Monday October 26


“Jesus asked him…‘What is thy name?’”  Lk 8:30 

Stop putting yourself down

Remember the man in Scripture who was possessed by demons? “Jesus asked him…‘What is thy name?’ And he said, ‘Legion’: because many devils were entered into him.” (A legion in the Roman army comprised some six thousand troops.) “Legion” wasn’t this man’s real name; it was merely a label. But he’d battled his problem so long that he accepted the label, and defined himself by his experience. Perhaps you’ve labeled yourself “fat,” because you’ve battled weight for so long with no apparent victory in sight. Or you define yourself as a “victim,” because you were abused or taken advantage of by others. Maybe you see yourself as a “failure,” because you’re divorced, or your kids have gone off the tracks. If so, it’s time to lose the negative labels and start seeing yourself the way God sees you. Jesus set this tormented man free, gave him back his self-worth, and restored him to his family. And He wants to do the same for you! Satan will take you from one extreme to the other. He’ll make you either boastful or bashful; make you think you’re “hot stuff,” or convince you that you’re worthless. Don’t buy it! Self-deprecation is often disguised as humility, when in reality it’s a rejection of God’s Word, which assures you that you “can do all things through Christ who strengthens [you]” (Php 4:13 NKJV). What others call you doesn’t matter; what you call yourself does! The bottom line is: “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2Co 9:8 NIV).