The god of Self

Welcome to today's episode of the Reflective Spaces Ministry Podcast. I'm Tammy Toney-Butler, Healing Evangelist and your Host. But we all know who the host of this show is, and that's Christ by way of his Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth that lives within us and works through us and brings healing and restoration to many. Today's episode is called The God of Self. The God of Self. And make sure you check out our blog on the Reflective Spaces Ministry website under blogs, www.reflectivespacesministry.com/blog. The God of Self. How many of us have made selfies our way of life? How many of us grab that selfie stick without even thinking? And we run to put those pictures up on social media and show others how great our life is on those streams. But yet, inside, we're dying, dying as a family, dying as a community, dying as a world. On the inside of us, we're dying. We feel broken and lost, but we portray a different picture to the world. And why is that? Why are we so fixated on portraying a certain image to the world? Well, let me tell you why. A lot of times we just want to feel loved and that we belong, and we want others to validate us through their likes and shares, but yet that's creating us in the image of the world. and not in the image that God gave us. He created us. He gave us life, not the world. We must never blend these two. We're to stay humble and follow God. Seek first the kingdom of God and all else shall be given unto you. We're to look to scripture as our guide. We're to remain humble. like jesus for he was our example of everything he became a suffering servant and carried out god's will to the cross he died for all of us so we could be set free i wonder if he would have posted a selfie i think not remember God's watching everything that we do. And we need to portray Christ to the world. We don't need to resemble the world. We don't need to resemble the world. And we certainly can't put ourselves out there as a perfect creation when God created us and loved us in His image, and we have flaws, and we're all different, and we have junk in our trunk, and we're messy, and that's okay. You can be messy. You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to post that perfect picture, and those likes and shares do not define you. God defines you, and His love defines you, and in this world that we live in, you must resist that selfie culture, that culture that makes you your own God, the God of self. Instead, we're not to let people know what we do. We're to go and pray in secret. Go to that secret place and seek God. Put first the Kingdom of God, and all else shall be given unto you. We must never forget this. And during our twenty-one days of fasting that many of us are doing right now as a church, as a body of believers all over, we must really examine ourselves, do a self-inventory, especially if we're in public ministry. And we need to say, what image are we portraying to the world? Are we out there to be seen for people to like and applaud us? Are we out there to spread the truth of the gospel, the freedom of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ? We must resist the urge to post those selfies exclusively. I'm not saying you can't post a family photo. I'm not saying that you can't be proud of those grandchildren, but I think you all know the difference because when we make ourselves the God of ourselves, then that's pride and pride's a sin, and we can't have that. So we have to look at ourselves through the microscope of God's Word, examine ourselves, and see how we align with it. How do our actions align with it? How do we line up with what God says about us? And His disciples' manual, basically that He gave us in the Beatitudes, and He gave us through Jesus' life as He walked the earth, because he was a Living Word walking around among us. So we have to just look at that as our example, turn inward, and ask God to show us how to recognize where we're missing it. I don't know about you, but I repent daily. And I take communion as an act of almost daily, just letting Lord Jesus know how grateful I am that he died on the cross, bore those thirty-nine stripes, was pierced, and hung on that tree, on that execution stake. And we know the curse was on anyone who hung on a tree. And he did all that for us. For me, a sinner like me, so that I could have everlasting life free from the condemnation of sin. He set me free from the aftermath of child sex trafficking, losing my father to suicide as a teenager, and burying him on Father's Day. He broke off the shame, the fear, the guilt, the regret, the self-loathing, all of it. I was dead, yet walking among you. But he gave me life. And now I see. And I pray that you see. this season as you walk closely with him and you see the truth and the only way is to shine that mirror of god's word onto everything we do and ask ourselves does it line up do we edify and build up others or do we look for falls do we condemn them on social media or do we build them up Do we recognize that we all wrestle against flesh? As it says in Ephesians six, we don't, I'm sorry, we don't wrestle against flesh. We wrestle against principalities and powers. Thank you, Holy Spirit. And evil in high places. So that person in front of us or that person we see on social media, they're not our enemy. There's a spirit behind that. And do we retaliate, or do we show them the love of Jesus? Do we show them the mercy and grace that God has shown us? Examine yourself this season and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to have the heart and mind of Christ so that when people see you, they see Jesus and they see the Kingdom of God, and they want it for themselves. Now, let's look at scripture. The Lord gave me four scriptures to line up with this teaching on the God of self. So we're going to look at this teaching real quick. And we're going to start with Mark nine. Now, of course, many of you know this scripture. He gave me Mark nine, and I will be reading out of the, let me just tell you now, this one is the English standard version, and we're going to Mark nine, and I'm going to start in thirty-three and go to thirty-seven. And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house, he asked them, what were you discussing on the way? But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. He's talking about the disciples. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, if anyone will be first, he must be last of all and servant of all. And he took a child and put him in the midst of them and taking him in his arms. He said to them, whoever receives one such child in my name receives me. And whoever receives me receives not me, but him who sent me. And remember, Jesus came to reveal the Father. So the next one He gave me was Isaiah fourteen. And Isaiah fourteen. I'm not going to read all of it. There's a few pieces in it that I'm going to look at. Let's see. Isaiah fourteen. Isaiah fourteen. I'm going to look at start around. Let's start around. Seven. The Cypresses rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon saying, since you were laid low, no woodcutter comes against us. And then I'm going to move over to, let's go over to, uh, for the Lord of hosts has purposed and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out and who will turn it back? Wow. And then thirty-two. What will one answer the messengers of the nation? The Lord has founded Zion and her the afflicted of his people find and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge. Wow. And when we look at this. It's talking about the attributes of God and the sovereignty of God, letting us know that God's in charge and God is everything. He created everything we see and everything that we have is God's. So we must put God first. And everything else will be given unto us. Now, I don't know about you, but I would rather God be in charge of my life, who's everywhere, who's omnipotent, who's everywhere, than me in my little infinite flesh to be in charge. And we look at here, New Testament believers have these promises made clear by Jesus and his apostles. God and his people will reign forever on the new earth. This was talking about after Isaiah prophesied the destruction of Israel's future enemy, Babylon. He takes on the current world power threatening Israel, Assyria. God takes an oath and guarantees ultimate victory to believers, swearing that as the Sovereign Lord, he will fulfill his plans in the destruction of that mighty and vicious nation. So it's talking about here the sovereignty of God and letting us understand that God is in charge, no matter what we face. No matter what comes against us, God is in charge. Now, in this world that we're in today, I would rather God be in charge than me. And I would rather come under the umbrella of His protection that I find throughout the Word of God in His promises like Psalm ninety-one, Isaiah forty-three. Those are the keys to the Kingdom. He's given us the keys, and each one of these is a key. Each one of these is a key. And we get to use it to unlock the door to peace, to unlock the door to provision, to unlock the door to favor, to unlock the door to so many things. It gives us the keys and the tools that we need to know which way to go. And this is the way, walk in it. And then He wanted me to look at Luke two. And the reason Luke two, and I know you guys know Luke two, and the reason He wanted that is so that we could show the birth of Jesus, and that, that, you know, Jesus in His humanity, and when, Jesus was, you know, this talks about the birth of Jesus. Uh, Jesus was presented to the temple. Um, and, and I like when, when He it's in, um, Luke two, twenty two. Let's see. Thirty-five. Luke two, thirty-five. And a sword will pierce through your own soul also so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. This is where Mary is being spoken to. Let me actually read that a little bit. Let's go. Jesus presented at the temple. And when the time came for their purification, according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord. Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons. Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simon, and this man was righteous and devout. waiting for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon him. When we follow God, when we're believers, when we believe on Lord Jesus Christ, his birth that's portrayed here and his death and resurrection, and we know that he's seated to the right of the Father in heavenly places, then the same way we believed on that and received our salvation by faith, we received the Holy Spirit by faith. And I would rather the Holy Spirit living in me, guide me and strengthen me and lead me. And it says here, it was Simon speaking to Mary and Joseph and them and saying, you know, behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a sign that is opposed. And a sword will pierce through your own soul also. And this is what he said to Mary, his mother, and a sword will pierce through your own soul also so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. God looks at our heart. He looks at the motive behind the action. And so he can discern, you know, what is our motive? You know, why are we posting that? What are we doing? Are we doing this to be seen of man? Are we doing this to show Jesus off to the world? And there's a difference. And, you know, our spirit can convict us and does convict us. And if you feel that conviction or that unease in your spirit, then stop and pause and wait and ask yourself what you're doing. And I'll tell you, I'm particularly sensitive about posting certain images of children or doing it a lot just because of social media and human trafficking and the way people can be groomed and exploited. And they can also manipulate images on social media and put them out through deepfakes. Deepfakes and things we have going on today. So we need to be cautious of that. But getting back to the God of self, what is our motive? Why are we doing what we're doing? And God sees that. And listen, this isn't to condemn you. There's no condemnation in Christ Jesus, but this is meant to awaken you to the fact of what wound is inside of you that needs others to bring you validation, that you need to get your applause from others. Christ has already validated you. You are royalty. You're seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. You don't need man's applause and the applause of the world. And I speak to that wound now that's in you. And I plead the blood of Jesus over it so that it will afflict you no longer. You've been healed and set free from the past. And you walk today in divine truth. And you don't need anybody to validate you. God validates you. He sent his son to die on the cross for you. For you. What father does that? You are loved, and you are beloved. And He sees you right where you are in your infirmary. So remember this today, as you worship and praise Him. As we see in Psalm 108, let's look at Psalm 108. I love the Psalms. The Psalms are for people who are waiting on the Lord, calling out to the Lord. There are people like you and I, you know, who went through their moments and while they were waiting, waiting on promises. And I don't know, I just love them. In Psalm one oh eight, the title of it is with God we shall do valiantly. A song, a Psalm of David. My heart is steadfast, O God. I will sing and make melody with all my being. Awake, O harp and lyre, I will awaken the dawn. I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples. I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great above the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth, that your beloved ones may be delivered. Give salvation by your right hand and answer me. God has promised in his holiness, with exultation, I will divide up Shechem and portion out the valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine, Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter. Moab is my wash basin. Upon Eden, I cast my shoe. Over Philistia, I shout in triumph. Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies. O grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man. With God we shall do valiantly. It is he who will tread down our foes. You see that the salvation of man is vain. We don't need to trust in man, in man's views of us, in the lens of the world. Do we see ourselves? No, we need to see ourselves the way God sees us, through the microscope of God's Word, and to walk in our Kingdom purpose, knowing whose we are in Christ Jesus. So today, all I'm asking you to do, and He's asking you to do, and I've done this too all week of praying and fasting, is looking at myself, looking at my own motives. And is the Holy Spirit leading me to post something? Is He leading me to write something? Is He leading me to say this? Is He leading me to go this way? Just truly humbling myself and surrendering myself to come under the lordship of Lord Jesus Christ, remembering that we are in a kingdom and we have only one king and we are in a Kingdom. And we must remember that we are under the authority of God Almighty. And he gave the keys of that kingdom to Jesus. And Jesus gave us authority on earth. to bind and to loose. And we need to make sure that we are representing that kingdom well as kingdom ambassadors, coming under the sovereignty of God, surrendering to His will for our lives and not our own. And that's what he has for you today on this episode of the Reflective Spaces Ministry Podcast. I'm Tammy Toney-Butler, Healing Evangelist and your Host. Now go and sin no more.