Olivet Nazarene University Digital Commons @ Olivet Herald of Holiness/Holiness Today Church of the Nazarene 8-1-1992 Herald of Holiness Volume 81 Number 08 (1992) Wesley D. Tracy (Editor) Nazarene Publishing House Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.olivet.edu/cotn_hoh Part of the Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, Christianity Commons, History of Christianity Commons, Missions and World Christianity Commons, and the Practical Theology Commons Recommended Citation Tracy, Wesley D. (Editor), "Herald of Holiness Volume 81 Number 08 (1992)" (1992). Herald of Holiness/Holiness Today. 80. https://digitalcommons.olivet.edu/cotn_hoh/80 This Journal Issue is brought to you for free and open access by the Church of the Nazarene at Digital Commons @ Olivet. It has been accepted for inclusion in Herald of Holiness/Holiness Today by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Olivet. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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In addition to Wesleyan-Arminian tradi­ its successful study tech­ tion rejoice over the publica­ niques, this Bible features a tion of The Wesley Bible, but so redesigned, contemporary will all evangelical Chris­ cover and a Dare to Run, tians who are concerned Words-Only Chorus Book. about their Christian walk. [Dili A great back-to-school Bi­ HHTR-985 NEW INTERNATIONAL ble buy! Black Bonded Leather $64.99 VERSION ; HHTR-81140 $15.95 hhtr-985BG Burgundy Bonded Leather $64.99 h h t r - 9 8 2 Hardback $29.95 Prices subject to change without notice Plus postage TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE FINE MONTHLY FEATURES TODAY! Call us at 1-800-877-0700 Herald of Holiness CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE Volume 81, Number 8 FEATURE ARTICLES AUGUST 1992 2 20 Positive A Promise to God, Go Away Self-esteem Keep—a People L o n n i C o l l in s P r a t t R o n a l d L. P h e l p s to Serve St e v e n P. J a c k s o n 44 Will the Light Go Out? St e p h e n W . N ea se CONTINUING DEPARTMENTS COLUMNS 8 Editor’s Choice W e s l e y D T r a c y 6 General 14- 18, 38-41 News Superintendent’s M a r k G r a h a m Viewpoint T o m F e l d e r R a y m o n d W . H o r n 34 The Readers Write SPECIAL REPORT 7 Into the Word 37 The Question Box R o g e r L H a h n C o n d u c t e d b y W e s l e y D 30 12 When You Pray T r a c y E. D e e F r e e b o r n 47 Marked Copy Benefits of 13 The Family Album M a r k G r a h a m Nazarene J e r r y a n d L y n d a C o h a g a n 48 Late News Preaching 43 Nazarene Roots M a r k G r a h a m W e s l e y T r a c y S t a n I n g e r s o l T o m F e l d e r D. POSITIVE SELF-ESTEEM DISCOVERING I WHO I AM IN CHRIST BY RONALD L. PHELPS ew people experience the godly blend of contentment and sat­ isfaction that God planned for them. From the starting point Fof life, we find ourselves searching to give peace to an inner restlessness we cannot explain. This hunger causes us to find people who will fill the void in our lives. The desire for acceptance forces us to act and react for the praise of others. In the Scriptures, God has given us the necessary tools and words to dis­ cover our significance and worth as He sees us. From the earliest chapters of Genesis, we read of man’s creation, his intended purpose and value. In the New Testament, we discover a clue to human worth in God’s love for us through Christ’s coming, death, and resurrection. The inner desire for self-esteem is given to us by God, and only He can satisfy us. As Christians, we need an accurate knowledge of God’s truth. This is the first step in The provisions for our our search for personal self- w orth. mental well-being are “W hether labeled ‘self- found in Scripture esteem’ or ‘self-worth,’ the . feeling of significance is cru­ cial to the emotional, spiri­ tual, and social stability of people. The need to believe we are significant is the driv­ ing element within the hu­ man spirit. Understanding this single need opens the door to understanding our actions and attitudes” ( R o b e r t S. McGee, The Search for Significance, 13). The bookstores are filled with self-help books that promise to increase and im­ prove the individual’s self- worth. What has to be un­ derstood is that the inner desire for self-esteem is given to us by God, and only He can satisfy us. We desire to recapture the rela­ tionship of Adam with God in the garden. Lost as a re­ sult of sin, we struggle to re­ gain our lost sense of worth and value. That sense of self-worth is found only love and deserve to be punished. Fourth, I am what I when we accept the love and acceptance of God. He am. I cannot change. I am hopeless. created man. Only He understands how to meet all There is a biblical answer to each of the false be­ o u r needs. liefs of Satan. Apart from God’s redemptive plan and His total If we could just know the false belief and not ac­ provision for our needs, no one will ever discover cept it, our problem would be easy to solve. How­ true self-worth. As we trust in the Lord for our for­ ever, each false belief has consequences. If my life is giveness, our salvation, and our sanctification, we lived trying to meet the standards of people in order begin to discover our worth in the eyes of God. to feel good about myself, I will live with the fear of Our difficulty in living daily what God says is failure. Each day will bring a dread of failure to meet true, is the result of Satan’s lies that have been em­ expectations. Will I be good enough, will I do the bedded in our subconscious minds. The lies of Satan job right, will I reach the goal? began to be planted into our minds from birth. We The solution to the problem is to understand learned his lies about our self-worth from those who God’s answer. God’s answer is Justification. Ju stifi­ cared for us as children. Many agree that by age six cation means God not only has forgiven me of my we have already hidden our self-worth ideas in the sins but also has granted me the righteousness of deepest subconscious areas of our minds. All our ex­ Christ. Because of justification, I have the righteous­ periences of life from that point are filtered through ness of Christ and am pleasing to the Father (Ro­ our belief system about ourselves and our worth. Sa­ m an s 5:1). tan would have us believe: If my life is lived trying to gain the approval of Four False Beliefs certain others in order to feel good about myself, I There are four false beliefs Satan likes to anchor will live with the fear of rejection. I will do what oth­ deep in our self-concept. First, I must meet certain ers want, right or wrong, in order to not experience standards to feel good about myself. Second, I must rejection. We see the force of peer pressure in our be approved (accepted) by certain others to feel good society today. It isn’t something that affects just the about myself. Third, those who fail are unworthy of youth. Adults of all ages suffer from this lie of Satan. 4 Herald of Holiness G o d ’s an sw e r is Reconciliation. Reconciliation Regeneration is not a self-improvement program. means that, although at one time 1 was hostile and Regeneration is nothing less than the impartation of alienated from God, I now have been forgiven and new life. Paul told the Ephesians we were once dead brought into an intimate relationship with God.