Christianity is NOT your self improvement

[@yanama466]

Christianity isn’t even about the self. Is being selfless and to put your faith in Christ as Christ was to us. I agree with this message and I do have to discipline myself and lean not on my own understanding. Disciple comes with discipline but it first comes with believing and therefore having the Holy Spirit. God bless you and have a happy and blessed new year

[@NoahFreedman]

I’m guilty of this! Back when I was a baby Christian and getting started on KZbin, I conflated self-improvement with Christianity. As God started to work in me and allow trials to shape me, which drew me closer to Him and His Word, I started to realize self improvement was a lie. The true path is to die to yourself daily and follow in the footsteps of Christ. Only this can bring true purpose, glory to God, and fulfill the void most men are seeking to fill in self-improvement (non-biblical, superficial, and exploitative industry).

[@domeicu]

Praise God for that transformation!

[@lilieso]

I think whatever we do, no matter if this is meditation, going to the gym, eating, journaling etc. we should asks ourselves if are actions will reflect the fruits of the spirit ( Galatians 5:22-23) we should always asks ourselves before we do anything that if our actions will honour God and help guide others!

[@Toni_Adebambo]

Amen brother! The motivation for following Christ is because we recognise we need a saviour and what Christ has done for us🙏🏾The self improvement comes as christ changes us from within. He will change our hearts desires

[@vanessamatusse1188]

Amen!

[@blue-jk2qu]

Preach, brother! ❤ Self-improvement is an endless pit that roots in pride and in illusion that we are our own God, and we can earn a "I'm a decent person" status. It leads to arrogance, it's the leaven of the Pharisees. I love this quote by Tim Keller, “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” Lord, help us have a humble spirit 🙏

[@NiamseMarché-f8h]

"Christianity is not about self-improvement, it's about self-denial". Great video! It's definitely for me, just by the title I knew because I've been thinking about this issue so much. Thinking, it's not right that this is what drives me. It's also the second time this evening/night that I hear the verse about picking up your cross and denying yourself. It's a difficult thing to really truly give your whole life to Him and surrender completely. To give up all your own wants and desires, to crucify the flesh but also not mind what the world thinks of us. This is definitely a purifying process though, a beautiful one, even though it's also goes with growing pains.

[@Lysa122]

John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease. Let us bring glory to Christ ! I wanted to say that I been seeing a lot of Tiktok "christians" that uses verses like proverbs 31 woman, GRWM as a proverbs 31 woman, and have thousands of selfies instead of glorifying Christ, it sort of becomes vain if one lacks balance and overly pampers themselves, it opens a doorway to vanity then it opens another door to pride in self which doesn't glorify Christ. Thank u for ur obedience and labor for this vid, glory to Jesus!

[@gavinpuhala3285]

Very thankful that this video came into my feed. I just finished reading a chapter towards the end of Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis entitled "Nice people or New Men", and I think this video paints the same picture he did just in a very modernized, practical, tangible, and relevant way. And man, that verse in Colossians completely calls out self-improvement so much! Just more reason why we need to be in the Word!

[@domeicu]

C.S. Lewis is great man. Also should have linked this in the description but here's the thing I mentioned in the video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5O1pGqcpKygpLM really worth the listen. And yeah 100% God's Word is so incredibly powerful and beautiful!

[@JoelSanchez-s2z]

Amen brother this is why God tells us in Matthew 6;33 "seek ye the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" but people expect that they should serve only for this worldly Goals and desires but like you said we need to deny ourselves and take our cross with him and he promises us to give us eternal and maybe things we need and desire if is his will.

[@Shide-b8l]

❤

[@kenedyrocks1]

we are selling Christ like how manifestation is being sold. I've never been more in fight with myself than now that I am with Jesus, because it's literally the dying of oneself. the struggle of still having selfish motives while wanting to praise God with servitude is going to make you feel the total opposite of improvement.

[@WendyCalmbot-s9l]

The title of this video did it, really humbled me

[@marshall1003]

I understand your take on this but respectfully, it is ignorant of other's testimonies. The way self-improvement is marketed is not freeing anyone. But there are several practices like meditation that shouldn't be demonized while it doesn't replace prayer. Not everyone experiences the same trials and tribulations. I've prayed many times for healing and he has guided me through practices like meditation and dance. They're just other ways of connecting with him. Ultimately it's love and surrender that He wants from us and many of these "self-improvement" activities can help us do that.

[@domeicu]

Definitely agree! And I’m sorry if it sounded like I was demonising these practices. I still run, weightlift, journal, meditate, wake up before sunrise etc. - I just want to caution against placing our confidence in these things for security.

[@celesttesolis]

Good points, however it's not like self-improvement in itself is evil. It really depends on your heart posture and individual intention. If it becomes an idol, then yes it is a sin. If it becomes rooted in pride, then it is also a sin. However, someone who has goals of working out, reading more, or getting a degree should not be labeled as "wrong". I do believe these things are good. As long as you keep the balance, remembering to put all of which you do into God's hands, and remembering that God is still above it all.

[@AlvinPaulSaul]

Thank you for this information ❤️ I have just read (Philippians 3:19-21) and now I know our goal is Jesus not earthly things. The grace of Jesus Christ be with your spirit.Amen.

[@Jamesjpallett]

This hit hard. I'm still holding onto my self improvement activities and thoughts. when the ultimate result becomes the motivation it hardly works out - WOW this is true I've seen it first hand. Amazing video, keep it up. Question for you, do you still journal and meditate?

[@domeicu]

yooo keep trying to take Christ more seriously :) I definitely still journal. My daily journal entries are always based on my daily Scripture readings. If there's stuff in my life I wanna journal more deeply about that's not so much a daily thing. I don't meditate anymore but there's definitely value in it for Christians. Romans 1:20 reads "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." So I think the type of meditation where you sit in nature and focus on your breathing, the sounds you hear and the smells you smell etc. is especially valuable for Christians-often this will lead us to greater praise and love for God. The important thing I think is that meditation doesn't replace prayer. Generally meditation seems to be about emptying your mind and resetting, but prayer is kind of about being consumed and overwhelmed by God and His love, and really understanding that we're literally sitting in His presence.

[@Jamesjpallett]

@@domeicu that makes sense. Thank you for the information.

[@curfewsurf]

@@domeicu It's important though that when you meditate you are meditating on God as meditation can be spiritual. Great video! :)

[@NiamseMarché-f8h]

P.S. I really appreciate your style, your calm delivery, that you aren't afraid to take pauses in your speech, that you think things through, like you paused the music when reading scripture, very respectful. Also your topics are authentic and pure. I saw you started posting 4 weeks ago; may God bless and protect you on your journey here. Stay fresh, true and spirit-filled my brother in Christ. Greetings from a sister in Holland 🇳🇱

[@genji4433]

I loved the style of the video. No cuts, no fancy stuff, just chill music and authenticity. You got a new sub, keep it up, God bless you!

[@lol.1296]

This is literally me right now, great wake up call. I’m glad this was on my recommended

[@hannaarozsaa]

I just thought about how Christ is transforming me, and I kind of got proud of myself and of my self improvement, while we should keep our eyes on Him!! The timing of this video is perfect!!

[@LemmieFagrzhe]

Christianity is about knowing the love of Jesus and loving Him back to the point of scourging the flesh. its all about self denial and pain in the process of renewing the mind. Christianity is more than just the letters the people and themselves. its about the power and the glory of God. but people have turned it into religion where they can stay within their comfort zones and not seek out what God is really desiring for us.

[@IsaiahGoodnight]

Bro i have that exact bible you have. it was a gift from a friend from church. what a concidence!

[@ValueBen]

I'm still struggling with this. Self improvement is something I kinda aimed to get from Christianity at some point.

[@domeicu]

hey don't feel guilty about that man. but just surrender that transformation to Jesus. surrender control over your life. recognise that only He can bring about real transformation in you.

[@diegomunoz-ml5yu]

It's the "renewal of the mind", the transformation of the self.

[@dollyachra8153]

Got no clue if you are gonna read this or not brother! But I really wanted to share that, I've lately been trying to find some christian KZbinrs aren't the over dramatic or over exaggerating ones ( no offense to those out the whom might be doing.). While watching some random stuff your video just came on automatically, It was playing in my ears through my AirPods. during the first five minutes it literally felt like the lord was telling me what I needed to know about what I was doing wrong in my journey in Christian! I've been in this motivation state for quite a while without realising ! Through watching this video of yours I've actually had a breakthrough in my faith! thank you for making this video brother and truly praise the lord for all he does and how he works!

[@domeicu]

that's incredible man we serve such a great God, praise Him.

[@AdamFuraha-zp3si]

i just took out my journal and wrote some of the things he said down...very eye opening

[@JessCcC]

Finally someone said it! Praise the Lord!

[@barto5959]

Great video man, gave me a whole new perspective. More people should genuinely watch this! Its very easy to get caught up in this world

[@SkchBook287]

I needed to hear this, Thank you 🙏 I’ve been watching secular self improvement for about year now, and as I grew in my faith, I realised these videos became more and more less relevant, and didn’t align with what I believed in, (especially concerning lust and sensual sin) This video has reminded me that God and the kingdom is what I’m living for, And I want to remember that 🙏🙏🙏

[@JesusSavedJesse]

Great video bro.🙏 Really peaceful and calming tone, and an important message! Hit the nail on the head, Christianity is about self-denial, and although self-improvement is a byproduct, if it’s your motivation you’ve missed the point completely. What I would say that those ‘secular practices’ are actually Godly practices but twisted for worldly sakes! God tells us to meditate in the word, that out bodies our temples, and that we should be thankful and grateful. But all for the glory of Him and that we may have a better relationship with him. But man has twisted it to SERVE SELF rather than GLORIFY GOD. They’ve took God out the equation.

[@domeicu]

Amen brother. Devil can’t create, so all he can do is distort and warp. Appreciate the comment

[@artsieheart]

This was really powerful, thank you Dom! ❤✝️ “Seek God first and all else will follow” summaries this well. People chase THEIR goal and forget about God’s Journey for their life. I’m so glad I watched this before getting into ‘secular self improvement’ when we should be into wholesome (spiritually grounded) habits that are good for the body, mind and soul God has given us. 🙏 Subscribed😄

[@marcinnykiel3124]

Thank you! Just ordered this CSLewis book!

[@annagjekaj]

This was such an insightful video and opened my eyes. As John 3:30 states, “He must increase, but I must decrease”. 😊

[@geraldinec1124]

In somewhat it is self improvement because we’re seeking God, of course if the person’s definition of self improvement is seeking God for their own benefit then ok that’s not improvement that’s using God. We deny ourselves to gain our life that’s self improvement

[@frostezez]

Top stuff Dom, super relevant in amongst everyone’s ’new years resolutions’

[@oliviajoyryan_]

wow. thank you so much Dom. as a christian self-improvement/productivity kind of youtuber, this has really called me out. i've definitely made a video saying that Christianity is the ultimate self improvement. this is really making me examine the kind of videos i'm putting out and making sure that I'm not encouraging the glorification of self, but rather i'm encouraging the viewers to deny themselves and follow Christ. thank so much for making this video!

[@domeicu]

appreciate the comment. been subscribed to you for a bit and I'm excited to see where God takes you with your channel this year :)

[@amayaatheresa]

I have been definitely guilty of this, it's like I don't want God unless there is something in it for me....Praying God helps me.

[@cloudcovercreations]

Isn’t spiritual transformation self improvement though? Obviously we do it for Christ, but when you follow God you are a better version of who you once were…

[@domeicu]

yep! but that's why I love C.S. Lewis' short little talk about how even though it's a result, it can't be our motivation.

[@Lifetothefull7]

Bro, awesome stuff! I came to this same conclusion somewhat recently as well.

[@luketan7451]

Indeed, what do we mind? Things on earth more than things in heaven? Our flesh or our spirit? Do we grow in the flesh or do we bear spiritual fruit? Do we train ourselves physically more than spiritually? I sometimes asked young fellas, how much time do they spend training up their bodies? And how much time do they commit to prayer and reading God's Word? But ultimately Christ's very words, "Deny yourself, take up your cross." (I am no more my own, the old me is dead with Christ, and i am starting new, no matter what!)

[@panda22518]

Amen! Ive always looked at the life of the disciples, even after Christ, they still lived in the same situations. But their spiritual man was improved!

[@artemisk.2334]

You know, I've seen many people translate what the bible say by themselves. But I've got also something that many people forget he even exists. The holy spirit, based on the bible he is supposed to be the one guiding our understanding. So make sure to ask him about this to be sure because there are many things you and I have yet to learn, the bible is not just a simple book it has got so many layers and that is the amazing thing I find that makes me know no human wrote this book actually. Ask the holy spirit, be careful of religion, stay in the freedom that Jesus and the holy spirit and God the father provides.

[@rebeccaly]

Sooo good. Thank you for sharing!! It’s so easy to make even something like self improvement an idol. Appreciate the verses you shared. Blessings! 🙏

[@Miss.susyッ]

Thank you❤

[@beccaaa.x]

wow i’ve never seen videos like Christianity for self improvement that’s insane :/ thanks for uploading this!

[@ValiantAshira]

Thank you for this, I was getting obsessed with a fitness KZbinr.

[@eth4nfnbr]

I’ve always had this issue with the self improvement community and there use of Christianity like yes more Christianity more people coming to the faith yes good I love it. But it seems like they’ve made Truth mold to them and have not molded to Truth. It’s like they would take scripture to justify whatever they want to do like they already have a set agenda and they’d take scripture out of context to prove that agenda

[@NB-uh5fy]

Amen brother 🙏🏿

[@Josh-os1nf]

This is some really edifying content and gave me a new perspective thank you brother🙏🏼❤️

[@MalikEvegan]

Convicted me great video man I need to repent much love though brother ❤

[@sugi6990]

thanks for this great reminder, God bless you !

[@peacebeuntoyoupodcast]

This is such a Holy Spirit led video! ❤

[@Tessacndk]

Right!!❤

[@NicolleValeriaCuesta]

Exactly, being better, be want to be better is not bad, everybody can do it, everybody can start looking for money or vanity, but not everybody understand the way of God, neither you and i we know our future, the uncertainty is almost a proof of faith.

[@Moneybagzmu]

Perfectly timed video

[@BardsLyre-d3f]

The timing

[@AdrianHedelin03]

Transformation was never an end result though. It's a process, but one i realized i can't do alone. My motivation for seeking Jesus is transformation, and i don't think there's anything wrong with that. It's perfectly logical.

[@domeicu]

and praise Him that that transformation has come! What areas do you reckon you've been transformed in the most?

[@Undertakerl2]

I seek this too...

[@Luffy-tv6sy]

technically it is self improvement because it is to restore and save your soul. You become filled with peace and strenght by denying yourself and living for God. I know it is not like improvement that is focused on you but it does restores you and even restores the ones near you. If we get rid f the aspect of pride in self improvement it truly does improve you. But you must always remember that it is not your own doing and that you didnt saved yourself. It was God that saved you so that you may not be prideful. Remember that without God you are just dirt and that you are nothing outside of him.

[@mynameChief]

Keep Going thank you for this word

[@ChristianAnswersSHORTS]

Thank you bro.

[@SamarthRanganathapuraKiran]

Truthfully, I don't understand what I am supposed to be. I don't know what it means to or how I truly deny myself and follow Jesus Christ. Does this mean I need to deny self-improvement goals like working out, studying harder, etc. I have realised that I am one of the people who have conflated self-improvement with Christianity. But now, I have no idea what to do. I am confused on how to move forward. What if the ultimate result is God? What if I am on this journey for God not just myself? I have so many questions and I am just really confused. If anyone can give me some guidance that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[@domeicu]

Appreciate the vulnerability. This might sound unrelated but hopefully I get the point across through this story: This year I took a gap year, meanwhile all my friends went off to university. My goal was essentially to establish a super firm foundation in Christ before moving off into university, workforce, retire right? I didn't wanna come out of a mindless 13 years of schooling and go straight into another couple mindless decades. But people would say to me "don't you feel like you're falling behind?". I was always a bit confused at this question. Because I think it has this underlying belief that progress in life is synonymous with further study, work, getting a promotion, getting paid more. To think that taking a year off would mean falling behind essentially labels money as our chief purpose. Now, I'm still going to univeristy this year. But it's not with money as that chief end goal. Instead, I'm motivated by things such as how many people will be on campus, and the evangelism opportunities that will arise there. So I guess my question to you is what do you believe is your chief purpose? And if your chief purpose is truly to glorify God and enjoy him forever, then your actions will reflect that - which doesn't necessarily mean never studying or never working out - but I think those are things you'll have to think through for yourself.

[@imtoo-1316]

Will be praying for you bro ❤, you got this, I’ll pray you get the answers to your questions

[@imtoo-1316]

What it means to Follow Jesus is to put his kingdom first and desire his righteous rule in the earth. Also to follow Christ is to love others ❤ There is more tho, you will know more as you get closer to God. & to get closer to God we gotta read his Word and pray ❤ God bless, if you need anything let me know

[@imtoo-1316]

Don’t forget that Jesus loves you much more than you will ever know ❤ God bless you brother

[@T3TomTomAwesomeYTchannel]

Your right WAR THUNDER is my self improvement.

[@BigBoyCheezit]

Christians are followers of Christ. We Christians, believe in Jesus and his teachings. Which his teachings are his word. So, therefore we follow him and his gospel/word. I may be wrong about most of this, so May God guide us to the truth and God bless👍🏼✝️💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

[@rhwldo]

amen. christianity is recognizing that there is no way we can improve ourselves because we are born head to toe in evil and sin. its recognizing that its not about how good we do, but ALL ABOUT what jesus did for us and what jesus saved us from. ourselves. and the new identity He gave us as perfected, righteous children of God because of what HE did not what we do for ourselves.

[@domeicu]

100% dude. recognise your channel and seen your videos, you’ve got a powerful testimony praise God.

[@rhwldo]

@ all God :) see u up there brother ❤️

[@citruschxco]

Hey! Great video overall, I agree that there's a lot of misguided "self improvement" and some people's focus are on the wrong things, but I'm curious in what way you meditate? Do you mean meditating in God's word and on things focused on Christ or secular means like through Yoga? I'm not too familiar with what people generally define as "meditation" so I wanna know what you meant! But also I'd like to advice against the latter type of meditation (through Yoga or other spiritual practices outside Jesus). It's often dangerous to the faith/believer and many are rooted in beliefs contrary to God. I say this with love and care! Anyone should take it to God for clarity 💖

[@domeicu]

yeah usually it's taking some part of Scripture or some theological truth and just sitting with it in stillness before God. I sometimes do the secular meditation practice of focusing on the breath, cause I think there's still mental health benefits there. idk if you've heard this before I'm not sure if this is actually just a myth but some people say that God's personal name "YHWH" is actually properly pronounced by breathing, so we say his name thousands of times a day without knowing. even if this is just some strange modern cliche I still think it's cool to do secular style meditation while focusing on that fact that we're able to invoke God's name - his personal name - as his beloved children. Hindu style meditative yoga is probably where I draw the line, especially if you're doing it following along with a KZbin video or group class cause they'll say stuff like "try and feel Brahman" or "feel your spirit connecting with your origin" or some weird stuff like that lol

[@citruschxco]

@domeicu I've heard and really love that theory/history! Definitely not a cliche haha. I really like how you explained it when linked to the breathing meditation you spoke off. I honestly agree that it's most likely fine, it calms the mind. I probably need to do that more And yeah it really throws me off. It's the same with fitness; it's weird having to find alternatives that arent linked to Yoga one or the other or having to navigate that.

[@trash3042]

Dude.. Working out is very healthy and helps with mental health and God would want us to take care of ourselves physically mentally and our bodies He gave us and for us to have peace and gratitude.. which you said gratitude expressing what your graceful for is considered secular. I’m a bit confused I do understand in a way but at the same time I’m confused. What God wants is for people to draw close to Him and to have Faith and To Trust In Him. “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace” 1 Corinthians 14:33-35

[@domeicu]

yes! I'm sorry if that's what you took away. I still gym 4 days a week and run 4 days a week! I just want to caution against those sort of things being our confidence. "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." (1 Tim 4:8).

[@trash3042]

@@domeicu Good for you for deciding to be in the gym and take care of your health and body brother 👍 Thanks for having a humble heart responding man. I don’t mean to judge or anything but I just don’t want people to get the wrong impression of God and think of him in a wrong way and make the wrong decision of leaving the faith and relationship with The Father which that will be heartbreaking. He knows we’re all filthy sinners by nature and can’t be 100% polished clean and perfect. He doesn’t expect straight away perfection. He just wants a deep connection with us and for us to Trust in Him. Actually how I got more closer to God is from having on a Bible audio book that I wanted to listen to in my ear phones in the gym and how I got into the gym and started eating clean is because of self improvement videos You don’t know this but Actually self improvement helped a lot of people from taking their own lives. I don’t think self improvement is secular. How can wanting to take care of yourself and train yourself to do good habits be secular.. I can sorta get it maybe because if it’s for the wrong reason pride can leak in but if you’re doing it for the right purposes I don’t get why it would be bad. In general Gods thoughts are not our thoughts and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and only the most High knows.

[@trash3042]

@@domeicuAmen I agree with that. It has to be balanced in a healthy way. Sorry you’re right I just took it the wrong way.

[@imtoo-1316]

@@trash3042it’s good to take care of yourself, but living for God is about loving others to & honoring others above yourself ❤

[@benraju24]

love the message!

[@jedricktagarino]

appreciate this

[@ApolloDelta-x7]

amen brother

[@jojosim5087]

why does he do this to us?

[@thisIsTheDayTheLORDHasMade]

it's not about us

[@MalikEvegan]

Great video ❤

[@naysx12]

New subbie here thankyou for this video!!

[@faith_friend]

Amen!

[@glassroads]

Everyone takes the name in vain. The name is Aeman Dia. A person who takes the name seriously knows Iseus. They accidentally take the name in vain. I am very confused about what the name was during Moses’s time. Clearly Allah was a popular name. Atta was a name. But I still think Moses would says Aeman Dia is the name.

[@Kxv-h3i]

I like this

[@lelecheesy]

wow thats deep. It's so true though

[@zojan9417]

very important reflection, thank you for sharing it!!

[@_godspeed3669]

Amen

[@Sonishisson]

Brother those are facts but no matter what it is dont ever forget about ur parents that fave birth to you to help you become who you are today. Ive been there and im totally exhausted because of these fookin responsibilities plus why could he lend a hand seeing people suffer thats not love. Im just mad at how hes controlling us like were his robots and if not down you go. Peace

[@4nd3ll]

God does not control us he has given us free will which is a godlike privilege and we mishandle it constantly. When we act accordingly to his will we lead a better life God's will is good pleasing and perfect (Romans 12 supports this.) True freedom comes from being obedient to him instead of being slave to sin and your flesh

[@DeadlyKrz]

JESUS CHRIST is LORD not a companion

[@phumlabala4273]

Amen❤

[@raininginyoutube]

its not that deep bro jesus is not a pharisee RELAX

[@imtoo-1316]

God bless bro, I hope you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If you haven’t, Jesus wants you to repent and ask for forgiveness from him as we’re all sinners & we must admit that. ❤ if you would like say… Say Father, I’m a sinner and I need your forgiveness. Please come into my heart and change it and renew my mind. Teach me what it means to follow you and not the world Help me to love you and love others and keep you first. In Jesus Name, Amen ❤