Knowing your value

Do you know your value? What do base it on? Your looks, your success, your achievements? Do you compare your life with others?

Too often we base our value on how someone is treating us, how successful we are, how perfect of a life we’ve lived. The problem is all of those things can change. If you’re getting your value in how people treat you then if they hurt you, disappoint you, you’re going to feel devalued. If you’re basing your value on your achievements, how much money you make, what car you drive, the house you live in, the title behind your name...then if something happens and you lose that business, you no longer have that job, you no longer have that income, your value goes down. Some people are down on themselves because of mistakes they’ve made. They’re not where they thought they would be. They are basing their value on their performance. Your value should be based on only one thing... that you are a child of the most high God. The creator of the universe breathed His life into you. How someone treats you doesn’t change your value. What they say does not lessen who you are. Your mistakes do not define you. That’s what you did not who you are. A bigger car and a more expensive house does not make you any more valuable. It increases your net worth but not your self worth. You were already valuable when you had no house and no title behind your name. That position may give you more influence but not more value. You can be a stay at home mom raising your children. You may not have the worldly influence of the CEO but you have the same value. Value is not based what you do, what you make or who you know. Those things are superficial and can change. Your value comes from your creator. Almighty God breathed His life into you and you have His DNA. You have royalty in your blood. The enemy works overtime trying to devalue you. He wants you to compare your life to others and feel inferior, lying to you making you think you’ll feel good about yourself when you catch up to them. When you break the addiction then you’ll feel valuable. Nothing you do, nothing you achieve, nothing you overcome can change your value in God’s eyes. You are valuable right now. God calls you a masterpiece. You are one of a kind. You didn’t come off of an assembly line. You aren’t mass produced. God only made one you. Start carrying yourself with confidence. You have been fearfully and wonderfully made.

In Luke chapter 4 Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert where he was tempted 3 times. He had been out there for 40 days and hadn’t eaten anything. The enemy said to him “if you are the Son of God turn these stones into bread.” He was trying to make His value based on His performance. He was tempting Him to prove that He was the Son of God. Jesus wouldn’t do it. He said “man does not live by bread alone.” In effect, he was saying that He didn’t have to do anything to prove who He was. “I don’t have to perform to feel good about myself. I know who I am.” The enemy could not convince Him to get His identity out of his performance so he tried to tempt Him with a possession based identity. He took Jesus to a high place and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world. He said you can have it all if you’ll just bow down and worship me. Jesus said “I don’t need possessions to prove my worth and value.” I don’t have to have what you think is important to feel good about myself. Performance based didn’t work, possession based didn’t work so the enemy tried one final thing... popularity. He took Jesus to the highest place in the temple. It was very crowded. He said if you’re the Son of God jump off this building... you said that your angels would protect you. He was trying to get Jesus to show off... He would gain instant popularity with the people. Jesus said it again.. I don’t need performance, possessions or popularity to feel good about myself. I know who I am. I am the Son of the living God. The enemy tried to deceive Jesus into proving who He was. A lot of people live in a proving mode. They can’t feel good about themselves unless they prove they are important. They are in a constant struggle to out do, out perform, out dress, out drive. It’s very freeing when you realize you don’t have to prove anything. You don’t have to impress people. Take the pressure off. It takes a lot of energy to compete, to prove, to impress. If you live in a proving mode it’s like you’re on a treadmill. As soon as you prove to one person you’re okay you’ll see someone else that you need to impress. It’s a never ending cycle. Get off that treadmill. You’re working hard but not going anywhere. You don’t have to prove anything.

In these days there is so much emphasis on name brands. Designer sunglasses, handbags, shoes, clothes, driving a certain car, talking on a certain phone. Sometimes we have so many names on us we don’t know our own name. We have all these outside labels to make us feel important. Your name is more important than all those names combined. There’s nothing wrong with owning it, driving it or wearing it but do not let it be the reason you feel good about who you are. What’s hot today will soon be outdated. If you live possession based you have to run from name to name, friend to friend, position to position. You need to relax and realize you can’t get any more valuable than you already are. Whether you’re wearing Gucci or Goodwill your value never changes. Do you need someone else’s name to feel good about yourself? Are you trying to prove your worth and value through what you know, who you know, what you own? Or can you be like Jesus and not have to have possessions, popularity or performance to feel good about yourself. Are you secure with who you are?

When Jesus went to trial and needed His closest friends to support Him His disciples weren’t anywhere around. They didn’t stay up and pray... they were too tiered and fell asleep. If you base your value on people’s support, how much they approve you, encourage you, then if for some reason they stop doing that you’ll feel devalued. You can’t base your value in what people give you. People will say you’re beautiful one minute and ignore you the next. If you don’t know who you are without them then if they leave you’ll be lost. They’ll take you with them. Your identity was caught up in who they made you to be. You don’t need people to tell you who you are. People will let you down. People have their own issues. Let your Heavenly Father tell you who you are. Get your value, approval and self worth from Him. He says you are a masterpiece. He says you’re one of a kind. Someone may have told you the opposite... you’re not attractive, you’re not talented...let that go in one ear and out the other. They don’t determine your value. What they say or do doesn’t make you any less a masterpiece. Quit letting how people treat you make you feel inferior. They don’t control your destiny. They didn’t breathe life into you. They didn’t appoint you or anoint you. Your value came from your creator, from the God who spoke worlds into existence. The good news is they can’t change your value and you can’t change it. God put it in you before they showed up. You don’t need their approval. They don’t have to validate you. It’s good when it happens but if you are depending on it to feel secure then if they do it you’re gonna feel inferior. Don’t give away your power. Don’t put your identity, your value, into somebody else’s hands. Even good people can’t give you everything you need. Even someone who loves you can’t keep you approved, validated and feeling secure. You have to go to your Heavenly Father. Sometimes we put pressure on people to keep us fixed, keep us validated. Let them off the hook. They are not your Savior. You already have a Savior. He’s on the throne. Go to Him and not to people. The problem with going to people is they have their own issues. They’re dealing with their own insecurity, fears, wounds... they don’t know any better, it’s normal to them. Messed up people can mess you up. If you base your value on what they’re giving you you’ll have dysfunction. Don’t let messed up people ruin your life. If someone hurt you there is a tendency to internalize it... there’s something wrong with me. If I was more attractive he wouldn’t have left. If I was smarter I wouldn’t have had a bad childhood. It has nothing to do with you. They are treating you out of their hurts and wounds. Hurting people end up hurting other people. Don’t let what you didn’t get make you feel like you’re to blame. Don’t base your value on these lies. Children of neglect or abuse often take the blame on themselves thinking they don’t deserve to be loved. That’s the enemy trying to steal your sense of value. If someone did you wrong instead of internalizing it have you ever thought maybe they were messed up, that they felt so unlovable that they tried to project it into you.

If you didn’t get the love and approval from your parent’s please know that worth and value does not come from people. You didn’t come FROM your mother. You came THROUGH your mother. You came FROM your Heavenly Father. If you base your value on what people say or think it’s gonna push you down. If you base it on what God says about you it’s gonna lift you up. Has anyone ever told you what God says about you? God says you’re amazing. He says He is proud of you. You are the apple of His eye. People may not be celebrating you but God celebrates you. If God had a refrigerator your picture would be on it. If he had a computer you would be His screen saver. Scripture says He has your name carved in the palm of His hand. You may feel like you never got the approval from your parents, from your family. They don’t celebrate you, they don’t affirm you. The truth is that it’s not about you. It’s about their issues and insecurities. Don’t spend your life trying to get something they can’t give. Let it go! Quit trying to prove that you are good enough. Turn to your Heavenly Father. Get your approval from Him. You don’t need their approval.

David didn’t have his father’s approval. When the prophet Samuel came to anoint one of Jesse’s sons Jesse didn't even bring in David from the shepherds field. He saw David as inferior, too young, too small. Sometimes the people closest to you can’t see the greatness in you. Jesse didn’t see a king in David. He didn't see a giant killer. He saw a young boy with not much to offer, he dismissed him. Your family may discount you, leave you out. Don’t take it personally. Keep being your best and getting your approval from your Heavenly Father. This happened to Jesus. They saw him as average. Jesus’ brothers didn’t believe in Him. They just saw him as a carpenter. The people who should have supported him the most made him feel inferior.

The people closest to you may not see your value, but God does. David was left out, but when Samuel looked at the seven sons he said it’s none of these. People may leave you out but God doesn’t leave you out. David would never had taken the throne if he had depended on the approval of his parents. Your value comes from your creator. Quit trying to make people that are never going to be for you be for you. Quit feeling inferior because someone close to you is not celebrating you. If you’re not getting it it’s because you don’t need it to be who you were created to be. It may be hurtful but it won’t keep you from your destiny. Sometimes it’s God teaching us to go to Him and not to people. We rely too much on what people think of us. David’s brothers made fun of him, his father discounted him but instead of feeling inferior he turned to God.

Your value does not come from people. It comes from your creator. The enemy works overtime trying to devalue us. The enemy is always trying to steal your worth and value. People may try to make you feel average like David’s father. You must believe what God says about you. The jersey Tom Brady wore during the super bowl was valued at over $500,000. That same jersey you can buy on Amazon for $49. What is the difference between the two? WHO it belongs to.

Don’t put your identity in someone else’s hands. People are not your savior. Value is not based on what you do, what you achieve or what you own. Your worth and value is determined by WHO you belong to! Nothing you do will ever make you more valuable. Don’t allow others opinions, your own negative thoughts, the enemy’s lies steal your birthright. You are a beloved child of God and your worth is in HIM!