The Ghost of Diotrephes: pt. 1 | David Eiffert

Nobody has ever sat across from a pastor and said, “My problem is I love to be first.” It doesn’t feel like a spiritual problem. It feels normal. That’s what makes it dangerous.In week one of The Ghost of Diotrephes, Pastor David opens the shortest book in the Bible to meet a man remembered for a single sentence, and walks through three truths about who gets to tell you who you are.You can’t tell yourself who you are. You’ve never once seen your own face, and you can’t judge your own qualities either. We all need a word from the outside, and we all have our places we go looking for it: work, kids, a parent’s approval that never comes.Attention is not love. King Saul had the crowd’s song until somebody else got a louder one, and the comparison poisoned him for life. The approval of people is great candy and terrible food. Build a life on it and you’ll starve with your mouth full.You are who the Father says you are. The Father has already spoken over you, lavished his love on you, and he sings over you. Your obedience can please the Father, but it can never produce the Father’s love.The message ends where Jesus lived: secure in the Father’s “This is my son,” with no need to be first.Scriptures: 3 John 1:9, Philippians 2:3, James 3:16, 1 Samuel 18:7, 1 John 3:1, Hebrews 13:16, Zephaniah 3:17Facebook: / believerscenter Instagram: / believerscenter Giving: https://pushpay.com/g/believerscenter First Time: https://believerchurch.churchcenter.com/people/forms/797243 Salvation / Rededication: https://believerchurch.churchcenter.com/people/forms/797600#BelieverChurch #Identity #FathersLove #TheGhostOfDiotrephesThanks so much for listening to the Believers Center podcast! Service Times:   Sundays at 10AM (online + in-person)Tuesdays at 7PM (in-person only)Follow us on Instagram @believerscenterTo learn more about Believers Center, visit https://www.believerscenter.com​​To submit a prayer request, or to get connected with a pastor, visit https://www.believerscenter.com/prayforme