DEVELOPING A HEALTHY

SELF-ESTEEM

PURPOSE

In this study, we will discover how to have a healthy self-esteem.

OPENER

How do you feel about yourself? What are some of your strengths and weaknesses?

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

LESSON

WE WILL DISCOVER SOME PRINCIPLES ON HOW TO DEVELOP A HEALTHY SELF-ESTEEM.

1. FIRST, TO DEVELOP A HEALTHY SELF-ESTEEM, WE MUST EMBRACE THE VALUE WE HAVE IN GOD'S SIGHT.

According to (Genesis 1:27), God created us in His own image. How does this describe our worth in God's eyes?

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

• God loves us so much, that He created us in His own image. Since we are created in the image of God, we are precious and valuable in His eyes (Matthew 10:29-31). We are so valuable to God that He sent His son, Jesus, to die for us (John. 3:16).

Are we still worth a lot to God even when we make mistakes and sin against Him?

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

• Here is what amazes me about God. He values us even when we make mistakes. David, the King of Israel, made many mistakes. However, the Bible tells us that God viewed David as a man after His own heart. God loved David, even though he made several mistakes.

• Some times we think that God loves and values us one day, however, when we sin or make a mistake, we think that He dislikes us. He values us one day, but He doesn’t the next. God values us even though we are not perfect.

How do you feel after knowing that you are worth a lot in the sight of God?

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

• I feel loved, and valued as a human being. Since we are worth a lot to God, we need to value ourselves. Knowing that we are made in God’s image should provide us with a solid basis for self-worth. Our human worth is not based on possessions, achievements, physical attractiveness, or public acclaim. Instead it is based on being made and created by God. Because we bear God’s image, we can feel positive about ourselves.

2. SECOND, TO DEVELOP A HEALTHY SELF-ESTEEM, WE MUST REPLACE NEGATIVE SELF-TALK WITH POSITIVE SELF-TALK.

In the King James Version, (Proverbs 23:7) says, "As a man thinkest so he is." Explain what this means to you.

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

• If we think negatively, we will be negative people. If we think we are failures, we will fail. If we think we are successful, we will be a success. We carry on an inner dialogue with ourselves at an astounding rate of about 1,300 words per minute. What we say to ourselves influences our self-esteem.

Are most people positive or negative thinkers?

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

• Dr. Albert Ellis says that most people have negative, self-defeating and irrational thoughts about life and themselves.

What are some irrational thoughts that some people have?

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

• Here are some irrational thoughts that some people have: I need to be loved by everyone; I must be totally competent in every situation; if I am not perfect, then people will think less of me; and when I sin, God does not love me anymore.

• When people buy into these irrational beliefs or lies they will get down on themselves because they cannot fulfill them which will produce a low self-esteem.

How can we change our negative self-talk to positive self-talk?

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

• We need to replace our irrational negative thoughts, with positive truthful thoughts. We need to turn defeating thoughts into victorious thoughts.

I’m a failure…I’m successful.

God doesn’t love me because of my sins…God loves me even though I am a sinner.

I don’t deserve to be happy…I deserve to be happy.

I’ll never be able to change…I can change.

According to (Philippians 4:8), what types of things are we to reflect upon?

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

• (Philippians 4:8) “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable –if anything is praiseworthy-think about such things.”

3. THIRD, TO DEVELOP A HEALTHY SELF-ESTEEM, WE MUST BELIEVE IN OURSELVES.

According to (Philippians 4:13), we can do all things through Jesus who gives us strength. Describe a time when you believed in yourself enough to achieve a difficult goal.

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

• I dropped out of college my sophomore year. Several years later, I became a Christian. After reading (Philippians 4:13), I gained the confidence and courage to go back to college to finish my degree. I, with the help of the Lord, achieved this goal in 1994. I am a firm believer that we can do all things through Jesus who gives us strength.

Presently, what dream or goal would you like to achieve?

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

CONCLUSION:

1. If you presently have a low self-esteem, then I hope and pray that this lesson has been beneficial.

2. To develop a healthy self-esteem, we must embrace the value we have in God's sight, replace negative self-talk with positive self-talk, and we must believe in ourselves. Through Christ, we can begin loving ourselves (Matthew 22:39) as God loves us.

Download questions in Microsoft Word

Download leader's notes in Microsoft Word