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David L. JohnstonLEARNING how toYOU Likerself

Nothing But The Truth, Jacksonville, FL NothingButTheTruth.orgLearning How to Like Yourself Copyright © 2017, 2024 David L. JohnstonAll rights reserved. This book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher or copyright holder in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other, without prior written permission from the publisher or copyright holder as long as it is kept in its entirety and not sold for a prot.Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: King James Version, part of the public domain.Scripture quotations marked (Phillips) are taken from The New Testa-ment in Modern English, copyright ©1958, 1959, 1960 J.B. Phillips and 1947, 1952, 1955, 1957 The Macmillian Company, New York. Used by permission. All rights reserved.ISBN: 978-1-965799-30-7 (paperback)ISBN: 978-1-965799-31-4 (ebook)

What Happens If You Do Not Like Yourself? This is a question every one of us should ask. To like you or not like you, that is the question. Your future well-being will hinge on your conclusion. “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker!” (Isaiah 45:9) “Woe,” if you do not like yourself. One hundred and six times the word, “Woe” is used in the Bible. “Woe” is a crying out, a lament which is often prolonged based on urgency. It means to take care that you make no mistakes. Be alert, attentive, vigilant, prudent, discreet, taking heed. This is a critical heed with three serious “woes.” Big trouble is lurking. “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker!” (Isaiah 45:9) You were your mother’s baby, but God made the “you” He placed inside the baby. That’s why we were taught to pray, “Our Father, who art in heaven.” God made the real you and you do not want to be in strife with God. You will lose if you ght with the Almighty, your Maker. He made you and He has big plans for you and your life, plans that will take an eternity. He brought you into existence. He produced, fabricated, fashioned, constructed, and built you. You had better like it. You had better like the “you” He created. If not, woe! You are headed for big trouble that could last the rest of your natural life (and later). Let’s look further. “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?” Let me paraphrase. “Will the pot say to the

4Learning How to Like Yourselfpot-maker, ‘You did a lousy job?’ Will the clay talk back to the potter? Will you carry on an argument with God? Will you tell God that His hands are clumsy, that He messed up when He made you?” You should really, really like yourself. You were in the hands of an artist Who makes no mistakes, the hands of a sculptor Who makes no blunders. What is the big deal? At your core, you will decide to accept your “self,” the self that God made, or you will decide to reject your “self,” the self that God made. You will either “like” your “self ” or “not like” your “self.” Your future will be determined by this foundation. My strongest advice would be for you to say, as David the Psalmist said, “I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well” (Psalm 139:14). Say it every time you look in the mirror and every time you see a picture of yourself. You will either be grateful for the way God made you or not. You will either celebrate yourself or criticize yourself. Suicide does not begin with a bottle of pills, a knife to slash, or a rope to hang. Self-destructive behaviors begin with how you value yourself. If you treat yourself the way God made you, self-destructive behaviors will not even cross your mind. At your core, you need to embrace yourself. God loves you and you are a product of that love. You will rarely have to deal with depression. Self-acceptance or self-rejection will affect everything. If you do not like yourself, you will spend the rest of your life trying to be like someone else, always comparing yourself to others. This is the root of superiority complexes or inferiority complexes: comparison. Just compare yourself to God. You will not have an inferiority complex; instead, you will be humble. That was the rst woe. Here are the other two: “Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?” Some of us blame our parents for who we are. That’s a bad choice. There are the other two woes: one, to blame your father,

5David L. Johnstonor two, to blame your mother. Self-rejection plus blame is still self-rejection. We must, however, come to terms with what’s so “woeful” about blaming your father or mother? We know the attitude we are supposed to have towards our father and mother but, unfortunately, we do not often live it. We are instructed to “honor your father and your mother.” Honoring your father is the antithesis of accusing him of “begetting” you. Honoring your mother is the opposite of incriminating your mother for what she “has brought forth.” Your father and your mother were the conduits, or the instruments, that God used to bring you into the world. Anyone who helped bring this “one of a kind” you into the world should be esteemed. Rejecting your father and mother, regardless of their faults and failures, brings to us these “woes.” Disregarding the woe warnings will bring damage and destruction into our present and future lives. “Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.” (Proverbs 20:20) This simply means that our light, our ability to inuence others the proper way, will end. We will not have a positive or godly effect on those around us. In contrast, if we honor our father and mother, we will not have woes, but blessings. Take a look: “Honour thy father and mother; (which is the rst commandment with promise;) at it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.” (Ephesians 6:2-3)What is the essence of these two promises? 1) It will be well with you. You will have success in every area of your life. Your spirit, your conscience, and your example will power you forward. 2) You will live long on the earth. You will have fewer health issues.

6Learning How to Like YourselfYour spirit and the right condition of your mind which comes from the proper honoring of your parents will prompt, induce, stimulate, and encourage you forward because the spiritual clutter that comes from dishonoring your parents will not now contribute to the demise of your physical body. The health of your relationship with your parents will affect the health of your body... you will live long... and well! Let’s look at another verse: “O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? “ (Romans 9:20-21) Here’s the Message translation to help us to better understand: Who in the world do you think you are to sec-ond-guess God? Do you for one moment suppose any of us knows enough to call God into question? Clay doesn’t talk back to the ngers that mold it, saying, “Why did you shape me like this?” Isn’t it obvious that a potter has a perfect right to shape one lump of clay into a vase for holding owers and another into a pot for cooking beans? (Romans 9:20-21) What are the woes of not liking yourself? I want you to understand these, because I submit to you that you will have an articial sense of inferiority if you don’t. You will think something’s wrong with you when it’s not. An articial sense of inferiority is as devastating as if it were earned in reality. So, what are the woes of not liking yourself?

7David L. Johnston1. You will blame God and/or your parents Number one, you will end up blaming God or your parents, or maybe both. When you reject yourself, you’re going to blame somebody. You may blame God, because He’s your Maker, or your father, because he helped make you, and you have ties to him. Or you may blame your mother. So, the rst woe is that you will end up blaming God and/or your parents for who you are. 2. You will be bitter towards God and/or you will dishonor your parents Secondly, you will be bitter towards God and/or you will dishonor your parents. Because, if you blame God, you’ll become bitter. If you blame your parents, you will not be able to honor them. Every time Fathers’ Day or Mothers’ Day comes around, you know you have to honor them, but you don’t feel like it, when you should feel like it 365 days of the year. 3. You will assume God doesn’t like or love you Thirdly, you will assume that God doesn’t like you or that He doesn’t love you if you don’t like yourself. Since God made you, you will assume that God doesn’t like you. You will also assume that He doesn’t love you. Of course, this leads to a tremendous sense of being alienated from God. 4. You will assume others won’t like you If you don’t like yourself, why would you think other people will like you? You probably wouldn’t... and that’s not a nice way to live. 5. You will hide or disguise the real you It gets worse. When you assume that others will not like you, you hide or disguise the real you. You will try to make something

8Learning How to Like Yourselfup that you think people will like. You will present yourself in a certain way to be accepted because you think people won’t like you. Of course, this leads to great articiality. 6. You will create a caricature of yourself that you think others will like You will manufacture a new you that you think other people will like. You’ll check out the things that other people do that seem to be popular, and you’ll shape yourself so that others will like you. In doing so, you distort the real you. This is what we call peer pressure. Peer pressure is the pressure to conform to the group around you in order to be accepted. Individuality is lost. 7. You may compensate with materialism You will seek certain kinds of compensation to make up for the fact that you don’t like yourself. It could be materialism—you’ll go shopping more often and buy more stuff because you don’t like yourself, and you think that if you have stuff, it will help you. It isn’t just materialism. You may have other forms of selshness, not self-love, but selshness. 8. You will experience abnormal sensual temptation If you do not like yourself, you will tend to look for love and acceptance in all the wrong places. The emptiness caused by self-rejection begs for something, for someone, to care, to love, to see value in you, or to afrm you. To ll the void, you grasp at virtually anything that appears to be accepted by others. Consequently, those who are concealing evil and selsh motives can become attractive to you. You will think you’re being accepted, when what is really happening is you will be used and abused. Lust has many disguises for love. Lust impersonates affection. The danger is that you may give massive amounts of time to making yourself physically attractive. You falsely imagine that if

9David L. Johnstonsomeone is attracted to you physically, they must like the real you. Wrong! If your body is not for sale, don’t advertise it. Whatever you advertise is what buyers will seek. If you show off your body or body parts, you will attract those interested only in those parts. Yuck. They’ll be coming after you all right... but for immoral, corrupt, dishonest, and devious reasons. After being used or abused in the “dating context,” you are discarded for someone else. Discarded... how degrading is that! Your already low self-esteem is further reduced and demeaned. Sex is a poor substitute for self-assurance. 9. You will not have self-respect Respect is esteem, regard for, reverence, and admiration. Without self-respect, you lose a proper sense of dignity. Factually speaking, you are royalty of the highest order, a son or daughter of the Most High God. You were designed for nobility and grandeur, character and poise. These attributes engender respect. Respect is not snobbishness. We are not talking about being a spoiled, pampered brat, but rather seeing yourself properly and accurately with condence, faith in yourself, and self-regard. Without self-respect, you will mistreat yourself in a hundred ways. 10. You will not believe you are worthy of respect (but will seek it anyway) If you do not like yourself, you will not believe that you are worthy of respect, even though you seek it from other people. Do you think you’re inadequate, inferior, or that there’s something wrong with you? I want to afrm to you, my friends, that God never intended for you to live the rest of your days thinking badly of yourself. You might cover it up, hide it, or mask it. You might put some kind of veneer on the outside, but inside you think you’re trashy, unworthy, unrespectable, unloved, or unliked. I’m not sure that we can tally up the pain that results from this condition.

10Learning How to Like Yourself11. You will secretly side with or believe your critics Secretly, you will mentally side with people who make fun of you, mock you, despise you, point their nger at you, ridicule you, or call you names. The internal fortitude that comes from liking yourself is gone, so when your enemies attack you, you can’t withstand them, because you don’t like yourself either. So, you hardly blame them on the inside, even though you might openly blame them on the outside. 12. You will side with the adversary against yourself You will side with the adversary against yourself. Understand a little bit about the devil: And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. (Revelation 12:10) One of Satan’s names is the accuser of the brethren. He once had legal access to heaven. God was legally obliged to listen to him, until Calvary, where Satan was defeated and cast down. Satan no longer has access to heaven, and God is no longer obliged to talk to him. But until Calvary, Satan was always accusing the saints. Now, after Calvary, he is cast down. Satan is still accusing the brethren, but his words are no longer heard in heaven, but only to the ears of men. Satan, your adversary, is constantly pointing his nger at you. Like a roaring lion, he walks around the children of men, and he wants to devour you. We are to resist him steadfastly in the faith. What faith could that possibly be? It includes faith in your own personal worth and value. He accuses you to prevent you from

11David L. Johnstonliking yourself. He is the arch enemy of God, and since you are the creation of God, he wants to hurt God by hurting you. You may be wondering, where do I get these crazy ideas about how bad I am? They come from your adversary, the devil. Note this Scripture about self-opposition: In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. (2 Timothy 2:25-26) If you do not like yourself, you will work against yourself. Notice how you get into a condition of opposing yourself, of badmouthing yourself, or of thinking evil about yourself. How do you start “not liking” yourself? Your recovery is knowing you are in the “snare of the devil.” It is the devil who wants you to not think of yourself the way God thinks about you. When you don’t like yourself, you’re really siding with the enemy. 13. You will view others as competitors Rivalry is a natural inclination when you do not like yourself. You don’t want others to be better than, higher than, more popular than, or smarter than you. You will compare yourself and consciously or unconsciously live in tension with others. Your ability to genuinely be happy for others is impaired. You will be able to weep with those who weep, but rejoicing at the success of another is more difcult. You don’t want to be outdone. It can even inuence you as you search out others who you can dominate. You look at them as inferior, so you can feel superior. Non-genuine acceptance of yourself causes you to view others through biased eyes.

12Learning How to Like Yourself14. You may not be able to get along with siblings No group of people should be more bonded than family. That bonding begins with a father and a mother who are indissolubly attached to each other by the covenant bond of marriage. Their bonding extends to each child. Mother and father are equally attached to each of their children. This bonding includes respect, esteem, honor, and commitment for one another. That same attachment should extend from each child to their brothers and sisters. “We be brothers” is a phrase indicating the strongest of attachment and association. In fact, one of the reasons to have a brother is to have someone you can count on in times of trouble. Note this Scripture, “A brother is born for adversity” (Proverbs 17:17). The New Living Translation says, “a brother is born to help in time of need.” Another translation says, “brothers stick together in all kinds of trouble.” When you do not like yourself, you will probably not like your brother or sister either. Psychological projection is when you project undesirable feelings or emotions onto someone else, rather than admitting to or dealing with your unwanted feelings. You will not like your brother or sister. Competition becomes rivalry, rivalry becomes contention, and contention becomes hatred. Cain and Abel is a famous example of sibling rivalry which ended in death: “And Cain killed his brother Abel.” (Genesis 4:8) 15. Your sense of happiness will rise or fall based on the armations others give or do not give If you don’t like yourself, the only thing that encourages you is if someone comes along and says something nice about you. You end up trying to get as many people as possible to like you, or say nice things about you; otherwise, you become depressed. This is one of the problems with peer pressure, because peers will approve of your bad behavior and that may make you feel good. But it’s

13David L. Johnstonarticial and synthetic, because inside, if you really liked yourself, it wouldn’t matter what anybody says about you, because, “to our own master we rise or fall.” Listen to this Scripture: Jesus said, “How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” (John 5:44 NIV) When you don’t like yourself, you don’t like what God made you to be, and you introduce a self-destructive dynamic, as you shall see in a moment. 16. You will tend to be a people pleaser Everyone else’s opinions will be more important to you than yours or God’s. Always being worried about what somebody thinks about you is not a nice way to live. You will become subservient to others, whether they are right or wrong. Others shape and contour your life. You become manipulated, dominated, and controlled by others. Your self-condence will be undermined. You will worry about what everyone else thinks. Your own convictions will weaken. When others catch on to what is happening to you, they will treat you like a doormat. Your natural impulse will be to hide your true feelings, lie, and only say what you think others want to hear. You will have to develop a built-in public relations department. This is tortuous and inhumane, and it’s all because you don’t like yourself. 17. You will not nd satisfaction from within You were designed to be happy from the inside out, satised, and complete. “e backslider in heart shall be lled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satised from him-s e l f .” (Proverbs 14:14) If you like genuinely yourself, you will have an inner source, a fountain of joy, an exaltation that happens from the inside of you. We call it joy. We call it happiness. It’s an exaltation of your inner spirit that comes from genuine harmony with yourself. If you don’t

14Learning How to Like Yourselflike yourself, that fountain of joy doesn’t exist and you can spend the rest of your days in restless pursuit of other compensation. 18. You will not have peace How could you possibly have peace if you don’t like yourself? How could you possibly have inner tranquility? Calm, coolness or, collectedness? Condence? You want to have the interior knowing that, “Hey, I’m alright. I really am somebody.” A lack of peace in anyone’s life is troubling. Peace is referred to 429 times in Scripture. Thirteen of the fourteen New Testament Epistles begin with an expression of peace to the readers. Five times in Scripture, God is referred to as, “The God of peace.” Jesus is known as, “The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus came to, “guide our feet in the way of peace” (Luke 1:79). You do not want to have Jerusalem’s condition as Jesus referred to it in Luke 19:42: “the things which belong unto thy peace... are now hid from thine eyes.” Genuine self-acceptance is one of those things that “belong unto your peace.” 19. You will not have joy You were designed by God to have so much joy that you shout about it. (See Psalms 32:11, 35:27, 132:9, 16.) You were designed to have so much joy that you sing. The Christian way is a joy-lled way. Some people profess to be Christians who look like they were baptized in lemon juice. They have faces so long they look like saxophones. These fakes give Christians a bad name. God is a happy God. His people are a joyful people, of whom it is said, “therefore with joy shall ye draw waters out of the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3). Without the Lord’s natural and exuberant joy inside us, people go looking for it elsewhere. That’s why amusements attract us. Amusement is the entertainment of those who do not think. Muse means to think, the “a” in the beginning turns the meaning into “not to think.” Amuse means to divert the attention. Thus, we have

15David L. Johnstonthese games, whatever they are, that stop us from really thinking, because we have an inner lack. 20. You will not have contentment Contentment is pretty elusive these days. One of the primary dynamics in most advertising is to stir up dissatisfaction with whatever you have so that you will feel a need for the product they’re advertising. The advertiser plays up your inadequacy and your fears to get you to spend your money, transferring the wealth of your pocketbook into theirs. Contentment is realizing that God has already provided everything you need for your present happiness. If you don’t like yourself, how would you ever be content? But godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Timothy 6:6) 21. You may live an articial life, attempting to compensate To compensate means to make up for, especially for something that is unwelcome or unpleasant. Psychologically, compensation means to make up for some real or imagined deciency. Imagine the waste of life, energy, time, talent, and treasure as you attempt to make up for an imagined deciency. You could waste an entire lifetime. How could you ever come up with an equivalent for the real you? Impossible! You end up competing with yourself, trying to prove to yourself that you are somebody. That you really are something. It’s one of the “woes” of self-rejection. 22. You will have rejected the real you To not like yourself is to reject yourself. What disapproval! What bondage! What suffering! What self-inicted wound of unworthiness! What self-abuse! What self-hatred! What self-annihilation! What treason! This is suicide by installment plan!

16Learning How to Like YourselfA sin against ones-self! An entrance into an illusionary world! A wrong moral judgment! A discarding of value! It is the mistake of all mistakes! It is the wrong of all wrongs! 23. You will tend to imitate others you admire You will try to be like people who you think are likeable. You will make judgments based on mere appearances. If you spend your life trying to be like other people, guess what? There will be nobody left to be you, the real you, the remarkable you. Who will be you? The whole universe will be robbed of the blessing that you were intended to bring it by just being... yourself! 24. You will develop varying degrees of self-hatred Last week, I sent my wife a beautiful picture of the sunset taken over the Atlantic Ocean. I attached the caption, “You think this is beautiful? Look in the mirror!” If I could, I would do the same with you. If you hate everything about yourself, you need to understand with certainty that your judgement is severely impaired. Self-loathing to any degree sides against God’s view of you. In case you haven’t gured it out yet, God is always right! He doesn’t hate you. He loves you! He is not a respecter of persons, and He will say to you exactly what He said to Jeremiah, “Yea, I have loved thee with and everlasting love: therefore, with lovingkindness have I drawn thee” (Jeremiah 31:3). My best advice to you is, “Get on God’s side. Love you!” 25. You will subconsciously develop self-destructive attitudes Stop being a traitor to your self. Self-destructive behaviors will start cropping up in your thinking. When you don’t like yourself, you turn on yourself. Thoughts turn to attitudes; attitudes to feelings; feelings to actions. Negative thoughts = negative

17David L. Johnstonattitudes = negative feelings = negative actions. Negative actions are actions that destroy. It doesn’t matter how incrementally they happen. One cigarette after another is one cofn nail after another. One drug after another destroys thousands of brain cells after other thousands. I like what Shakespeare said about alcohol, “I would not put a thief in my mouth to steal my brains.” There are so many self-destructive behaviors: over-eating, under-eating, drug abuse, alienating yourself from others, over-spending, refusing sleep, and more. These destructive dynamics, both consciously and unconsciously, sabotage the soul. 26. You will speak evil Your self-talk will be contaminated. What you say to yourself is very important. If you do not like yourself, you’re saying, “I’m no good.” You probably wouldn’t say it out loud for other people to hear. If you know someone who’s outwardly like this, you ought to declare an emergency over them. They need you to give them this message on how to start liking themselves. They will say things like, “I’m dumb,” or “I can’t do anything right.” They trash themselves. The pain in their soul builds, builds, and builds until their self-destructive behaviors get worse. But isn’t this “just talk?” No! Words have power. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue...” (Proverbs 18:21) The more evil you speak to yourself, the more evil will increase in your life. You may ask, “How so?” We are taught “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17 NKJV) When you say something, you reinforce it and it increases your faith. The more you say something, the more you believe it. Commercials play the same message over and over and over again. Why do they repeat it? Because the more you hear that you need their product, the more you will believe it. The words that you say to yourself, whatever they are, will increase that condition of your soul. You end up believing what you say to yourself. If you speak evil to yourself, you will believe that evil.

18Learning How to Like YourselfThis is so important that I want you to at least see some Scriptural truths about this: “e tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.” (Proverbs 15:2) “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.” (Proverbs 15:4) “Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.” (Proverbs 21:23) “What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee thou false tongue?” (Psalm 120:3) “y tongue deviseth mischiefs like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.” (Psalm 52:2) “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speak-ing guile.” (Psalm 34:13) 27. You may lose all hope Hopelessness is despair without a glimmer of optimism. Despondent, desperation, depression... these are not nice words and certainly they are not nice conditions of the soul. It may seem like the whole world is against you and that no one cares. If you feel this way, please read the rest of this book. Make sure you grasp the four steps so you can enthusiastically like yourself. 28. You may wish you were never born The Bible tells us Job’s story. His life was negative and he did not understand why. Instead of blaming his environment, he blamed himself and eventually he wished he’d never been born. Let’s let the Scripture tell the story:

19David L. Johnston“And Job spake, and said, Let the day perish wherein I was born and the night in which it was said, ere is a man child conceived. Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it. Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it let the blackness of the day terrify it. As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months. Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein. Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning. Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day: Because it shut not up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes. Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?” (Job 3:2-11) Job said, “Just forget about my birthday. Forget it ever happened. Let the day be darkness, let God not regard it from above, and don’t let the light shine upon it. Get it off the calendar, let there be no joy—don’t celebrate my birthday—it’s a cursed day—I wished I had been born dead!” The psychological condition presented to us in these Scriptures is similar to many in our culture. Sorrowfully, even some Christians who don’t like themselves wish they’d never been born.

20Learning How to Like Yourself29. You will be tempted to medicate There is no chemical cure for a spiritual problem. Brain- and mind-altering drugs may mask the problem for a time, but they cannot cure it. For example, guilt is a spiritual problem that can be resolved completely by practicing spiritual principles. Guilt on a man’s soul cannot be chemically removed. It is beyond the scope of this writing to fully discuss this subject, but a few things must be mentioned. The Scriptures predict and describe conditions that will exist as we move towards the collapse of the world. Drug taking is one of them. Here’s the Scripture: “...for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.” (Revelation 18:23) The word for sorcery is the Greek word, pharmakeia, the word from which we get pharmacy, medication, or drug-taking. In other words, entire nations will be deceived or tricked into the illegitimate use of drugs. America seems to be one of those nations. But a nation is only deceived if the people are deceived. How could this happen? The answer, I believe, is found on the money trail. Here is plainly what the Scriptures teach: “...they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted aer, they have erred from the faith, and pierced them-selves through with many sorrows.” (1 Timothy 6:9-10) Let’s look at the facts: 1) These persons are money motivated 2) A money motivation produces temptation 3) A money motivation produces traps 4) A money motivation produces stupid desires 5) A money motivation produces hurtful results

21David L. Johnston6) These desires damage other people 7) The other people are destroyed 8) The root cause is love of money 9) It causes people to disregard Biblical principles 10) It results in many sorrows This is the story of drugs in our time. Unfortunately, this not only applies to street drugs, but to mind- and brain-altering prescriptions. Watch out. There is no chemical cure for a spiritual problem. 30. If unchecked, you may think of suicide Instead of suicide on the installment plan, one cigarette after another, one drug after another, one drink after another, or one hit after another, some want to end the whole thing. All of this comes out of not liking yourself. Plato believed that suicide was like a soldier running away from his post, running away from his duty. People who don’t like themselves can reach an extreme mental, emotional, spiritual disorder, and not even know that they have a post, a mission, a responsibility, and a joyful enterprise. They don’t even know they have an important function. Their truth has been so obliterated. At the root of the issue is such a dislike for themselves that life becomes meaningless, hopeless, and an endurance contest until some with weakened wills cannot endure it any longer. And Satan, the hater, the destroyer, wins, and self-murder is still murder. Woe!The answer is to think correctly about yourself. You will know when you’re thinking correctly, because you will be joyful, enthusiastic, exuberant, cheerful, and energetic. How will this happen? You have a chance now to change your thoughts about yourself. Change to God’s thoughts about you. They are the facts. They come from the Holy Bible. They are the Truth. It is time to end the pain that is based on illusions and false ideas. Your pain will go away. Depression will vanish. You will have better things to do than to ght with yourself. God is on your side even when

22Learning How to Like Yourselfyou are not. He is always for you, never against you. Why not join Him for, “if God be for us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31).

The Reasons Some People Do Not Like Themselves I want you to understand the utter importance of liking yourself. Sure, I’d like you to like me too. Put me in the mix if you want to, but the person you really need to like is yourself. The two questions now before us are: 1) Why do some people not like themselves? 2) How can you learn to like yourself? Let’s get started on why some people do not like themselves. Here are some reasons: 1. ey don’t know, recognize, or respect their origin The number one reason is they don’t know where they came from. They don’t know their origin. They don’t recognize or respect or have regard for their own lives, and the “Author” of their lives. Let me show you what we know they should know. We are the ospring of God “at they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel aer him, and nd him, though he be not far from every one of us.” (Acts 17:27) The Scripture says that we are the offspring of God. How delightful is that? We are His family. We are family. We are family with God. We are His progeny.

24Learning How to Like YourselfGod is our Father God is our Father. What a simple truth. Jesus taught us, when we pray, we should always pray, “Our Father which art in heaven.” We have an earthly father, Who is referred to in the Bible, as a father after the esh. A man and a woman created a baby, a physical body. But God made you and put you inside that baby’s body. He is your Father. God created us “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;” (Psalm 100:3) People do not make people. They make babies. God creates the person. Do you know how wonderful this is? If, somehow, this simple truth would grip your mind and your emotions, you would be utterly transformed. God created the you that you don’t like. He created you. We are loved with an everlasting love “e eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms:” (Deuteronomy 33:27) We are loved with an everlasting love, and underneath His love is everlasting arms. He loved us then, He loves us now, and He will always love us. He will never quit. We are always loved. We are intricately created “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.” (Psalms 139:13)

25David L. JohnstonReins are a means of control, usually when we’re talking about the control and guidance of a horse. In your case and mine, it simply means that God controlled certain outcomes from the time before we were born. God thinks about each one of us God, Mr. Big, the Creator, Number One in the whole universe thinks about every single one of us. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (Jeremiah 29:11) God not only thinks about you, but His thoughts toward you are peaceful, constructive, and well-intentioned. We belong to Him “My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.” (Song of Solomon 2:16) He is our beloved, and we are His beloved. Beloved means dear, precious, cherished, treasured, prized, highly regarded, esteemed, and admired. Think about this: you are His beloved and His desire is towards you. No one can spoil you, unless you allow them. “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:28-29) According to Jesus, nobody can pluck you out of your Father’s hand, nobody, nobody. You’re untouchable. Nobody can change your status of being a son or daughter (if you can imagine) of the Most High God. If you can understand this picture, you can

26Learning How to Like Yourselfunderstand that you are a child of God. How could you not like yourself? We do not have the ability to direct our own steps “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in him-self: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23) “The way of man is not in himself.” It is not in our ability to direct our own steps. We know that we’re not capable of guring out our lives by ourselves. We do not know how to direct our steps. So, God, we need You. 2. Mistreatment as a child Another reason people may not like themselves is because they were mistreated as children. Many parents think that criticism is the best method to correct a child. Wrong! Let’s explore the difference between being criticized and being critiqued. CriticizeTo criticize means to denounce somebody, condemn them, or attack them. A little child doesn’t know any better, and they get criticized and attacked. Their uninformed, immature, and thoughtless parents are forever pointing their ngers at their children, thinking that by criticizing them they’re helping them. What they’re really doing is tearing their children down. To criticize means to fault and to disapprove or to disparage. We live in a culture where this has become normal: the pointed nger, the loud exclamations, the volume level, the repeating, the mocking—What’s the matter with you, boy? Are you stupid? Children get damaged, sometimes even from well-meaning parents who don’t understand that criticism is not a constructive way to change behavior.

27David L. JohnstonCritiqueIn contrast, to critique means to constructively analyze, assess, evaluate, or review. What happens to a child who lives with criticism? Who is repeatedly told, with emphasis, everything that’s wrong with them? They will learn not to like themselves. 3. Abused as a child Some people don’t like themselves because they were abused as children. This word, abuse, ranges from the physical, to sexual, to social, or to verbal. The Bible tells us the power of death and life is in the tongue. Please review this verse with me: “e spirit of a man will sustain his inrmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?” (Proverbs 18:14) Who can handle the wounding of their spirit? It’s not a physical wounding, and it’s not merely mental or emotional. Now the real person is damaged, in their spirit, the real person. A translation says this: A” healthy spirit conquers adversity, but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?” (e Message) Some people don’t like themselves because abuse has crushed their spirit. 4. Childhood rejection (real or perceived) Some people don’t like themselves because of childhood rejection. That rejection might be real, or it might just be the perception of rejection. Real or perceived, the outcome is the same. Perhaps no one shows adequate interest in them. Nobody asks them what their goals are. Nobody wants to know the truth. They don’t get past “Did you have a nice day?” or “How are you doing?” Everybody gives standard answers. This too is very sad.

28Learning How to Like Yourself“I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.” (Psalms 142:4) “No man cared for my soul.” Some teenagers go to bed at night, and now that they’re alone, they put their head on the pillow, and some of them shed hot tears that no one knows about. They pound their chest and say, “Doesn’t anybody care? Doesn’t anybody understand? Does anybody like me?” “And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the ocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the ock will die.” (Genesis 33:13) Rejection is one of the causes of not liking oneself, because children are tender. There are a thousand things I like about God. One of these days, I may write them all out. Here’s just one of them: God is tender towards you. Sometimes we get our concept of God from our parents, and we think that God has a club, and He’s waiting, hiding behind the clouds, to beat us up every time we do something, or bring Him any displeasure. Because of this, people have a picture of God that is malformed, malfunctioned, or mal-constructed. What is God really like? He is the number one person in charge of the whole universe. There’s no one greater. There’s no one wiser. There is no one more loving. If you had to describe this person of God in one word, it would have to be the word, love. “e LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” (Psalms 145:9) He’s good to all. I love this, don’t you? His tender mercies are over His works, and that includes us. Some of us had to deal with

29David L. Johnstonrejection, real or perceived. That is why Jesus gives us a warning as to how we should treat our children. “And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall oend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a mill-stone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:5-6) If you receive one such little child in My name, it’s like you’re receiving Me. I just love this about Jesus. He had a crowd around Him, everyone vying to be number one. Jesus took a little child, set him up in front of the people, put His hands on him, and blessed him. And He said, such is the kingdom of heaven. Except you become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom. It’s no small wonder that when He came here, He came like one of us, as a baby. He came as a child. You can always tell how civil a culture is by how they treat their children. We live in a culture now that has already killed 60 million children—killed them even before they were born. What mental and emotional state is in the mind of a person who kills babies? Some babies escaped the blade or the suction cup of the abortionist, and they made it here. Do you think our culture is any nicer to the children who made it here than the ones who didn’t? Jesus is saying how we treat children is important. If you offend one of these little ones who believe in Me, it would be better for you if a millstone were hanged around your neck, and you were drowned in the depths of the sea. Childhood rejection. 5. Desertion 42% of American children live in a home where their father has deserted them. Listen to this Scripture:

30Learning How to Like Yourself“Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.” (Proverbs 17:6) The glory of children is their father. Children need to boast about their fathers. Instead, that’s one reason some people don’t like themselves. They have been deserted by their father. Their father didn’t even see enough value in them to stick around. 6. A learned faulty value system Children learn from their culture, parents, relatives, and environment. They may not like themselves because they’ve learned a faulty value system. “And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their le hand...” (Jonah 4:11) Sixscore thousand is one hundred and twenty thousand, 120,000 children—children who were so young that they didn’t know the difference between their left hand and their right. God showed compassion to the city because of the children. If only we would care for children like God cares for them. Even the disciples were wrong about children. The disciples were chasing the children away. Here’s the story: “ey (the parents) brought young children to him (Jesus), that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child,

31David L. Johnstonhe shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.” (Mark 10:13-16) When a culture exchanges evil in the place of good and good in the place of evil, that culture is in a woeful condition. “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! “ (Isaiah 5:20) This happens to children from a very young age. They live in a culture that calls something that’s evil, good. The child’s value system has been turned upside down by evil men and women. So, they’ve been taught that something that is evil is actually good, or something they would naturally have thought to be good, is really evil. Their value system becomes skewed. The culture puts darkness over light. The culture glamorizes adultery, fornication, perversion, and even promotes it! The airwaves are lled with it, and many in leadership are trying to convince everyone that every form of darkness is okay. Our children are raised in this, and we wonder why they don’t like themselves. They have been given a system of justice that has been perverted and disturbed. Our culture puts bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. Our children end up making decisions about everything, including themselves, from a perverse value system. 7. Exposure to the iniquity of a society Some people don’t like themselves because they have been exposed to the iniquity of a society. Iniquity is the Biblical word for narcissism, the exaltation of self above all others. Let’s take a look at what Scripture has to say about iniquity:

32Learning How to Like Yourself“Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.” (Psalms 55:3-4) “Because of the voice of the enemy.” This comes down to iniquity. The voice of the enemy is the voice of the wicked, “for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. My heart is sore pained within me.” Iniquity is everyone trying to outdo everyone else. Everybody wants to be better looking, better accepted, and more popular—and children live in this competitive culture. Even now as adults we have become accustomed to one-upmanship. Everything is competitive; everybody is out to do exactly what Satan did. “ou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” (Ezekiel 28:15) Remember, Satan was perfect in all his ways until iniquity was found in him. He was a great guy. He was number three in charge in God’s kingdom. Then he said, “I will be higher than God, I will be like the Most High God, I will exalt my throne above the throne of God.” We live in a culture that feeds on this. Iniquity is the root of narcissism, a very widespread condition in our culture. “Love is the opposite. Love rejoices not in iniquity. Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth...” (1 Corinthians 13:6) When you compare yourself with people who seem to have a better P.R. department than you do, who boast and self-promote, you can easily end up not liking yourself. When we don’t like ourselves in our competitive world, we enter the competition, and then we have winners and losers. We have those we admire, and those we

33David L. Johnstondisdain. We get caught up in it, because they cast their iniquity upon us, and our hearts are pained. Inner peace is destroyed. 8. Comparing self with others Comparing ourselves to each other is the main activity of iniquity. Remember what iniquity is: always trying to be above the other guy and always thinking we are better than everybody else. Comparing ourselves to others is the main activity of iniquity. Let’s see how nonsensical this is. Take a look at this Scripture: “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by them-selves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us... For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure...” (2 Corinthians 10:12-14) Notice the phrase, “we dare not.” It is risky to do what this verse tells us to do. We dare not join in the crowd, or make ourselves “of the number,” that compare ourselves to others, any others! “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can nd?” (Proverbs 20:6) Everyone wants to talk about their own goodness, but a faithful man, who can nd? “I did this, and I did that, and I’m so great, I’m so wonderful.” We start comparing ourselves with others, and we shrink on the inside. The Scripture says, don’t do that. You should never compare yourself with someone else, because no one is in the same category as you are. You are unique; no one was made like

34Learning How to Like Yourselfyou. There’s just one you designed by God, created to be wonderful, and marvelous, and special. Nobody compares to you. You were created, designed by the most magnicent being you could ever imagine—God, the creator of the whole universe, made you. So, why would you take your uniqueness and put it in competition? Why would you compare someone else to yourself? If you have a faulty value system underlying your identity, then you will start to think that other people are better than you, that you’re missing something, that there’s something wrong with you, that you are inadequate, inferior, and you’ll end up with the biggest undeserved inferiority complex a person could ever have. You become lost in this lonely, desperate, heartsick, depressed, discouraged thinking that you got the short end of the stick, that God messed up. Don’t compare yourself with those who praise themselves. Hasn’t Hollywood trained us to do this? Haven’t they glamorized, albeit synthetically, certain lifestyles, personality types, and appearances? We compare ourselves with these stars, and we end up not liking ourselves. Do you understand the pain of this? They live in a culture where they are comparing themselves with someone else every moment of their day, and since they have big promotional campaigns on their side, they make themselves grandiose. They measure themselves by themselves and are not wise! When God says something is not wise ... what does that mean? What it Means to Be “Not Wise” Being “not wise” means not intelligent, not clever, not learned, not knowledgeable. Not wise means not enlightened, not smart, not sensible, not sharp, not prudent, not rational, not logical, not sound, not sane, not astute. One word that really sums it all up is stupid! Those who compare themselves and measure themselves among themselves are not wise. Let’s see what the rest of the Scripture says. “But we are not going to boast of things outside of what we really are, our real measure.” This is reality therapy. We don’t have to compare

35David L. Johnstonourselves with anyone else because God has distributed to us a measure, a measure that follows a rule. What is a rule? A rule is a law of action that happens every time. Spiritually, psychologically, mentally, emotionally, and socially, there are rules of action. God says that to compare yourself with others, and measure yourself by others, is not wise. It’s really stupid. Instead, we are to live according to the measure that God wrote. God wrote the specs for you, specically. He has distributed them directly to you. You are indispensable. Nobody could ever take your place, because He’s distributed to you an endowment, a gifting. You have a measure that can reach others, and you do not need to stretch yourself beyond your measure. No exaggeration is necessary. God designed you, purposely, intentionally, lovingly, and so perfectly that He intends for you to live eternally. Unfortunately, you may not have yet grasped the measure you have. When you do, you will like yourself, because you will know what you are, not what people think of you, or don’t think of you, but that you really are somebody. Our goal is to learn, through Scripture, to discover the greatness of you, so you will never again not like yourself. Do you think God intended you to dislike yourself? What a torture chamber that would be. What a psychological conundrum, what an anxiety, what a torment. How wicked! What if you don’t like yourself because of your childhood? What if you don’t like yourself because you were mistreated as a child? What if you don’t like yourself because you were abused as a child? What if you don’t like yourself because you were rejected? Or what if you don’t like yourself because you were deserted? I have some wonderful news for you and here it is. This is what God says to you: “For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, is is Zion, whom no man seeketh aer.” (Jeremiah 30:17)

36Learning How to Like YourselfI love the word restore. What happens to a computer that goes haywire? Once you get it restored, it’s functioning again, right? No matter what has happened to you, no matter how you’ve been broken, or damaged, or disgraced, or shamed—God wants to restore you, to put you back in your original condition. Look at what He says: I will restore health to you, mental health, emotional health, and spiritual health. I will restore health to you, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord. Nothing can be broken that He can’t x. That’s why we call Him Savior. That’s why we call Him Redeemer, blessed Redeemer. “I will restore your health. I will heal your wounds because everybody’s treating you like an outcast, as if there’s something wrong with you.” Look at what He says: “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satised, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.” (Joel 2:25-26) “And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, the cankerworm, the caterpillar, the palmerworm,” everything that’s tried to chew you up and spit you out, and ruin your days, your weeks, your months, and your years. God will put you back at a restore point as if none of that had ever happened. You’ll eat plenty, and you’ll be satised. You’ll praise the name of the Lord, your God, because He will have dealt wondrously with you and you will never be ashamed. At this point, we move to the great redemptive principles of Scripture, principles that are called laws. These are the laws of Calvary, our rules of action. Redemption is through the blood of Jesus that forgives, cleanses, heals, and restores you to the condition you were before all of the damage was done. Confess your sins, for He forgives them. You can live as if it never happened, because

37David L. Johnstonit will no longer have any power over you, and you will have no shame. The drunkard, the woman of the streets, the whoremasters in the high-rise buildings downtown can come to God because of Calvary: “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” (Isaiah 55:1) Everyone that thirsts, come to the waters. God has never stopped loving you, no matter what’s happened to you. He wants to wrap His arms around you, and He will heal you. You will not be ashamed of what or who you are. You will like yourself.

How to Enthusiastically Like Yourself I don’t know how old you are right now. It doesn’t matter. I don’t know how life has gone for you. It doesn’t matter. Do you like yourself? That is what matters. You may have wandered in lonely and perilous ways. You may be striving to keep your life together. You may not have been able to nd answers to burning questions like, “Who am I?” “What am I?” “Why am I here?” “What is the purpose of my life?” “Where am I going?” “What if I’m already off track?” If you or someone you know does not like themselves, what should you do? What should you do so you don’t just casually like yourself, but you like yourself enthusiastically? The purpose of this teaching is to answer that question. 1. Anchor your life to sacred truths. The truth is. Life is. You are a hallowed person. I am too. What makes us sacred? The answer is in the Scriptures. “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God” (Acts 17:29) There it is. You are the offspring of God, a child of God, a son or daughter of the Most High. You are in the same category as God because, “God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...” (Genesis 1:26) We are in the same category as God, though far below Him, like a candle is to the sun; while both are light, a candle is less than the sun. To be anchored to the sacred means to be attached to the truths we’ve been discussing. You anchor by accepting, believing, and vigorously adhering to the truth about God and yourself.

40Learning How to Like YourselfShe was a sixteen-year-old runaway named Bonnie. (It’s strange: when I was young, kids ran away from home. Today, parents run away.) Her wrists bared the scars of attempted suicide. She arrived at the Teen Challenge Center in Toronto where my father was the director and I was the preacher on the streets. After a Thursday night chapel service, I sat half way across the room from Bonnie. She wasn’t far from me. The chapel would seat about twenty-four people. I remember the scene well, the red carpeted oor, the blackboard I drew diagrams on, and the little rostrum with a big Bible perched on top. I had opened my Bible to its most worn passage, Psalm 139. I was walking Bonnie through each phrase, telling her in the simplest terms I could how much God loved her, from in her mother’s womb, how he had designed her, and how she was the object of His affections. Suddenly, she jumped to her feet, ran at me with ngers and nails ailing to scratch my face, screaming, “Can your God make me a virgin again?” I guarded my face as much as possible and then placed one hand on her forehead and whispered the name, “Jesus.” She fell to the oor in a puddle of tears. She sobbed and sobbed. I told her Jesus could make her pure again. We talked about the cross, the blood of Jesus, and God’s love for her personally. The moments had grown into minutes and the minutes into an hour, but in the end, Bonnie had received three things: forgiveness, cleansing, and reinstatement to her right relationship with her loving Father, God. She became anchored to the sacred truths of redemption. Whatever you have done, whatever sins you have committed, whatever iniquities have consumed your life, there is a way back. Jesus came to provide the way back to your Father. We need a Savior. Really! Let’s imagine that you and I are walking along a railway track, balancing on that forever-long piece of steel, and I start to lose my balance. You grab me so I don’t fall six inches to the broken glass and cinders by the wooden ties. I would say, “Thank you very much for saving me.” However, if we are on a trestle, an elevated track on

41David L. Johnstona bridge over a canyon that was three hundred feet below us, and you save me from falling over the edge to be dashed upon the rocks below, then you will have “saved me” indeed. If we think lightly of our sin, we will think lightly of the Savior. But when we see the horror of what we’ve really done, giving God the middle nger, telling Him to get out of our lives, screaming, “I don’t want you God, leave me alone. I don’t want your Bible. I don’t care about your love, your cross, your blood, your heaven. Go away God!” When we see that we have spurned the love of the holy God, our Maker, Creator, Redeemer and friend, only then will we see that we really need a Savior, One Who can become the anchor of our soul. Ever wonder how God feels about you? Do you care? Who cares how God feels? He has done everything and yet we have rejected not just our wonderfully created selves but we have rejected Him, our Creator, our Maker, our real Father. Look what He says, “O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me” (Micah 6:3). Would someone like to stand up and tell God where He’s gone wrong? Not me! And I think, not you either. We don’t tire of these precious truths. In fact, we anchor ourselves to the sacred. Whatever you’ve done wrong, however many times you done it, even if until now you have rejected your real “self” which God made, there’s forgiveness, pardon and re-establishment. Jesus provided the way back. You see, in a very real sense, when you reject yourself, you reject God’s work, and ultimately it is a rejection of God Himself. Come back to Him. Love Him. Come back to you, the you He made and planned and provided for. This is what He says about you: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. en shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

42Learning How to Like YourselfAnd ye shall seek me, and nd me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity...” (Jeremiah 29:11-14) Get anchored to sacred truths. Let’s look once more at the grandeur of His creation. “I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.” (Isaiah 45:10) I’m going to print that verse again, leaving a space for you to add your own name. Ready? “I have made the earth, and created __________ upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.” God says He made you, and in the exact same breath He says He created the heavens. Get a picture of the stars. Google it. Stare at it. Realize that the God Who created the stars is the same One Who made you. Anchor yourself to these sacred truths. 2. Anchor your soul to the sacred One. It is not enough to be anchored to sacred truths, precious and wonderful as they are. We must be anchored to God Himself. Get connected if you are not. After getting connected, stay attached. Jesus is the connection. Through Him we are attached. He put it this way, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). He is the way; you’ll never be lost. He is the truth; you will never be confused. He is the life; you will never be depressed. Connected and attached! But how? He will never t into our lives just any old way. We must t into His. He doesn’t come under our

43David L. Johnstondirection. We must come under His. He is not ours to command. We must be His to command. Why? Because He is wiser, the biblical word for smarter. He loves us more than we love ourselves. The cross is proof. The cross is God’s big + (plus) sign. The center beam is vertical, connecting earth to heaven. The horizontal beam is elevated by the vertical. And that’s precisely what Jesus does, He lifts your life up to be richer, fuller. It’s no wonder the great Scotsman, George Matheson, penned these words: O Love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, at in thine ocean depths its ow May richer, fuller be. The issue is a simple one, though it’s difcult for many to follow. It’s simple because it means we should bring our lives under Christ’s management. It’s difcult because most people do not want to give up the “god-position” of their lives to God. We’d rather play god ourselves. This is the great iniquity and the root of varying degrees of narcissism. Instead, we must realize that God’s will for our lives is exactly what we would choose if we knew all the facts. He knows all the facts; we do not. You can trust your life in His hands, His care, His keeping, and His leading. 3. Remove all unbiblical and conicting data from your mind. Listen to no voice that contradicts the truths we have learned together. Accept no print, no music, no video, no data, anything that does not agree with your sacred anchors. Let nothing break your anchor, nothing! No book, no lyric, no voice, no person, no devil, no demon, no foe, no friend, no circumstance, no anything. Let nothing separate you from the love of God. Nothing can, unless you allow it.

44Learning How to Like Yourself“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39) View all opposing thought as treasonous. Brook no opposition. This may seem like a daunting task at rst; daunting because we are invaded by voices, advertisements, secular educationalists, billboards, newspapers, magazines, music, videos, and the internet. We must vet all data. “Let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justied in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged” (Romans 3:4). 4. Discover your measure, your endowment, your gifting, the great deposits that God has bestowed upon you.You are extraordinary, although you may not know it. If you like your Creator, you will like yourself. You are not an accident or a mistake, but rather the work of His hands, magnicent, elegant, and perfectly put together, in a combination as different from others as your ngerprint. Scientic American reports, “Two like ngerprints would only be found in 1048 years.” That’s how unique you are. Biometric identication systems, whether in the form of iris or retinal scans, hand geometry, palm vein authentication, face recognition, or voice analysis, will never nd another you. And

45David L. Johnstonthat’s only your biometric uniqueness. What about your spiritual DNA? Although often misattributed to Helen Keller because she quoted it so much, Edward Everett Hale, American author and chaplain, wrote the following: I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I ought to do, And what I ought to do, by the grace of God, I will do.He further proclaimed, “I will not let what I cannot do, interfere with what I can do.” Why not memorize the above four lines and repeat them to your “self.” I’ve been saying it for almost forty years. You! You are not a copy, a duplicate or a clone. You are an indispensable original, made by and Fathered by the great Creator, God Himself. That is why Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father who art in heaven... hallowed be Thy name.” You were made in His likeness and created in His image. He’s has big plans for you, plans that will take eternity. What is there not to like?

46Learning How to Like YourselfEmotive for You I wish you could understand how deep is my anxiety for you and for all who have never met me. I long for you to be encouraged, and nd out more about the strong bonds of Christian love. I long for you to grow more certain in your knowledge and more sure of your grasp of God Himself. May your spiritual experiences become richer as you see God’s great secret, Christ Himself, more fully! For it is in Him, and in Him alone, that men will nd all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.* *Inspired by Galatians 1, J.B. Phillips Translation

Why we give YOU all our books for FREE:“Get the Truth, but do not sell it;Also get wisdom, instruction, and understanding.”(Proverbs 23:23)Why YOU should give all our books for FREEto all your friends and family:“Freely you have received, freely give!”(Matthew 10:8)Find our books here. Share the link with others!

Imagine You—In The Ministry! Yes, that is right, you are in the ministry! Christian ministry is imparting the gospel and biblical truths to others. Anyone can do this with the help of the Holy Spirit.You know people within your scope of in uence who need to be ministered to. Since we are all under biblical command to tell or publish the truth, it’s about communicating that truth with them.“Declare among the nations, Proclaim, and set up a standard; Proclaim—do not conceal it.” (Jeremiah 50:2a)The vital truths of the Bible are explained in detail in our publications, which we provide you without charge. You can share this material to everyone you know.There is a proper sequence to learning truths. On the following pages is our suggestion of the sequence of our material, along with links and descriptions. We must be careful not to dump too much at a time.You’re in the ministry now! The Lord will bless your endeavors! Your rewards will be eternal! “We are workers together with God!”

Why You Were Born - A Blueprint for Discovering Your Life PotentialWhy are you here on planet earth? Once you know why you were born you will have a new appreciation for your true self and a known purpose in life. Then, and only then, can you choose a life path, a course of action and eventually a ful lled life … no disappointments, no pressure to conform to the ideas and expectations of others. You will be free to be you, the real you.In the second part of this book you will learn how to discover your ENA, your Embedded Natural Ability. How tragic that some will cross the stage of time, be standing at the exit sign, and look back only to see a wasted life of insigni cance. None of us can run a good race on the wrong track. “My Way,” only counts if it’s the right way—God’s way. This book is also available as a 12-week group study with a Study Guide, Facilitator’s Guide, Lesson videos, and promotional material. Book Study Guide Facilitator GroupBook: NothingButTheTruth.org/wywbStudy Guide: NothingButTheTruth.org/wywbsgFacilitators Guide: NothingButTheTruth.org/wywbfgGroup Package: NothingButTheTruth.org/wywbkitThese books are free to you and for you to send without charge to any and all others as part of your ministry to them.Why are you here on planet earth? Once you know why you were born you will have a new appreciation for your true self and a known purpose in life. Then, and only then, can you choose a life path, a course of action and eventually a ful lled life … no disappointments, no pressure to conform to the ideas and expectations of others. You will be free to be you, the real In the second part of this book you will

Why You Were Born - A Blueprint for Discovering Your Life PotentialWhy are you here on planet earth? Once you know why you were born you will have a new appreciation for your true self and a known purpose in life. Then, and only then, can you choose a life path, a course of action and eventually a ful lled life … no disappointments, no pressure to conform to the ideas and expectations of others. You will be free to be you, the real you.In the second part of this book you will learn how to discover your ENA, your Embedded Natural Ability. How tragic that some will cross the stage of time, be standing at the exit sign, and look back only to see a wasted life of insigni cance. None of us can run a good race on the wrong track. “My Way,” only counts if it’s the right way—God’s way. This book is also available as a 12-week group study with a Study Guide, Facilitator’s Guide, Lesson videos, and promotional material. Book Study Guide Facilitator GroupBook: NothingButTheTruth.org/wywbStudy Guide: NothingButTheTruth.org/wywbsgFacilitators Guide: NothingButTheTruth.org/wywbfgGroup Package: NothingButTheTruth.org/wywbkitThese books are free to you and for you to send without charge to any and all others as part of your ministry to them.How You See Yourself -The Source of Your Struggle and How to Conquer ItHave you ever gone to a carnival and looked into one of those distorted mirrors, you know, the ones that make you look three feet tall and  ve feet wide? The image of yourself that you see back is distorted. It can produce a good laugh. But many of us struggle with a similar condition – we don’t see ourselves accurately. We are hindered from being the best version of ourselves by this insidious thing called iniquity.Iniquity is mentioned 334 times in the Bible, yet so many remain oblivious to its signi cant and negative impact on everyday living. Iniquity is the ancient term for narcissism. It’s one of the four reason Jesus went to the cross … “He was bruised for our iniquities” (Isa. 53:5). In this book you will not only identify the problems iniquity imposes upon us, but you will also discover the solutions.This book will help you discover:• How iniquity contributes to mental illness• How iniquity causes divorce and destroys households• How conquering iniquity will cause your prayer life to  ourish• How you can  nally live without fear and regret• How to embrace the bene ts that come from being free from iniquity and the way it robs you of your God-given potential!• How iniquity is different from sin NothingButTheTruth.org/hysyThis book is free to you and for you to send without charge to any and all others as part of your ministry to them.Have you ever gone to a carnival and you know, the ones that make you look of yourself that you see back is distorted. It struggle with a similar condition – we don’t see ourselves accurately. We are hindered

Your Ultimate Life Management System - How Jesus’s Inaugural Address (The Sermon on the Mount) Can Change Your LifeThe prophet Jeremiah lamented (Jeremiah 10:23) “I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” How can we manage our own path, and live life effectively? Could anything be more important than an ef cient, effective, and trustworthy life-management system? We need a life-management system!A life manager must be faithful, smart enough, wise enough, caring enough, and love you suf ciently to be trusted to direct your life. Hence, Jesus! He loves you, which means He is relentlessly choosing your highest good without any personal pro t or bene t as a motive of His own. In addition, Jesus is a life manager who never quits, and never gives up on you no matter what. He has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you; I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”In His  rst and possibly most compelling discourse, known as the “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus outlines a practical, yet powerful life plan for you. Don’t miss it! He is for you. Follow Him. You will never be ashamed.NothingButTheTruth.org/yulmsThis book is free to you and for you to send without charge to any and all others as part of your ministry to them.I know that the way of man is not A life manager must be faithful, smart enough, wise enough, caring enough, and

High Value Target - When the Good Guys Become the TargetsIf you are a good person, watch out. The bad guys have you in their sights. Our culture has experienced a paradigm shift. It’s popular now to be immoral; and evil is promoted as preferred and desirable. It is objectionable enough that evil is put for good but now the good are put for evil... targeted! You targeted! And so are your children.In High Value Target you will discover the tactics arrayed against you and yours; tactics designed to steal your destiny, kill your dreams, destroy your moral intelligence, and demonize life. You will learn practical and powerful tactics, not only to fend off attacks but how to conquer, what to do of you are targeted as one of the good guys.NothingButTheTruth.org/hvtThis book is free to you and for you to send without charge to any and all others as part of your ministry to them.bad guys have you in their sights. Our is promoted as preferred and desirable. It is objectionable enough that evil is put for targeted! You targeted! And so are your

Personal Digital Discipleship - How to think, feel, and live truthfullyAs believers we are called to grow and mature in our faith and understanding of what it means to be followers of Christ. Certainly being part of a life-giving church is a key component. But not everyone has access to that.Personal Digital Discipleship is a powerful resource you can use to gain insight and understanding, teaching and training in the ways of God and how to effectively live out your Christian life.Walking you through the steps of being reborn, helping you change the way you think, shifting your emotions to follow God’s direction, replanning your life to align with God’s desires, and helping you reproduce these steps in others, this study can literally change your life.Each of the 30 full-color lessons contains a video component, lesson notes, additional study, application, and steps to share with others. Grow in your Christian walk by going through these insightful lessons.The book can be used for individual or group study. Group helps are listed in the book.NothingButTheTruth.org/pddThis book is free to you and for you to send without charge to any and all others as part of your ministry to them.

The Virtuous Woman - Your Guide to True FeminismIt is virtue that makes all that is good possible.The most in uential people in any culture are the women!That’s where you can enter as the heroine! YOU, a Virtuous Woman!In the book of Proverbs (called the Book of Wisdom), God speaks of the characteristics of a virtuous woman. Chapter 31 uncovers many of the beautifully illustrated facets of love, virtue, and strength that a woman can possess.As you work your way through this book, the pages unpack each aspect of this amazing woman. Discovering and applying these truths can help you to become a woman of in uence, strength, and character—a motivator, trendsetter, in uencer, and advocate for virtue.This book is designed to celebrate the incomparable gifts and qualities of a virtuous woman and makes a good gift for any woman in your life.NothingButTheTruth.org/virtuousThis book is free to you and for you to send without charge to any and all others as part of your ministry to them.It is virtue that makes all that is The most in uential people in That’s where you can enter as the heroine! YOU, a Virtuous In the book of Proverbs (called the Book of Wisdom), God speaks of the

Other Helpful ResourcesHow to Have Peace in Diffi cult TimesWe live in turbulent times. Society sometimes seems like it is teetering on the brink of chaos.This powerful book will give you keys to experiencing peace and staying calm no matter what may be happening to you or around you. When everyone around you is leaning into fear, panic, tension and worry – YOU have the power to walk in peace, even in dif cult times.NothingButTheTruth.org/peaceFor Every Soldier There Is A Time to Kill and a Time to Heal“To every thing there is a season,And a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die…A time to kill and a time to heal.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-3)This vivid gift book is written for Veterans. In it they will discover the way to genuine healing. NothingButTheTruth.org/soldierThese books are free to you and for you to send without charge to any and all others as part of your ministry to them.

Con dence Knowing It Will Go Well With YouWe all want to know if things will turn out ok for us. We desire assurance that all will be well for us and our loved ones. “Can you know this for sure?”  at is the question!NothingButTheTruth.org/confidenceCrush the Hidden Power  at Defeats YouWe are hindered from being the best version of ourselves, the version God intended. We are prevented by this insidious thing called iniquity.NothingButTheTruth.org/crushpowerDiscover Your Spiritual G i   is brief ebook will ex-plain the diff erent spiritual gi s, how they  t in the big picture, the Body of Christ, and how you can discover yours.NothingButTheTruth.org/spiritualgiftThese books are free to you and for you to send without charge to any and all others as part of your ministry to them.

How to Handle Di cult PeopleI wrote this short e-book to give you some practical, helpful and biblically-based insights on how you can work with people who are, well, challenging.NothingButTheTruth.org/peopleKeys to a Meaningful LifeDo you desire a meaning-ful life? If so, the informa-tion in this ebook should encourage you and help you move toward the ful llment, peace, and joy that a meaningful life brings! NothingButTheTruth.org/keysWords Matter - Speaking Peace to Calm the Storms of LifeChaos shows itself as anger, depression, panic, worry, or mistrust. Peace is the absence of these. So how do we get it?NothingButTheTruth.org/wordsThese books are free to you and for you to send without charge to any and all others as part of your ministry to them.

Nothing But The Truth MinistriesDedicated to the single task of explaining the truth in its simplest and purest form to all peoples of the world.People matter. YOU matter! Truth is the substance of all wise decision-making. So it’s important to know the truth – about you, about why you were born, about every aspect of your life. Truth is wonderful, even when sometimes it may not seem comfortable.This site is dedicated to sharing God’s truth with you – truth that you can apply to your daily life, your relationships, your  nances, your choices, your future.Visit our website at www.NothingButTheTruth.orgAll our resources are available free of charge in digital form. Printed copies are available at our cost of printing plus shipping. WE DO NOT SOLICIT FUNDS, but we give opportunity if it is in a person’s heart to give. We are a 501(c)3 non-pro t organization. All contributions are tax deductible. Contributions to the mission can be made on our website.