Scott Stephens is the counseling pastor at West End Baptist Church’s West End Counseling Center, a board member of Redeemer Biblical Counseling Training Institute, and a PhD student in the Biblical Counseling Program at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. To find out more about our counseling center (WECC), please call the church at 864-232-7312.
Advertisements are created to shape attitudes, create desires, and influence the social norms of a society. Our culture bombards us with product advertisements that play to our self-esteem. Daily, we hear ads telling us how important we are and how we should strive to make ourselves happy.
McDonald’s tells us, “You deserve a break today!”
Law firm commercials encourage people to call them if they are “injured in an accident. Call us and get the money you deserve.”
Nike emphasizes that you should “Make yourself proud!”
Lexus automobiles are “Designed to make you feel your best.”
Mercedes wants you to buy their car because they are “Unstoppable, just like you.”
Loreal tells ladies they should buy their products because they’re “worth it!”
We, as Christ-followers, must be very careful. It’s an easy trap to fall into. Selfishness and self-centeredness are a part of our nature. Without too much persuasion, we can easily start believing the worldly messages that tell us to focus on ourselves.
James 3:16 says, “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.”
Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, writes, “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do” Gal 5:17-21.
Scripture warns us against doing things that foster self-centeredness and selfishness. We must be careful because focusing on ourselves is natural. We must constantly be aware of circumstances that lull us toward this sin.
Selfishness is a sin because it impairs our walk with Christ. Selfishness causes our primary focus to be only on oneself. If selfishness is enacted to an extreme, the worship of God will be replaced with self-worship. You and your desires take the position of God in your life. Moving God from His throne and replacing Him with yourself has an even more significant and negative impact. The Fruit of the Spirit, love in particular, when focused on self, inhibits your ability to love others as you should. Only when we seek God first can we love others more than we love ourselves (Matt 22:36-40).
Three things can be done to combat selfishness:
- Notice the times when selfishness seems to be taking over. Ask the Lord to forgive your sin and help you value others above yourself (Phil 2:3-4)
- Your new attitude will need work. Spend time in the Word, using His guidance to focus on putting God first and yourself last. Put God back on the throne of your life (Ps 119:36; Col 3:16).
- Remain in prayer. Ask God to show you your heart so that you will recognize those times of self-centered actions (Ps 139:23-24). Ask Him to bring people into your life that you can focus your time and effort on, helping them, placing their cares and needs above your own (Matt 7:12).
The world would have us believe that to be happy, we need to focus on ourselves. God’s Word tells us that to be happy, we must reject the world and live for Him (Eph. 6:10-18). Loving God first and loving others more than we love ourselves will allow us to focus on the things of God rather than the things of this world.
