WEBVTT - Recognizing Your Value | Joel Osteen 0:00:00.680 --> 0:00:03.880 You're ready for a comeback, and with Purdue Global, you 0:00:03.920 --> 0:00:07.080 can do more than take classes. You can take charge 0:00:07.400 --> 0:00:11.440 of your story, of your career, of your life, Earn 0:00:11.480 --> 0:00:13.480 a degree you can be proud of, and get an 0:00:13.600 --> 0:00:18.439 education employer's respect. It's time, your time, not just to 0:00:18.480 --> 0:00:20.880 go back to school, but to come back and move 0:00:20.960 --> 0:00:25.760 forward with Purdue Global, Purdue's online university for working adults. 0:00:26.360 --> 0:00:29.840 Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:00:30.200 --> 0:00:32.159 He'll forget about the video game you gave him on 0:00:32.200 --> 0:00:32.720 his birthday. 0:00:33.080 --> 0:00:34.959 Wow, Thanks Grandpa, but. 0:00:34.960 --> 0:00:37.159 He'll never forget how you invest it in his future 0:00:37.200 --> 0:00:41.760 with the units stap. Wow, thanks Grandpa. The unit stap 0:00:41.760 --> 0:00:44.280 makes it easy for grandparents and family friends to give 0:00:44.320 --> 0:00:47.040 funds to a child's investment account for a limited time. 0:00:47.159 --> 0:00:49.279 Download the uns stap and use the code I heeart 0:00:49.360 --> 0:00:51.640 fifty at sign up to receive a fifty dollars bonus 0:00:51.640 --> 0:00:54.200 when you fund your account. That's code iHeart fifty when 0:00:54.200 --> 0:00:57.200 you sign up at unest dot co for a fifty 0:00:57.240 --> 0:00:59.960 dollars bonus. See terms and conditions at uns dots. 0:01:00.880 --> 0:01:03.600 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:01:03.680 --> 0:01:05.760 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much? 0:01:05.760 --> 0:01:08.480 In taxes, Will I be able to retire? What if 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:11.080 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:01:11.120 --> 0:01:13.600 five minutes with a clear picture of where you stand 0:01:13.600 --> 0:01:16.399 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:01:16.520 --> 0:01:19.480 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:01:19.520 --> 0:01:23.280 and get your financial wellness score today. That's face t 0:01:23.600 --> 0:01:25.679 dot com. This add a sponsored by Facet. Facet Wealth 0:01:25.720 --> 0:01:27.840 in Corporated is an SEC registered investment advisor. This is 0:01:27.840 --> 0:01:29.400 not an offer to buy yourself security s noor is 0:01:29.400 --> 0:01:30.800 it investment, legal or tax advice. 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:34.039 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:36.840 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:36.959 --> 0:01:39.319 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:39.319 --> 0:01:40.880 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:41.200 --> 0:01:43.880 We appreciate you and pray put God's very best in 0:01:43.959 --> 0:01:59.600 your life. Oh God, bless you. Enjoy to come into 0:01:59.640 --> 0:02:02.320 your home, and if you're ever in our area, please 0:02:02.360 --> 0:02:05.040 stop buying. Be a part of one of our services. 0:02:05.160 --> 0:02:07.640 I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:02:08.200 --> 0:02:10.359 I like to start with something funny, and I heard 0:02:10.360 --> 0:02:13.160 about this six year old boy. He was standing in 0:02:13.200 --> 0:02:16.720 the church lobby staring at the large plaque on the wall. 0:02:17.240 --> 0:02:20.639 It was filled with names with small American flags by 0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:24.200 their side. He asked the pastor what all the names 0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:27.760 were for. The pastor explained how that was a memorial 0:02:28.240 --> 0:02:31.440 to all the young men and women that died in 0:02:31.480 --> 0:02:35.560 the service. The little boy stood there silently, so concerned, 0:02:36.040 --> 0:02:38.280 he finally looked up and asked, was it the eight 0:02:38.440 --> 0:02:42.600 thirty or eleven o'clock service? Say it like you mean it. 0:02:42.960 --> 0:02:45.760 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:02:46.200 --> 0:02:48.680 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:48.760 --> 0:02:51.360 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:02:51.440 --> 0:02:55.440 taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:02:55.520 --> 0:02:58.920 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:02:59.040 --> 0:03:04.359 the same. Jesus' name, God bless you. I want to 0:03:04.400 --> 0:03:09.200 talk to you today about recognizing your value. Too often 0:03:09.400 --> 0:03:12.560 we base our value on how someone is treating us, 0:03:13.160 --> 0:03:17.320 how successful we are, how perfect of a life we've lived. 0:03:17.840 --> 0:03:21.720 The problem is all of those things can change. If 0:03:21.760 --> 0:03:24.680 you're getting your value out of how people treat you, 0:03:25.280 --> 0:03:28.639 then if they hurt you, they disappoint you, you're going 0:03:28.720 --> 0:03:32.880 to feel devalued. If you're basing your value off of 0:03:32.919 --> 0:03:36.720 your achievements, how much you make what you drive, the 0:03:36.760 --> 0:03:40.160 title behind your name. Then if something happens and you 0:03:40.200 --> 0:03:43.880 don't have that position, your business goes down, then your 0:03:43.960 --> 0:03:47.720 value will go down. And some people don't feel good 0:03:47.720 --> 0:03:51.240 about themselves because they've made mistakes in life. They're not 0:03:51.280 --> 0:03:54.440 where they thought they would be. Now, they're living insecure, 0:03:54.960 --> 0:04:00.520 feeling inferior. They're basing their value on their performance. Here's 0:04:00.560 --> 0:04:04.640 the key. Your value should be based solely on the 0:04:04.680 --> 0:04:08.160 fact that you are a child of the most high God, 0:04:08.520 --> 0:04:11.720 the creator of the universe, breaths his life into you. 0:04:12.520 --> 0:04:16.800 How someone treats you doesn't change your value. What they 0:04:16.880 --> 0:04:21.320 say or do doesn't lessen who you are. Mistakes you've 0:04:21.360 --> 0:04:25.880 made doesn't decrease your value. That's what you did. That's 0:04:25.920 --> 0:04:29.120 not who you are. You can buy a bigger house, 0:04:29.480 --> 0:04:32.520 drive a better car, but that doesn't make you any 0:04:32.600 --> 0:04:37.599 more valuable. That increases your net worth, not your self worth. 0:04:38.360 --> 0:04:41.720 You were already valuable when you had the small apartment 0:04:42.080 --> 0:04:45.920 and no title behind your name. That position may give 0:04:45.960 --> 0:04:50.000 you more influence, but not more value. You can be 0:04:50.040 --> 0:04:53.640 a stay at home mom raising your children. You may 0:04:53.680 --> 0:04:57.159 not have the influence of the CEO, but you have 0:04:57.279 --> 0:05:01.159 the same value. Value is not based on what you do, 0:05:01.279 --> 0:05:04.880 what you make, who you know. That's superficial. Those things 0:05:04.920 --> 0:05:10.599 can change. Your value comes from your creator. God breathed 0:05:10.680 --> 0:05:14.440 his life into you. You have the DNA of Almighty God. 0:05:14.920 --> 0:05:19.200 You have royalty in your blood. But the enemy works 0:05:19.240 --> 0:05:23.279 over time trying to devalue us. He'd love for you 0:05:23.360 --> 0:05:26.640 to go through life letting what people say make you 0:05:26.680 --> 0:05:32.200 feel inferior, comparing your life to somebody else's thinking. You'll 0:05:32.240 --> 0:05:35.440 feel good about yourself when you catch up to them, 0:05:35.720 --> 0:05:39.920 when you live in that neighborhood, or when you perform perfectly, 0:05:40.520 --> 0:05:44.000 when you break the addiction, then you'll feel valuable. But 0:05:44.160 --> 0:05:48.400 nothing you do will make you any more valuable. Nothing 0:05:48.440 --> 0:05:53.240 you achieve, nothing you overcome. You are valuable right now. 0:05:53.800 --> 0:05:57.880 God calls you a masterpiece. You are one of a kind. 0:05:58.560 --> 0:06:02.359 You didn't come off an assembly life. You weren't mass produced. 0:06:02.680 --> 0:06:05.760 God made you unique. There will never be another. 0:06:05.839 --> 0:06:05.919 You. 0:06:06.600 --> 0:06:10.560 Put your shoulders back, start carrying yourself with confidence. You 0:06:10.680 --> 0:06:15.280 have been fearfully and wonderfully made. In Luke chapter four, 0:06:15.640 --> 0:06:19.120 Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert, where 0:06:19.160 --> 0:06:22.240 he was tempted three times. He'd been out there for 0:06:22.240 --> 0:06:26.679 forty days and hadn't eaten anything. The enemy said to him, 0:06:26.920 --> 0:06:30.680 if you're the son of God, turn these stones into bread. 0:06:31.560 --> 0:06:34.440 He was trying to make his value be based on 0:06:34.560 --> 0:06:38.520 his performance. If you turn these stones into bread, you 0:06:38.600 --> 0:06:41.440 can prove you're the son of God. Then you can 0:06:41.480 --> 0:06:45.520 feel good about yourself. You performed a miracle. Jesus wouldn't 0:06:45.560 --> 0:06:48.719 do it, he said, man doesn't live by bread alone. 0:06:49.200 --> 0:06:51.920 He was saying, in effect, I don't have to do 0:06:52.040 --> 0:06:55.640 anything to prove who I am. I don't have to 0:06:55.680 --> 0:06:59.400 perform to feel good about myself. I know who I am. 0:07:00.160 --> 0:07:03.520 The enemy couldn't deceive him into getting his value out 0:07:03.560 --> 0:07:09.159 of being performance based, so he tried possession based. He 0:07:09.240 --> 0:07:12.200 took Jesus to a high place, showed him all the 0:07:12.280 --> 0:07:14.760 kingdoms of the world. He said, you can have it 0:07:14.800 --> 0:07:19.440 all if you'll just bow down and worship me. Jesus said, no, thanks. 0:07:19.840 --> 0:07:23.640 I don't need possessions to prove my worth and value. 0:07:24.040 --> 0:07:26.560 I don't have to have what you think is important 0:07:26.840 --> 0:07:30.559 to feel good about who I am. Possession based didn't work. 0:07:30.840 --> 0:07:36.640 Performance based didn't work, so the enemy tried one final thing, popularity. 0:07:36.720 --> 0:07:39.920 He took Jesus to the highest place in the temple 0:07:40.480 --> 0:07:43.800 was very crowded below all kinds of people. He said, 0:07:43.800 --> 0:07:46.480 if you're the son of God, jump off this building. 0:07:47.120 --> 0:07:50.480 You said your angels would protect you. He was trying 0:07:50.520 --> 0:07:54.000 to get Jesus to show off. Everybody would see and 0:07:54.080 --> 0:07:58.559 be amazed. He'd gain instant popularity. Jesus said it again, 0:07:58.920 --> 0:08:02.360 I don't need possession, I don't need popularity. I don't 0:08:02.440 --> 0:08:06.160 need performance to feel valuable. I know who I am. 0:08:06.560 --> 0:08:10.720 I'm the son of the living God. The enemy tried 0:08:10.760 --> 0:08:14.760 to deceive Jesus into proving who he was, and a 0:08:14.760 --> 0:08:18.440 lot of people live in approving mode. They can't feel 0:08:18.440 --> 0:08:22.480 good about themselves unless they prove the people they're important, 0:08:22.920 --> 0:08:26.720 prove to their coworker their talented, prove to their critics 0:08:26.760 --> 0:08:30.960 that they really are okay. There's a constant struggle. They're 0:08:30.960 --> 0:08:37.000 always having to outdo, outperform, outdrive, outdress. It's very freeing 0:08:37.120 --> 0:08:40.600 when you realize you don't have to prove anything, you 0:08:40.679 --> 0:08:45.840 don't have to impress people, take the pressure off. It 0:08:45.920 --> 0:08:50.320 takes a lot of energy to compete, to prove, to impress. 0:08:51.120 --> 0:08:54.120 If you live in approving mode, it's like you're on 0:08:54.200 --> 0:08:57.880 a treadmill. As soon as you prove to one person 0:08:57.920 --> 0:09:01.319 you're okay. You'll see somebody else you need to impress 0:09:01.840 --> 0:09:06.080 to never ending cycle. Get off that treadmill. You're working 0:09:06.160 --> 0:09:09.800 hard but not going anywhere. You don't have to prove anything. 0:09:10.800 --> 0:09:14.439 And these days there's so much emphasis on name brands. 0:09:15.040 --> 0:09:18.760 We're wearing so and so designer shoes and so and 0:09:18.800 --> 0:09:22.480 so sunglasses, and carrying a so and so perse, driving 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:24.920 a so and so card, talking on a so and 0:09:24.960 --> 0:09:27.560 so's cell phone. If you're really cool, you got on 0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:31.640 so and so underwear, you can feel good about yourself. 0:09:32.640 --> 0:09:36.480 Sometimes we have so many other names on us. We 0:09:36.520 --> 0:09:42.000 don't know our own name. We're counting on all the 0:09:42.120 --> 0:09:46.560 name brands, all the outside labels to make us feel important. 0:09:46.880 --> 0:09:50.320 Can I tell you your name is more important than 0:09:50.400 --> 0:09:55.520 all those names combined. No disrespect to them, But the 0:09:55.559 --> 0:09:59.440 difference between you and the name brand is God breathed 0:09:59.480 --> 0:10:03.080 his life into you. You're a son, you're a daughter 0:10:03.320 --> 0:10:06.400 of the most High God. And there's nothing wrong with 0:10:06.840 --> 0:10:09.960 owning it, driving it, wearing it. But don't let it 0:10:10.000 --> 0:10:12.880 be the reason you feel good about who you are. 0:10:14.120 --> 0:10:18.880 Because what's hot today, what's the latest, greatest. In a 0:10:18.920 --> 0:10:22.920 few years, it'll be outdated. If you live possession based, 0:10:23.200 --> 0:10:26.360 you have to run from name to name, position to position, 0:10:26.480 --> 0:10:29.360 friend to friend. That's gonna wear you out. Why don't 0:10:29.400 --> 0:10:33.360 you relax. You can't get any more valuable. You can 0:10:33.400 --> 0:10:37.439 buy more clothes, get more friends. That doesn't change your value. 0:10:37.960 --> 0:10:44.000 Whether you're wearing Gucci or Goodwill, whether it's Calvin Klein 0:10:44.559 --> 0:10:48.800 or Fruit of the Loom, your value never changes. You're 0:10:48.840 --> 0:10:50.280 clapping because you wear Fruit of the Loom. 0:10:50.400 --> 0:10:50.600 Like me. 0:10:52.440 --> 0:10:54.520 I went to the sporting goods store the other day 0:10:54.600 --> 0:10:57.320 to buy some new T shirts to work out in, 0:10:57.480 --> 0:11:01.960 and there were probably ten racks of shirt. Practically everyone 0:11:02.480 --> 0:11:06.640 had the manufacturer's name on the front in big bold letters. 0:11:07.120 --> 0:11:09.120 I thought to myself, you want me to buy your 0:11:09.160 --> 0:11:12.120 shirt and then go around as a billboard for you, 0:11:13.120 --> 0:11:15.319 no offense, But I don't want to wear your name. 0:11:15.360 --> 0:11:19.640 I like my own name. Do you need somebody else's 0:11:19.720 --> 0:11:22.960 name to make you feel good about yourself? Are you 0:11:23.040 --> 0:11:26.080 trying to prove your worth your value by who you know, 0:11:26.280 --> 0:11:29.600 what you wear, what you drive, or can you say, 0:11:29.679 --> 0:11:33.600 like Jesus, I don't have to have popularity, possessions, or 0:11:33.720 --> 0:11:37.240 performance to feel good about myself. I am secure in 0:11:37.320 --> 0:11:39.840 who I am. I know who God made me to be. 0:11:41.360 --> 0:11:44.960 When Jesus was writing into town on Palm Sunday, the 0:11:45.000 --> 0:11:48.920 people laid down branches as he passed by. They celebrated, 0:11:49.000 --> 0:11:54.040 shouting Hosanna, from the young to the old, waving, cheering. 0:11:54.280 --> 0:11:57.040 They were so excited to see him. He received the 0:11:57.160 --> 0:12:01.640 heroes welcome. But a few days later those same people, 0:12:02.080 --> 0:12:07.040 instead of shouting Hosanna, they were shouting crucifying, we don't 0:12:07.040 --> 0:12:11.000 want him here. When Jesus went to trial and needed 0:12:11.040 --> 0:12:15.160 his closest friends to support him, his disciples, the ones 0:12:15.200 --> 0:12:18.600 he had poured his life into, they weren't anywhere around. 0:12:19.200 --> 0:12:21.240 He asked them to stay up and pray, but they 0:12:21.280 --> 0:12:24.840 were too tired. They fell asleep. If you base your 0:12:24.960 --> 0:12:30.800 value on people's support, how much they approve you, encourage you, 0:12:31.600 --> 0:12:34.680 then if for some reason they stop doing that, you'll 0:12:34.679 --> 0:12:38.360 feel devalued. As long as they're telling you you're great, 0:12:38.520 --> 0:12:42.280 you'll feel great. The problem is if they change their mind, 0:12:42.760 --> 0:12:45.640 they're not telling you that, you're not going to feel great. 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:50.720 You can't base your value on what people give you. 0:12:50.800 --> 0:12:54.280 People are funny. They'll say you're beautiful one day, and 0:12:54.559 --> 0:12:57.760 I don't care for you the next Hosannah on Sunday, 0:12:58.080 --> 0:13:02.079 Crucify them on Friday. If you don't know who you 0:13:02.160 --> 0:13:06.600 are without them, then if they leave, you'll be lost. 0:13:07.280 --> 0:13:10.840 They'll take you with them. Your identity was caught up 0:13:10.920 --> 0:13:13.319 in who they made you to be. You'll try to 0:13:13.360 --> 0:13:17.000 find somebody else to tell you who you are. You 0:13:17.040 --> 0:13:20.319 don't need people to tell you who you are. People 0:13:20.400 --> 0:13:24.440 will let you down, people will get jealous, People have 0:13:24.520 --> 0:13:28.680 their own issues. Let your heavenly father tell you who 0:13:28.720 --> 0:13:34.280 you are. Get your value, your self worth, your approval 0:13:34.520 --> 0:13:38.920 from him. He says you're a masterpiece. He says you're 0:13:38.960 --> 0:13:42.960 want of a kind, a prized possession. Somebody may have 0:13:43.040 --> 0:13:46.760 told you the opposite. You're not talented, you're not attractive, 0:13:46.920 --> 0:13:49.960 you don't have a good personality. Let that go in 0:13:50.080 --> 0:13:54.720 one ear and out the other. They don't determine your value. 0:13:55.440 --> 0:13:58.480 What they say or do does it make you any 0:13:58.640 --> 0:14:03.400 less a masterpiece. Quit letting how people treat you make 0:14:03.480 --> 0:14:08.280 you feel inferior. They don't control your destiny. They didn't 0:14:08.320 --> 0:14:11.120 breathe life into you. They didn't call you, they didn't 0:14:11.160 --> 0:14:14.640 anoint you, they didn't approve you. Your value came from 0:14:14.720 --> 0:14:18.840 your creator, from the God who spoke worlds into existence. 0:14:19.720 --> 0:14:23.280 The good news is they can't change your value and 0:14:23.360 --> 0:14:26.560 you can't change it. God put it in you before 0:14:26.600 --> 0:14:30.400 you showed up. You don't need their approval, you don't 0:14:30.480 --> 0:14:34.560 need their encouragement. They don't have to validate you. It's 0:14:34.640 --> 0:14:37.720 good when it happens, but if you're depending on it 0:14:37.800 --> 0:14:40.880 to feel secure, then if they don't do it, you're 0:14:40.920 --> 0:14:45.400 going to feel inferior. Don't give away your power. Don't 0:14:45.400 --> 0:14:50.400 put your identity, your value into somebody else's hands. Even 0:14:50.560 --> 0:14:54.480 good people can't give you everything you need somebody that 0:14:54.560 --> 0:14:58.600 loves you very much. They cannot keep you approved, validated, 0:14:58.720 --> 0:15:02.360 feeling secure. You have to go to your heavenly father. 0:15:03.120 --> 0:15:06.600 And sometimes we're putting pressure on people to keep us fixed, 0:15:06.920 --> 0:15:10.920 keep us validated. Let them off the hook. They're not 0:15:11.040 --> 0:15:14.680 your savior. You already have a savior. He's on the throne. 0:15:15.000 --> 0:15:19.040 Go to him and not the people. The problem with 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:22.120 trying to get this from people is people have issues. 0:15:22.760 --> 0:15:28.320 People are dealing with insecurities, fears, hurts, wounds, presentges, dysfunction. 0:15:29.040 --> 0:15:33.120 They don't know any better. That's normal to them. Messed up. 0:15:33.160 --> 0:15:37.480 People can mess you up. That's not profound, but it's 0:15:37.480 --> 0:15:40.880 good in it. If you base your value on what 0:15:41.040 --> 0:15:45.000 they're giving you, you can end up dysfunctional. I talked 0:15:45.000 --> 0:15:47.960 to a lady recently that had a very bad childhood 0:15:48.120 --> 0:15:51.800 neglect abuse. She had just gone through her second divorce. 0:15:52.400 --> 0:15:55.720 Her ex husband told her that she didn't deserve to 0:15:55.760 --> 0:15:58.480 be loved, and I could tell that she believed it 0:15:58.720 --> 0:16:01.360 because she was down on her self, well no expression 0:16:01.440 --> 0:16:04.400 on her face. I told her what I'm telling you. 0:16:04.800 --> 0:16:08.360 Don't let messed up people ruin the rest of your life. 0:16:09.280 --> 0:16:13.480 If somebody hurts you, there's a tendency to internalize it 0:16:13.880 --> 0:16:16.920 and think there's something wrong with me. If I was 0:16:17.000 --> 0:16:20.120 more attractive, he wouldn't have left. If I was smarter, 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:23.520 I wouldn't have had a bad childhood. No, it has 0:16:23.600 --> 0:16:26.680 nothing to do with you. They're treating you out of 0:16:26.720 --> 0:16:31.840 their hurts, their wounds. Hurting people end up hurting other people. 0:16:32.560 --> 0:16:36.520 Don't let what they say define who you are. Don't 0:16:36.600 --> 0:16:39.040 let what you didn't get make you feel like you're 0:16:39.040 --> 0:16:42.200 to blame. They said you don't deserve to be loved. 0:16:42.360 --> 0:16:46.120 That's a lie. They said you're not attractive, another lie. 0:16:46.760 --> 0:16:49.680 But if you base your value on these lies, you 0:16:49.760 --> 0:16:53.560 won't have any kind of self worth. Studies even show 0:16:53.640 --> 0:16:58.000 that children that went through neglect abuse a bad childhood. 0:16:58.360 --> 0:17:02.000 Very often they take the blame on themselves. They think 0:17:02.000 --> 0:17:05.240 there's something wrong with them. This lady did the same thing. 0:17:05.600 --> 0:17:09.199 She didn't think she deserved to be loved. That's the 0:17:09.400 --> 0:17:13.560 enemy trying to steal your sense of value. If somebody 0:17:13.560 --> 0:17:17.760 did you wrong, instead of internalizing it, have you ever 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:21.399 thought about maybe they were messed up. Maybe they felt 0:17:21.440 --> 0:17:24.639 so bad about themselves, so unlovable, that they tried to 0:17:24.680 --> 0:17:27.560 project it on you. I know a young man that 0:17:27.880 --> 0:17:31.000 never felt like he fit in growing up. There's very 0:17:31.000 --> 0:17:34.640 little love in his home. He never felt approved or celebrated. 0:17:34.920 --> 0:17:37.680 It was like he was a burden. He found out 0:17:37.720 --> 0:17:41.760 in his early teens that his parents always wanted a girl. 0:17:42.440 --> 0:17:45.760 They were disappointed when he was born. Now he's in 0:17:45.800 --> 0:17:50.960 his twenties, had his head down, insecure, feeling unworthy. I 0:17:51.119 --> 0:17:54.480 told him, your parents may have wanted a girl, but 0:17:54.600 --> 0:17:58.040 the creator of the universe wanted a boy. God doesn't 0:17:58.080 --> 0:18:02.879 make mistakes. You're not an accident. He hand picked you. 0:18:03.800 --> 0:18:07.800 He chose you before you could choose him. Your parents 0:18:07.840 --> 0:18:10.600 may not have known any better, but don't let their 0:18:10.720 --> 0:18:15.240 lack of approval keep you from your destiny. You didn't 0:18:15.280 --> 0:18:18.800 come from your mother. You came through your mother. You 0:18:18.920 --> 0:18:22.960 came from Oh, by God, I begin to tell him 0:18:23.240 --> 0:18:26.919 how he was a masterpiece, called chosen, equipped, one of 0:18:26.960 --> 0:18:30.800 a kind, with seeds of greatness. Nobody had ever spoken 0:18:30.880 --> 0:18:33.760 faith over his life. He lifted his head, he put 0:18:33.760 --> 0:18:36.720 his shoulders back. I could see a smile starting to form. 0:18:37.640 --> 0:18:41.160 When you base your value on what people say or do, 0:18:41.400 --> 0:18:44.080 that's going to push you down. But when you base 0:18:44.119 --> 0:18:46.800 it on what God says about you, it's going to 0:18:46.840 --> 0:18:49.159 lift you up. You're going to have a smile on 0:18:49.200 --> 0:18:52.440 your face, a spring in your step. You're not going 0:18:52.520 --> 0:18:55.760 to be put off by what you didn't get by 0:18:55.760 --> 0:19:00.520 who's not supporting him like him. Maybe nobody ever told 0:19:00.560 --> 0:19:04.600 you what God says about you. God says you're amazing. 0:19:05.400 --> 0:19:08.760 He says he's proud of you. He says you're the 0:19:08.840 --> 0:19:12.720 apple of his eye. People may not be celebrating you, 0:19:13.000 --> 0:19:16.320 but you need to know God celebrates you. I've heard 0:19:16.320 --> 0:19:20.440 it said if God had a refrigerator, your picture would 0:19:20.480 --> 0:19:23.280 be on it. If he had a computer, you'd be 0:19:23.359 --> 0:19:27.399 on the homepage. The scripture says God has your name 0:19:27.840 --> 0:19:31.080 carved on the palm of his hand. He's always thinking 0:19:31.119 --> 0:19:34.400 about you. You may feel like you never really got 0:19:34.400 --> 0:19:38.560 the approval from your parents. From your family, even now, 0:19:38.560 --> 0:19:42.000 they don't celebrate you, they don't affirm you. But the 0:19:42.040 --> 0:19:45.679 truth is, it's not about you. It's about their issues, 0:19:46.040 --> 0:19:50.680 their insecurities. Don't spend your life trying to get something 0:19:50.960 --> 0:19:54.600 that they cannot give. I know people working eighty hours 0:19:54.640 --> 0:19:57.800 a week trying to prove to their parents they're successful, 0:19:58.200 --> 0:20:01.359 prove to their family they're good enough. You have to 0:20:01.440 --> 0:20:05.360 let it go or you'll be frustrated. Turn to your 0:20:05.440 --> 0:20:09.840 heavenly father. Get your approval from him. He's smiling down 0:20:09.840 --> 0:20:13.439 on you. He sees you excelling. You don't have to 0:20:13.520 --> 0:20:17.600 have their approval to be happy. God approves you. He's 0:20:17.640 --> 0:20:21.719 the one that matters. In the scripture, David didn't have 0:20:21.800 --> 0:20:25.600 his father's approval. When the prophet Samuel came in to 0:20:25.680 --> 0:20:30.000 annoint one of Jesse's sons, Jesse didn't even bring David 0:20:30.080 --> 0:20:34.960 in from the shepherd's fields. He saw David as being inferior, 0:20:35.200 --> 0:20:40.600 not talented, too young, too small. Sometimes the people closest 0:20:40.640 --> 0:20:44.840 to you can't see the greatness in you. Jesse didn't 0:20:44.880 --> 0:20:48.200 see a king in David. He didn't see a giant killer, 0:20:48.640 --> 0:20:51.960 a strategic leader. He saw a young boy with not 0:20:52.119 --> 0:20:55.200 much to offer. He dismissed him, didn't pay much attention. 0:20:56.200 --> 0:20:59.920 Your family may discount you, they may leave you out. 0:21:00.320 --> 0:21:04.000 Don't take it personally. Just keep being your best, getting 0:21:04.080 --> 0:21:08.320 your approval from your heavenly father. This happened with Jesus. 0:21:08.760 --> 0:21:12.600 His brothers didn't believe in him. They saw him as average. 0:21:13.080 --> 0:21:15.960 What's the big deal, what's all the commotion, It's just Jesus. 0:21:16.520 --> 0:21:19.640 The people that should have supported him the most tried 0:21:19.680 --> 0:21:23.320 to make him feel inferior. The people closest to you 0:21:23.760 --> 0:21:27.640 may not acknowledge your gifts, they may not see your value, 0:21:27.760 --> 0:21:31.920 but God does. David was left out. It wasn't fair. 0:21:32.520 --> 0:21:35.840 But when Samuel looked at the other seven sons, he said, Jesse, 0:21:36.359 --> 0:21:39.080 it's none of these. Do you have any more sons? 0:21:40.160 --> 0:21:43.240 People may leave you out, but God doesn't leave you out. 0:21:44.080 --> 0:21:47.680 If David had to have his family's approval, he would 0:21:47.680 --> 0:21:51.040 have never taken the throne. Quit trying to make people 0:21:51.119 --> 0:21:53.760 before you that are never going to be for you. 0:21:54.320 --> 0:21:58.120 Quit feeling inferior because somebody close to you, is not 0:21:58.280 --> 0:22:02.560 celebrating you. If you needed their approval, you would get it. 0:22:03.119 --> 0:22:05.840 If you're not getting it, that means you don't need 0:22:05.880 --> 0:22:11.359 it to become who you were created to be. And 0:22:11.480 --> 0:22:15.680 yes it may be hurtful, but it is not going 0:22:15.720 --> 0:22:19.480 to keep you from your destiny. Sometimes it's God teaching 0:22:19.560 --> 0:22:23.480 us to go to him and not to people. We 0:22:23.560 --> 0:22:27.800 rely too much on what people think. Who believes in us? 0:22:27.880 --> 0:22:31.760 And how come they're not supporting me? David's brothers made 0:22:31.760 --> 0:22:35.520 fun of him, his father discounted him. He was stuck 0:22:35.520 --> 0:22:39.960 out in the shepherd's fields, but instead of complaining feeling inferior, 0:22:40.280 --> 0:22:42.920 he turned to God. He's the one that wrote in 0:22:42.920 --> 0:22:46.560 Psalm twenty seven, if my mother and father forsake me, 0:22:46.960 --> 0:22:50.720 God will adopt me as his own child. And I 0:22:50.800 --> 0:22:54.480 know many of us had great parents that did their best, 0:22:55.040 --> 0:22:57.960 but we all have people that are not giving us 0:22:58.080 --> 0:23:02.040 their approval. They don't acnoledge our gifts, they don't see 0:23:02.040 --> 0:23:05.800 what we have to offer. Don't live frustrated thinking that 0:23:05.840 --> 0:23:08.720 there's something wrong with you trying to prove to them 0:23:08.760 --> 0:23:12.199 who you are, trying to convince them to affirm you. 0:23:12.880 --> 0:23:16.680 Let it go. There's nothing wrong with you if you 0:23:16.800 --> 0:23:19.199 had to have it, they would give it. Since you 0:23:19.320 --> 0:23:23.240 don't shake it off, keep your head held high, knowing 0:23:23.280 --> 0:23:26.840 that your heavenly Father has approved you, accepted you, and 0:23:26.960 --> 0:23:31.159 anointed you. Your value doesn't come from people, It comes 0:23:31.200 --> 0:23:36.000 from your creator. A while back, somebody gave a watch 0:23:36.119 --> 0:23:38.479 to the Ministry. I was out of town at one 0:23:38.480 --> 0:23:40.760 of our events, and a man came up and handed 0:23:40.800 --> 0:23:43.760 me this nice box. I opened it. It was a 0:23:43.800 --> 0:23:48.440 beautiful watch. It wasn't super fancy, but it was attractive, sporty, 0:23:48.480 --> 0:23:52.000 and of course I thanked him. I'm very grateful. I 0:23:52.040 --> 0:23:54.639 brought it back and put it in my desk drawer. 0:23:55.119 --> 0:23:57.199 A couple of months later, I opened the drawer to 0:23:57.240 --> 0:24:00.520 get something out, and there was the watch. Had forgotten 0:24:00.560 --> 0:24:03.360 about it. I looked at it again, and I thought 0:24:03.400 --> 0:24:06.520 it cost a couple hundred dollars. I didn't notice the 0:24:06.600 --> 0:24:10.640 name brand, but for some reason, I googled it. When 0:24:10.680 --> 0:24:14.440 I did, I nearly passed out. The exact watch came up. 0:24:14.600 --> 0:24:18.280 It was worth over ten thousand dollars. It's from a 0:24:18.400 --> 0:24:23.720 very famous, prestigious watchmaker. It looked like to me a 0:24:23.760 --> 0:24:26.680 lot of other watches that I'd seen that cost several 0:24:26.760 --> 0:24:31.840 hundred dollars. But because of the manufacturer, this watch was 0:24:31.920 --> 0:24:35.600 extremely valuable. You could put it side by side and 0:24:35.640 --> 0:24:40.280 you wouldn't see much difference. Looked average, ordinary people had 0:24:40.320 --> 0:24:44.159 copied it, there were knockoffs. On the surface, it seemed 0:24:44.200 --> 0:24:47.920 the same, but what gave it its value was who 0:24:48.000 --> 0:24:52.800 made it. Sometimes we don't realize who we are. You 0:24:52.880 --> 0:24:57.480 may feel average, ordinary, like nothing stands out, But because 0:24:57.640 --> 0:25:01.000 of your maker, there's something about you you that makes 0:25:01.000 --> 0:25:06.040 you extremely valuable. You're not a copy, you're not a 0:25:06.080 --> 0:25:10.800 knock all. You're an original. The creator of the universe 0:25:11.119 --> 0:25:15.280 is your manufacturer. You can't get any more prestigious than that. 0:25:15.880 --> 0:25:18.560 But if you don't know who you are, like I 0:25:18.600 --> 0:25:22.199 did with the watch, you'll discount yourself. Think it all, man, 0:25:22.240 --> 0:25:25.560 I'm ordinary, nothing much to offer, nothing special about me. 0:25:26.280 --> 0:25:30.240