Inferiority Complex

[00:00:11] and today's episode is entitled in Fiori-Ordie Complex. And I want to make reference to Scripture in 2 Corinthians, chapter 10 verse 12, for it says, for we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves, but they measuring themselves by themselves

[00:01:31] and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise. Now that's a pretty profound statement to begin with, but it's important. And for those of you who are looking to become Biblical counselors or involved with that in some way,

[00:01:48] you're going to have people calling you or talking to you about the fact that they feel inferior. In fact, though you such words as, I just feel inferior to others. Right, a Christian,

[00:02:00] should I feel this way? Do I have an inferiority complex? Well, you could say this, you may feel out yet times. Your feelings may not be very pleasant, but let me say to you that there

[00:02:14] is no such thing as feeling inferior. And there is no such thing as an inferiority complex. Let's get very plain and very clear in our thinking. What is really happening to you if, as you say, you feel inferior. In Fiori-Ordie is not a feeling. Feeling such things as

[00:02:37] fear, tiredness, apprehension, joy, and so on. But inferiority is not a feeling. So what is inferiority? It's a judgment that you have made about yourself. You have said, I am inferior.

[00:02:58] You have judged yourself in some way or ways to be inferior to others. That is to say either on a proper or improper basis. But for some reason or other, you have made a judgment about your

[00:03:12] life and the judgment has been, I am inferior. Now you see, since it is a judgment and not really a feeling at all, and since it is an opinion that you now hold concerning yourself, something

[00:03:28] can be done about it. You can't do anything about feelings of inferiority. There's no way of changing feelings directly. And that, of course, is the error of so much of the counseling that

[00:03:40] goes on today. It tries to deal with feelings directly. You can't change your feelings all that automatically. So what we really have here is not a feeling, but a judgment about your life.

[00:03:57] You have judged yourself to be inferior to others in one or more ways. And that led that judgment led to lousy feelings of some sort or other because you thought, well, I ought to be up to others,

[00:04:12] or I ought to be superior to others in this area. And I'm not. And so you begin to feel bad about that. So you see judgment led to the feeling and when the understanding that it's a matter of judgment,

[00:04:26] then you can examine that judgment. And that's the first thing you need to do. You need to ask yourself very plainly and very clearly in this judgment have I made an accurate and truthful judgment.

[00:04:38] As Romans 123 says, through the grace given to me, I say every man among you, not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think. But to think so as to have a sound judgment,

[00:04:51] as God has a lot of to each another measure of faith. We have to evaluate our own lives. So you see, God holds us responsible for doing just that and we do it all the time.

[00:05:04] Either consciously or unconsciously but we are evaluating ourselves and that's what conscience is. The Bible talks frequently about conscience, conscience is that ability that capability that God has built into man which makes him unique than enables him to evaluate his own

[00:05:24] attitudes, actions, values, beliefs and so on. And by making that value judgment at conscience, then pronounces him either guilty or not guilty of having wronged God and others. And when it pronounces him guilty, that conscious then sentences him to misery and it triggers all feelings of

[00:05:46] misery in him. So the conscious within man is like the accuser, it's like the judge and the jury. And it's like the sentence that the judge gives and pronounces upon the man. So you have a consciousness that God has built into you which triggers bad feelings when that

[00:06:06] conscience that ability to make a judgment about your own actions and behavior says that your life is not up to the standards that you have set for your life. Now, you see you have to ask yourself

[00:06:19] the question, have I made a good judgment? The judgment may be inaccurate and as you begin to evaluate the judgment, you may see well, I guess I am not really inferior after all then your feelings change

[00:06:35] because your judgment has changed. But let's say that you do evaluate your judgment and you realize that the judgment is a sound judgment, a sober judgment, you have made it on the basis of

[00:06:48] facts. You are truly inferior to others in a certain way or in certain ways. Now the question comes, is that good or is that bad? You have to say that I am inferior to the Honored Ali and boxing

[00:07:03] is not to say anything that should make me feel bad. I don't even care to be a professional boxer. So what if I'm not his equal in boxing? But if I'm not the equal to the word of God that I ought

[00:07:16] to be in some other way, then I ought to feel badly about it. If I'm not living up to the capacities that I do have, then I ought to feel badly about it. And so the second thing is,

[00:07:29] is this negative evaluation in this negative judgment about my capabilities? Is it simply telling me that I'm trying to be something I never could be that I don't have the gifts or the ability

[00:07:42] or the capability from God to become? And that also ought to then change the feeling situation. But thirdly, let's say that you have judged yourself to be inferior to some area where

[00:07:56] you ought to excel where God has given you the opportunity where he has given you the gifts to do. Then if this judgment is correct, you can do something about that inferiority, not an inferiority complex, not an inferiority feeling but an actual state of inferiority.

[00:08:16] You can confess it to God that you have failed to use your capabilities and your abilities as you should. Then you can go out and you can start learning how to use them. You can start

[00:08:28] working on the problems involved, you can decide what to do and you can do it. Indeed, you can become equal to or superior to others in doing what you are doing. This is the way

[00:08:40] you need to handle your life. As Romans 12 says, we ought not to think more highly of ourselves than we are to think. Also, it's true that we ought not to think more lowly of ourselves with

[00:08:54] reference to the gifts and abilities that God has given us that we ought to make a sound judgment. Many people have made unsound judgments about their own lives and their own abilities.

[00:09:07] So why not today sit down in a sober and sound way? You evaluate your life according to their principles that you find in the 12 chapter of Romans that speaks about the various gifts that God has given

[00:09:20] us some of which are giving in one measure, some of which are giving in another. But whatever it may be, you are to use whatever God has given to you to the fullest,

[00:09:32] develop again to the full and employing it to the full, using it to the full for His glory and for His honor. If you do this, you will not feel lousy because you will be judging yourself to be

[00:09:44] growingly that which God wants you to be. This is the only way to deal with the so-called but so-roundly called inferiority complex. It is not a feeling. It is not a complex of all sorts

[00:09:58] of things impinging upon you but it's very simply this. The fact that you have made a judgment true or false right or wrong about your own ability and your use of it, I hope this helps. And perhaps if you're not experiencing these so-called inferiority complex feelings,

[00:10:17] you know somebody that does or if you don't get ready, God just might send you someone who is struggling incorrectly with what we've described. Make it a good day. Thanks for listening. Bye now.