January 21, 2025 • 19 mins
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In this episode of 'Renew and Transform,' hosted by Moussa Mikhail, we delve into the concept of self-concept and its four facets: self-image, self-esteem, self-identity, and social identity. Moussa discusses the immense influence of self-concept on our lives and how anchoring it in God's truth can transform our existence. He also contrasts a faith-anchored perspective with a world-centered one, exploring how our self-perception impacts our actions, thoughts, and relationships. Throughout the episode, Moussa shares personal stories and insights on how deepening his faith and understanding God's unconditional love helped him reshape his self-concept and find true fulfillment.
00:00 Introduction to Self Concept
00:29 Podcast Welcome and Call to Action
01:10 The Importance of Self Concept
01:42 Personal Journey and Faith
02:57 Understanding Self Concept
03:33 Self Image: Society vs. Faith
06:43 Self Esteem: Rooted in God's Love
09:23 Self Identity: Beyond Roles and Labels
11:59 Social Identity: Community and Belonging
15:20 Transforming Your Self Concept
18:17 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Join me on the journey to Renew and Transform your mind and Cultivate your leadership by subscribing, leaving a review and following me on social media!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Moussa Mikhail (00:00):
In this episode, I'm going to talk about what is self
concept and why our self conceptruns what we do, say, and think.
We're going to break down thefour facets of self concept, which
include self image, self esteem,self identity, and social identity.
And how each facet influences ourlife when anchored in God's truth
(00:23):
and how it influences our life whenit's not anchored in God's truth.
Stay tuned for the episode.
Welcome to Renew and Transform, apodcast to renew and transform your
mind and cultivate your leadership tolive a life worthy of your calling.
I'm your host Moussa Mikhail.
Let the renewal begin.
(00:44):
Welcome back to Renew and Transform.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
Please remember to subscribe,follow, leave a rating review and
share this podcast with someoneyou feel would get value out of it.
And if you feel called, please checkout the donor box link and give to the
production monthly or reoccurringly
These funds are monumental in theproduction and getting this message to as
(01:08):
many people as possible around the world.
And we're going to talk about selfconcept, and this is such a deep topic.
our self concept, our self identity reallyis the fabric in which we run our life.
How we see ourselves directly impacts whatwe do, what we say, and what we think.
It affects how we see the world.
It affects how we see others.
(01:30):
It affects every relationship in our life.
And it begins with how we see ourself.
A lot of times how we see ourselfis much different than the
biblical truth of how God sees us.
Now, when I was navigating life, Iwas really unaware of this, and I was
always seeking validation from women,from lust and intimate relationships,
(01:53):
and that's how I kept myself feelingdecent about myself, because I
didn't really know and understandthe truth about God's word.
I wasn't really familiar with it.
I didn't have a relationshipwith Jesus at this time.
And I was always seeking thatvalidation from other women.
And it was just my constant pursuitand it was never satisfying.
It was never fulfilling because Iknew I would not be able to love
(02:14):
someone if I didn't truly lovemyself, and I couldn't love myself
if I didn't truly have a self conceptstructured around the way God loves me.
If I don't understand how I'mloved by Him, I can't love myself,
therefore I can't love others tothe degree in which I'm capable of.
As I grew in my faith, I knew Iwould never feel whole if I was
(02:38):
using validation from others andseeking relationships as my source.
And I recognized I wouldonly feel whole and complete
when I can see myself through theeyes of Christ and how he sees me.
And when I see myself in aGodly anchored perspective.
So what is self concept?
(02:59):
Our self concept It's the wholepicture of how we see ourselves
in our unconscious mind.
And it is comprised of four major facets.
Number one, our self image.
Number two, our self esteem.
Number three, our self identity.
And number four, our social identity.
(03:21):
Let's break down these fourfacets and compare what a faith
centered, anchored perspective lookslike, and what a world centered,
unanchored perspective looks like.
Number one, self image.
Self image refers to howwe see ourselves, including
This includes our personal appearance, ourphysical traits and abilities and skills.
(03:45):
It is the mental picture we have forourself, the image we have about ourself.
And the image that we assume othersperceive us as Okay, what does an
unanchored self image look like?
It is influenced by societalstandards, which leads to comparison,
self doubt, and insecurity.
(04:07):
Now, I'm sure you could resonate withthis, and when we're so focused on
what society believes about us, howsociety sees us, we get diluted in this.
We get absorbed in this, where we arejust comparing each other, and in this
day and age it's so easy to do that.
With social media where we onlysee the highlight reels of people's
lives, people's best face, we don'tget to see the nitty and gritty.
(04:29):
There's not a lot of conversationsometimes about the real harshness
in someone's life, the realstruggles, the real strife.
And we always think by the societystandards that we're somewhat
behind where we're supposed to be.
We're not enough.
We're not good enough.
We don't look good enough.
We don't perform enough.
We need more makeup.
We need more botox.
(04:49):
We need more plastic parts.
We start to feel insecure andwe start to doubt ourselves.
We start to doubt our abilities.
We start to doubt our appearance.
We start to lose the sense of the giftGod gave us, or gifts God gave us.
We can't see ourselves clearly now.
We see this huge cloud overourselves, a foggy state.
(05:10):
It's like a window witha bunch of mud on it.
You can't really see out andyou can't really get light in.
So we walk around with muddied windows.
Not really knowing what we're capableof and never realizing our true gifts.
Then on the flip side,an anchored self image.
What does the Bible say?
What does God say about our self image?
(05:33):
When we can see ourself and view ourselfthe way God views us, and when we truly
identify that aspect of the Bible where,and we can truly resonate that We were
created in God's image, not society'simage, not the image you think you should
look like, not what Hollywood says youshould look like, not what commercials
(05:55):
say you need, not what media says Isbeautiful or worthy or powerful or
intelligent or successful, but you weremade in God's image worthy and valuable
because God created you that way.
We are set apart from all other species.
You have gifts, you have endowments,you have consciousness, you have a
(06:18):
thinking mind that's able to createmore than you can even imagine.
And when it's truly anchored in that,and you're truly anchored in the
Word, you will go day to day remindingyourself, I'm made in God's image.
I am worthy.
I am valuable.
No matter what I feel right now,and no matter what I've been
(06:39):
comparing myself to, I am valuable.
Number two.
Self esteem.
What is self esteem?
This involves the value and worthwe people assign to ourselves.
Again, it's greatlycontributed by our self image.
These go hand in hand.
Remember, our self conceptis made up of four things.
(06:59):
The second being self esteem,how we value ourselves.
It reflects how much youappreciate and like yourself.
Now, the truth is it'shard to like others.
It's hard to express love to someoneelse if you really don't value yourself.
If you don't find value in yourself,you can't express that goodness
(07:21):
inside you can't represent God's loveif you have no love for yourself.
Our self esteem is greatly influencedby our achievements, feedback we
get from other people, or just ourpersonal beliefs about who we are,
who we were led to believe who we are.
Again, self esteem is how youvalue yourself and your worth.
(07:43):
You're not able to love.
You're only able to express loveto someone else to the degree
you feel love for yourself.
And how do you do that?
What does an anchoredself esteem look like?
It's rooted in God's unconditional love,leading to true confidence and security.
When you're able to value yourself asGod's most prized possession, when you
(08:09):
see that worth, when you see that God'slove is truly unconditional, and you get
a sense of that true, unconditional love,it is not based on your achievement,
it's not based on your mistakes, it's notbased on your sins, your shame that you've
been carrying, it's not based on whateveranyone's thought about you or said
about you, but it's truly unconditional.
(08:30):
When He created us, Hesaid, this was good.
This is a genuine, unconditional love.
When you feel that genuine love,and your life is rooted in that,
your self esteem is rooted in God'sunconditional love, you're able to then
see yourself in a different self image.
Now you have worth and value,
(08:51):
which goes back to your selfimage, and you see yourself in a
different picture, a different light.
Despite my mistakes, that despite myfailures, despite my shortcomings, I'm
not perfect, but God still loves me.
He still sees me valuable and worthy,and despite my mistakes in life, because
I will have many, and that won't change.
(09:12):
As hard as I try, I'm still gonnacome up short at some point.
He still loves me.
I still have worth.
I still have a purpose.
Now it's time to fulfill thatpurpose by living my calling.
Which leads to numberthree, Self Identity.
What is self identity?
Self identity encompasses theroles and labels we adopt in life,
(09:32):
such as parent, teacher, worker,
this professional, my job, mycommunity role, my church role, and
it's heavily tied to personal values,beliefs, and cultural backgrounds.
And oftentimes we think we are what we do.
We identify with what we do.
You know, I see this in the military.
(09:53):
I've seen it getting out of the militaryand I've seen people who are still getting
out of the military struggle with this.
They lose their sense of self identitybecause there's so much structure.
They're told who they are, what theydo, what their role is, and they've
adopted it so much so that when it'staken away from them or they separate
from it, they don't know their identity.
They don't know who they are.
(10:14):
They don't know their purpose.
This happens with people who areheavily invested in their careers.
They begin to adopt.
I am this, but I am a lawyer.
I am a doctor.
I am a teacher.
I am this.
I am that, that is what you do,but on a fundamental construct,
if that's who you believe you are,what happens when that's taken away?
What happens when youstop doing that thing?
(10:35):
Or what happens if you'renot able to do that anymore?
Who are you?
An unanchored self identity is shapedby roles and labels of this world, which
lead to confusion and a lack of purpose.
On the other side of that, is an anchoredself identity and faith, which is defined
by one's relationship with Christ.
And purpose in him embracing a newcreation when you understand your
(11:00):
identity is in Christ It begins toshift what you do say and think you're
no longer just living for yourselfYou're no longer living for this world.
You're no longer just living forachievement And worldly success, but
to fulfill that purpose of being saltand light of the world, like Christ
called us to be, your identity is nolonger just about what you do, but
(11:23):
how you love and how you serve others.
When your identity is in Christ,you start to want to seek Christ
and every little thing in your life.
And you just want to seekhow to become like Christ.
How to be love, how to love Godwith all your mind and heart and
how to love others genuinely.
(11:44):
Take some time to reflect on thelabels and roles that you have adopted,
that construct your self identity.
How are they empowering you?
How are they allowing you to live yourpurpose and calling, or how are they not?
How are they limiting you?
Number four is social identity,which has a very, very, very
(12:04):
powerful influence in who we become.
This refers to how we identifywith groups and community.
In a fundamental humanway, we are tribal species.
So this definitely affectshow we see ourselves.
In Proverbs, it says if you walk withthe wise, you become wise, and if you
(12:24):
walk with fools, you will suffer harm.
our community, how we identifyourselves in groups and communities,
greatly affects our mindset, itgreatly affects our success, it
greatly affects how we see others,how we treat others, and how we love.
This could be as simple as cultural,where you were born, where you were
raised, what country you were from.
(12:46):
It could be Politics could bereligious or social affiliations.
We all need a sense ofbelonging and connection.
So our social identity, how we go aboutthat greatly influences our entire
self concept, our self image, ourself esteem, and our self identity.
What is the unanchored social identity?
(13:07):
It's focused on competition, division,fostering isolation, fosters judgment,
and creates a sense of inadequacy.
And on the flip side of that, Ananchored social identity and faith
in faith connects you to a lovingcommunity of people that emphasizes
service, unity, and peace and love.
Now, don't get me wrong.
(13:27):
When you are in community with people,you're going to see the good and the bad.
You're going to see humanity's brokenness.
You're gonna see people's brokenness.
Everyone's going to fall short.
Everyone's going to fail in some way.
This doesn't mean anchored faith communityis perfect, but it's conscious of are
imperfections and is conscious on we needGod's help that we can do this together,
(13:52):
but with him, all things are possible.
And that means I'm not going toassume that you're perfect and
I'm going to see your flaws andI'm going to have grace with you.
And I'm going to have peace withyou, but I'm going to choose to
love you anyway, And i'm going tohope you would do the same for me
because we're rooted We're rooted insomething much greater than ourselves.
You know I've struggled with my selfconcept for years because I felt like
(14:15):
I had to do it alone I didn't havea strong sense of community and I
didn't cultivate my relationship withGod to realize my dependence on him.
I just tried to do it on my own.
And when I try to do on my own, it'salmost impossible to not get influenced
by society, by the things that thisworld values, things that essentially are
(14:37):
vanity or meaningless in the long run.
The things that we seekoften won't fulfill us.
We'll look back at the end of life and notreally recall all these little things that
we're trying to achieve on a daily basis.
But what matters most, did we matter?
Did we love?
Did we glorify God through our love?
(14:58):
Did people see Christ when theysaw us loving and serving humbly?
What really mattered?
Everything I needed was in God's word.
And by his grace,
I can choose to intentionallybe anchored in Christ because he
created us to have that choice.
Because it wouldn't be genuine love ifwe did not have the freedom of choice.
(15:20):
Our overall self concept isgenerally shaped by these things.
Our personal beliefs and values, andour experiences and memories in life.
Our past experiences, both positiveand negative, play a crucial
role in shaping our self concept.
Significant life events,trauma, victories, achievements,
(15:42):
failures, relationships,
all contribute to howwe perceive ourselves.
Now the truth is, we cannotchange our past experiences.
There's a lot of things thatwe can't change about what
influences how we see ourselves.
But we can influence our valuesand strengthen our beliefs by
the neuroplasticity of the mind.
(16:03):
Your mind is not fixed.
It does not have to be fixed.
Again, your mind is not fixed to theideas and beliefs that you have adopted
over your life based on your personalexperiences and values and the values
of your parents and your traumas.
You are not fixed.
What we constantly thinkabout, listen to, say,
(16:28):
and read will consistentlyshape our mind and values.
So what are you thinking about?
What are you listening to?
What are you reading?
And what are you saying?
What are you speaking?
What are you declaringwhen you open your mouth?
Because that's going to shape your mind.
It's going to shape your values andit begins to shape your self concept.
We are able to unlearn the copingmechanisms we've developed over the course
(16:54):
of our lives, because we're not fixed.
And that's how we do it.
We begin to change our focus onwhat we do, what we listen to,
what we read, and what we speak.
You're not fixed.
Your mind is not fixed.
Unless you willingly allow it to be.
You have a choice.
What are you going to anchor your life on?
(17:16):
Things of this world that aremeaningless, that will disappear tomorrow?
Or something timeless and truethat will never disappear.
Recognize who you really areand who God created you to be.
You're not your job.
You're not your title.
You're not who others say you are.
You're not your achievements.
You're not your failures.
(17:37):
But you are who God says you are.
You are made in the image of God.
And with that knowledge, it is yourresponsibility to walk uprightly in
that image, to uphold that image, torepresent that image, and do everything
in your ability to do that to representGod's love and with God's help, you can
(17:58):
do just that with God's help, you canlive your calling and not be limited
by the beliefs that you are not worthy.
You're not good enough.
You're not smart enough.
You're not capable enoughbecause those are all lies.
If you've got the spirit of God in you.
You are more than enough.
Go out and let your lightbe seen by the world.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
(18:20):
Let's connect on Instagram.
If you liked this episode, please shareit with somebody, leave a comment, leave
a review, whatever you're strugglingwith right now, keep your focus on
things above and not of this world.
Try giving it to Jesus.
You have nothing to lose and all to gain.
God bless you.
In this episode, I'm going to talk about what is self
concept and why our self conceptruns what we do, say, and think.
We're going to break down thefour facets of self concept, which
include self image, self esteem,self identity, and social identity.
And how each facet influences ourlife when anchored in God's truth
(00:23):
and how it influences our life whenit's not anchored in God's truth.
Stay tuned for the episode.
Welcome to Renew and Transform, apodcast to renew and transform your
mind and cultivate your leadership tolive a life worthy of your calling.
I'm your host Moussa Mikhail.
Let the renewal begin.
(00:44):
Welcome back to Renew and Transform.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
Please remember to subscribe,follow, leave a rating review and
share this podcast with someoneyou feel would get value out of it.
And if you feel called, please checkout the donor box link and give to the
production monthly or reoccurringly
These funds are monumental in theproduction and getting this message to as
(01:08):
many people as possible around the world.
And we're going to talk about selfconcept, and this is such a deep topic.
our self concept, our self identity reallyis the fabric in which we run our life.
How we see ourselves directly impacts whatwe do, what we say, and what we think.
It affects how we see the world.
It affects how we see others.
(01:30):
It affects every relationship in our life.
And it begins with how we see ourself.
A lot of times how we see ourselfis much different than the
biblical truth of how God sees us.
Now, when I was navigating life, Iwas really unaware of this, and I was
always seeking validation from women,from lust and intimate relationships,
(01:53):
and that's how I kept myself feelingdecent about myself, because I
didn't really know and understandthe truth about God's word.
I wasn't really familiar with it.
I didn't have a relationshipwith Jesus at this time.
And I was always seeking thatvalidation from other women.
And it was just my constant pursuitand it was never satisfying.
It was never fulfilling because Iknew I would not be able to love
(02:14):
someone if I didn't truly lovemyself, and I couldn't love myself
if I didn't truly have a self conceptstructured around the way God loves me.
If I don't understand how I'mloved by Him, I can't love myself,
therefore I can't love others tothe degree in which I'm capable of.
As I grew in my faith, I knew Iwould never feel whole if I was
(02:38):
using validation from others andseeking relationships as my source.
And I recognized I wouldonly feel whole and complete
when I can see myself through theeyes of Christ and how he sees me.
And when I see myself in aGodly anchored perspective.
So what is self concept?
(02:59):
Our self concept It's the wholepicture of how we see ourselves
in our unconscious mind.
And it is comprised of four major facets.
Number one, our self image.
Number two, our self esteem.
Number three, our self identity.
And number four, our social identity.
(03:21):
Let's break down these fourfacets and compare what a faith
centered, anchored perspective lookslike, and what a world centered,
unanchored perspective looks like.
Number one, self image.
Self image refers to howwe see ourselves, including
This includes our personal appearance, ourphysical traits and abilities and skills.
(03:45):
It is the mental picture we have forourself, the image we have about ourself.
And the image that we assume othersperceive us as Okay, what does an
unanchored self image look like?
It is influenced by societalstandards, which leads to comparison,
self doubt, and insecurity.
(04:07):
Now, I'm sure you could resonate withthis, and when we're so focused on
what society believes about us, howsociety sees us, we get diluted in this.
We get absorbed in this, where we arejust comparing each other, and in this
day and age it's so easy to do that.
With social media where we onlysee the highlight reels of people's
lives, people's best face, we don'tget to see the nitty and gritty.
(04:29):
There's not a lot of conversationsometimes about the real harshness
in someone's life, the realstruggles, the real strife.
And we always think by the societystandards that we're somewhat
behind where we're supposed to be.
We're not enough.
We're not good enough.
We don't look good enough.
We don't perform enough.
We need more makeup.
We need more botox.
(04:49):
We need more plastic parts.
We start to feel insecure andwe start to doubt ourselves.
We start to doubt our abilities.
We start to doubt our appearance.
We start to lose the sense of the giftGod gave us, or gifts God gave us.
We can't see ourselves clearly now.
We see this huge cloud overourselves, a foggy state.
(05:10):
It's like a window witha bunch of mud on it.
You can't really see out andyou can't really get light in.
So we walk around with muddied windows.
Not really knowing what we're capableof and never realizing our true gifts.
Then on the flip side,an anchored self image.
What does the Bible say?
What does God say about our self image?
(05:33):
When we can see ourself and view ourselfthe way God views us, and when we truly
identify that aspect of the Bible where,and we can truly resonate that We were
created in God's image, not society'simage, not the image you think you should
look like, not what Hollywood says youshould look like, not what commercials
(05:55):
say you need, not what media says Isbeautiful or worthy or powerful or
intelligent or successful, but you weremade in God's image worthy and valuable
because God created you that way.
We are set apart from all other species.
You have gifts, you have endowments,you have consciousness, you have a
(06:18):
thinking mind that's able to createmore than you can even imagine.
And when it's truly anchored in that,and you're truly anchored in the
Word, you will go day to day remindingyourself, I'm made in God's image.
I am worthy.
I am valuable.
No matter what I feel right now,and no matter what I've been
(06:39):
comparing myself to, I am valuable.
Number two.
Self esteem.
What is self esteem?
This involves the value and worthwe people assign to ourselves.
Again, it's greatlycontributed by our self image.
These go hand in hand.
Remember, our self conceptis made up of four things.
(06:59):
The second being self esteem,how we value ourselves.
It reflects how much youappreciate and like yourself.
Now, the truth is it'shard to like others.
It's hard to express love to someoneelse if you really don't value yourself.
If you don't find value in yourself,you can't express that goodness
(07:21):
inside you can't represent God's loveif you have no love for yourself.
Our self esteem is greatly influencedby our achievements, feedback we
get from other people, or just ourpersonal beliefs about who we are,
who we were led to believe who we are.
Again, self esteem is how youvalue yourself and your worth.
(07:43):
You're not able to love.
You're only able to express loveto someone else to the degree
you feel love for yourself.
And how do you do that?
What does an anchoredself esteem look like?
It's rooted in God's unconditional love,leading to true confidence and security.
When you're able to value yourself asGod's most prized possession, when you
(08:09):
see that worth, when you see that God'slove is truly unconditional, and you get
a sense of that true, unconditional love,it is not based on your achievement,
it's not based on your mistakes, it's notbased on your sins, your shame that you've
been carrying, it's not based on whateveranyone's thought about you or said
about you, but it's truly unconditional.
(08:30):
When He created us, Hesaid, this was good.
This is a genuine, unconditional love.
When you feel that genuine love,and your life is rooted in that,
your self esteem is rooted in God'sunconditional love, you're able to then
see yourself in a different self image.
Now you have worth and value,
(08:51):
which goes back to your selfimage, and you see yourself in a
different picture, a different light.
Despite my mistakes, that despite myfailures, despite my shortcomings, I'm
not perfect, but God still loves me.
He still sees me valuable and worthy,and despite my mistakes in life, because
I will have many, and that won't change.
(09:12):
As hard as I try, I'm still gonnacome up short at some point.
He still loves me.
I still have worth.
I still have a purpose.
Now it's time to fulfill thatpurpose by living my calling.
Which leads to numberthree, Self Identity.
What is self identity?
Self identity encompasses theroles and labels we adopt in life,
(09:32):
such as parent, teacher, worker,
this professional, my job, mycommunity role, my church role, and
it's heavily tied to personal values,beliefs, and cultural backgrounds.
And oftentimes we think we are what we do.
We identify with what we do.
You know, I see this in the military.
(09:53):
I've seen it getting out of the militaryand I've seen people who are still getting
out of the military struggle with this.
They lose their sense of self identitybecause there's so much structure.
They're told who they are, what theydo, what their role is, and they've
adopted it so much so that when it'staken away from them or they separate
from it, they don't know their identity.
They don't know who they are.
(10:14):
They don't know their purpose.
This happens with people who areheavily invested in their careers.
They begin to adopt.
I am this, but I am a lawyer.
I am a doctor.
I am a teacher.
I am this.
I am that, that is what you do,but on a fundamental construct,
if that's who you believe you are,what happens when that's taken away?
What happens when youstop doing that thing?
(10:35):
Or what happens if you'renot able to do that anymore?
Who are you?
An unanchored self identity is shapedby roles and labels of this world, which
lead to confusion and a lack of purpose.
On the other side of that, is an anchoredself identity and faith, which is defined
by one's relationship with Christ.
And purpose in him embracing a newcreation when you understand your
(11:00):
identity is in Christ It begins toshift what you do say and think you're
no longer just living for yourselfYou're no longer living for this world.
You're no longer just living forachievement And worldly success, but
to fulfill that purpose of being saltand light of the world, like Christ
called us to be, your identity is nolonger just about what you do, but
(11:23):
how you love and how you serve others.
When your identity is in Christ,you start to want to seek Christ
and every little thing in your life.
And you just want to seekhow to become like Christ.
How to be love, how to love Godwith all your mind and heart and
how to love others genuinely.
(11:44):
Take some time to reflect on thelabels and roles that you have adopted,
that construct your self identity.
How are they empowering you?
How are they allowing you to live yourpurpose and calling, or how are they not?
How are they limiting you?
Number four is social identity,which has a very, very, very
(12:04):
powerful influence in who we become.
This refers to how we identifywith groups and community.
In a fundamental humanway, we are tribal species.
So this definitely affectshow we see ourselves.
In Proverbs, it says if you walk withthe wise, you become wise, and if you
(12:24):
walk with fools, you will suffer harm.
our community, how we identifyourselves in groups and communities,
greatly affects our mindset, itgreatly affects our success, it
greatly affects how we see others,how we treat others, and how we love.
This could be as simple as cultural,where you were born, where you were
raised, what country you were from.
(12:46):
It could be Politics could bereligious or social affiliations.
We all need a sense ofbelonging and connection.
So our social identity, how we go aboutthat greatly influences our entire
self concept, our self image, ourself esteem, and our self identity.
What is the unanchored social identity?
(13:07):
It's focused on competition, division,fostering isolation, fosters judgment,
and creates a sense of inadequacy.
And on the flip side of that, Ananchored social identity and faith
in faith connects you to a lovingcommunity of people that emphasizes
service, unity, and peace and love.
Now, don't get me wrong.
(13:27):
When you are in community with people,you're going to see the good and the bad.
You're going to see humanity's brokenness.
You're gonna see people's brokenness.
Everyone's going to fall short.
Everyone's going to fail in some way.
This doesn't mean anchored faith communityis perfect, but it's conscious of are
imperfections and is conscious on we needGod's help that we can do this together,
(13:52):
but with him, all things are possible.
And that means I'm not going toassume that you're perfect and
I'm going to see your flaws andI'm going to have grace with you.
And I'm going to have peace withyou, but I'm going to choose to
love you anyway, And i'm going tohope you would do the same for me
because we're rooted We're rooted insomething much greater than ourselves.
You know I've struggled with my selfconcept for years because I felt like
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I had to do it alone I didn't havea strong sense of community and I
didn't cultivate my relationship withGod to realize my dependence on him.
I just tried to do it on my own.
And when I try to do on my own, it'salmost impossible to not get influenced
by society, by the things that thisworld values, things that essentially are
(14:37):
vanity or meaningless in the long run.
The things that we seekoften won't fulfill us.
We'll look back at the end of life and notreally recall all these little things that
we're trying to achieve on a daily basis.
But what matters most, did we matter?
Did we love?
Did we glorify God through our love?
(14:58):
Did people see Christ when theysaw us loving and serving humbly?
What really mattered?
Everything I needed was in God's word.
And by his grace,
I can choose to intentionallybe anchored in Christ because he
created us to have that choice.
Because it wouldn't be genuine love ifwe did not have the freedom of choice.
(15:20):
Our overall self concept isgenerally shaped by these things.
Our personal beliefs and values, andour experiences and memories in life.
Our past experiences, both positiveand negative, play a crucial
role in shaping our self concept.
Significant life events,trauma, victories, achievements,
(15:42):
failures, relationships,
all contribute to howwe perceive ourselves.
Now the truth is, we cannotchange our past experiences.
There's a lot of things thatwe can't change about what
influences how we see ourselves.
But we can influence our valuesand strengthen our beliefs by
the neuroplasticity of the mind.
(16:03):
Your mind is not fixed.
It does not have to be fixed.
Again, your mind is not fixed to theideas and beliefs that you have adopted
over your life based on your personalexperiences and values and the values
of your parents and your traumas.
You are not fixed.
What we constantly thinkabout, listen to, say,
(16:28):
and read will consistentlyshape our mind and values.
So what are you thinking about?
What are you listening to?
What are you reading?
And what are you saying?
What are you speaking?
What are you declaringwhen you open your mouth?
Because that's going to shape your mind.
It's going to shape your values andit begins to shape your self concept.
We are able to unlearn the copingmechanisms we've developed over the course
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of our lives, because we're not fixed.
And that's how we do it.
We begin to change our focus onwhat we do, what we listen to,
what we read, and what we speak.
You're not fixed.
Your mind is not fixed.
Unless you willingly allow it to be.
You have a choice.
What are you going to anchor your life on?
(17:16):
Things of this world that aremeaningless, that will disappear tomorrow?
Or something timeless and truethat will never disappear.
Recognize who you really areand who God created you to be.
You're not your job.
You're not your title.
You're not who others say you are.
You're not your achievements.
You're not your failures.
(17:37):
But you are who God says you are.
You are made in the image of God.
And with that knowledge, it is yourresponsibility to walk uprightly in
that image, to uphold that image, torepresent that image, and do everything
in your ability to do that to representGod's love and with God's help, you can
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do just that with God's help, you canlive your calling and not be limited
by the beliefs that you are not worthy.
You're not good enough.
You're not smart enough.
You're not capable enoughbecause those are all lies.
If you've got the spirit of God in you.
You are more than enough.
Go out and let your lightbe seen by the world.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
(18:20):
Let's connect on Instagram.
If you liked this episode, please shareit with somebody, leave a comment, leave
a review, whatever you're strugglingwith right now, keep your focus on
things above and not of this world.
Try giving it to Jesus.
You have nothing to lose and all to gain.
God bless you.
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