This week we learned some more about how to have victory over ourselves. Kathy focused on self-pity. We learned that self-pity is birthed from a legitimate desire to connect but sometimes begins a vicious cycle where we focus on ourselves, seek comfort from others, then have difficulty connecting which leads again to the desire to connect. Characteristics of self-pity include blaming, unforgiveness, envy, depression, as well as feelings of condemnation,hopelessness and powerlessness. Often we see this come out in the things we say to or about ourselves. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the entry point of self-pity so that God can re-orient our thinking. Journaling is a powerful tool in this process! We must follow Paul’s example and empty ourselves. The more vulnerable we are with God and open ourselves up to His work in our lives, the more we allow ourselves to be ministered to by Him. We want Him to develop holy pity in us which is directed outward toward others and is evidenced by the 5 characteristics of the mindset and heartbeat of Jesus that we covered last week.
To apply the principles we learned this week we want to continue to ask God to develop this mindset in us and let Him examine our lives for any evidence of self-pity. As we humble ourselves and submit to Him, He will draw near to us and give us victory over our flesh!
021511VICTORIOUS LIVING 11 OUTLINE
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