Embracing Transformation Through Self-Control and Humility

Devotional

Day 1: Self-Control Over Self-Esteem

In our pursuit of a flourishing life, self-control emerges as a more reliable guide than self-esteem. While self-esteem was once thought to be the key to solving personal and societal issues, research has shown that it often falls short and can even lead to negative outcomes. Self-control, on the other hand, is a fruit of the Spirit that aligns with the Judeo-Christian tradition, binding together love, joy, and peace. By focusing on self-control, we can cultivate a life that is not only spiritually fulfilling but also practically effective. [04:15]

"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness." (2 Peter 1:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: Identify an area in your life where you often rely on self-esteem. How can you begin to practice self-control in this area today?

Day 2: Recognizing Our Ruined Condition

Acknowledging the ruined condition of our souls is a crucial step toward spiritual renewal. Psalm 14 reminds us that no one is righteous on their own, highlighting our need for deliverance and reform. In a culture that often dismisses sin as outdated, understanding our human condition requires us to confront the reality of sin and its impact on our lives. This recognition is essential for genuine transformation, as it opens the door to seeking help beyond ourselves. [05:20]

"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart." (Psalm 51:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you recognized your own brokenness. How did this awareness change your approach to seeking spiritual growth?

Day 3: The Vital Role of Sin in Understanding Brokenness

In today's culture, sin is often dismissed as an outdated concept, yet it remains a vital principle for understanding human brokenness. The therapeutic community's diagnostic manuals may not capture the full scope of our condition, which has been traditionally understood through concepts like the seven deadly sins. Recognizing sin as a principle of explanation helps us to better understand the depth of our human condition and the need for spiritual renewal. [07:49]

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:23-24, ESV)

Reflection: Consider how the concept of sin has been perceived in your own life. How does acknowledging sin change your understanding of personal and spiritual growth?

Day 4: The Illusion of Self-Esteem in Christlikeness

The initial move toward Christlikeness cannot be based on self-esteem, as it often leads to self-deception. Instead, we must start from the recognition that we are in serious trouble and powerless over our greatest problems. This acknowledgment opens us to receive help beyond ourselves, allowing us to move toward genuine transformation. Denial and rationalization only make the consequences of our actions more difficult to address. [08:32]

"Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:12-13, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a situation where you relied on self-esteem rather than seeking help. How can you shift your focus to seeking God's guidance in similar situations?

Day 5: The Transformative Power of the Jesus Prayer

Practically, we should not try to manufacture emotional repentance through willpower. Instead, we can begin with the ancient Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner." This prayer, rooted in humility and truth, invites us to meet God in the place of our deepest need and opens our hearts to genuine transformation. By embracing this prayer, we acknowledge our need for divine intervention and open ourselves to the transformative power of God's grace. [11:25]

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!" (Psalm 51:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: Begin your day with the Jesus Prayer. How does this practice change your perspective on your need for God's mercy and grace?

Sermon Summary

In our journey of spiritual renewal, we often confront the parts of ourselves that we least like and most need to change. This can lead to feelings of low self-esteem, but the good news is that we don't need to worry about it. Research by Roy Baumeister and others has shown that self-esteem, once considered a panacea for personal and societal issues, often fails to deliver the expected benefits and can even backfire. Instead, self-control is a more effective path to a flourishing life. This aligns with the Judeo-Christian tradition, where self-control is a fruit of the Spirit that binds together love, joy, and peace.

As we delve into the third chapter of Dallas Willard's "Renovation of the Heart," we confront the concept of radical evil in the ruined soul. Psalm 14 reminds us that no one is righteous on their own, and we must recognize our soul's ruined condition before we can seek deliverance and reform. In our culture, sin is often dismissed as an outdated concept, yet understanding our human condition requires acknowledging sin as a principle of explanation. The therapeutic community's diagnostic manuals may not capture the full scope of human brokenness, which has been traditionally understood through concepts like the seven deadly sins.

The initial move toward Christlikeness cannot be based on self-esteem, as it often leads to self-deception. Instead, we must start from the recognition that we are in serious trouble and powerless over our greatest problems. This acknowledgment opens us to receive help beyond ourselves. Denial and rationalization are common human responses to our wrongness, but they only make the consequences of our actions more difficult to address.

Practically, we should not try to manufacture emotional repentance through willpower. Instead, we can begin with the ancient Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner." This prayer, rooted in humility and truth, invites us to meet God in the place of our deepest need and opens our hearts to genuine transformation.

Key Takeaways

1. Self-esteem, once hailed as a solution to personal and societal issues, often fails to deliver its promises. Instead, self-control, a fruit of the Spirit, is a more effective path to a flourishing life. This aligns with the Judeo-Christian tradition, emphasizing the importance of self-control in spiritual growth. [04:15]
2. Recognizing the ruined condition of our souls is essential for spiritual renewal. Psalm 14 reminds us that no one is righteous on their own, and we must acknowledge our need for deliverance and reform. This understanding is crucial for genuine transformation. [05:20]
3. In our culture, sin is often dismissed as an outdated concept, yet it remains a vital principle for understanding human brokenness. The therapeutic community's diagnostic manuals may not capture the full scope of our condition, which has been traditionally understood through concepts like the seven deadly sins. [07:49]
4. The initial move toward Christlikeness cannot be based on self-esteem, as it often leads to self-deception. Instead, we must start from the recognition that we are in serious trouble and powerless over our greatest problems, opening us to receive help beyond ourselves. [08:32]
5. Practically, we should not try to manufacture emotional repentance through willpower. Instead, we can begin with the ancient Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner." This prayer invites us to meet God in the place of our deepest need and opens our hearts to genuine transformation. [11:25]
** [11:25]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:42] - Personal Reflection on Self-Perception
[01:19] - Understanding Self-Esteem
[02:09] - The Myth of Self-Esteem
[03:08] - The Reality of Narcissism
[04:02] - The Power of Self-Control
[04:53] - Radical Evil in the Ruined Soul
[05:20] - Psalm 14 and Human Condition
[06:18] - The Dismissal of Sin
[07:22] - The Role of Choice in Sin
[08:32] - The Illusion of Self-Esteem
[09:43] - The Consequences of Denial
[10:35] - Practical Steps for Renewal
[11:08] - The Jesus Prayer
[12:09] - Invitation to Prayer and Transformation

Sermon Clips

In our day, in our culture, sin as a condition of the human self is not available as a principle of explanation for those who are supposed to know why life goes as it does and to guide others. Sin is no longer available as a principle of explanation. The word has become distorted. It is thought to be not scientific. [00:06:25]

The initial move towards Christ's likeness cannot be toward self-esteem because of confusion about what self-esteem means and because realistically I'm not okay and you're not okay. We're all in serious trouble. That must be our starting point. I am powerless over my great problems. My life has become unmanageable. I cannot help myself. [00:08:27]

Self-esteem in such a situation will only breed self-deception and frustration, as is now increasingly recognized. By the way, Dallas wrote this three years before Baumeister and his team did that massive analysis of self-esteem in 2005. Dallas just had a way of keeping up with stuff or being ahead of it. [00:08:46]

Denial, usually in some form of rationalization, is the primary device that humans use to deal with their own wrongness. It was the first thing out of the mouths of Adam and Eve after they sinned, and it continues up to the latest edition of the newspaper or whatever screen you happen to be looking at. [00:09:50]

The prophetic witness from God must throw itself against the massive weight of group and individual denial, often institutionalized and subtly built into our customary ways of speaking and interacting. This will be a journey. This will be difficult for us to come to grips with it. [00:10:11]

What I would not encourage you to do is to try to manufacture through willpower a deep emotional sense of regret or manufactured anguish or artificial emotional repentance. That just does not work. Unfortunately, the word sin doesn't hit us like the word alcoholic hits an alcoholic in our day. [00:10:31]

Where I would suggest that you and I start today is with a very, very ancient prayer. Primarily, it comes from a parable Jesus told in Luke chapter 18, verse 13, of somebody who realized the state, the condition of the lostness of his soul, and prayed. [00:10:58]

In this version of the Jesus Prayer goes, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner. Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner. And I will invite you to make that the prayer today, not trying to create a real fervent emotion around it. [00:11:19]

Just quite calmly, Lord Jesus Christ, and sometimes one of those words, Lord or Jesus or Christ or mercy or me or sinner, might be emphasized. This is sometimes called the prayer of the heart. We're looking at the renovation of the heart, and across the centuries, people have used it in a very deep way. [00:11:46]

So make that your prayer today. Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner, and I will meet you in the place of truth. Guard your heart. [00:12:06]

Self-control is a far more powerful way to a flourishing life. And then this, and I thought this is quite fascinating. My message is not new, he says. It can be found in the Judeo-Christian tradition, although he himself is not a person of faith. [00:04:16]

And you might remember the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, and then the final one that kind of binds them together, that enables them to be lived out, is self-control. And that's not something that I generate on my own. It is a fruit of the spirit. [00:04:27]

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