Understanding Your Value

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This is not an 0:01:28.000 --> 0:01:29.759 offer to buy your self securities, nor is it investment, 0:01:29.840 --> 0:01:30.760 legal or tax advice. 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:33.959 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:36.759 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:36.920 --> 0:01:39.240 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:40.800 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:41.120 --> 0:01:43.840 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:01:43.920 --> 0:01:58.720 your life. Well, God bless you always a joy to 0:01:58.760 --> 0:02:01.760 come into your homes. We love you and we're believing 0:02:01.800 --> 0:02:04.520 for God's very very best in your life. Ever in 0:02:04.560 --> 0:02:06.360 our area, come out and be a part of one 0:02:06.360 --> 0:02:08.679 of our services here at Lakewood. I promise you will 0:02:08.680 --> 0:02:10.640 make you feel right at home. But thanks again for 0:02:10.680 --> 0:02:13.520 tuning in. I like to start with something funny each week, 0:02:13.560 --> 0:02:16.400 and I heard about this man. He was the only 0:02:16.520 --> 0:02:21.200 Protestant in a large Catholic neighborhood, and every Friday during Lent, 0:02:21.680 --> 0:02:24.480 while all of his neighbors were eating cold fish, he 0:02:24.520 --> 0:02:26.760 would be in his backyard grilling a steak. 0:02:27.560 --> 0:02:30.079 They just couldn't stand the temptation, and they. 0:02:29.960 --> 0:02:34.000 Decided to try to convert him to Catholicism. He finally agreed. 0:02:34.360 --> 0:02:36.919 The pre sprinkled water over him and said, you were 0:02:36.919 --> 0:02:39.639 born a Baptist, you were raised a Baptist, but now 0:02:39.680 --> 0:02:42.800 you're a Catholic. The next year, on the first Friday 0:02:42.840 --> 0:02:46.000 of Lent, the neighbors smelled the same smell in the air. 0:02:46.320 --> 0:02:47.440 They rushed to his house. 0:02:47.639 --> 0:02:51.280 He was in the backyard sprinkling water over his steak, saying, 0:02:51.320 --> 0:02:53.320 you were born a cow, you were raised a cow, 0:02:53.440 --> 0:02:58.639 but now you're a fish. All right, Hold up your 0:02:58.639 --> 0:03:00.600 Bible say it, thank you mean it. 0:03:01.080 --> 0:03:04.000 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am, 0:03:04.520 --> 0:03:05.800 I have what it says I have. 0:03:06.400 --> 0:03:08.960 I can do what it says I can do. Today 0:03:09.080 --> 0:03:11.800 I will be taught the word of God. I boldly 0:03:11.840 --> 0:03:15.480 confess my mind is alert, my heart is receptive. 0:03:15.880 --> 0:03:17.160 I will never be the same. 0:03:17.600 --> 0:03:21.760 In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want to talk 0:03:21.800 --> 0:03:25.519 to you today about how valuable you are. One of 0:03:25.560 --> 0:03:28.720 the greatest needs we all have is to feel a 0:03:28.800 --> 0:03:32.040 sense of self worth. Deep down, we need to know 0:03:32.280 --> 0:03:35.440 that we're important, that our life matters, and that we 0:03:35.520 --> 0:03:39.040 have something great to offer. But so often we base 0:03:39.160 --> 0:03:43.200 our self worth on our looks, on what we've achieved 0:03:43.280 --> 0:03:46.000 and what we own, and how perfect of a life 0:03:46.080 --> 0:03:50.760 we've lived. The problem with this is those things can change. 0:03:50.840 --> 0:03:54.840 If you're basing your self worth on your looks, your accomplishments, 0:03:54.880 --> 0:03:58.600 your popularity, then if that goes down, your self worth 0:03:58.640 --> 0:04:01.760 will go down. If you base your sense of value 0:04:02.040 --> 0:04:05.320 on how somebody else treats you and how they make 0:04:05.400 --> 0:04:09.560 you feel, then if they hurt you, if they disappoint you, 0:04:10.200 --> 0:04:13.240 very likely you'll turn it on yourself and think there 0:04:13.320 --> 0:04:16.279 must be something wrong with me. He wouldn't have left 0:04:16.360 --> 0:04:19.159 me if I was pretty enough. They wouldn't be treating 0:04:19.200 --> 0:04:22.080 me badly, if I had a better personality, or I 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:25.600 wouldn't have gotten laid off if I was just more talented. Now, 0:04:25.640 --> 0:04:28.640 the problem is you're getting your self worth from the 0:04:28.680 --> 0:04:32.800 wrong places. We should not receive our value from how 0:04:32.839 --> 0:04:36.320 somebody else treats us, or what we own or what 0:04:36.360 --> 0:04:40.360 we've accomplished. Our value should come solely from the fact 0:04:40.520 --> 0:04:43.320 that we are children of the Most High God, and 0:04:43.360 --> 0:04:47.040 the value God put in you is permanent. Nothing you 0:04:47.120 --> 0:04:50.120 can do or anyone else can do, can ever change 0:04:50.120 --> 0:04:53.720 that value. And I've seen how the enemy works over 0:04:53.760 --> 0:04:56.640 time in this area. He would love for us to 0:04:56.720 --> 0:05:02.440 go through life insecure, insecure about our looks, about our personality, 0:05:02.800 --> 0:05:06.920 about our abilities. He will use hurtful things that people 0:05:06.920 --> 0:05:12.920 have said, disappointments, rejections, unfair situations to try to lower 0:05:13.160 --> 0:05:16.360 our sense of self worth. If we're not careful, we'll 0:05:16.400 --> 0:05:21.680 go around blaming ourself, internalizing every bad thing that happens. Now. 0:05:21.720 --> 0:05:25.240 I've seen people that were mistreated when they were growing up, 0:05:25.560 --> 0:05:28.800 and somehow they still think it was their fault. They 0:05:28.800 --> 0:05:32.120 were children, they didn't have any control over it. But 0:05:32.160 --> 0:05:35.760 those lies come saying it's because you're not good enough, 0:05:35.920 --> 0:05:39.240 that's why they left you. It's because you didn't measure up, 0:05:39.640 --> 0:05:42.760 that's why you didn't get your appearance approval. That recording 0:05:42.880 --> 0:05:46.920 is constantly playing in the back of their minds. Failure, loser, 0:05:47.400 --> 0:05:51.480 not talented, not attractive, not valuable, not lovable. Now you've 0:05:51.480 --> 0:05:54.800 got to turn that recording off. Somebody may have hurt you, 0:05:55.120 --> 0:05:59.400 but don't internalize it. Don't go around blaming yourself. You're 0:05:59.400 --> 0:06:02.920 not at fault. They had the problem, not you. They 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:05.160 may have rejected you, but the good. 0:06:05.000 --> 0:06:08.960 News is God accepts you. He has already approved you. 0:06:10.920 --> 0:06:15.159 Psychologists tell us that our self worth comes from what 0:06:15.240 --> 0:06:19.000 we think the most important person in our life thinks 0:06:19.040 --> 0:06:22.880 about us. For children, most likely that would be their parents. 0:06:23.320 --> 0:06:26.719 As adults, that could still be a parent, or a spouse, 0:06:27.040 --> 0:06:30.680 a friend, a mentor. But the problem with this philosophy 0:06:31.279 --> 0:06:33.080 is that people are all human. 0:06:33.920 --> 0:06:35.719 People can disappoint us. 0:06:36.160 --> 0:06:39.200 They can say things or do things that bring heartache 0:06:39.200 --> 0:06:42.880 and pain. If we're only receiving our value from them, 0:06:43.640 --> 0:06:47.000 over time, we're going to feel less and less valuable 0:06:47.279 --> 0:06:50.440 because sooner or later they will say something that cuts 0:06:50.480 --> 0:06:53.359 like a knife, or they will show by their actions 0:06:53.360 --> 0:06:56.680 that were not really that important. But the key to 0:06:56.760 --> 0:07:01.599 really understanding and maintaining a true since value is to 0:07:01.720 --> 0:07:05.039 let your heavenly Father, be the most important person in 0:07:05.080 --> 0:07:08.560 your life. Base your sense of value on what he 0:07:08.600 --> 0:07:12.960 says about you. When you make mistakes, people will try 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:15.480 to make you feel guilty, like you're all washed up, 0:07:15.960 --> 0:07:19.040 But God says, I have mercy for every mistake. 0:07:19.480 --> 0:07:20.640 Get up and go again. 0:07:20.960 --> 0:07:24.520 Your future is brighter than your past. People will tell you, 0:07:25.240 --> 0:07:28.320 or sometimes make you feel like you're not talented, you're 0:07:28.320 --> 0:07:31.440 not attractive, you don't have anything special to offer, But 0:07:31.480 --> 0:07:35.640 God says you're amazing, You're beautiful, you're one of a kind. 0:07:36.480 --> 0:07:40.720 People can disappoint you, reject you, even say things that 0:07:40.720 --> 0:07:44.880 can wound your spirit. If you're only receiving your value 0:07:44.960 --> 0:07:49.560 and your worth from them, you'll go through life feeling inferior, 0:07:50.000 --> 0:07:54.240 feeling insecure, with little self worth. But if you will 0:07:54.320 --> 0:07:58.080 learn to receive your value from your heavenly Father and 0:07:58.160 --> 0:08:00.880 listen to what he says about you, then you'll go 0:08:00.960 --> 0:08:07.480 around feeling accepted, approved, redeemed, forgiven, confident and secure. You 0:08:07.520 --> 0:08:12.160 will feel extremely valuable. And that's exactly the way God 0:08:12.200 --> 0:08:12.920 wants you to be. 0:08:13.640 --> 0:08:15.040 Says in Ephesians two ten. 0:08:15.560 --> 0:08:20.600 You are God's masterpiece. Do you realize a masterpiece is 0:08:20.680 --> 0:08:24.760 not mass produced. You didn't come off an assembly line. 0:08:25.360 --> 0:08:29.600 You're not average. You're not ordinary. You've been custom made. 0:08:29.760 --> 0:08:32.200 You are one of a kind. And of all the 0:08:32.200 --> 0:08:35.679 things God created, what he is the most proud of 0:08:36.520 --> 0:08:41.480 is not the spectacular solar system, not the magnificent sunsets, 0:08:41.840 --> 0:08:46.080 not even the amazing animals. The creation that God calls 0:08:46.120 --> 0:08:50.880 his masterpiece is you. You are his most prized possession. 0:08:51.200 --> 0:08:54.080 He created you in his very own image, and he 0:08:54.120 --> 0:08:56.839 looks past all those other things and he looks right 0:08:56.880 --> 0:09:00.120 at you and says, there's my masterpiece. That's my son, 0:09:00.280 --> 0:09:03.080 that's my daughter. That's what brings the most joy to 0:09:03.160 --> 0:09:07.640 my heart. One thing that creates value is who the 0:09:07.720 --> 0:09:11.120 owner is. I have a baseball bat at home that 0:09:11.200 --> 0:09:14.040 I purchased for thirty dollars at the sporting goods store. 0:09:14.600 --> 0:09:17.400 But I read where one of Babe Ruth's old baseball 0:09:17.440 --> 0:09:20.720 bats sold for over one hundred thousand dollars. 0:09:21.160 --> 0:09:22.160 What was the difference. 0:09:22.440 --> 0:09:25.600 They were both wood bats, both thirty four inches long. 0:09:26.000 --> 0:09:29.520 The difference is who the owner is. I have a 0:09:29.559 --> 0:09:33.360 handkerchief that I paid less than five dollars for, but 0:09:33.440 --> 0:09:37.200 I read where one of Elvis's handkerchiefs sold for over 0:09:37.280 --> 0:09:41.480 three hundred thousand dollars. What was the difference was his 0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:44.360 covered with jewels and rubies and diamonds. 0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:46.559 No, his was covered with his sweat. 0:09:47.320 --> 0:09:51.720 The difference was who sweat it is And throughout life 0:09:51.760 --> 0:09:56.160 we need to constantly remind ourselves. I am valuable, not 0:09:56.320 --> 0:09:59.720 because of what I do or don't do, not because 0:09:59.720 --> 0:10:02.320 of what I have or don't have, not because of 0:10:02.360 --> 0:10:06.120 who I know or don't know. I am valuable because 0:10:06.120 --> 0:10:10.280 of who my owner is. And it is not my parents, 0:10:10.840 --> 0:10:13.800 it is not my spouse, it's not my boss, not 0:10:13.840 --> 0:10:17.800 even the government know. The creator of the universe breathes 0:10:17.880 --> 0:10:20.960 his life into each one of us. He fashioned us, 0:10:21.240 --> 0:10:25.280 He formed us, He gave us our personality. He intricately 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:29.240 made everything about us. We may not be perfect, we 0:10:29.320 --> 0:10:32.240 may make mistakes. Other people may try to push us 0:10:32.280 --> 0:10:36.240 down make us feel less valuable, but we know the truth. 0:10:36.400 --> 0:10:39.400 Our value comes from the fact that we are children 0:10:39.520 --> 0:10:40.559 of the most high God. 0:10:40.880 --> 0:10:42.800 We know who our owner is. 0:10:44.240 --> 0:10:47.320 There was an article in a medical magazine. It talked 0:10:47.360 --> 0:10:52.320 about how these researchers calculated how much money the human 0:10:52.400 --> 0:10:55.360 body was worth. They added up, to the best of 0:10:55.400 --> 0:11:00.600 their ability, all the enzymes and hormones and cells, tissues, 0:11:00.880 --> 0:11:05.400 everything contained in the body. Their conclusion was, the average 0:11:05.400 --> 0:11:10.800 sized person is worth approximately six million dollars. You've heard 0:11:10.840 --> 0:11:13.439 of the six million dollar man. Well, I'm looking at 0:11:13.559 --> 0:11:17.520 six million dollar people today. Some of you you didn't 0:11:17.520 --> 0:11:20.120 even realize you are a multi millionaire. 0:11:21.640 --> 0:11:23.400 You need to put your shoulders. 0:11:22.920 --> 0:11:25.800 Back, hold your head up high, go out with a 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:28.360 new spring in your step. No, you didn't just win 0:11:28.440 --> 0:11:32.559 the lottery, but your heavenly father put six million dollars 0:11:32.559 --> 0:11:35.400 worth of assets on the inside. And the good news 0:11:35.480 --> 0:11:39.920 is you didn't even have to pay taxes on it. Friends, 0:11:39.960 --> 0:11:41.679 you are extremely valuable. 0:11:41.920 --> 0:11:44.920 Think of it. That's just an average sized person. 0:11:45.400 --> 0:11:47.920 Some of you are worth nine million dollars a time. 0:11:49.240 --> 0:11:51.680 That's a new way to look at it. You're not overweight, 0:11:51.760 --> 0:11:58.800 you're just more valuable. Years ago, a good friend of ours, 0:11:59.040 --> 0:12:02.720 Jesse Barfield, signed a contract to play baseball for the 0:12:02.760 --> 0:12:06.720 New York Yankees for two million dollars a year. One morning, 0:12:06.760 --> 0:12:09.280 he was walking in church and my father saw him, 0:12:09.280 --> 0:12:12.280 and Jesse always dresses very nice, and Daddy said, Jesse, 0:12:12.360 --> 0:12:16.160 you look like a million dollars today. He said, excuse me, pastor, 0:12:16.280 --> 0:12:19.920 how about two somebody says to you, you look like 0:12:19.960 --> 0:12:22.680 a million dollars, just say, like, Jesse, excuse me, how 0:12:22.720 --> 0:12:27.280 about six. I want you to understand your sense of value. 0:12:27.559 --> 0:12:31.800 I've discovered one of the greatest enemies of value is rejection. 0:12:32.480 --> 0:12:35.199 It's hard on our self esteem to not be wanted. 0:12:35.520 --> 0:12:38.640 It's very painful to be told you're not good enough, 0:12:39.080 --> 0:12:42.160 you're not tall enough, you're not talented enough, you're not 0:12:42.240 --> 0:12:45.600 attractive enough. We just don't need you here. I remember 0:12:45.640 --> 0:12:48.960 growing up. I played baseball all through Little league and 0:12:49.280 --> 0:12:51.719 junior high and I was very good. I was a 0:12:51.760 --> 0:12:55.120 second baseman, and I always made the All Star team. 0:12:55.200 --> 0:12:58.200 Like any little league player, I dreamed of playing second 0:12:58.240 --> 0:13:00.840 base in the big leagues. But when I got to 0:13:00.960 --> 0:13:04.000 high school, it was a whole new level of talent. 0:13:04.600 --> 0:13:07.080 I came from a very large high school. There were 0:13:07.160 --> 0:13:10.240 eight hundred people in my graduating class, and back then 0:13:10.320 --> 0:13:13.800 I was very small. I grew six inches after high school, 0:13:14.280 --> 0:13:16.880 and so I tried out for the baseball team, along 0:13:16.920 --> 0:13:20.160 with one hundred and fifty other young men, for twenty 0:13:20.360 --> 0:13:23.520 positions on the team. I'll never forget the day the 0:13:23.559 --> 0:13:26.120 coach called us into the gym to tell us who 0:13:26.160 --> 0:13:26.800 made the team. 0:13:27.120 --> 0:13:28.280 He began to call out. 0:13:28.160 --> 0:13:31.160 The names one by one. I didn't hear my name, 0:13:31.360 --> 0:13:33.040 but I was sure I was going to be next, 0:13:33.400 --> 0:13:36.480 or next or next, and then more names he called out. 0:13:36.520 --> 0:13:39.360 The lower I sunk. He finally said, all right, here's 0:13:39.400 --> 0:13:42.000 the last name. He called it out, and it wasn't 0:13:42.000 --> 0:13:46.000 my name. I was so disappointed. He told me later, Joel, 0:13:46.120 --> 0:13:48.280 I'd love to have you on the team. You're just 0:13:48.360 --> 0:13:52.240 too small, You're not big enough. Over the next few weeks, 0:13:52.520 --> 0:13:55.840 few months, those words rang out in my mind again 0:13:56.040 --> 0:13:56.520 and again. 0:13:56.840 --> 0:13:59.439 You heard what the coach said. You're too small. 0:14:00.040 --> 0:14:02.760 There's something wrong with you there, You're not good enough. 0:14:03.640 --> 0:14:05.000 Have you noticed how. 0:14:04.880 --> 0:14:08.400 The negative voices will always play the loudest. If you 0:14:08.440 --> 0:14:11.520 don't take control of your thought life, then every hurt, 0:14:12.080 --> 0:14:17.040 every criticism, every derogatory comment will play again and again. 0:14:17.720 --> 0:14:21.200 I was tempted to be insecure, to feel inferior, to 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:24.640 lose my confidence, but I had to keep reminded myself. 0:14:24.880 --> 0:14:27.440 He may have said I'm too small, but I know 0:14:27.560 --> 0:14:30.600 God made me like I am on purpose. He may 0:14:30.640 --> 0:14:33.000 have said I'm not good enough, but God says I'm 0:14:33.000 --> 0:14:36.720 a masterpiece. They may have rejected me but God says 0:14:36.760 --> 0:14:40.560 he accepts me. Says in one Peter two nine, you 0:14:40.720 --> 0:14:45.320 have been chosen by God himself. I like that. People 0:14:45.320 --> 0:14:48.520 may leave you out, people may overlook you, but always 0:14:48.560 --> 0:14:53.600 remember the one who matters most chooses you. One translation 0:14:53.760 --> 0:14:58.040 says you've been hand picked by Almighty God. That means 0:14:58.080 --> 0:15:01.360 you weren't randomly chose God. God on purpose looked at 0:15:01.400 --> 0:15:04.200 you and said, I choose him, I choose her. They're 0:15:04.200 --> 0:15:06.320 my son, They're my daughter. That's who I want on 0:15:06.360 --> 0:15:10.000 my team. People may tell you you're just too small. 0:15:10.440 --> 0:15:14.000 God says you're just the right size for me. People 0:15:14.040 --> 0:15:16.840 may make you feel like you're not talented. We don't 0:15:16.960 --> 0:15:20.120 need you, you don't have anything to offer. God says 0:15:20.440 --> 0:15:24.400 you are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are talented, You 0:15:24.440 --> 0:15:29.000 are creative, you are anointed. You are smart, you are intelligent, 0:15:29.200 --> 0:15:30.080 you are amazing. 0:15:30.240 --> 0:15:31.280 God chooses you. 0:15:32.280 --> 0:15:35.960 And whenever we feel that steme of rejection, instead of 0:15:36.000 --> 0:15:39.680 getting down on ourselves and losing our sense of value, 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:44.560 our attitude should be I may be disappointed, this may hurt, 0:15:44.880 --> 0:15:47.120 but I'm not going to sink down into self pity 0:15:47.320 --> 0:15:50.480 and start thinking that there's something wrong with me. I know, 0:15:50.720 --> 0:15:54.840 the one who matters most, the one who controls the universe, 0:15:55.240 --> 0:15:58.160 hand picked me. Now, I may not have been chosen 0:15:58.200 --> 0:16:01.040 by the coach, the boss, or a friend, but I 0:16:01.240 --> 0:16:04.800 was chosen by the most High God, and he says 0:16:04.840 --> 0:16:08.240 that his plans for me are for good and not evil, 0:16:08.440 --> 0:16:12.360 to give me a future and a hope. If you 0:16:12.400 --> 0:16:15.960 will keep this attitude of faith, God will always give 0:16:15.960 --> 0:16:16.960 you the last laugh. 0:16:17.400 --> 0:16:19.120 He'll get you to where you're supposed to be. 0:16:20.000 --> 0:16:22.560 No, I didn't get chosen for the baseball team that year. 0:16:23.040 --> 0:16:26.160 My dreams of playing second base didn't work out. But 0:16:26.240 --> 0:16:29.240 do you know thirty years later I did stand at 0:16:29.320 --> 0:16:34.680 second base at Yankee Stadium. I wasn't playing baseball. God 0:16:34.720 --> 0:16:36.840 had something else for me to do. But what am 0:16:36.880 --> 0:16:40.400 I saying? People may reject you, but God accepts you. 0:16:40.760 --> 0:16:44.040 He's already chosen you, and he's the one that matters most. 0:16:44.840 --> 0:16:46.920 And I know some of you have gone through more 0:16:47.000 --> 0:16:50.720 than your share of unfair situations. Our hearts go out 0:16:50.760 --> 0:16:54.040 to you. But here's what I've learned. Even though life 0:16:54.200 --> 0:16:57.560 is not fair, God is fair. And if you will 0:16:57.600 --> 0:17:01.680 not internalize the blame, go around thinking there's something wrong 0:17:01.760 --> 0:17:08.760 with you, but instead start seeing yourself as handpicked by God, valuable, lovable, 0:17:08.960 --> 0:17:12.800 with something great to offer. Then God said he will 0:17:12.840 --> 0:17:16.679 pay you back double for your former shame. That means 0:17:16.880 --> 0:17:19.919 he'll make the rest of your life twice as good 0:17:20.000 --> 0:17:21.800 as it would have been if that would have never 0:17:21.880 --> 0:17:24.239 even happened to you. But you've got to dig your 0:17:24.280 --> 0:17:27.280 heels in and say, I am not going to allow 0:17:27.880 --> 0:17:31.280 what somebody did or didn't do to me still my 0:17:31.480 --> 0:17:34.520 destiny and cause me to go through life feeling not 0:17:34.680 --> 0:17:39.160 good enough, not talented, not attractive. No, I realize I'm 0:17:39.200 --> 0:17:42.560 a child of the Most High God, and my value 0:17:42.600 --> 0:17:45.440 doesn't come from people or accomplishments. 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:47.480 It comes from my creator. 0:17:47.960 --> 0:17:50.040 So I'm not gonna go around thinking that I don't 0:17:50.080 --> 0:17:53.000 measure up, blaming me all the time. No, I'm gonna 0:17:53.000 --> 0:17:55.680 put my shoulders back, I'm gonna hold my head up high. 0:17:55.880 --> 0:17:59.040 I'm gonna live with confidence. God said he will take 0:17:59.080 --> 0:18:01.399 what was meant for my life harm and use it 0:18:01.440 --> 0:18:03.120 to my advantage. 0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:05.520 I love the scripture. It says God will give you 0:18:05.680 --> 0:18:07.160 beauty for your ashes. 0:18:07.680 --> 0:18:10.320 You may feel like you have ashes right now. You've 0:18:10.320 --> 0:18:14.119 been through a loss, a disappointment, rejection, betrayal. 0:18:14.520 --> 0:18:16.600 I know that pain is real, and. 0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:19.640 It's easy to sink down into self pity and kind 0:18:19.640 --> 0:18:22.040 of feel like you're all washed up. But if you 0:18:22.080 --> 0:18:25.399 can just shake that off and press forward in faith, 0:18:25.800 --> 0:18:30.160 God promises beauty is coming your way. What is beauty 0:18:30.680 --> 0:18:36.720 new beginnings, new friendships, new opportunities. Beauty represents new levels 0:18:36.760 --> 0:18:40.560 of God's goodness and favor. This is what the Israelites 0:18:40.600 --> 0:18:44.199 had to do. They had spent years in slavery. They 0:18:44.240 --> 0:18:47.880 were so beaten down, not just physically but emotionally. 0:18:48.520 --> 0:18:50.200 They were constantly. 0:18:49.640 --> 0:18:53.120 Told that they weren't good enough, they didn't measure up, 0:18:53.160 --> 0:18:56.719 and they couldn't do anything right. Over time, they allowed 0:18:56.760 --> 0:18:59.639 that to steal their sense of value. After four hundred 0:18:59.640 --> 0:19:03.000 and thirty years, God brought them out of slavery, and 0:19:03.200 --> 0:19:06.080 just as they were about to enter into the Promised Land, 0:19:06.560 --> 0:19:10.520 God said something very significant. In Joshua five, verse nine, 0:19:11.200 --> 0:19:15.679 God said, this day I have rolled away the reproach 0:19:15.960 --> 0:19:21.199 from Egypt off of you. The word reproach means blame, shame, 0:19:21.600 --> 0:19:25.639 and disgrace. Notice, they couldn't go into the Promised Land 0:19:25.920 --> 0:19:30.880 feeling inferior, insecure, guilty, with low self worth. God had 0:19:30.920 --> 0:19:35.560 to roll away the reproach. God is saying, before you 0:19:35.760 --> 0:19:38.520 enter into your promised land, you've got to get rid 0:19:38.560 --> 0:19:42.399 of the blame, the shame, the disgrace. You may have 0:19:42.440 --> 0:19:45.840 made mistakes, people may have done you wrong. Life may 0:19:45.840 --> 0:19:48.879 not have treated you fair. But you cannot afford to 0:19:48.960 --> 0:19:53.160 sit around in self pity, blame in yourself, blame in others, 0:19:53.480 --> 0:19:57.240 living guilty, feeling like a failure. You may have ashes, 0:19:57.520 --> 0:20:01.240 but God wants to swap them for beauty. Whatever your 0:20:01.280 --> 0:20:05.800 egypt may be, a failure, a disappointment, a bitter divorce, 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:07.320 a friend that betrayed you. 0:20:07.800 --> 0:20:09.840 God is saying to you what he said. 0:20:09.600 --> 0:20:14.000 To them this day, not tomorrow, not next week, not 0:20:14.160 --> 0:20:15.560 six months from now. 0:20:15.480 --> 0:20:16.280 No today. 0:20:16.800 --> 0:20:20.960 God is rolling away the reproach from you. My question 0:20:21.240 --> 0:20:24.919 is will you receive it? Will you let go of 0:20:24.960 --> 0:20:28.239 your failures? Will you forgive the people that hurt you? 0:20:28.840 --> 0:20:32.280 Will you quit dwelling on your disappointments? Will you quit 0:20:32.320 --> 0:20:35.879 thinking that you're washed up and not valuable? Bottom line is, 0:20:36.080 --> 0:20:39.960 will you start seeing yourself as the masterpiece God created 0:20:40.000 --> 0:20:42.720 you to be? Before you can make it into your 0:20:42.760 --> 0:20:45.920 promised land, before your dreams will come to pass, you 0:20:46.040 --> 0:20:49.560 gotta let go of the shame, the blame, the disgrace. 0:20:50.200 --> 0:20:53.080 Whether you caused it or somebody else doesn't matter. 0:20:53.240 --> 0:20:54.080 Let it go today. 0:20:54.960 --> 0:20:58.159 God has beauty in front of you. He has a 0:20:58.240 --> 0:21:03.840 promised land filled with increase, promotion, happiness, holiness. It's all 0:21:03.880 --> 0:21:06.440 in your future. But you've got to get in agreement 0:21:06.480 --> 0:21:11.600 with God and let him roll away the reproach. That 0:21:11.720 --> 0:21:15.560 simply means put on a new attitude. Quite allowing what 0:21:15.640 --> 0:21:19.040 somebody said about you to steal your self worth and 0:21:19.080 --> 0:21:22.600 make you feel inferior. Just shake that off and say no, no, no, 0:21:22.960 --> 0:21:25.879 I am a masterpiece. They may try to make me 0:21:26.000 --> 0:21:29.720 feel small, They may try to push me down, make 0:21:29.760 --> 0:21:32.280 me think that I'm not worth anything, but they don't 0:21:32.320 --> 0:21:35.520 realize I'm a six million dollar man. I'm a six 0:21:35.600 --> 0:21:38.800 million dollar woman. Or he may have walked out on me, 0:21:39.520 --> 0:21:43.320 told me that I was not good enough, not attractive enough, 0:21:43.480 --> 0:21:46.760 but it's his loss, not mine. He doesn't realize I'm 0:21:46.760 --> 0:21:48.439 a six million dollar girl. 0:21:48.760 --> 0:21:50.399 I'm a six million dollar woman. 0:21:51.400 --> 0:21:53.560 Or they may have told me I'm too small, that 0:21:53.640 --> 0:21:54.840 I don't have what it takes. 0:21:55.359 --> 0:21:57.560 But people don't determine my destiny. 0:21:57.680 --> 0:22:01.040 God does, and I know He's already equipped me with 0:22:01.160 --> 0:22:05.080 everything I need to succeed. What am I saying? Don't 0:22:05.080 --> 0:22:10.240 allow other people to determine your worth and value those disappointments, 0:22:10.520 --> 0:22:13.520 the failures. They'll always play the loudest, But you got 0:22:13.560 --> 0:22:15.680 to put your foot down and say not any more. 0:22:16.040 --> 0:22:17.040 I'm letting it go. 0:22:17.560 --> 0:22:20.639 I'm not gonna go through life beating myself up, feeling 0:22:20.720 --> 0:22:23.359 like I'm all washed up. God said he'd give me 0:22:23.440 --> 0:22:26.600 beauty for my ashes. I'm not holding onto the ashes. 0:22:26.760 --> 0:22:29.240 I'm looking for the beauty. I know my best days 0:22:29.280 --> 0:22:31.919 are still up in front of me. I have with 0:22:32.119 --> 0:22:36.919 me today a brand new, perfectly crisp one hundred dollars bill. 0:22:37.200 --> 0:22:39.760 How many of you would like it? Every one of you? 0:22:40.440 --> 0:22:43.640 But what if I wadded it up into a tight 0:22:43.680 --> 0:22:46.879 little ball and now it wasn't perfectly crisp, it was 0:22:46.920 --> 0:22:49.199 all wrinkled and crumpled. Would you still want it? 0:22:49.600 --> 0:22:51.680 Sure you would. What if I took it out in 0:22:51.720 --> 0:22:53.240 the parking lot? You guys are greedy? 0:22:53.359 --> 0:22:55.760 What if I took what if I went out of 0:22:55.760 --> 0:22:58.120 the parking lot, put it on the ground and stomped 0:22:58.119 --> 0:23:00.719 it with my foot, And now it got dirty. There 0:23:00.760 --> 0:23:02.760 was a little bit of oil and grease there, and 0:23:02.800 --> 0:23:05.959 now it's not only renkled and crumpled, but it's stained 0:23:06.160 --> 0:23:07.920 and soiled. Wed you still want it. 0:23:08.200 --> 0:23:08.840 Yes, you would. 0:23:09.119 --> 0:23:13.760 Why is that its value never changes? One hundred dollars 0:23:13.920 --> 0:23:17.359 is one hundred dollars, whether it's pretty or ugly, whether 0:23:17.400 --> 0:23:21.800 it's spotless or soil, whether it's perfectly chrisp or battered 0:23:21.800 --> 0:23:26.399 and torn. That's exactly the way God wants us to 0:23:26.520 --> 0:23:30.520 view ourselves. We go through challenges at times, we feel 0:23:30.520 --> 0:23:34.120 like we've been dropped, we've been stamped, we've been stained, 0:23:34.160 --> 0:23:34.960 we've been soiled. 0:23:35.119 --> 0:23:36.720 That's when the negative thoughts. 0:23:36.400 --> 0:23:39.399 Come, saying you've made too many mistakes and you're not 0:23:39.520 --> 0:23:43.399 worth anything. There's nothing good in your future. No, just 0:23:43.600 --> 0:23:47.480 like that one hundred dollar bill, you never lose your value. 0:23:47.640 --> 0:23:50.880 That value the Creator put in you is permanent and 0:23:50.960 --> 0:23:55.920 no person, no mistake, no disappointment, no injustice, no failure, 0:23:56.280 --> 0:23:59.360 not even all the forces of darkness can take your 0:23:59.440 --> 0:24:03.440 value away. But so often we view our value more 0:24:03.480 --> 0:24:04.480 like an automobile. 0:24:05.080 --> 0:24:05.960 When you purchase a. 0:24:05.920 --> 0:24:08.399 New car, you know how the moment you drive it 0:24:08.440 --> 0:24:10.879 off the lot, it goes down in value. 0:24:11.160 --> 0:24:13.920 Year after year, it gets less and less valuable. If 0:24:13.920 --> 0:24:15.160 you were ever in a wreck. 0:24:15.720 --> 0:24:18.000 If the car was in an accident or a flood, 0:24:18.320 --> 0:24:22.480 its value is further reduced. May look great on the outside, 0:24:22.560 --> 0:24:26.920 but if it's been repainted, rebuilt, restored, its value will 0:24:26.960 --> 0:24:31.160 never be the same. It's permanently diminished. And in life, 0:24:31.280 --> 0:24:34.399 at times we go through RECs. In other words, we 0:24:34.440 --> 0:24:40.320 have disappointments and setbacks. A relationship didn't work out. But understand, 0:24:40.560 --> 0:24:45.720 unlike that automobile, your value didn't go down because. 0:24:45.440 --> 0:24:46.440 You went through a divorce. 0:24:47.280 --> 0:24:51.640 Your value didn't diminish because somebody did something wrong to you. 0:24:51.640 --> 0:24:55.240 Your value didn't decrease because you had a personal failure 0:24:55.520 --> 0:24:58.840 and you had to be rebuilt and restored. Now, just 0:24:59.000 --> 0:25:02.159 like that one hundred dollars ill, you never lose your value. 0:25:02.520 --> 0:25:04.879 You may have some dirt on you today, you may 0:25:04.920 --> 0:25:08.240 have a few wrinkles, but you are still a masterpiece. 0:25:08.600 --> 0:25:11.960 You are still God's most prized possession. Now you've got 0:25:12.000 --> 0:25:15.359 to put your shoulders back, hold your head up high, 0:25:15.480 --> 0:25:19.119 and start seeing yourself as the masterpiece God created you 0:25:19.160 --> 0:25:23.800 to be. Quit beating yourself up over past mistakes. God's 0:25:23.840 --> 0:25:27.800 already forgiven you. Why don't you forgive yourself? Quit dwelling 0:25:27.840 --> 0:25:31.200 on all the people that hurt you, all your disappointments. 0:25:31.600 --> 0:25:34.680 God has beauty for your ashes, but you've got to 0:25:34.720 --> 0:25:38.080 let go of the ashes before you'll ever receive the beauty. 0:25:38.680 --> 0:25:42.800 I heard a interesting story about three trees. An olive tree, 0:25:43.240 --> 0:25:46.520 an oak tree, and a pine tree. Each of these 0:25:46.600 --> 0:25:49.679 trees had a dream to be used for something great 0:25:49.760 --> 0:25:54.040 in life. The olive tree dreamed of becoming a finely 0:25:54.119 --> 0:25:58.040 crafted treasure chest. It wanted to hold gold and silver 0:25:58.119 --> 0:26:01.840 and precious jewels. One day, a woodsman came out of 0:26:01.880 --> 0:26:04.080 all the other trees in the forest. It cut down 0:26:04.160 --> 0:26:07.920 this olive tree. He was so excited, but over time 0:26:08.000 --> 0:26:11.720 he realized they weren't making him into a beautiful treasure chest. 0:26:12.160 --> 0:26:15.920 They were making him into a manger to hold dirty, 0:26:16.240 --> 0:26:17.480 smelly animals. 0:26:17.800 --> 0:26:19.000 He was so disappointed. 0:26:19.160 --> 0:26:22.840 He felt worthless. The oak tree had a dream of 0:26:22.840 --> 0:26:26.040 being used for a huge ship that would carry kings 0:26:26.080 --> 0:26:30.159 across the ocean. The woodsman came cut him down, but 0:26:30.240 --> 0:26:33.080 over time he realized they weren't making him into a 0:26:33.160 --> 0:26:37.800 huge ship. They were making him into a small, seemingly 0:26:37.920 --> 0:26:43.000 insignificant fishing boat. He too felt worthless. The third tree 0:26:43.080 --> 0:26:45.560 was a pine tree. It lived on the top of 0:26:45.640 --> 0:26:49.439 a huge mountain. Its dream was to always stand tall 0:26:49.640 --> 0:26:53.680 and remind people of God's glory. But in a split second, 0:26:54.040 --> 0:26:57.240 a bolt of lightning shattered its dream and it came 0:26:57.320 --> 0:27:01.080 tumbling down. The woodsman came and carried it off to 0:27:01.160 --> 0:27:04.800 an old pile of wood. All three of these trees 0:27:05.080 --> 0:27:06.919 felt worthless, rejected. 0:27:07.280 --> 0:27:08.880 None of their dreams had come to. 0:27:08.840 --> 0:27:13.600 Pass, but God had other plans. Many years later, Mary 0:27:13.600 --> 0:27:17.359 and Joseph couldn't find any place to give birth to 0:27:17.400 --> 0:27:20.560 their little baby, so they went to a stable and 0:27:20.720 --> 0:27:24.639 Jesus was born. They placed him in a manger. It 0:27:24.720 --> 0:27:28.760 was the olive tree. It wanted to hold precious jewels, 0:27:28.960 --> 0:27:30.560 but it ended up holding the. 0:27:30.560 --> 0:27:32.080 Greatest treasure of all time. 0:27:33.480 --> 0:27:36.639 Jesus grew up. One day he needed a boat to 0:27:36.720 --> 0:27:39.600 cross to the other side of the lake. He didn't 0:27:39.680 --> 0:27:44.000 choose a huge, fancy ship. He chose a small fishing boat. 0:27:44.400 --> 0:27:47.479 It was the oak tree. It wanted to carry kings 0:27:47.520 --> 0:27:50.800 across the ocean, but God had other plans. It ended 0:27:50.880 --> 0:27:54.760 up carrying the King of Kings. Few years later, the 0:27:54.840 --> 0:27:57.960 Roman soldiers went over to that pile of scrap wood 0:27:58.000 --> 0:28:00.520 where the pine tree lay. They picked up the pine 0:28:00.520 --> 0:28:02.520 tree He thought for sure they were going to cut 0:28:02.600 --> 0:28:06.440 him up into firewood, but instead they cut it into 0:28:06.480 --> 0:28:11.320 two distinct pieces and formed a cross. Jesus was crucified 0:28:11.440 --> 0:28:14.560 on that pine tree, and still even today, that once 0:28:14.640 --> 0:28:18.320 discarded pine tree is pointing people to God's love and 0:28:18.400 --> 0:28:20.800 mercy and friends. 0:28:21.920 --> 0:28:23.760 Your dreams may. 0:28:23.640 --> 0:28:26.480 Not have turned out exactly like you'd hope, but keep 0:28:26.520 --> 0:28:30.080 your head held high. You never lose your value. You 0:28:30.119 --> 0:28:32.720 don't know what God's up to. He still has a 0:28:32.760 --> 0:28:35.679 great plan for your life. He can take what was 0:28:35.720 --> 0:28:38.560 meant for your harm and use it to your advantage. 0:28:38.920 --> 0:28:42.600 I'm asking you today to not go around feeling washed up, 0:28:43.160 --> 0:28:46.080 feeling like you don't have any value. No, your best 0:28:46.160 --> 0:28:48.000 days are still out in front of you. 0:28:48.400 --> 0:28:48.480 Now. 0:28:48.520 --> 0:28:51.120 Other people may overlook you, they may leave you out, 0:28:51.160 --> 0:28:54.520 but remember the one who matters most chooses you. 0:28:55.080 --> 0:28:57.120 Let him, your heavenly. 0:28:56.760 --> 0:29:00.760 Father, be the most important person in your life. This day, 0:29:01.080 --> 0:29:04.360 He has rolled away the reproach. If you will start 0:29:04.400 --> 0:29:07.800 seeing yourself as the masterpiece he created you to be 0:29:08.360 --> 0:29:11.480 shaken off the blame, the shame, the disgrace, God said 0:29:11.560 --> 0:29:14.360 he'll take you into your promised land. You'll see his 0:29:14.440 --> 0:29:17.520 blessings in favor, and I believe in declare you will 0:29:17.560 --> 0:29:19.240 live that life of victory. 0:29:18.920 --> 0:29:21.760 That he has in story. Amen, do you receive it today? 0:29:22.760 --> 0:29:25.640 We never like to close our broadcast without giving you 0:29:25.680 --> 0:29:27.000 an opportunity to make. 0:29:26.960 --> 0:29:28.600 Jesus the lord of your life. 0:29:28.760 --> 0:29:33.080 Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, I 0:29:33.240 --> 0:29:38.120 repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make 0:29:38.200 --> 0:29:41.680 you my Lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed that 0:29:41.800 --> 0:29:44.680 simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in 0:29:44.760 --> 0:29:47.920 a good Bible based church. Keep God first place. He's 0:29:47.960 --> 0:29:50.160 going to take your places that you've never dreamed of. 0:29:50.920 --> 0:29:54.360 Thank you for listening to the Julus Deine podcast. Help 0:29:54.440 --> 0:29:57.160 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:29:57.280 --> 0:30:00.840 all over the world. Visit Jolus Deine dot com slash 0:30:00.920 --> 0:30:02.920 give hope to give a gift today. 0:30:04.200 --> 0:30:07.120 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:30:07.160 --> 0:30:11.000 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to keep. 0:30:10.840 --> 0:30:13.800 You inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:30:14.000 --> 0:30:16.440 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:30:16.520 --> 0:30:17.080 next time. 0:30:24.240 --> 0:30:26.920 With millions of books on Amazon, there's a reading feeling 0:30:27.000 --> 0:30:31.960 for everyone. 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