We are just about ready to begin our study portion for today’s broadcast as we are again going to look into what the Scriptures REALLY, truly and genuinely teach about health, and this is our 10th segment. And we have found it has quite a bit to say about health and how to resolve our health issues and spiritual roots to physical diseases and aliments.

And so, we are now in our 10th part and we have been talking quite a bit during these segments about the topic of bitterness and its impact on our health. And if you have missed any of the nine previous segments, please do at least tune into the first one, which is on the broadcast.

Actually, four of those segments are currently on the Archives page and this week I was able to finally figure out why I am having so many problems getting these archives to work properly. So I thought I was going to have them up the last two weeks, but now we are on… on the job now. We have it figured out as of last night.

So, anyway, Part 10: What the Scriptures REALLY Teach About Health. And we have been talking about bitterness, and there are three potential areas where bitterness can occur.

We have already discussed about if our relationships with Yahweh lack love, security and trust, and instead we are actually bitter at Yahweh, it will have an impact on our health.

If our relationship with others consists of bitterness and unforgiveness, it can have an impact on our health.

And thirdly, this is the one we are going to go into today. The last four or five segments, we have talked a lot about resolving fear and anxiety, resolving any potential bitterness toward Yahweh concerning the things that may have happened to us as children or adults.

But now we are going to talk about how our relationship with ourselves, if it is lacking love, if it is lacking a sense of worth, a sense of identity, it can have an impact on our health.

If there is any bitterness, any unforgiveness, in our life toward anyone– whether it be our Creator, whether it be toward our neighbor, our friend, our father, our sister, our brother, our relative, or even toward ourselves– it can disrupt the flow of T-cells, killer cells…

… things in our body that Yahweh placed in our bodies to help us fight off disease, cancer. And, of course, cortisol, while it is good for our health in a fight or flight situation, if it continues to flow and be unregulated, it actually suppresses the immune system and can cause problems with our bodies.

So, I am not going to go into quoting things about cortisol and different things like that over and over again. In the previous segments we have gone into those areas at length.

But today I do want to talk about how our identity, how our relationship with ourselves– if there is any guilt, if there is any bitterness, if there is anything within us that causes us to feel like we don’t really like ourselves, let alone love ourselves– it can have an impact on our health.

Scripture says:

Proverbs 17:22 – A merry heart does good, [like] medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.

If we have a broken spirit, it impacts our bones. And the bone marrow is the location where our bodies produce the cells for our immune system.

Proverbs 18:14 – The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit?

Proverbs 15:13 – A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

This is the “heart wounds.” This word here means “pain,” “hurt.” That is how the spirit is broken.

And so, if we have these wounds in our hearts, and as a result of those wounds we have bitternesses– either toward ourselves or toward others or toward our Father in heaven– then our spirit can be broken, we have nothing to sustain us in sickness and we don’t have the merry heart, which is a source of inner healing so that we can be healed.

So there is an issue of self-hatred, a problem with really even liking yourself or feeling really adequate. There are some people who don’t feel adequate unless they are above others. An example of something quite similar to that can be found in Acts chapter 9.

Different people, when they have self-hatred, they react in different ways. Some people crawl into themselves in self-pity and hatred of self and they just can’t pull out of it.

Other people try to cover that by excessive exalting of oneself, a tremendous amount of energy being poured into being “top dog,” to being a “big shot,” to being “the big cheese,” “number 1”– wanting to be the greatest and to prove to themselves and to others that they are not worthless.

One such man, I think, was in the Scriptures. His name was Simon. Acts chapter 8, verse 9, says:

Acts 8:9 – But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great,

10 – to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of Elohim.

11 – And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time.

So he claimed to be someone great and people were amazed by him and they listened to him. He had power.

Acts 8:12 – But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of Elohim and the name of Yahushua Messiah, both men and women were baptized.

13 – Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.

14 – Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of Elohim, they sent Peter and John to them,

Acts 8:15 – who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

16 – For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Master Yahushua.

17 – Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8:18 – And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,

19 – saying, Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.

20 – But Peter said to him, Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of Elohim could be purchased with money!

Acts 8:21 – You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of Elohim.

What was wrong?

Acts 8:22 – Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray Elohim if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.

23 – For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.

24 – Then Simon answered and said, Pray to YAHWEH for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.

Wow! Harsh words for Simon. Of course, he tried to buy the Holy Spirit, or at least buy the ability to give the Holy Spirit to others. Maybe he felt that wasn’t quite as bad.

But there was a bitter root within Simon somewhere, somehow. I mean, was it against the apostles and disciples of Yahushua? We don’t see any evidence that he was really against the apostles. Did he have any bitterness against the apostles? Was he bitter toward them for coming in and doing these things?

I mean he seemed to be quickly willing to humble himself, and sought baptism, and humbled himself before Peter who rebuked him sharply, and “Pray that none of that happens to me.” So it appears he wasn’t really necessarily bitter toward the apostles necessarily.

Maybe there was some of that there, but it seems to me he had what, you know, modern psychology would call “narcissism,” which is the thought that you have to be the “alpha male” in order to have a sense of worth or founded upon the false idea it is “man” who decides your worth. And so, he sought to be someone great.

And so, there is this over emphasis on the opinions of men and they are getting their sense of worth from whom men say they are rather than who Yahweh says we are. And this is a huge problem that has existed for thousands of years and it can affect our salvation.

And so, in the case of Simon the sorcerer, he was getting all of this affirmation from men telling him how great he was.

And there may have been a bitter root within his heart, not against others, but against himself in the sense that he did not feel worthy enough unless he had some kind of power to be able to give the Holy Spirit, to be considered someone great that people could look to and turn to. And so, he was poisoned by bitterness.

Now I don’t know the exact nature of all of his mental issues or what he was dealing with, but it certainly seems within the realm of possibility based on the evidence here.

But this over emphasis on what man says about us is a major problem that existed for thousands of years. John 12… I don’t have it up there. I’m sorry. But John 12… Oh, I do have it up there… it says:

John 12:42 – Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess [Him], lest they should be put out of the synagogue;

Many people believed in the Master Yahushua, but they wouldn’t confess it openly. Why? Lest they should be put out of the synagogue.

John 12:43 – for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of Elohim.

Their identity was not in what Elohim says of them. It was in what men say about them. That is where they are getting their affirmation.

Now some have very extreme levels of this problem that they feel, again, they need to be the best at everything and experts on everything. If they are not the big shot, they don’t feel respected and they feel as though they are not worth anything.

Why? It seems counter to the persona they are trying to put out there, but down deep there is a bitter root of self-hatred. Simon the sorcerer may very well have had this very thing, a bitter root of self-hatred.

He lost his identity now. He was the one that was someone great. He lost his identity of who he was. He is trying to recover it by having this power to give the Holy Spirit to other people.

And he is willing to do anything for it– to buy it, whatever it takes– to be someone that other people will look to, to see as someone who is great and to give this Holy Spirit to others.

And so, he astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. But he was claiming he was someone great. And we don’t know enough about Simon to draw, again, a hundred percent conclusion, but it seemed like it was certainly bitterness. We know that much.

And so, the apostles are now getting all this attention. He lost some of his self-worth because his self-worth, his sense of worth, was founded upon the opinions of man. And that is a very poor place to put your hopes and your expectations.

I mean, men are fickle. One minute you are a wonderful person. The next minute you are worthless and stupid. But this is where most people get their sense of worth– in what other people, other human beings, think of them. And that is where they get their sense of worth.

And so, if we have this bitter root of self-hatred already, it can be extremely damaging to us, spiritually and otherwise.

And a lot of times, if we grew up in a home where we were told, “Oh, you will never amount to anything,” or if we were hammered with guilt by our parents and always felt as though we could never be good enough to be loved and accepted, we could never measure up to a high enough standard to be loved and accepted by our parents…

Whether they knew it or not, they may have instilled in us a lack of love for ourselves. Why? Because we were never loved the way we are supposed to be loved. If we are loved the way we are supposed to be loved, we would not feel as though we are unworthy to be loved.

Again, if we were loved by our parents the way we were supposed to be loved, we wouldn’t feel as though we were unworthy to be loved. If you had parents that knew how to love their children, you wouldn’t even be dealing with this problem.

Now I realize that some of you listening are out there going, “Love yourself? Isn’t that like a problem? Isn’t that pride? Isn’t that arrogance? Isn’t that like the major cause of sin in a person’s life is self-centeredness and selfishness?”

Yes, it is and it may seem contradictory. But there is a difference between having a sense of worth, a healthy assurance that we are worthy of being loved, and loving yourself so much there is no room for anybody else. Look at the following two Scriptures for a minute:

Leviticus 19:18 – `You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I [am] YAHWEH.

“As yourself.” As if loving yourself is the measure by which you are able to love someone else, but then we have 2 Timothy 3:1 that says:

2Timothy 3:1 – But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:

2 – For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

It would almost seem to be contradictory, because in the Torah we see that the measure by which we love others is how we love ourselves. But we see that having a love for yourself can pose a real problem… pride comes in and results in all kinds of sins.

So on the one hand, if we don’t love ourselves at all, we really have no measuring stick by which we can even love another person. But on the other hand, if we are choosing to love ourselves so much that we become self-centered and there is no room for loving Yahweh or loving another person, it becomes sinful and all kinds of sins come out of it.

I mean, we should never love ourselves to the extent that we don’t care about Yahweh or care about anyone else. That is pride. That is arrogance. That is haughtiness. That is self-centeredness and selfishness.

But at the same time, we should never feel as though we are unworthy of being loved, and therefore we don’t love ourselves, or we don’t believe we are loved by Yahweh or we don’t believe we are loved by another person, and therefore we are unworthy of being loved. This is where self-hatred comes in and that is a major problem.

So we don’t want to be “lovers of ourselves” to the extent that there is no room for Yahweh, no room for anybody else. But at the same time, we should never feel like we are unworthy of being loved by Yahweh or being loved by another person or being loved by ourselves.

That is where self-hatred, self-condemnation, comes in and bitterness against ourselves. Because the enemy will throw all kinds of reasons at you as to why you are not worthy of being loved.

So what does Scripture say?

John 3:16 – For Elohim so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

We have heard this Scripture how many times? But it is all based on one concept: Elohim loves the sinner.

Romans 5:8 – But Elohim demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Messiah died for us.

He loved us enough Messiah died for us. How is that for an example of love? 1 John 4:8 says:

1John 4:8 – He who does not love does not know Elohim, for Elohim is love.

9 – In this the love of Elohim was manifested toward us, that Elohim has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

10 – In this is love, not that we loved Elohim, but that He loved us and sent His Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.

Later on in verse 16…

1John 4:16 – And we have known and believed the love that Elohim has for us. Elohim is love, and he who abides in love abides in Elohim, and Elohim in him.

17 – Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.

18 – There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

Do we have confidence that we will have boldness in the day of judgment, knowing that as He is, so are we, in the sense of righteousness? Yahushua is the One who makes us righteous. Can we have boldness in the day of judgment, and say, “Oh, I know He accepts me. I know He loves me. I know that I have eternal life abiding in me.”

Can we have that level of confidence toward Yahweh on the day of judgment? That is the question. Do we?

Some may feel, “Yeah, I’m sure other people have that confidence. I don’t have that confidence. I know myself. Maybe other people may not know who I am, and I guess those verses may apply to other people who have sinned, but maybe not to me because I have pretty much concluded I am the exception.”

And you read Scriptures in the Bible like:

Matthew 22:14 – For many are called, but few [are] chosen.

And you feel like, maybe, “Well, yeah, I’m just not chosen. Maybe I was called, but I’m just not one of the chosen.” Have you ever had that thought before… doubt? There may be a bitter root of self-hatred in your heart.

Listen, Yahweh chooses those who are willing to choose Him. That is who He chooses. If we have made a commitment toward overcoming sin and we believe that Yahushua is the Messiah, He is ready and willing to choose us. The question is whether or not we are willing to believe what He says.

And I know it seems amazing and incredible that He would choose to love us knowing the things that we have done and the sins we have committed and knowing the kind of person we have been. But it is true.

Self-hatred is a real problem in our modern world. Everyone is looking to man for their acceptance and sense of worth. And some get it and some don’t. That is a very shaky foundation often built upon a sandcastle of lies.

Just because men accept you doesn’t mean Yahweh accepts you. And just because men reject you doesn’t mean Yahweh rejects you. Just because men accept you doesn’t mean you are worthy of love. And just because men reject you doesn’t mean you are unworthy of love.

We are all inherently worthy of being loved, for Elohim so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, in that while we were yet sinners, Messiah died for us. We are all, apparently, according to the Creator of the universe, worthy of being loved– whether we have sinned or whether we have not sinned.

It is not man who determines the worth of man. It is Yahweh, the Creator of man, who determines our worth and our value. And looking at what He says about our worth and our value, it is absolutely amazing the amount of love He has for us in spite of our warts, in spite of our wrongs against Him and against our fellow man. It is amazing!

But it isn’t man who determines our worth. It is not even you that determines your worth. You didn’t make you. Man didn’t make you. Yahweh made you, and so, therefore, He determines your worth.

And some of you wonder, “Well, I don’t know that I am chosen. I mean, I might have blasphemed the Holy Spirit at some point in my life and that is why I feel so condemned all the time. I can’t seem to shake this thought that I am rejected by Yahweh. Everybody else pretty much does. Why would He accept me?

“Yahweh just, maybe, doesn’t think I am good enough to be accepted.” In other words, you see yourself as condemned because you think you have to be good enough for Yahweh to value you and to accept you.

But take a look in the Scriptures and see just how good you have to be in order for Yahweh to accept you and want you to be His own child, His chosen one. Let’s take a look here:

Acts 9:1 – Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Master, went to the high priest

2 – and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

3 – As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.

Acts 9:4 – Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?

Think about that. Saul is on his way to commit murder, to imprison Yahushua’s own disciples. You cannot hardly get any more evil than that. And while he is on the way to do these heinous crimes, Yahushua shows up, calls out to him, brings him to a place of repentance, and he ends up becoming a believer in Yahushua and gets baptized.

So how good did Paul need to be in order to be chosen? Yahushua told him in that same chapter: “He is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name.”

Paul was deceived. Paul was a wicked man. He consented to the first murder of Yahushua’s disciples, Stephen, and he was on his way to commit even more harm. I venture to say, probably none of us have ever committed such a crime.

But even if we had, would it matter? No, because Yahushua met Paul right where he was at, brought him to a place of repentance, and little did he know he wouldn’t be imprisoning any disciples in Damascus. He would, in fact, become a prisoner himself because of being a disciple of Yahushua.

And so, after blinding Paul, Yahushua sent Ananias to heal him of his sight, to fill him with Yahweh’s Spirit, and the scales fell from his eyes and he was baptized in Yahushua’s name.

And what did Paul say about this whole thing? He said:

1Timothy 1:15 – This [is] a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Messiah Yahushua came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

Sorry, that position has already been taken. The chief of sinners, right there. You can’t get worse than Paul.

1Timothy 1:16 – However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Yahushua Messiah might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.

That is a pattern, that Paul, whom he identifies as the chief of sinners, he received longsuffering, he received grace, he received forgiveness. And so, my point is you don’t have to be “good enough” to become Yahushua’s disciple. Look at Paul. He is the pattern to those who would believe in Yahushua for everlasting life.

He is the pattern… right there… there is the pattern. If Paul can be saved, you can be saved. And so, here he is going to the Gentiles the worst of sinners. And look, he is telling them, “I received grace.” And so, they could look at Paul, and say, “Well, if he could receive grace, maybe there is hope for me.”

And if Peter, a man who denied Yahushua after walking with Him three years, could receive grace… See, He doesn’t call the qualified, as they say. He qualifies the called.

Another example… Yahushua is hanging there on the tree. He is being mocked by many people.

Matthew 27:41 – Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said,

42 – He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.

43 – He trusted in Elohim; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, `I am the Son of Elohim.’

Matthew 27:44 – Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.

Both of them. And so, the robbers who were crucified with Yahushua also reviled Him. At some point later on, though, we see a change of heart in one of them.

Luke 23:39 – Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, If You are the Messiah, save Yourself and us.

40 – But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, Do you not even fear Elohim, seeing you are under the same condemnation?

41 – And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.

Luke 23:42 – Then he said to Yahushua, Master, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.

43 – And Yahushua said to him, Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.

Think about that for a moment. What works of righteousness did the criminal do? Nothing. He just simply had a change of heart about Yahushua who is dying there with Him.

And I could see this happening, you know. Someone, at first, is kind of going along with the crowds, you know, thinking, “Of course, this man is as guilty as we are.” But then, at some point, the one robber must have heard something that persuaded him that Yahushua is innocent.

Maybe it was the darkness on the land. I don’t know what it was, but he repented to the extent that he was even willing to rebuke the other person for continuing to revile Him. And so, what was it that the robber did in order to come to salvation? He simply believed in Yahushua with all his heart, asking Yahushua to remember him in the Kingdom.

That was faith. There is a man next to you dying. “Remember me when You come into Your Kingdom.” And he obviously repented of his wrongdoing and acknowledged that he deserved to die for his crimes and even rebuked the other criminal for not fearing Elohim.

So what was necessary for the robber to be saved? Repentance and putting his trust and faith in Yahushua the Messiah. Exactly what we need for Yahweh to accept us.

Acts 2:38 – Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Yahushua Messiah for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

So baptism is representing the fact that we put our faith in Yahushua. Of course, the thief couldn’t exactly get down from the tree there and get baptized, but he did believe.

So if Yahushua accepted him because he had repentance and faith… Paul taught the same message. Peter taught the same message. Paul taught:

Acts 20:20 – how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,

21 – testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward Elohim and faith toward our Master Yahushua Messiah.

That is the basic thing that was taught. Two things: Repentance and faith. And that is the basic message that I teach: Repentance and faith.

Repentance doesn’t mean you flip one day and you become a perfect person and never make a mistake from that point on. Repentance means my heart is now turned away from unrighteousness and turned toward righteousness, and now I am committed toward becoming a disciple of Yahushua.

It doesn’t mean you instantly become perfect and never make another mistake. Yahushua leads us gently, step by step. And as we learn from His Word how we are supposed to live, and we seek to apply that, we are resolved in our heart to apply those principals to our life with true and genuine faith and zeal, He loves us. He accepts us.

And we put our faith in Yahushua for the cleansing of sin. But that is the part right there a lot of people struggle with. But it really is simple. Nothing complicated.

Now there are some of you listening, undoubtedly, I’ve met you. I don’t know. I’m not thinking of a person, but I’ve met so many people that, you know, “Tom, yes, I see what the Scriptures are saying. But for some reason, I still doubt. I wonder if those Scriptures are maybe for somebody else. I just feel ugly. I just feel unholy. I feel unaccepted.”

I am sorry you feel that way. Really. Because my experience tells me probably a lot of you who feel that way were abused and mistreated as a child or even as an adult. And as a result, you are dealing with the self-hatred.

And you wonder, “Why was I always the one picked on? I mean, why was it always me that ended up being abused? Why was I the one who was abandoned or made to feel like I’m on the outside looking in?”

Do you ever feel like you are that, on the outside looking in? Like, there are the people out there, and you are sitting there outside the circle, on the edges, around the fringe? You probably felt that way growing up… maybe the “black sheep” of the family. It is naturally going to cause you to question your value and your worth.

Now I’m thankful I, myself, never suffered physical or sexual abuse as a child, but I know of so many people. And some of you, undoubtedly, are listening to the broadcast right now who were abused in these ways as children and my heart goes out to you.

You were caused to feel dirty inside. The heart was damaged. The pain resurfaces. And you have difficulty with loving yourself.

Some of you were physically abused, maybe by an alcoholic, unloving parent. Others were verbally abused, told you were worthless, not worthy of being loved. Listen, I understand. There are a lot of people out there struggling with that. And you feel guilt and shame and you hate yourself because of whatever you did amplified a thousand times.

Yahushua can heal all those wounds. I shared in segment number five of this series on health how He can heal those wounds. But sometimes we won’t get the healing until we not only forgive the one who hurt us, but if we are feeling a sense of guilt or shame about the things that happened to us, we are also willing to forgive ourselves.

Now if it was sexual abuse, I don’t believe you are in any way at fault. And not even physical abuse do I believe you are in any way at fault. I don’t believe you are at fault at all if you were a child and were subject to these things.

But listen, I understand there are people who were sexually abused, and they still see themselves as being at fault anyway… especially those who were sexually abused.

And so, even though I don’t believe you were at fault, rather than just join the choruses of people that tell you, “Look, you are not at fault. You don’t have to worry about it. You didn’t do anything wrong,” I am just going to tell you, I am going to suggest, that you make the conscious decision to forgive yourself anyway…

Even though I don’t believe you are at fault. And the same will be true of the physical and verbal abuse. You are not at fault. But think of it this way: Have you ever had somebody apologize to you even though you didn’t feel they did anything wrong to you? Probably most of us have.

Now, if that person apologized, though, how would you feel about that person afterward? You would probably think they were just a person who was wonderful and very sensitive to hurting other people. It makes you want to love them even more, doesn’t it, after they apologize for something that didn’t really hurt that bad?

Well, unless we really forgive ourselves for whatever wrongs we have committed, whether real or imagined, we may struggle with a sense of self-hatred and we may not love ourselves the way we should. Now our love for ourself does not come out of our own works, out of our own righteousness, out of our own deeds. It comes inherently from Yahweh.

So I believe it is a healthy thing to make a conscious decision to forgive ourselves anyway if we are harboring guilt and shame over the things that happened to us. I don’t believe you are guilty, but if you believe you are guilty, go ahead: Forgive yourself.

Now it is not the final solution, but it can be a step toward overcoming bitterness against yourself.

Now sexual abuse is a horrific sin because it introduces a child to something that Yahweh never intended a child to experience, never intended a human being to experience until they are married. And so, it arrests the normal development of the child because it is not something Yahweh intended for them to experience at a young age.

And so, it damages a child’s view of themselves. It damages their security and their trust in authority. And it affects them, most of the time, for the rest of their lives.

Now if it was a homosexual kind of abuse, that is a perversion Yahweh never intended anybody to experience period. But self-hatred is one of the symptoms that comes out of these abuses and it is perfectly normal for an adult, who has had this in their past, to struggle with it.

And it is also perfectly normal for a child who has suffered from physical abuse or verbal abuse to struggle with self-hatred as an adult. Child abuse in any form will typically affect the person for the rest of their lives because their brain is still in development. They are in a learning phase and their experiences are the teacher.

And if they experienced abuse, the brain becomes hardwired into certain pathways of thinking and it can be difficult as an adult to overcome those hardwired pathways of thinking. So listen, I understand why, if you had these issues as a child, why you would be struggling with those things as an adult. I do.

But I also know what and who the solution is. I know who could help you overcome those thought patterns and have your mind completely transformed into new pathways of thinking, words that are different than the words that the world would seek to proclaim.

Because the world says you have to look a certain way or perform a certain way or fit in with this or fit in with that in order to be worthy of being loved and accepted. But Yahweh says we don’t have to do anything or perform anything or look like anything to be worthy of being loved.

We have worth simply because we were created by the most powerful Being in the universe. Chew on that for a while. Just the fact that you exist demonstrates you have worth. Yahweh does not create junk.

I give this parable often. I may have already given it during the broadcasts on health, but I want to give it again. The parable is like this: There was an artist and he had quite a reputation, the most famous artist in the world. He decided one day he was going to spend a year making a wall-sized portrait of someone else.

And so, the day came and this man made sure he had painted every eyelash, every eyebrow hair, every little detail of the person’s face to an extreme level of detail. And when the curtain was drawn back and the crowds had gathered, they gasped at how beautiful the painting truly was.

What would that painting then need to do in order to be valued by the painter? Nothing. In the same manner, Yahweh didn’t paint a portrait of you. He created you, every last cell. And you don’t have to do anything to be counted a person of value and worth in order to be loved by Him, in order to be valued by Him. You just have to exist.

The fact that you exist demonstrates you are loved. You were created. And when the Creator looked at a pattern for which He would decide what you are going to look like, He chose Himself. We are created in His image.

And if that is not enough, when you failed Him, when you rebelled against Him, when you did not measure up to His standards, He didn’t say, “Well, you are not worth anything anyway. Good-bye.”

No, He sent His Son, Yahushua the Messiah, to die for you, to show that He cares and loves you. And when we grasp that, new pathways of thinking can come to fruition. So don’t be conformed to this world and where it places people’s worth and value, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Romans 12:2 – And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what [is] that good and acceptable and perfect will of Elohim.

We have to have our minds renewed. We need to allow new pathways of thinking, new patterns of thinking, to enter our minds and to rewire what was wired wrong. And what was wired wrong was not your fault.

Yahweh called parents to love, to nurture, to build up and care about their children. And if you had parents that didn’t do that, well, maybe they did the best they could, but it has an impact.

Yahweh, our heavenly Parent, says:

Matthew 10:30 – But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

That is how much He cares about you.

But some of you grew up with negative, discouraging and condemning parents who could not be pleased and you were never going to measure up. I am very sorry. Some of you have been devalued, unloved by your spouses. I am so sorry. Because I know how that impacts a person and what it does to their heart.

But let me tell you something: Yahweh does value you. Because if you were the only person in the world to have sinned, Yahushua would have died just for you and you alone.

How do I know that? Because Yahweh cannot do anything except love, and part of love involves being merciful, being longsuffering, caring for another person. How much more so our Creator? Scripture says:

1John 4:15 – Whoever confesses that Yahushua is the Son of Elohim, Elohim abides in him, and he in Elohim.

16 – And we have known and believed the love that Elohim has for us. Elohim is love, and he who abides in love abides in Elohim, and Elohim in him.

Elohim is love. That is what He is. That is who He is. He can’t be anything different than love toward us. It is not possible. And so, just as you and I would, hopefully, risk our lives to save a child from a burning building, even if the child was rebellious, we would save them because we still love them.

Yahweh can’t do anything but love you enough to save you, even if you were the only sinner on the earth, because the hairs of your head are all numbered, His eyes are always upon you, because He is love. He can’t be anything but that. And if you have ever seen love in the world, that is Him. It cannot be otherwise. That is who He is.

So no matter how many people have rejected you, hated you, tossed you aside, excluded you, put you down, no matter how many times your spouse has not shown love and respect, no matter how many times you have sinned against Yahweh, He still loves you.

Even if you are an unbeliever, He still loves you, in that while we were all yet sinners, Yahushua came and died for us. Because He so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son. So please, even if nobody else places value on you, Yahweh does. Even if nobody else wants you, Yahweh does. Even if nobody else cares about you, Yahweh cares about you.

I’m not just saying, oh, by words alone, but we can see by His deeds, by what He has done. We can see His love for us by what Yahushua has done for us, by what the Father has done for us.

And so, what needs to happen is, at some point in our lives, we have to come to the realization that we have to make a distinction here between what our father or mother, or whoever, caretaker, may have said about us and what Yahweh says about us. They are not necessarily the same thing.

If our parents are harsh, condemning, negative, and we can never seem to measure up, to be accepted, we have to put these human beings in a box, and say, “Well, you know what? That’s man for you. He will fail you every time.”

Well, not every time, but don’t expect man to be perfect. We are all called to be perfect, but reality is, we are still a work in progress. So how they were doesn’t change who Yahweh is. And so, a distinction has to be made.

My parents, or my spouse, was this way. Okay. But Yahweh is different than them. He is not like them. We have to choose to believe who He says He is, how He identifies Himself.

You are a person of great worth, not because of what you have done, but because you just exist. He created you in His image. And so much of our worth is determined by how we identify ourselves. Our identity is who we are, who we believe we are. Very important question.

You identify yourself as a person unworthy of being loved, a person who is of low value. That kind of identity is very powerful and it impacts you every day… every day of your life.

You know, people ask me, “Oh, what are you? Are you Christian? Are you Messianic? Who are you? What is your identity?” Everybody wants to know, “What is your identity?” Who do you tell them you are?

What if you told them, “I am the light of the world”?

What?

Yahushua says:

Matthew 5:14 – You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

15 – Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all [who are] in the house.

16 – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Glorify who? You? No, your Father in heaven.

Now, Yahushua said it. You are the light of the world. Do you believe it? Can you say it with me? Can you say it with me? “I am the light of the world.” Say it. “I am the light of the world.” That is an identity kind of statement.

Now it may seem boastful. It may seem arrogant. We are scared of being prideful for us to think that way, but why would Yahushua say it if it wasn’t true? Listen, it is not because of your righteousness, though, that you are the light of the world. It’s not.

It is not because of your righteousness. It is because of Yahweh’s promise that He would completely cleanse you of your sins to the extent that in His eyes you have never sinned. That means you have the light of Yahushua dwelling in you. (Yahushua says, “I am the light of the world.”) To deny that, is to deny how Yahweh Himself identifies you.

That is how He identifies people who have come to faith in Yahushua the Messiah. Now if you have a struggle with believing that, you may have an issue with self-hatred and doubt. And it is probably likely that you are still trying to live under the Law rather than being under grace.

Because to say, “Well, that is for somebody else,” or, “I have to do this first and then I will be accepted. I have to get to this pinnacle over here. I have to reach this level of righteousness. I am sure by the time I get there He will finally find me worthy enough to say I am the light of the world, to say I am His, I am chosen.

“I am waiting to get there, though. I will get there one day and, hopefully, He will accept me.” You can’t live under the Law. How many people crawled up from the piles of condemnation to please their accuser? We are under grace, because He values us.

He sent Yahushua to die for us so that you could get out from underneath the Law and its condemnation of you and live in freedom and grace, so that you would have the power and the will and the desire to be all He has called you to be.

So listen, what happens if you keep telling a person that they are… you name it… “this”? If you tell a child, “You are this. This is who you are. This is what you are all about,” eventually, they are going to believe you, even if they are not quite there yet, as far as “fitting the bill.” But it empowers them to want to fill that.

And so, when we say, “Look, I am the light of the world. Yahweh loves me. Yahweh accepts me,” then what happens is we get the power to walk in that. But some people think, “Well, okay, other people, I’m sure, are the light of the world and everything. But that’s… I’m not. You don’t know me.”

Are you trying to tell me He shows partiality and that He is a respecter of persons? To deny these things is to accuse the Father of not being truthful when He says you are who you are.

Now He did not go around and tell everybody, “Look, go around and tell your neighbor, ‘Look, I am the light of the world.’ ” He did not say that. He just says what? “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

So you do it, not by, you know, braggadociously (bragging on yourself), and saying, “I’m the light of the world,” but by your works demonstrate you are the light of the world. So inside, though, within our own hearts, can we say this about ourselves without seeming to be boastful and prideful? Can we? Can we say, “I am the light of the world”?

We, individually, are not the only light of the world. Yahweh’s people are collectively the city on the hill that can’t be hidden. Yahweh’s people consist of numerous small lights that shine in the darkness that this world is in and glorifies Yahweh and His ways.

Now a lot of people, they identify themselves by their family. You know… their last name. It is the family name they are born into they identify with.

It is not wrong to identify ourselves to some extent by the family we are born into, but we need to realize we have a much higher level of greatness to which we identify, and that is, we are the children of Elohim. We are part of His family.

John chapter 1, verse 12, says:

John 1:12 – But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of Elohim, to those who believe in His name:

13 – who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of Elohim.

So we are Yahweh’s children, and therefore we are sons and daughters of a King– the King of the universe. Not just the King on earth. The King of the whole universe.

Now raising daughters in this culture is tough, because the world is crazy with its “princess culture,” very attractive to daughters because they want some kind of identity. And so, they enter this fantasy world where in their minds they pretend to be a princess, the daughter of some earthly king.

And so, they are made to feel important. They are made to feel like they have worth and value, even if it is pretend, because they pretend like, “Oh, I am a daughter of a king. I am a princess.”

But Yahweh says we are His children, sons and daughters of the King of kings. And that is how we are identified. That is the identity that Yahweh offers to give you.

An identity is powerful. If you identify yourselves as not being worthy of this title– a child of Elohim, a daughter of the King, a son of the King, the light of the world– if you don’t embrace that identity, it will impact your spiritual walk. You will always be seeking to come to a certain level of righteousness.

You will find yourself underneath the Law rather than accepting the fact that we are all under grace.

So in the same way we have a last name that identifies us… Revelation 22:3-4 says:

Revelation 22:3 – And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of Elohim and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.

Talking about the Holy City.

Revelation 22:4 – They shall see His face, and His name [shall be] on their foreheads.

We become identified with Yahweh’s name. How is that for making a name important? Amazing that the world wants to take the name completely out of the Bible in great contrast to the name that is on the forehead to those who are joined with mystery Babylon:

Revelation 17:5 – And on her forehead a name [was] written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

What name do we want on our foreheads? With whom do we identify ourselves? To whom are we willing to receive an identity? the enemy? or Yahweh?

There is no middle ground. You can’t identify with both Yahweh and His enemy. You can’t claim to be the people of Yahweh and yet make yourselves into some spiritual harlot by identifying yourselves with the things that are contrary to Him. So a name has lot to do with our identity and our sense of worth.

The name by which Yahweh chooses to identify Himself with…

Daniel 9:19 – O YAHWEH, hear! O YAHWEH, forgive! O YAHWEH, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my Elohim, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.

We are called by Yahweh’s name. His name is on our foreheads.

2Corinthians 5:21 – For He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of Elohim in Him.

Yahushua. That is how He identifies you. You are now, in Messiah, the righteousness of Elohim. Do you get that? You are the righteousness of Elohim. You are the light of the world. You are the city on the hill that can’t be hidden. You are a child– a son, a daughter– of the Most High. You are a people who are called by His name.

We are a part of the city called by His name. Doesn’t that make us important? Doesn’t that make it important that we call on His name? I mean, that is one thing to look at.

We are also branches of a heavenly vine. Yahushua said:

John 15:5 – I am the vine, you [are] the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

We are Yahweh’s chosen.

Ephesians 1:3 – Blessed [be] the Elohim and Father of our Master Yahushua Messiah, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Messiah,

4 – just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,

He chose you. You are chosen. “Before the foundation of the world.” Before the world was even… He laid the foundation of the world, He already chose you to be His righteousness, to be holy, without blame. Can you say that with me? “I am chosen.” It is okay for us to think that way. Apparently, Paul himself and other disciples thought so.

1Peter 2:9 – But you [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

You are a chosen generation. You are a royal priesthood. You are a holy nation– the Nation of Israel.

1Peter 2:10 – who once [were] not a people but [are] now the people of Elohim, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

Do you see yourself this way? He does. Do you identify yourself that way? He does.

Can you imagine if someone asked you who you are, and you told them, “Oh, I am the light of the world, a part of the city on a hill. I can’t be hidden. I am a child of the Most High. I am a daughter (or a son) of the King. I am a people called by His name. I am part of a city called by His name. I am a branch of the heavenly vine.

“I am one of Yahweh’s chosen people. I am part of a chosen generation. I am part of a royal priesthood, a part of His holy nation, His own special people– the people of Yahweh! That is who I am.”

Identity is powerful. I don’t know whether or not you identify yourself like that, but Yahweh does. And His Word is final. His opinion is the only one that counts. What He calls you… that is all that really matters.

Now I know some are thinking within themselves, “I don’t know if I am worthy of that.” No, it is true. You are not. Neither am I. None of us are. But that is part of why Yahweh is so wonderful.

And some are wondering, “Well, I don’t know. Am I going to endure to the end? I mean, what if I don’t stand?” I understand. Scripture says:

1Corinthians 10:12 – Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

I am not talking about what you will be one day. I am talking about who you are right now. If you are a repentant person– that means that your heart is turned away from unrighteousness, you are turned toward righteousness– and you believe in the Master Yahushua, it is perfectly safe and acceptable to call us those things that He calls us.

In fact, Scripture says this:

“Elohim, who is rich…” I am sorry. I have the wrong Scriptures up there. Here we go…

Ephesians 2:4 – But Elohim, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

5 – even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Messiah (by grace you have been saved),

6 – and raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in the heavenly [places] in Messiah Yahushua,

In Yahweh’s eyes, you are already sitting there.

Ephesians 2:7 – that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in [His] kindness toward us in Messiah Yahushua.

That is why. If you are an awful sinner, guess what? He came to show the riches of His grace in His kindness toward you in Messiah Yahushua.

Ephesians 2:8 – For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of Elohim,

9 – not of works, lest anyone should boast.

You don’t have to achieve it. Otherwise, you could brag and say you saved yourself. But you didn’t.

Philippians 3:20 – For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Master Yahushua Messiah,

21 – who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

It is His working. It is His doing.

Romans 4:16 – Therefore [it is] of faith that [it might be] according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all

17 – (as it is written, I have made you a father of many nations) in the presence of Him whom he believed — Elohim, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;

18 – who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, So shall your descendants be.

He believed it. Abraham was the father. Abraham believed Yahweh’s Word. Abraham, no matter who your Daddy is in the flesh, is actually the father of us all. Abraham believed it. And through the Messiah Yahushua, we are Abraham’s seed.

Galatians 3:29 – And if you [are] Messiah’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

That is who we are. That is how He identifies us. That means we are Israel. And that identity was purchased at a very weighty cost. It is an identity we must treasure in our hearts.

So if anyone is in Messiah, we are a new creation, and we are a part of His body.

1Corinthians 12:27 – Now you are the body of Messiah, and members individually.

You are now identified as a part of this body of the Messiah. That is who you are in Him. That is how He identifies you. Okay, maybe you are not acting the way you should. Yahweh is working on you. You are not yet a finished product and you won’t be until the corruptible puts on incorruptible. But we are a workmanship in progress.

Ephesians 2:10 – For we are His workmanship, created in Messiah Yahushua for good works, which Elohim prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

And He is willing to accept you right where you are. As long as you are willing to receive Him and turn away from all wrongdoing, and turn toward righteous living, He is willing to accept you right where you are.

And the ways of the world, which will all perish one day, just yield completely to being transformed and renewed into the image of His Son, an image that is a holy image, what it truly means to walk in perfect love. Every commandment in the Scriptures has love as its intent. So…

Ephesians 1:3 – Blessed [be] the Elohim and Father of our Master Yahushua Messiah, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Messiah,

4 – just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,

5 – having predestined us to adoption as sons by Yahushua Messiah to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

Are we willing to set aside our own earthly identity and exchange that for a heavenly identity?

There was an old person, an old man, that died many years ago. He was involved in all kinds of sins– disgusting, filthy sins. But he died years ago. A new creation was created. In 1989, when I gave my life to Yahushua the Messiah, I became a new creation. And just that one decision completely changed my identity.

All these things that Scripture says about who His people are now applied to me… for one decision, laying on a living room couch in 1989. And all these things that Scripture says I am, I am. And that can be anyone’s decision. If you are willing, He wants to make you into His special treasure. Scripture says:

Malachi 3:16 – Then those who feared YAHWEH spoke to one another, And YAHWEH listened and heard [them]; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear YAHWEH And who meditate on His name.

17 – They shall be Mine, says YAHWEH of hosts, On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.

18 – Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves Elohim And one who does not serve Him.

“As a man spares his own son.” Well, how is a father supposed to treat his son? Is he supposed to reject him the first time he messes up? Or is he supposed to maybe discipline him appropriately and then encourage him and train him up in the nurture and admonition of Yahweh?

Not all of us were treated the way we were supposed to be treated as children. But don’t let your earthly fathers, earthly mothers, influence how Yahweh sees you. If we make a mistake, it doesn’t mean that we are a failure. If we fail at something, it doesn’t mean that we are a failure. It means we failed.

To say we are a failure goes into our identity of who we see ourselves as. “This is who I am: a failure.” And that is the enemy’s favorite thing to do, to get us thinking we are nothing, we are worthless. But Yahushua says:

Revelation 3:21 – To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

And we overcome by the blood of the Lamb. He must value us, brothers and sisters. I mean, obviously, to say, “Here, I’m going to put you on My throne right next to Me.”

How Yahweh could take a pile of yuck that I was and transform me, and say, “Here, I’m going to put you right next to the Messiah,” to me that is amazing grace. But that is the kind of Elohim He is. He cares about us.

2Peter 1:2 – Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of Elohim and of Yahushua our Master,

3 – as His divine power has given to us all things that [pertain] to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

4 – by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption [that is] in the world through lust.

2Corinthians 5:20 – Now then, we are ambassadors for Messiah, as though Elohim were pleading through us: we implore [you] on Messiah’s behalf, be reconciled to Elohim.

2Timothy 1:7 – For Elohim has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

So we are complete in Him.

Colossians 2:9 – For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Elohimhead bodily;

10 – and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

1John 4:4 – You are of Elohim, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

And whatever thing the world pursues, it doesn’t appeal to us. It is not anything.

Colossians 1:13 – He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed [us] into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

14 – in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

And so, He identifies us as His people and often quite differently than what the world may identify us. But I hear someone saying, “But maybe that is not me. Maybe that is somebody else.” I hope not. Scripture says:

1John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Do we believe that? You believe you’ve sinned. Scripture says that. Now do you believe what He also says, He is faithful and just to forgive you of your sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness if you confess it?

You don’t have to wonder whether He accepts you. But the enemy wants you to think differently. He wants you to think you are unworthy of being a son of Elohim and therefore He won’t accept you.

But it is Yahushua who makes you worthy. And it is identity that the enemy seeks to really, really attack, having no assurance of who you really are. That is what he wants to attack, because everything kind of flows out of that.

Look what happened to Yahushua:

Matthew 4:2 – And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.

3 – Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, If You are the Son of Elohim, command that these stones become bread.

Right off the bat, the first words out of his mouth, he is attacking Yahushua’s identity.

Matthew 4:4 – But He answered and said, It is written, `Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of Elohim.’

Yahushua kind of sidestepped the whole thing.

Matthew 4:5 – Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,

6 – and said to Him, If You are the Son of Elohim, throw Yourself down. For it is written: `He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, `In [their] hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’

7 – Yahushua said to him, It is written again, `You shall not tempt YAHWEH your Elohim.’

Again attacking Yahushua’s identity. That didn’t work. He tried it twice. All right. What about the lust of the flesh and the pride of life? Let’s go to that next.

Matthew 4:8 – Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

9 – And he said to Him, All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.

10 – Then Yahushua said to him, Away with you , Satan! For it is written, `You shall worship YAHWEH your Elohim, and Him only you shall serve.’

Matthew 4:11 – Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

What was Yahushua hanging onto? What Yahweh said, each and every time– the Scriptures, what Yahweh said. That is what He hung onto, not what anyone else said. Not the devil. Not anybody.

John 2:23 – Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.

24 – But Yahushua did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all [men],

What does that mean, He did not commit Himself to them? Well, many believed in His name. He didn’t commit Himself to them, because He knew all men…

John 2:25 – and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

He was not willing to identify Himself by what others said about Him. He put His trust in the words of Elohim. He knew men’s opinions are fickle and they will change like people change socks. So He did not put all of His hopes in what man said, did, believed, whatever. His hope was in the Word of Yahweh. That’s where His hope was, in what Yahweh says.

Do we realize what is in man? Do we realize what was in our parents? Do we realize what was in a spouse? Do we realize what is in man overall? Do we realize when the next age comes and we find ourselves in eternity not one of those people’s opinions about us is going to matter?

This short little life we have, seventy-some years– who knows how many years we will live on the earth– and what man says about us, that determines anything? No, it is eternity. Trillions and trillions of years in eternity. This little, tiny seventy year window… what is it going to matter what man says?

Where are we putting our identity, in what man says or in what Yahweh says about us? We need to learn to differentiate between the two. Yahushua did not feel any need for man’s testimony of who He was. He knew what was in man. He was despised and rejected by men.

And guess what? If He dwells in you, you’re going to find yourselves despised and rejected also. Because the enemy wants to attack your identity, from the time you are born, to cause you to doubt your value, to doubt your worth. And there are plenty of people in this world who are content to being agents for the enemy to try to make you feel that way.

But we are going to have to continue this discussion in self-bitterness, our identity in Messiah and how we are able to resolve this thing once and for all. Because listen, I have a lot more to say about this, and specifically its impact on our health, and how to resolve this once and for all.

Because life is not about guilt and shame. It is about life and joy and fellowship with Yahweh and the Holy Spirit. And some have lost that. And some have never had it. But life is about forgiveness and redemption and restoration of the heart. And lives can be restored. It is never too late as long as your heart beats.

So in the midst of all the voices that may speak in your heart, whether it is your voice, the voice of the enemy, or the voice of others about you not having worth and value, there is a Savior who valued you so much He was willing to be tortured and suffer and die for you.

And He wants to be your friend, your Savior, your King. And He is greater than the fear. He is greater than the doubt. He is greater than what your parents think of you. He is greater than what your wife or your husband thinks about you. And He will love you unconditionally. He will protect you and will fight for you.

How can you hate yourself when He loves you so much? How can you hate yourself when Yahweh loves you so much, when Yahushua loves you so much? He values you so much. We want to love the things that Yahweh loves. And guess what? You are one of them. You are one of the ones He loves.

And it is time for this contrary doctrine of demons to stop. Many of you have spent long enough time hating the person that Yahweh loves. But just because you make mistakes doesn’t mean you are a mistake. Just because you fail at times doesn’t mean you are a failure. It is the enemy that is trying to turn that into your identity.

So let Yahushua free you from it. He can and He will if we believe… if we will only believe. Let’s go to prayer.

Heavenly Father, Yahweh, qadosh be Your awesome name. Thank You for who You say we are. Qadosh, qadosh, qadosh. We embrace our identity in Messiah Yahushua. We embrace that we have now become the righteousness of Elohim, Your righteousness, that You have called us into… not by our own works, but by Your grace.

We receive every word You have said about us. We are the light of the world, a city on a hill that can’t be hidden, Your chosen people, a royal priesthood, a chosen generation. We want to live for the praises of You, our King, knowing that You bought us, You delivered us, You valued us. We praise You.

And Father, I pray for each and every person who is within the sound of my voice who is struggling with believing these things. Father Yahweh, instruct them in Your Word, by Your Spirit. Speak to their hearts. Take away the stumbling block.

And for any who have not forgiven themselves, even though You have forgiven them, we pray, Father, that each and every one of them would learn to forgive themselves for the wrongs they have committed, for the hurt they have done to other people, for anything they participated in that was not from You and Your Spirit.

And we ask that You would impart in them Your grace and set them free. And Father, we pray that You would continue to guide us as we study these topics and help those who are struggling with self-hatred and guilt and shame in bearing these things. Father, I pray that by Your Word, and by Your Spirit, You would set them free.

For truly Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory, and to You, Yahweh our King, we accept that we are Your children, that we are Your sons, we are Your daughters. Yahweh Elohenu, Yahweh our Mighty One, Yahweh Malkeinu, Yahweh our King, Yahweh Avinu, Yahweh our Father, we accept these things.

In Yahushua Ha Mashiach’s name we pray. Amein.