There is a difference between a person who has pride, and a person who is arrogant. We all know arrogant people who are brutish and loud, always having to put people down in order to feel lifted up. That’s arrogance. But self-pride is different.

If you have a mechanic you want a good mechanic. What makes a good mechanic? Someone who has pride in their work, right? You don’t want a mechanic who says, “I might fix it or it might break on you, I never know.” You don’t want to give your car to that person, you could get killed doing that! You don’t want to give your money to a stock broker who says, “Well, you know, I haven’t made any money yet, but give me your money because who knows? Maybe I can help you.” You don’t want to give your money to a broker with no confidence, you want a broker who believes in his decisions.  You wouldn’t want to go to a doctor for help and hear him say, “Well, most people die when I operate on them, but come on, I’ll give it a try.” No! You want a doctor who says, “Yes I can help you, you’ll be fine.”

We need people who believe in themselves. Sometimes the church creates unbelievers by leading you to believe that God is important, but you’re not. God is smart, but you aren’t.  God is holy, but you’re just a sinner. You walk out of that church thinking, I’m in trouble!

When Adam sinned he was filled with shame and hid from God, but Jesus came and filled us with dignity. Now you can believe in yourself because He lives in you and your sins are removed—you’re  a new person! You have a new spirit, you have a new relationship, you have a new revelation, you have a new authority. That’s the gospel! I’m not talking to a bunch of losers; I’m talking to the most successful people in the world.

If you can’t leave church confident and happy, then you’d better find a church that is telling you all the Good News!

The most important opinion you will ever have is the opinion that you have of yourself.  You might say, “I wish I would have known that when I was younger.”  It’s not too late! If you’re 20 or 40 right now, it’s wonderful to know this and to practice it. It will take you to amazing places! Even if you’re old, you still can really benefit from this knowledge.

There was a man named Alfred whom the newspaper mistakenly published an obituary of.  Alfred read this obituary that told all about his life, and decided that he didn’t like what it said.

Alfred was the man who invented dynamite, and he didn’t like what the obituary said about him and his invention, citing all the people that had been killed because of it. So he made the decision that he would change his obituary. He decided that when he died, this would not be what people said about him.

Do you know what he is known for now? Alfred’s last name was Nobel, and he became the creator of the Nobel peace prize.

Alfred was the inventor of dynamite, yet most are unaware of this and instead know him as a man of peace. He decided to change his obituary when he was old, so you can change too! Begin to see yourself differently. This may require some time, but it’s very significant.  We’re not talking about becoming prideful. Self-pride is not wrong, self-arrogance is.

The most important picture that you can ever see is the picture is that you have of yourself. It’s not one that you see in the mirror, but it’s the one that you see inside yourself that’s important. The most important prophet is not a prophet you see on TV, not a prophet that will visit your city, but a prophet in your own house. You are the best prophet in your life. You are the most important prophet in your life because what you say about yourself is what people will believe. This is the truth: What you say about yourself is what people will believe! 

If you say nobody believes in you, you’re just telling me you don’t believe in yourself!

Our own words will either justify or condemn us—so it really does matter what we say! An old friend of my family’s—a hard-drinking, cursing man almost all his life—experienced Christ gloriously in a church service and had a spiritual new birth. He was so sensitive to the presence of Jesus within him that when he tried to speak, all he could do was nod his head, because his whole vocabulary consisted of curse words. It took him six months before he could say a sentence without cursing!

We must be sensitive to what we are saying. Jesus said we bring up blessings or curses from our heart and release them with our words. People want to speak their minds. That’s a good thing unless what’s in their minds does not match up with their place in God’s kingdom, their rights as God’s children, their privileges as members of God’s family, or their love dominion based on their legal standing with God.

They talk as if they’re not redeemed. They talk as if they’re not free from the curse of death and the fear of injury, sickness, accidents, plagues, and evil men that bring death. Don’t waste your precious gift of speech by declaring that you are in agreement with evil, failure, depression, sickness, or fear!

When we get to heaven we will see things as they really are. Right now we must evaluate through many different lenses what we think we are seeing. If we’re wise we will strive to get the eternal picture so we can live in the present with a proper perspective.

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”   1 Corinthians 13:12

Life began in the embryo. For 9 months that was your world. Some people probably spent all their time in the embryo trying to keep it clean and orderly. Others just thought life was an entitlement of free food and a warm bed where they could go to the gym and kick and punch all day long with no rules!

Then one day life changed dramatically and you popped out into a whole new atmosphere. You no longer were top dog and king of the hill. Now you were low on the totem pole and had to scream to get some attention. You looked back and realized you had life all wrong. You had to adjust your thinking of what life really was like.

In the same manner, soon you are going to pop out of this earth suit you are wearing into another totally different environment where real life begins. Eternal life.

That day is coming. Prepare for it. The manual for real success in the next life is in the Book!

The wonderful facts of Christianity raise us from nobody to somebody, from simple to wise, from weak to courageous. These unmatched facts become living realities in a person when that person hears and chooses to believe them. What makes us like God and not like robots, is our ability to choose!

We can choose to see wonderful days ahead. We can choose to expect good favor coming our way. We can choose to anticipate everything lining up in our lives as we rejoice in our Maker.

The alternative is to live in fear. We can choose to fear that the economy will go down and take us with it. We can choose to fear that the doctor’s reports of cancer, heart disease, or a thousand other diagnoses are the final word. We can choose to fear tomorrow and fold up.

Or, we can spread our wings of faith and exclaim that everything will work out! The facts of our faith put us in the realm of God. Jesus said, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23).

I remember an experience with a new roommate in college. We went to the local shopping center for lunch, and as we were walking through the long corridors, my roommate suddenly began having a panic attack. She fearfully repeated, “Leslie, Leslie – why are all these people staring at me? What’s wrong with me??” At first I didn’t understand what she was saying, and frankly, I didn’t even notice! Then it dawned on me, they weren’t staring at her. I told her to walk several steps behind me and see what happened. She was so relieved to see nothing was wrong with her, and that they were actually staring at me!

I have spent my life being the tallest person in a classroom, on a basketball team, in a restaurant, at my office, or just about anywhere. Recently, I remember stopping for the day in Mumbai. As we enjoyed the sights, people began following me, wanting to take pictures with me. Small groups of young people, women with children and entire families kept gathering around me for pictures! I didn’t know what to think…I’m tall? I’m unique? Do they think they recognize me? I finally realized I wasn’t going to see any sights, so I just decided to enjoy the people!

Have you ever felt self-conscious? Have you ever wondered if the whole world is staring at you? I have. According to Psychology Today, self-consciousness keeps us fighting the battle to control our self-image. But obsessing over our shortcomings inevitably traps us in embarrassment and shame.

How do we rise above self-consciousness and triumph in life? First, contrast self-consciousness with self-worth. Self-consciousness is an awareness of differences and shortcomings compared to others. Self-worth is built upon an internal perspective of ourselves. It is discovery of our intrinsic value, lived out through our dreams of the future. The dictionary states self-worth is the sense of one’s own value as a person. It is self-esteem or self-respect.

Self-worth can find its basis in biblical truth by knowing that we are created in God’s image; by understanding that we are wonderfully made; by realizing that our lives were written in God’s book before we were born!  This Creator has chosen to live in the hearts of people! You can identify with Him today! How? By simply calling upon His name! God in heaven, Who revealed Himself to us through His Son Jesus is waiting right now for you to call upon Him! Why wait? Call on Him now!

Today we complete your toolbox with the final tool to help you on your journey to realizing your goals and aspirations with confidence!

Tool #3: Track Your Progress!

Journal writing is one of the best tools for organizing mental clutter, by capturing thoughts and emotions in writing. After my mentor’s wife of 53 years passed away, he began documenting their life together and the “Why?” behind her early demise. “When I finished writing this book,” he said, “I knew I was ready to move forward. I was healed.”

You can create different journals for different parts of your journey. One may be for personal healing and insight, while another may be an “idea journal” reserved for capturing inspiration.

How do you use an idea journal? Keep a small notebook in your purse or pocket and jot down your ideas throughout the day. Often during quiet moments of reflection, you’ll find your written ideas weave an interesting tapestry.

Early morning is another vital time for journaling your thoughts! Keep a notepad by your bed—I like to call mine my morning ‘think-pad.’ Glean these early thoughts before a child or a morning hello interrupts your clarity. Never minimize the importance of capturing these early thoughts! Your heart and mind are working while you sleep, planning life’s journey! Start each day with your idea journal, capturing your morning revelation.

If you need to simplify, an electronic journal, cellphone or voice recorder can help you record your fresh ideas and the answers to your soul-searching questions!

As a young person, I faced relentless teasing for my size, name and abilities. No one seemed to understand, not even my mother. I remember her saying to me, “Leslie you are beautiful and gifted, what are you so upset about? Straighten up!” Those words, although intended to bring peace, only drove my shame deeper and placed an unseen wedge in my heart.

Several years later I realized that whenever I was in my mother’s house, we would automatically disagree and sometimes argue. There was no one else in the world I loved more at that time and yet we could not dwell in peace. I wanted help. My friend suggested that I ask God to forgive me for judging my mother and, if possible, seek my mother’s forgiveness. When I asked my mother to forgive me for not being the daughter I should have been, I remember her response. She said, “Leslie, you’re my daughter. Forgive you for what? I love you!”

My mother had no memory of any wrong, which is often the case, and the reason we must learn to guard our hearts. Because as the Proverb says, the issues of life flow out of the heart. My release did not come in knowing that my mother understood. My release came when I understood I was forgiven by God and I had forgiven both my mother and myself.

Have you ever considered the dominant role an unforgiving spirit can play in your life? You might wonder, what is an unforgiving spirit?

Virginia Whitman relates an incident that occurred several years ago at Fairfax Airport in Kansas City, where workers were constructing a proposed electrically ‘perfect’ room.  This room was designed to provide technicians a work environment free of any electrical interference.  To make this possible, special construction techniques were employed. When the job was complete, however, a special electronic “reading” revealed a small amount of electrical conduction.  After hours of searching, testing, and measuring, the trouble was discovered.  The culprit was the lead pencil marks on the lumber used by the carpenters.

What is an unforgiving spirit?  It is the unseen pencil mark on the soul, breaking our connections with other people and affecting all of our relationships.  Initially difficult to identify, an unforgiving spirit is developed over time, due to an inability to deal properly with shame, offenses, and even a pain suffered.

Is there a door to the heart that is the source of an unforgiving spirit?  The seeds of an unforgiving spirit are planted when we are wronged in some way.  Often, the first hurt we experience may begin as a child; unknowingly inflicted by those we love the most.