Believe in yourself...that's what we're told at least. I remember even as a kid being told by my cartoons to believe in myself. That's a nice concept for self-esteem, but it places the focus on myself rather than God. Of course, we know that God is not the center of American thought anymore, so if you remove God from the equation, believing in one's self is the best place to have self-confidence.
However, as Christians, we know that man is fallen, and that he truly should not believe in himself. He should know himself, his abilities, even his failures. But in doing so, he must place his confidence (and ultimately his faith), in God. Having this mindset brings humbleness and submissiveness to God.
Sadly, the focus nowadays is on having faith in ourselves. We are, in a postmodern way, our own gods. As I stated before, even children receive this message to believe in themselves. The critic might point out how many children do not have supportive parents, and need to believe in themselves. However, believing in yourself is to believe in a fallen being that is incapable of saving itself. So while it is important to bring healing to the lives of the broken, as that can be a testament to God, we must never forget that the only true hope lies with God.
I think you make an excellence point about Western thought replacing God with "oneself." I think this is why repackaged occultism is growing in it's influence in America. It provides the ability/power, to release that inner godhood that so many are seeking after. It becomes that "means" which man can truly "follow their dreams" or listen to their heart. But in turn, it distracts them from the true Creator of this universe. Much of occultism, seems to stem from that view of seeing yourself as the highest good.
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