Knowing yourself is one step closer to winning whatever challenge you might face [it could be anything, like the fear of failing a job interview]. “Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be in peril. When you are ignorant of the enemy, but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain in every battle to be in peril.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
According to Sun Tzu, the ignorance of both is catastrophic, a big disaster my friends! You should be able to define your weaknesses and strengths. Then work your way up to become a better version of yourself. No one is born a genius, or with the full capacity of knowledge; you can only become who God already created you to be by deploying your gifts and talents through self-discovery. You have to love yourself more than anybody, because if you don’t love yourself, how can you value the one that made you? Or, see any value in your neighbor’s life? Do you know why the rate of suicide is still climbing all over the world? Because people are lashing out, they are losing, and they lack self-esteem. It has nothing to do with ego, you just love yourself enough as an example to know when to get out of a toxic relationship before things get out of control. Loving yourself could also mean how to develop a strong character to say “NO” at things that might destroy you or your relationship. For instance, a job promotion can be detrimental instead of rewarding. Not everything that is good is right for you. You have to make the right decision for yourself, your family, and the people that you care about. All this requires a lot of strength, doesn’t it? And where do we find that strength? [Nehemiah 8:10] says “The joy of the Lord is my Strength”.
Brothers and sisters, you got this! Joy is the most powerful weapon that mankind has and you know what? it’s free! Proverbs 4:23 says, “above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life”. From the abundance of heart, the mouth speaks, therefore knowing this truth questions the way we should allow outside influences to control us. Some people are looking for strength in the gym [don’t get me wrong, I love fitness too] but it’s not about physical strength but your inner strength, how to protect the trigger guard that you built and how to prevent outside situations from pressing these buttons and keeping your calm. Okay, let’s say a button is pressed, we can still recall our inner strength. Some people would say I can’t take this or I can’t take that [this or that makes me mad]. No one can make you mad when you reach the highest form of yourself. If you allow anger to control you, that means you are giving the opportunity to a situation to always return and fragilize you. The key to overcome is self-control, which is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit [Galatians 5:22].
You should strongly believe in yourself. The fact that you came into this world is proof that you are a born overcomer. According to scientists, a healthy adult male can release between 40 million and 1.2 billion sperm cells during intercourse. Out of that number, only one survives, and that is you. I can surely congratulate you as a good fighter and winner. Yes, you are! Therefore, don’t let anyone pull you down or undermine the abilities that God skillfully embedded in you. Remember, your source is your strength!
By Prudence Codjia.