How does Paul advise each Christian person to regard himself or herself?...

We are not to have a higher opinion of ourselves and our ministry than the facts would indicate. We are to use sound, sober judgment when estimating our own position and abilities, according to the measure of faith God has assigned to us.

It appears that over the last few decades a spirit of commercialization has overtaken the assemblies of Christ. There is a "sell" that accompanies the Gospel.

Recently a spirit has crept into the churches that suggests to us we should search the Bible for spiritual principles that will bring health, wealth, and joy in the world.

In place of working out our own salvation with fear and trembling we are to "speak the creative word" and we will get everything we want.

This "sell," this commercialization of spiritual principles, cannot be found among the patriarchs or the Prophets or Apostles. Where has it come from?

There are times when a Christian should rouse himself and begin to demonstrate vital faith in God’s Word. But prayer and faith are not to be used as weapons by which we are to get from God what we want in order to achieve our own pleasures and ambitions in the world. The battle always is to be pressed in terms of a life given to God for His service.

In Romans, Chapter 12 Paul is exhorting us to think about the type of Christian service for which God has fitted us. We always are to present our body a living and holy sacrifice to God. We are to be transformed into the image of the Lord Jesus so we may prove the will of God in our own life.

We are to be diligent stewards of the gifts and ministries God has entrusted to our care, using them to build the Body of Christ.

God has given a measure of faith to each Christian. We are not to be presumptuous in the use of our faith. If it is little, then we are to exercise that amount. If our faith is great, then we are to respond accordingly.

Faith is not our attempt to believe. True faith is the gift of God. We can employ only the faith that has been given to us. To attempt to manipulate the spirit realm by striving to "believe" is a soulish endeavour practiced by members of occult societies and religions.

If we have ever practiced imaging or soulish faith or positive confession we need to pray that God will forgive us and deliver us from all vestiges of these demonic efforts. They are not faith in the Lord Jesus but soulish faith guided by the self-will of the practitioner.