How To Correct Your Self-Concept So That You Can Win In Life

What Is Self-Concept?

Your self-concept is your self-image which is how you see yourself from your physical characteristics to your personality traits (how you think, feel and behave) and your role in society.

Your self-concept also includes your self-esteem which is how much you like, accept and approve of yourself.

A poor self-concept can keep you from getting the great things that God has in store for you because the Israelites were unable to fight for their Promised Land because they saw themselves as insects for they said We were like grasshoppers in our own eyes. (Numbers 13:33) 

It is therefore important to have a good self-concept with good self-image and a high self-esteem so that you do not disqualify yourself and let the great things that God has qualified you to have pass you by.

A poor self-concept can also make you hide in the shadows of life when God expects you to Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

Therefore improve your self-image by learning from Gideon's life. We know that he had a poor self-image because when the Angel of the Lord sent him to save Israel, Gideon replied and asked, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. (Judges 6:15)

However, despite having a poor self-image, Gideon was still able to do what God wanted him to do.

If you have a poor self-concept, but you still want to do what God wants you to do, learn from the events of Gideon's life and do the following:

Pray

The first thing that you should do to improve your self-image is to pray.

Pray and ask God to heal you in the damaged parts that cause you to have a poor self-image or low self-esteem. For example you can say the following prayer,

Heavenly Father I ask You in the name of Jesus to help me view my physical body positively because Psalm 139:14 tells me that I am wonderfully made. 

Father God help me to accept my unique personality because I am Your workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works according to Ephesians 2:10

Father God I also ask You in the name of Jesus to help me love myself because according to Matthew 22:39 I am to love my neighbor as much as I love myself. 

Then, pray and ask God to be with you. 

This is because when Gideon said he was too insignificant to do what God was telling him which was to Save Israel from the hand of the Midianites (Judges 6:14), the Lord said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man." (Judges 6:16)

Therefore, believe that you can achieve anything when God is with you.

So pray and ask God to be with you so that you can do what He is calling you to do regardless of what you think or feel about yourself.

Believe That God Is With You

After praying, believe that God is with you because He promises you saying, I will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5)

Defeat Fear With Faith in God

Fighting fear is very important if you want to attain and maintain a good self-concept because fear will keep you hiding in your shell and it will make you bury your talents instead of using them to glorify God. 

We know that Gideon was afraid of the Midianites because when the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, he was threshing wheat in a winepress so that he could hide it from the Midianites. (Judges 6:11)

We cannot blame Gideon for being afraid of the Midianites because after the Israelites had sown their crops, the Midianites would come to their land when they were as many as locusts (Judges 6:5) and they would destroy the plants the Israelites had sown and not leave any sustenance for them. They would also not leave any sheep or ox or donkeys for the Israelites. (Judges 6:3-5) 

As a result the Israelites were very poor (Judges 6:6) and they even had to leave their homes and live in caves in the mountains (Judges 6:2) because of the Midianites.

Thus we can see that the environment that he was living in had made Gideon very fearful. 

If you are in a similar situation where your life circumstances have made you fearful, fight the fear by having faith in God because faith is the antidote for fear. 

Therefore, decide to believe God when He tells you, Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God. (Isaiah 41:10)

Then believe that you can overcome all problems with God's help because He tells you, I will strengthen you, yes I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10) 

So defeat fear by believing that God is with you and that He will help you and He will uphold you with His right hand.

Believe That You Can Do Great Things

Gideon did a great thing which was to save the Israelites from the Midianites because God was with him.

Therefore, believe that you can also do great things when God is with you even if you are currently weak, afraid, poor and oppressed because With God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)

Correct Your Self-Concept

Correct your self-concept so that you can begin to see yourself the way God sees you as this will enable you to face life like a victor even if you are the underdog in the eyes of the world.

We can see that even though Gideon saw himself as weak and insignificant, God did not see him that way for the Angel of the Lord greeted Gideon by saying, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!" (Judges 6:12)

Therefore, even if life has told you that you are weak and insignificant, know that in the eyes of God you are not because you are God's child for He tells us, I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:18)

So begin to see yourself as a Child of God who is loved by God.