 dead gorgeous. You know what I mean? I mean, 00:23:28.630 --> 00:23:31.269 she ought to be on a magazine somewhere. And 00:23:31.269 --> 00:23:33.269 you know what her biggest struggle is in her 00:23:33.269 --> 00:23:37.170 heart? She thinks she's ugly. I mean, it's just 00:23:37.170 --> 00:23:40.289 like so far from reality, but her appearance 00:23:40.289 --> 00:23:43.089 and her value is dependent on faulty mirrors. 00:23:43.190 --> 00:23:46.390 How about you? Are you preoccupied with how you 00:23:46.390 --> 00:23:48.390 look, and are you one of those guys that has 00:23:48.390 --> 00:23:50.369 to lift so many weights and drink all the protein 00:23:50.369 --> 00:23:52.349 drinks, not because you really want to be healthy 00:23:52.349 --> 00:23:55.089 and strong, but you desperately want to be approved? 00:23:55.430 --> 00:23:59.430 Are you a woman that is just dieting, dieting, 00:23:59.430 --> 00:24:01.410 dieting, and you're a Christian and you love 00:24:01.410 --> 00:24:04.160 God, but down deep you don't like you? Can I 00:24:04.160 --> 00:24:07.059 tell you there's a better way? God made you uniquely. 00:24:07.319 --> 00:24:09.380 You're loved. You're valued. You're significant. 00:24:09.539 --> 00:24:12.980 But you must get the snapshot of his word in 00:24:12.980 --> 00:24:16.279 your heart and life, not the snapshot of the 00:24:16.279 --> 00:24:20.299 world. You know something? I encourage you, if 00:24:20.299 --> 00:24:23.039 this is an area, our few minutes here today is 00:24:23.039 --> 00:24:24.920 not going to bring about the long -term transformation. 00:24:25.380 --> 00:24:27.680 If you really struggle here, I encourage you 00:24:27.680 --> 00:24:30.359 to find a good Christian counselor, a pastor, 00:24:30.559 --> 00:24:34.859 a friend. Get in Psalm 139 and read it over and 00:24:34.859 --> 00:24:38.460 say, Lord, will you help me see me the way you 00:24:38.460 --> 00:24:41.799 see me? Begin a journey of seeing the truth about 00:24:41.799 --> 00:24:45.960 you so you can be free. How do we renew our minds 00:24:45.960 --> 00:24:49.319 with God's truth? I'm Dave Drewy, inviting you 00:24:49.319 --> 00:24:55.559 to find out Monday on Living on the Edge. Today's 00:24:55.559 --> 00:24:58.140 program is produced and sponsored by Living on 00:24:58.140 --> 00:24:58.619 the Edge.