Her Renewed Strength Podcast | Episode 55

“She is a more patient wife… a better mom… so much more fit than I am.”

Have you ever compared yourself to someone else and felt anxiety, doubt, or sorrow?

How about this question… Have you ever compared yourself to someone else and felt better about yourself? There are times when we look at others and think that their sin is worse than ours. The truth is, all sin separates us from God, which makes all sin equally terrible.

In this episode, I explore how comparisons feed anxiety and go in-depth with Galatians 6:1-5. It is a pretty heavy Bible study episode, but one that will bless you.

Why you’ve got to check out today’s episode:

• Recognize that you are not above anyone else so that you will not be tempted to look at them with a prideful heart.

• Make it a habit to examine your heart and deeds in comparison with that of Jesus to avoid being tempted to compare yourself with others.

• Find out how comparison and anxiety are connected so you can strive to live in a way that pleases God.

“Comparison is a toxic behavior, and it can lead to incredible levels of anxiety, overwhelm, and mental/emotional burnout.”

Listen To The Episode

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Check out these episode highlights:

02.50 – Comparison is one of the reasons I’m not on Instagram and don’t want to get into the mommy blogs and all the things that have to do with parenting.

03.53 – “Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit,[a]watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted. 2 Carry one another’s burdens; in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 Let each person examine his own work, and then he can take pride in himself alone, and not compare himself with someone else. 5 For each person will have to carry his own load.” Galatians 6:1-5

• Paul is writing to the church in Galatia 

• The theme here is appealing to truth; as some of the believers in this church community were being told that they must adhere to Jewish law and custom to truly belong to God’s people.

06.03 – V1: “if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing…” 
The NASB translation says, “caught up in any trespass”.

07.12 – V1: “you who are spiritual…” 
The Greek word used here for spiritual is “pneumatikós,” pnyoo-mat-ik-os’. It means “non-carnal” or “relating to the human spirit, or rational soul, as the part of man which is akin to God and serves as his instrument or organ,” – via Blue Letter Bible.

“Restore a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted…” – the NASB translation says, “looking to yourself so that you too will not be tempted.”

• The only sinless person to walk this earth was Jesus. Adam, Moses, Abraham, Jacob, David. All these people we read about in the scriptures were sinners. 

• This isn’t saying to look to yourself, to show yourself you are doing better than this person, but, to offer gentle correction and to look to yourself so that you wouldn’t give into that same temptation to sin because you are inherently a sinner and, if you aren’t careful, you will give into your own depraved desires. 

• Remember that sin is not just making a mistake. To sin is to choose to separate yourself from God. You cannot walk by the Spirit AND give into your flesh. The behaviors that honor God are on the opposite side of the spectrum than those behaviors that put distance between you and the Lord. 

09.12 – V2: Carry one another’s burdens

• The greek word for carry (or in the NASB translation: bear) is bastázō, bas-tad’-zo; which means to support, uphold, take up, to lift.

• V2: in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ

  • Romans 15:1 – “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 

  • James 2:8 – “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.”

  • Connects to Leviticus 19:18 – You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

12.22 – V3: For if anyone thinks they are something when he is nothing, he is deceived…”

• “something” is translated from is the Greek word “tis” which means “certain”

• Essentially, thinking you’re fine. You’re sure that you have nothing to worry about, except that the warning would not be there if that were true.

13.37 – V4: Let each person examine his own work, and then he can take pride in himself alone, and not compare himself with someone else.

• The word work is translated from the Greek word “ergon” which is used in the Bible to mean “any product whatever, anything accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind.” It is also used to mean, “an act, deed, thing done.”

15.04 – V5: For each person will have to carry his own load.

• The word “load” is translated from the Greek word “phortion” (for-tee-on)…the biblical use for this word includes, of burdensome rites; of the obligations Christ lays upon his followers, and styles a “burden” by way of the contrast to the precepts of the Pharisees, the observance of which was most oppressive; faults of the conscience which oppress the soul.

16.13 – How do these verses relate to anxiety?

19.02 – What do we do with all this information, breaking down scripture and understanding how anxiety plays into it?

• Stop thinking that your sin is less terrible than someone else’s. Sin separates you from God. So if you’re standing 100 yards away from God while someone is standing 200 yards away from Him, it still means you are BOTH not near to Him. It is not because of what anyone else did but because of your choice to indulge in sinful or depraved desires.

• Compare yourself to Jesus, not in your pursuit of perfection, but in the pursuit of holiness. Remember that the Law was given to Israel to basically illustrate that they were never going to be perfect. As such, Jesus came to redeem us from our sinful nature and give us the OUT, so we can be in the right relationship with God. 

• Strive to be HOLY. Despite what culture tells us, God’s desire is not for us to be happy – especially since our wicked hearts lead us to find happiness in fleshly desires – but for us to be holy. That’s not to say God does not want us to be happy. We know we can trust Him to provide joy when we live in a way that honors Him.

Key Takeaway:

• Fix your eyes on Jesus. If your eyes are not fixed on Jesus, you will believe things that are straight-up deceptive, antithetical to the gospel, and completely false.

Resource:

• Join the Facebook group for fellowship and Bible study. Click here: www.herrenewedstrength.com/community

• Get access to Firm Foundations (https://her-renewed-strength-co.teachable.com/p/firmfoundations), a completely free mini-course designed to build on the unshakeable truth about your identity, purpose, and calling in Christ.

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