There is no question that these are unusual times. Everything has been turned on its head. When we see so much tumult, chaos and fear, this is a time to stop and reflect. When there are unusual circumstances in our lives and the status quo has been upended, this calls for unusual actions. We need to rethink how we behave, and we need to rethink our priorities.
There are two essential connections that most people do not have today. The first is a connection with God. Most people do not have a real connection with our Lord. Either they are not saved, or they are walking carnally.
The second connection most people do not have is a connection to their real selves. Somewhere deep down within your being is the real you. This real you may even be someone you have never met. I would like to explain the importance of coming into contact with the greater aspect of yourself, the part of you that could be called the real you.
If you are a Christian, the real you is hard working and dependable. The real you has the fruit of the Spirit, so the real you is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, and empowered by self-control. The real you can do all things through Christ. Have you ever met this person or do you have him locked away somewhere? Do you ever argue with yourself? As a spirit filled Christian you may be conversing with the Holy Spirit, but many people are indeed arguing with themselves. Yet, I would like to share something really different, something deeper, beyond the level of our personality, beyond our conditioning, beyond how we regard ourselves in the normal sense. I want to look at our deeper nature and to what I might call “our greater self.”
Someone said it is important to “Be true to yourself”: that sounds good, but what if you don’t know who your true self is? Actually, there are parts of yourself that are really who you are and parts of yourself that are hardly you at all; and that is the self that is on display much of the time. Finding yourself can be described as a layered process. It’s like peeling back the skin of an onion to reveal its essence. The truth of who we are is so essential that its absence takes a heavy toll. It can cause us to lose our sense of self, personal goals, and close relationships. If you want to live a fulfilling life, you must first know who you really are.
When we become disconnected from ourselves, we also become disconnected from our purpose, our passions, our dreams, our desires, our true feelings, the present moment, the joy and beauty in everyday life, and our loved ones. We walk around on auto-pilot, blindly carrying out our routines and habits, letting our programming and conditioned ways lead the way, all the while ignoring our soul’s true calling. When we lose touch with our true, authentic selves, we start to identify strongly with our false selves, believing it’s who we really are, and we become even more disconnected, stressed, anxious, lost, confused, paranoid, angry, lonely, disengaged, and dissatisfied.
As a Christian, if you’ve been feeling any of these things lately, either you have forgotten who you are or you never actually met the real you.
First, For All Christian Boys and Males, There is A Man Down Deep Inside of You.
You are a man! Maybe no one has told you about him. Maybe they assumed you knew. Sooner or later, for you to lead the life of a champion, you will need to connect with him. Do you ever find yourself thinking about becoming a great man? A man that will do great things for the Lord, for his family, and for his community. Well, perhaps you need to step up to the plate and get started!
“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”
I Corinthians 16:13
The Bible is full of verses telling us to be strong. In this text, Paul was encouraging and building up the men in the church to act like men. The same applies today for all of us guys who in reality are acting like boys.
“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” I Corinthians 13:11
Men, we are not kids anymore. There was a time when we were children, but as we become men, we give up our childish ways. Usually, nothing is standing in between us and growing up except for ourselves. Paul was encouraging the men to act with courage and strength in obedience to the Lord and with confidence in His power. As we are obedient to the Lord, He will give us power and strength to move through life with courage and confidence. We have to make a choice. Becoming a man doesn’t just happen. Paul mentions “when I became a man,” meaning, he made a decision to give up childish ways.
Guys, have you made the choice to grow up yet? Our churches are full of men with one foot in manhood and one foot still being a kid. One side of you has not turned from the lusts, the selfishness, the passivity, the irresponsibility, and the rebellion of the teenage years to become what God called you to be. We can decide to sulk in our guilt and tell ourselves we are not good enough and will never be that “man.” Or, we can decide to be courageous, be strong, act like men, and trust God to lead us to be the men He is calling us to be.
Modern culture has no idea what real manhood looks like. It speaks to being weak in the home, with the wife being more of a level headed leader, instead of the “boy” she married. It speaks to spending your money on meaningless toys or entertainment that will never bring you ultimate satisfaction. It speaks to leaving any commitment that you have made when it stops making you happy. Our culture does not define manhood, it defines selfishness; and then calls it manhood. It tells you to continue being an immature boy who only cares about himself and no one else. The Bible is totally opposite on the subject. The Bible teaches is to lead in the home and to be concerned with the real things going on in the real world.
Guys, step up, act like men. Be the man God is calling you to be. Nothing is standing in your way except yourself, your selfishness, and your sin. Make a choice, an actual decision here and now, to turn from those sins, to decide to follow Christ including being obedient to what He is calling you to do. He will give you strength and power so that you can move through life, with whatever comes your way, with courage and confidence in the One who led by example for you, the One who died for you, and the One who will continue to lead you. Dig deep, I will assure you there is a man down there for you to connect with.
Second, For All Christian Girls and Women, There is A Lady Down Deep Inside of You.
A lady is a woman, but not all women are ladies. Since the gender revolution, some women are insulted to be called “ladies,” feeling that the word suggests inferiority, or condescension. Certain things set a “lady” apart from the generic “woman.” To draw from the celebrity sphere, I would not associate Rosanne Barr with being a lady.
I was recently studying the creation story when I stumbled across the strong Hebrew word God used when creating Eve: she was called the “ezer.” In that moment, God’s intentions leapt off of the printed page. My, how highly God thinks of His daughters. You need to understand how valuable you are to His kingdom. It means you stand shoulder to shoulder with men, instead of taking the back row seat. Different roles to be sure, but both equally important. Are you willing to follow the blueprint in God’s Word, or will you shrink back in fear?
Picture this: Adam is lovingly placed in a garden of perfect beauty; surrounded by animal couples of every form, color, and kind; with plenty of food and drink, and a benevolent Creator to enjoy. But following the animal parade, in which Adam named the creatures, we get the first hint that things are not as they should be, that God Himself is not satisfied. Although up until this point God had declared all things “good,” He now makes a startling statement in Genesis 2:18.
“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help (Ezer) meet for him.”
God said I will make him an helper (Ezer) perfect for him. Adam needs help! So, God made an agent of rescue suitable for him!
Finally, For All Immature Believers, There Is A Christian Champion Down Deep Inside of You.
Do you desire to be a better Christian? I think that most Christians sincerely want to be better. But how do we become better Christians? Some people say that reading the Bible or other Christian books will make you a good Christian. Other people say that doing a lot of good works will make you a better Christian.
Jesus used the illustration of the vine and the branches to describe the Christian life. Jesus referred to Himself as the vine and to His followers as the branches. Christians are chosen for a divine purpose. Christians can reach out and bless the world.
Christians have been chosen for joy. “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” John 15:11.
Christians have been chosen for love. “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” John 15:12.
Christians also have been chosen to be ambassadors. “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” John 15:16
Again, I say, there are two essential connections that most people do not have today. The first is a connection with God. Most people do not have a real connection with our Lord. Either they are not saved, or they are walking carnally.
The second connection people do not have is a connection to their real selves. Somewhere deep down within your being is the real you. If you are a Christian, somewhere deep inside you, if you are a male—there is a man deep inside you longing to be released.
Should you be a female, there is a lady with all her strength and beauty somewhere deep inside you—and if you have never met her—she longs to be released. This wonderful person you really are will revolutionize your life.
Finally, if you are not walking with the Lord as you should, there is a spirit filled victorious and powerful Christian deep within you waiting to be released. These connections reveal who you really are—your greater self.
Dr. Worthington has been in the ministry for over forty years and serves as President of Pathway Ministries and Christian Bible College