WEBVTT - Recognizing Your Value | Joel Osteen 0:00:00.680 --> 0:00:03.080 Hi, this is Joel and Victorian. So great to have 0:00:03.160 --> 0:00:05.840 you listening to the podcast. We have a new resource 0:00:05.880 --> 0:00:08.760 we'd love to send you. It's the twenty twenty four 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:13.000 Devotional Calendar. It's full of inspiration and encouragement. It'll help 0:00:13.039 --> 0:00:15.560 you to start the day off right. Hope you'll request 0:00:15.600 --> 0:00:20.480 your copy, but enjoy the podcast today. Well, God bless you. 0:00:20.920 --> 0:00:23.440 It's a joy to come into your homes. And if 0:00:23.440 --> 0:00:26.119 you're ever in our area, please stop buying. Be a 0:00:26.120 --> 0:00:28.960 part of one of our services. I promise you we'll 0:00:28.960 --> 0:00:31.400 make you feel right at home. I like to start 0:00:31.440 --> 0:00:33.760 with something funny, and I heard about this six year 0:00:33.800 --> 0:00:37.440 old boy. He was standing in the church lobby staring 0:00:37.479 --> 0:00:40.400 at the large plaque on the wall. It was filled 0:00:40.400 --> 0:00:44.479 with names with small American flags by their side. He 0:00:44.520 --> 0:00:48.040 asked the pastor what all the names were for. The 0:00:48.080 --> 0:00:51.320 pastor explained how that was a memorial to all the 0:00:51.400 --> 0:00:55.400 young men and women that died in the service. The 0:00:55.440 --> 0:00:59.360 little boy stood there silently, so concerned. He finally looked 0:00:59.440 --> 0:01:01.920 up and asked, was it the eight thirty or eleven 0:01:01.920 --> 0:01:05.920 o'clock service? Say it like you mean it. This is 0:01:06.000 --> 0:01:08.880 my Bible. I am what it says. I am. I 0:01:08.959 --> 0:01:11.399 have what it says I have. I can do what 0:01:11.480 --> 0:01:14.280 it says I can do. Today I will be taught 0:01:14.360 --> 0:01:18.560 the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert, 0:01:19.000 --> 0:01:22.039 my heart is receptive. I will never be the same. 0:01:22.440 --> 0:01:27.160 In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want to talk 0:01:27.200 --> 0:01:32.000 to you today about recognizing your value. Too often we 0:01:32.120 --> 0:01:35.920 base our value on how someone is treating us, how 0:01:35.920 --> 0:01:39.840 successful we are, how perfect of a life we've lived. 0:01:40.360 --> 0:01:44.280 The problem is all of those things can change. If 0:01:44.280 --> 0:01:47.240 you're getting your value out of how people treat you, 0:01:47.840 --> 0:01:51.200 then if they hurt you, they disappoint you, you're going 0:01:51.240 --> 0:01:55.440 to feel devalued. If you're basing your value off of 0:01:55.480 --> 0:01:59.240 your achievements, how much you make, what you drive, the 0:01:59.280 --> 0:02:02.560 title behind you, your name, Then if something happens and 0:02:02.600 --> 0:02:06.200 you don't have that position, your business goes down, then 0:02:06.240 --> 0:02:10.040 your value will go down. And some people don't feel 0:02:10.080 --> 0:02:13.680 good about themselves because they've made mistakes in life. They're 0:02:13.680 --> 0:02:16.960 not where they thought they would be. Now, they're living insecure, 0:02:17.480 --> 0:02:23.080 feeling inferior. They're basing their value on their performance. Here's 0:02:23.120 --> 0:02:27.200 the key. Your value should be based solely on the 0:02:27.200 --> 0:02:30.400 fact that you are a child of the most High God, 0:02:31.040 --> 0:02:34.280 the creator of the universe, breaths his life into you. 0:02:35.080 --> 0:02:39.359 How someone treats you doesn't change your value. What they 0:02:39.440 --> 0:02:43.880 say or do doesn't lessen who you are. Mistakes you've 0:02:43.880 --> 0:02:48.440 made doesn't decrease your value. That's what you did, that's 0:02:48.480 --> 0:02:51.680 not who you are. You can buy a bigger house, 0:02:52.040 --> 0:02:55.080 drive a better car, but that doesn't make you any 0:02:55.120 --> 0:02:59.959 more valuable. That increases your net worth, not your self worth. 0:03:00.880 --> 0:03:04.240 You were already valuable when you had the small apartment 0:03:04.600 --> 0:03:08.480 and no title behind your name. That position may give 0:03:08.520 --> 0:03:12.520 you more influence, but not more value. You can be 0:03:12.560 --> 0:03:16.200 a stay at home mom raising your children. You may 0:03:16.200 --> 0:03:19.680 not have the influence of the CEO, but you have 0:03:19.800 --> 0:03:23.679 the same value. Value is not based on what you do, 0:03:23.840 --> 0:03:27.440 what you make, who you know. That's superficial. Those things 0:03:27.440 --> 0:03:33.160 can change. Your value comes from your creator. God breathed 0:03:33.200 --> 0:03:37.000 his life into you. You have the DNA of Almighty God. 0:03:37.440 --> 0:03:41.720 You have royalty in your blood. But the enemy works 0:03:41.800 --> 0:03:45.800 over time trying to devalue us. He'd love for you 0:03:45.880 --> 0:03:49.160 to go through life letting what people say make you 0:03:49.240 --> 0:03:54.760 feel inferior, comparing your life to somebody else's thinking. You'll 0:03:54.760 --> 0:03:57.880 feel good about yourself when you catch up to them, 0:03:58.280 --> 0:04:02.440 when you live in that neighborhood, or when you perform perfectly, 0:04:03.080 --> 0:04:06.520 when you break the addiction, then you'll feel valuable. But 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:10.920 nothing you do will make you any more valuable. Nothing 0:04:10.960 --> 0:04:15.760 you achieve, nothing you overcome. You are valuable right now. 0:04:16.360 --> 0:04:20.440 God calls you a masterpiece. You are one of a kind. 0:04:21.080 --> 0:04:24.919 You didn't come off an assembly line. You weren't mass produced. 0:04:25.240 --> 0:04:28.400 God made you unique. There will never be another. You 0:04:29.120 --> 0:04:33.120 put your shoulders back, start carrying yourself with confidence. You 0:04:33.200 --> 0:04:37.839 have been fearfully and wonderfully made. In Luke, chapter four, 0:04:38.160 --> 0:04:41.680 Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert, where 0:04:41.680 --> 0:04:44.760 he was tempted three times. He'd been out there for 0:04:44.760 --> 0:04:49.080 forty days and hadn't eaten anything. The enemy said to him, 0:04:49.480 --> 0:04:53.200 if you're the son of God, turn these stones into bread. 0:04:54.080 --> 0:04:57.000 He was trying to make his value be based on 0:04:57.080 --> 0:05:01.080 his performance. If you turn these stones into bread, you 0:05:01.160 --> 0:05:04.000 can prove you're the son of God, then you can 0:05:04.000 --> 0:05:08.080 feel good about yourself. You performed a miracle. Jesus wouldn't 0:05:08.080 --> 0:05:11.080 do it, He said. Man doesn't live by bread alone. 0:05:11.760 --> 0:05:14.479 He was saying, in effect, I don't have to do 0:05:14.600 --> 0:05:18.159 anything to prove who I am. I don't have to 0:05:18.240 --> 0:05:21.680 perform to feel good about myself. I know who I am. 0:05:22.640 --> 0:05:26.040 The enemy couldn't deceive him into getting his value out 0:05:26.080 --> 0:05:31.720 of being performance based, so he tried possession based. He 0:05:31.760 --> 0:05:34.719 took Jesus to a high place, showed him all the 0:05:34.839 --> 0:05:37.280 kingdoms of the world. He said, you can have it 0:05:37.320 --> 0:05:42.000 all if you'll just bow down and worship me. Jesus said, no, thanks. 0:05:42.360 --> 0:05:46.400 I don't need possessions to prove my worth and value. 0:05:46.600 --> 0:05:49.120 I don't have to have what you think is important 0:05:49.360 --> 0:05:53.080 to feel good about who I am. Possession based didn't work. 0:05:53.400 --> 0:05:59.160 Performance based didn't work, so the enemy tried one final thing, popularity. 0:05:59.240 --> 0:06:02.479 He took Jesus to the highest place in the temple, 0:06:03.000 --> 0:06:06.320 was very crowded below all kinds of people. He said, 0:06:06.360 --> 0:06:09.040 if you're the son of God, jump off this building. 0:06:09.640 --> 0:06:13.040 You said your angels would protect you. He was trying 0:06:13.080 --> 0:06:16.560 to get Jesus to show off. Everybody would see and 0:06:16.640 --> 0:06:21.080 be amazed. He'd gain instant popularity. Jesus said it again, 0:06:21.480 --> 0:06:24.960 I don't need possessions. I don't need popularity. I don't 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:28.680 need performance to feel valuable. I know who I am. 0:06:29.080 --> 0:06:33.279 I'm the son of the living God. The enemy tried 0:06:33.320 --> 0:06:37.240 to deceive Jesus into proving who he was, and a 0:06:37.320 --> 0:06:40.960 lot of people live in approving mode. They can't feel 0:06:40.960 --> 0:06:45.039 good about themselves unless they prove to people they're important, 0:06:45.440 --> 0:06:48.640 proved to their co worker their talented, proved to their 0:06:48.800 --> 0:06:52.720 critics that they really are okay. There's a constant struggle. 0:06:53.240 --> 0:06:59.080 They're always having to outdo, outperform, outdrive, outdress. It's very 0:06:59.120 --> 0:07:02.279 freeing when you realize you don't have to prove anything. 0:07:03.040 --> 0:07:07.080 You don't have to impress people. Take the pressure off. 0:07:08.279 --> 0:07:11.800 It takes a lot of energy to compete, to prove, 0:07:12.040 --> 0:07:16.040 to impress. If you live in a proving mode, it's 0:07:16.120 --> 0:07:19.600 like you're on a treadmill. As soon as you prove 0:07:19.680 --> 0:07:22.920 to one person you're okay, you'll see somebody else you 0:07:23.040 --> 0:07:27.520 need to impress to never ending cycle. Get off that treadmill. 0:07:28.080 --> 0:07:31.000 You're working hard but not going anywhere. You don't have 0:07:31.120 --> 0:07:35.400 to prove anything. In these days, there's so much emphasis 0:07:35.400 --> 0:07:40.360 on name brands. We're wearing so and so designer shoes 0:07:40.520 --> 0:07:43.520 and sow and so sunglasses, and carrying a so and 0:07:43.560 --> 0:07:47.000 so perse, driving a SO and so card, talking on 0:07:47.000 --> 0:07:49.640 a SO and so cell phone. If you're really cool, 0:07:49.680 --> 0:07:53.040 you got on so and so underwear, you can feel 0:07:53.040 --> 0:07:58.120 good about yourself. Sometimes we have so many other names 0:07:58.160 --> 0:08:03.600 on us. We don't know our own name. We're counting 0:08:04.000 --> 0:08:07.840 on all the name brands, all the outside labels to 0:08:07.920 --> 0:08:11.800 make us feel important. Can I tell you your name is 0:08:11.800 --> 0:08:17.400 more important than all those names combine. No disrespect to them. 0:08:17.800 --> 0:08:21.120 But the difference between you and the name brand is 0:08:21.200 --> 0:08:25.080 God breathed his life into you. You're a son, You're 0:08:25.120 --> 0:08:28.280 a daughter of the Most High God. And there's nothing 0:08:28.320 --> 0:08:31.760 wrong with owning it, driving it. We're in it, But 0:08:31.880 --> 0:08:34.760 don't let it be the reason you feel good about 0:08:34.760 --> 0:08:40.960 who you are. Because what's hot today, what's the latest, greatest? 0:08:41.200 --> 0:08:44.240 In a few years, it'll be outdated. If you live 0:08:44.360 --> 0:08:47.640 possession based, you have to run from name to name, 0:08:47.800 --> 0:08:51.000 position to position, friend to friend. That's gonna wear you out. 0:08:51.480 --> 0:08:55.079 Why don't you relax. You can't get any more valuable. 0:08:55.600 --> 0:08:58.880 You can buy more clothes, get more friends. That doesn't 0:08:58.960 --> 0:09:05.000 change your value. Whether you're wearing Gucci or Goodwill, whether 0:09:05.080 --> 0:09:09.040 it's Calvin Klein or Fruit of the Loom, your value 0:09:09.200 --> 0:09:12.600 never changes. You're claughing because you wear Fruit of the 0:09:12.600 --> 0:09:16.480 loom like me. I went to the sporting goods store 0:09:16.480 --> 0:09:19.240 the other day to buy some new T shirts to 0:09:19.320 --> 0:09:22.880 work out in, and there were probably ten racks of shirts. 0:09:23.200 --> 0:09:27.520 Practically everyone had the manufacturer's name on the front in 0:09:27.679 --> 0:09:30.960 big bold letters. I thought to myself, you want me 0:09:31.040 --> 0:09:33.640 to buy your shirt and then go around as a 0:09:33.640 --> 0:09:37.280 billboard for you, no offense, But I don't want to 0:09:37.320 --> 0:09:40.480 wear your name. I like my own name. Do you 0:09:40.640 --> 0:09:44.640 need somebody else's name to make you feel good about yourself? 0:09:45.240 --> 0:09:48.120 Are you trying to prove your worth, your value by 0:09:48.120 --> 0:09:51.400 who you know, what you wear, what you drive, or 0:09:51.559 --> 0:09:55.920 can you say, like Jesus, I don't have to have popularity, possessions, 0:09:56.080 --> 0:09:59.559 or performance to feel good about myself. I am secure 0:09:59.640 --> 0:10:02.000 in who who I am. I know who God made 0:10:02.040 --> 0:10:06.080 me to be. When Jesus was riding into town on 0:10:06.160 --> 0:10:10.199 Palm Sunday, the people laid down branches as he passed by. 0:10:10.559 --> 0:10:16.600 They celebrated, shouting Hosanna from the young to the old, waving, cheering. 0:10:16.840 --> 0:10:19.600 They were so excited to see him. He received a 0:10:19.679 --> 0:10:24.160 heroes welcome. But a few days later those same people, 0:10:24.640 --> 0:10:29.320 instead of shouting Hosanna, they were shouting crucify him. We 0:10:29.360 --> 0:10:33.160 don't want him here. When Jesus went to trial and 0:10:33.240 --> 0:10:37.400 needed his closest friends to support him, his disciples, the 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:41.120 ones he had poured his life into, they weren't anywhere around. 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:43.800 He asked them to stay up and pray, but they 0:10:43.800 --> 0:10:47.320 were too tired. They fell asleep. If you base your 0:10:47.480 --> 0:10:53.280 value on people's support, how much they approve you, encourage you, 0:10:54.120 --> 0:10:57.240 then if for some reason they stopped doing that, you'll 0:10:57.240 --> 0:11:00.880 feel devalued. As long as they're telling you you're great, 0:11:01.080 --> 0:11:04.800 you'll feel great. The problem is if they change their mind, 0:11:05.320 --> 0:11:08.199 they're not telling you that, you're not going to feel great. 0:11:09.000 --> 0:11:13.280 You can't base your value on what people give you. 0:11:13.320 --> 0:11:16.840 People are funny. They'll say you're beautiful one day, and 0:11:17.120 --> 0:11:20.320 I don't care for you the next. Hozanna on Sunday, 0:11:20.640 --> 0:11:24.600 crucify them on Friday. If you don't know who you 0:11:24.679 --> 0:11:29.160 are without them, then if they leave, you'll be lost. 0:11:29.800 --> 0:11:33.400 They'll take you with them. Your identity was caught up 0:11:33.440 --> 0:11:35.880 in who they made you to be. You'll try to 0:11:35.920 --> 0:11:39.520 find somebody else to tell you who you are. You 0:11:39.559 --> 0:11:42.840 don't need people to tell you who you are. People 0:11:42.960 --> 0:11:46.960 will let you down. People will get jealous. People have 0:11:47.040 --> 0:11:51.199 their own issues. Let your heavenly father tell you who 0:11:51.240 --> 0:11:56.840 you are. Get your value, your self worth, your approval 0:11:57.040 --> 0:12:01.439 from him. He says you're a masterpiece. He says you're 0:12:01.520 --> 0:12:05.520 want of a kind, a prized possession. Somebody may have 0:12:05.559 --> 0:12:09.319 told you the opposite. You're not talented, you're not attractive, 0:12:09.480 --> 0:12:12.520 you don't have a good personality. Let that go in 0:12:12.600 --> 0:12:17.280 one ear and out the other. They don't determine your value. 0:12:17.960 --> 0:12:21.480 What they say or do doesn't make you any less 0:12:21.600 --> 0:12:26.120 a masterpiece. Quit letting how people treat you make you 0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:31.160 feel inferior. They don't control your destiny. They didn't breathe 0:12:31.200 --> 0:12:34.200 life into you. They didn't call you, they didn't anoint you, 0:12:34.240 --> 0:12:38.119 they didn't approve you. Your value came from your creator, 0:12:38.480 --> 0:12:42.600 from the God who spoke worlds into existence. The good 0:12:42.640 --> 0:12:46.360 news is they can't change your value, and you can't 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:49.839 change it. God put it in you before you showed up. 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:54.080 You don't need their approval, You don't need their encouragement. 0:12:54.400 --> 0:12:58.480 They don't have to validate you. It's good when it happens, 0:12:58.800 --> 0:13:02.000 but if you're depending on it to feel secure, then 0:13:02.040 --> 0:13:04.720 if they don't do it, you're going to feel inferior. 0:13:05.360 --> 0:13:09.600 Don't give away your power. Don't put your identity, your 0:13:09.720 --> 0:13:14.680 value into somebody else's hands. Even good people can't give 0:13:14.720 --> 0:13:18.240 you everything you need. Somebody that loves you very much, 0:13:18.440 --> 0:13:23.160 they cannot keep you approved, validated, feeling secure. You have 0:13:23.240 --> 0:13:27.240 to go to your heavenly father. And sometimes we're putting 0:13:27.280 --> 0:13:30.559 pressure on people to keep us fixed, keep us validated. 0:13:31.400 --> 0:13:34.720 Let them off the hook. They're not your savior. You 0:13:34.800 --> 0:13:37.840 already have a savior. He's on the throne. Go to 0:13:37.960 --> 0:13:42.080 him and not to people. The problem with trying to 0:13:42.120 --> 0:13:45.800 get this from people is people have issues. People are 0:13:45.800 --> 0:13:51.960 dealing with insecurities, fears, hurts, wounds, presententes, dysfunction. They don't 0:13:52.000 --> 0:13:56.040 know any better. That's normal to them. Messed up. People 0:13:56.160 --> 0:14:00.240 can mess you up if that's not profound, But it's good, 0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:03.840 isn't it. If you base your value on what they're 0:14:03.880 --> 0:14:07.600 giving you, you can end up dysfunctional. I talked to 0:14:07.640 --> 0:14:11.920 a lady recently that had a very bad childhood neglect abuse. 0:14:12.320 --> 0:14:15.360 She had just gone through her second divorce. Her ex 0:14:15.480 --> 0:14:18.920 husband told her that she didn't deserve to be loved, 0:14:19.440 --> 0:14:21.640 and I could tell that she believed it because she 0:14:21.760 --> 0:14:25.400 was down on herself, no expression on her face. I 0:14:25.520 --> 0:14:28.680 told her what I'm telling you. Don't let messed up 0:14:28.760 --> 0:14:33.040 people ruin the rest of your life. If somebody hurts you, 0:14:33.680 --> 0:14:37.560 there's a tendency to internalize it and think there's something 0:14:37.600 --> 0:14:40.880 wrong with me. If I was more attractive, he wouldn't 0:14:40.920 --> 0:14:44.040 have left. If I was smarter, I wouldn't have had 0:14:44.080 --> 0:14:47.200 a bad childhood. No, it has nothing to do with you. 0:14:47.920 --> 0:14:52.160 They're treating you out of their hurts, their wounds. Hurting 0:14:52.200 --> 0:14:56.200 people end up hurting other people. Don't let what they 0:14:56.280 --> 0:14:59.880 say define who you are. Don't let what you didn't 0:14:59.880 --> 0:15:03.000 got it make you feel like you're the blame. They 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:06.240 said you don't deserve to be loved. That's a lie. 0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:09.720 They said you're not attractive, another lie. But if you 0:15:09.840 --> 0:15:12.920 base your value on these lines, you won't have any 0:15:13.080 --> 0:15:17.400 kind of self worth. Studies even show that children that 0:15:17.480 --> 0:15:22.280 went through neglect abuse a bad childhood. Very often they 0:15:22.360 --> 0:15:25.360 take the blame on themselves. They think there's something wrong 0:15:25.400 --> 0:15:28.560 with them. This lady did the same thing. She didn't 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:32.840 think she deserved to be loved. That's the enemy trying 0:15:32.880 --> 0:15:36.880 to steal your sense of value. If somebody did you wrong, 0:15:37.520 --> 0:15:41.520 instead of internalizing it, have you ever thought about maybe 0:15:41.560 --> 0:15:45.160 they were messed up. Maybe they felt so bad about themselves, 0:15:45.240 --> 0:15:48.280 so unlovable, that they tried to project it on you. 0:15:49.080 --> 0:15:51.200 I know a young man that never felt like he 0:15:51.280 --> 0:15:54.680 fit in growing up. There's very little love in his home. 0:15:55.120 --> 0:15:58.000 He never felt approved or celebrated. It was like he 0:15:58.120 --> 0:16:01.960 was a burden. He found in his early teens that 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:06.360 his parents always wanted a girl. They were disappointed when 0:16:06.440 --> 0:16:09.920 he was born. Now he's in his twenties, had his 0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:15.560 head down, insecure, feeling unworthy. I told him, your parents 0:16:15.600 --> 0:16:18.000 may have wanted a girl, but the creator of the 0:16:18.080 --> 0:16:22.000 universe wanted a boy. If God doesn't make mistakes, you're 0:16:22.040 --> 0:16:27.160 not an accident. He hand picked you. He chose you 0:16:27.360 --> 0:16:30.840 before you could choose him. Your parents may not have 0:16:30.920 --> 0:16:34.280 known any better, but don't let their lack of approval 0:16:34.960 --> 0:16:39.080 keep you from your destiny. You didn't come from your mother. 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:43.040 You came through your mother. You came from Oh, by God. 0:16:44.280 --> 0:16:47.280 I begin to tell him how he was a masterpiece, 0:16:47.400 --> 0:16:51.720 called chosen, equipped, one of a kind, with seeds of greatness. 0:16:52.040 --> 0:16:55.520 Nobody had ever spoken faith over his life. He lifted 0:16:55.560 --> 0:16:57.800 his head, he put his shoulders back. I could see 0:16:57.800 --> 0:17:01.600 a smile starting to form. When you base your value 0:17:02.040 --> 0:17:04.720 on what people say or do, that's going to push 0:17:04.720 --> 0:17:07.639 you down. But when you base it on what God 0:17:07.680 --> 0:17:10.600 says about you, it's going to lift you up. You're 0:17:10.640 --> 0:17:13.119 going to have a smile on your face, a string 0:17:13.200 --> 0:17:16.480 in your step. You're not going to be put off 0:17:16.680 --> 0:17:19.560 by what you didn't get by who's not supporting him 0:17:20.400 --> 0:17:24.359 like him. Maybe nobody ever told you what God says 0:17:24.359 --> 0:17:29.320 about you. God says you're amazing. He says he's proud 0:17:29.359 --> 0:17:32.840 of you. He says you're the apple of his eye. 0:17:33.520 --> 0:17:36.159 People may not be celebrating you, but you need to 0:17:36.200 --> 0:17:40.680 know God celebrates you. I've heard it said if God 0:17:40.720 --> 0:17:44.520 had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If 0:17:44.520 --> 0:17:47.639 he had a computer, you'd be on the homepage. The 0:17:47.680 --> 0:17:51.879 scripture says God has your name carved on the palm 0:17:51.920 --> 0:17:55.160 of his hand. He's always thinking about you. You may 0:17:55.160 --> 0:17:58.880 feel like you never really got the approval from your parents. 0:17:59.200 --> 0:18:02.720 From your family, even now, they don't celebrate you, they 0:18:02.720 --> 0:18:06.119 don't affirm you. But the truth is it's not about you. 0:18:06.880 --> 0:18:11.879 It's about their issues, their insecurities. Don't spend your life 0:18:12.119 --> 0:18:15.800 trying to get something that they cannot give. I know 0:18:15.840 --> 0:18:18.760 people working eighty hours a week, trying to prove to 0:18:18.800 --> 0:18:22.720 their parents they're successful, prove to their family they're good enough. 0:18:23.359 --> 0:18:26.400 You have to let it go or you'll be frustrated. 0:18:27.240 --> 0:18:31.120 Turn to your heavenly father. Get your approval from him. 0:18:31.400 --> 0:18:35.280 He's smiling down on you. He sees you excelling. You 0:18:35.359 --> 0:18:38.880 don't have to have their approval to be happy. God 0:18:38.920 --> 0:18:42.800 approves you. He's the one that matters. In the scripture, 0:18:43.200 --> 0:18:47.600 David didn't have his father's approval. When the prophet Samuel 0:18:47.680 --> 0:18:51.520 came in to anoint one of Jesse's sons, Jesse didn't 0:18:51.560 --> 0:18:55.000 even bring David in from the shepherd's fields. He saw 0:18:55.119 --> 0:19:00.240 David as being inferior, not talented, too young, too small. 0:19:01.200 --> 0:19:05.439 Sometimes the people closest to you can't see the greatness 0:19:05.440 --> 0:19:09.320 in you. Jesse didn't see a king in David. He 0:19:09.359 --> 0:19:13.200 didn't see a giant killer, a strategic leader. He saw 0:19:13.240 --> 0:19:16.680 a young boy with not much to offer. He dismissed him, 0:19:16.680 --> 0:19:21.480 didn't pay much attention. Your family may discount you, they 0:19:21.520 --> 0:19:24.920 may leave you out. Don't take it personally. Just keep 0:19:25.000 --> 0:19:28.720 being your best, getting your approval from your heavenly father. 0:19:29.640 --> 0:19:33.280 This happened with Jesus, his brothers didn't believe in him. 0:19:33.760 --> 0:19:36.760 They saw him as average. What's the big deal, what's 0:19:36.760 --> 0:19:40.119 all the commotion, It's just Jesus. The people that should 0:19:40.119 --> 0:19:43.639 have supported him the most tried to make him feel inferior. 0:19:44.400 --> 0:19:47.920 The people closest to you may not acknowledge your gifts, 0:19:48.359 --> 0:19:52.479 they may not see your value, but God does. David 0:19:52.560 --> 0:19:56.080 was left out. It wasn't fair. But when Samuel looked 0:19:56.119 --> 0:19:59.360 at the other seven sons, he said, Jesse, it's none 0:19:59.400 --> 0:20:03.280 of these. Do you have any more sons? People may 0:20:03.359 --> 0:20:06.800 leave you out, but God doesn't leave you out. If 0:20:06.920 --> 0:20:10.320 David had to have his family's approval, he would have 0:20:10.359 --> 0:20:14.200 never taken the throne. Quit trying to make people before 0:20:14.240 --> 0:20:17.120 you that are never going to be for you. Quit 0:20:17.119 --> 0:20:21.680 feeling inferior because somebody close to you is not celebrating you. 0:20:22.400 --> 0:20:25.760 If you needed their approval, you would get it. If 0:20:25.840 --> 0:20:28.560 you're not getting it, that means you don't need it 0:20:28.800 --> 0:20:34.280 to become who you were created to be. And yes 0:20:35.160 --> 0:20:38.359 it may be hurtful, but it is not going to 0:20:38.480 --> 0:20:42.320 keep you from your destiny. Sometimes it's God teaching us 0:20:42.760 --> 0:20:46.320 to go to Him and not to people. We rely 0:20:46.480 --> 0:20:50.400 too much on what people think. Who believes in us, 0:20:50.400 --> 0:20:54.240 and how come they're not supporting me. David's brothers made 0:20:54.280 --> 0:20:58.040 fun of him, his father discounted him. He was stuck 0:20:58.080 --> 0:21:02.520 out in the shepherd's fields. Instead of complaining feeling inferior, 0:21:02.800 --> 0:21:05.440 he turned to God. He's the one that wrote in 0:21:05.440 --> 0:21:09.080 Psalm twenty seven, if my mother and father forsake me, 0:21:09.520 --> 0:21:13.280 God will adopt me as his own child. And I 0:21:13.320 --> 0:21:17.000 know many of us had great parents that did their best, 0:21:17.560 --> 0:21:20.480 but we all have people that are not giving us 0:21:20.640 --> 0:21:24.560 their approval. They don't acknowledge our gifts. They don't see 0:21:24.560 --> 0:21:28.320 what we have to offer. Don't live frustrated thinking that 0:21:28.359 --> 0:21:31.240 there's something wrong with you, trying to prove to them 0:21:31.280 --> 0:21:34.720 who you are, trying to convince them to affirm you. 0:21:35.440 --> 0:21:39.240 Let it go. There's nothing wrong with you. If you 0:21:39.320 --> 0:21:41.720 had to have it, they would give it. Since you 0:21:41.880 --> 0:21:45.760 don't shake it off, Keep your head held high, knowing 0:21:45.800 --> 0:21:49.399 that your heavenly father has approved you, accepted you, and 0:21:49.480 --> 0:21:53.639 anointed you. Your value doesn't come from people, It comes 0:21:53.720 --> 0:21:58.520 from your creator. A while back, somebody gave a watch 0:21:58.640 --> 0:22:01.000 to the ministry. I was out of town at one 0:22:01.040 --> 0:22:03.320 of our events, and a man came up and handed 0:22:03.320 --> 0:22:06.280 me this nice box. I opened it. It was a 0:22:06.320 --> 0:22:10.960 beautiful watch. It wasn't super fancy, but it was attractive, sporty, 0:22:11.000 --> 0:22:14.840 and of course I thanked him, very grateful. I brought 0:22:14.840 --> 0:22:17.720 it back and put it in my desk drawer. A 0:22:17.760 --> 0:22:19.920 couple of months later, I opened the drawer to get 0:22:19.960 --> 0:22:23.040 something out, and there was the watch. I had forgotten 0:22:23.080 --> 0:22:25.920 about it. I looked at it again and I thought 0:22:25.960 --> 0:22:29.040 it cost a couple hundred dollars. I didn't notice the 0:22:29.119 --> 0:22:33.200 name brand, but for some reason I googled it. When 0:22:33.200 --> 0:22:36.960 I did, I nearly passed out. The exact watch came up. 0:22:37.160 --> 0:22:40.840 It was worth over ten thousand dollars. It's from a 0:22:40.960 --> 0:22:46.240 very famous, prestigious watchmaker. It looked like to me a 0:22:46.280 --> 0:22:49.200 lot of other watches that I'd seen that cost several 0:22:49.280 --> 0:22:54.399 hundred dollars. But because of the manufacturer, this watch was 0:22:54.440 --> 0:22:58.119 extremely valuable. You could put it side by side and 0:22:58.160 --> 0:23:03.399 you wouldn't see much difference. Average ordinary people had copied it. 0:23:03.760 --> 0:23:07.159 There were knockoffs. On the surface, it seemed the same, 0:23:07.640 --> 0:23:12.600 but what gave it its value was who made it. Sometimes 0:23:12.920 --> 0:23:17.520 we don't realize who we are. You may feel average, ordinary, 0:23:17.800 --> 0:23:21.640 like nothing stands out, but because of your maker, there's 0:23:21.680 --> 0:23:26.639 something about you that makes you extremely valuable. You're not 0:23:26.720 --> 0:23:31.719 a copy, you're not a knockoff, You're an original. The 0:23:31.840 --> 0:23:36.200 creator of the universe is your manufacturer. You can't get 0:23:36.280 --> 0:23:39.359 any more prestigious than that. But if you don't know 0:23:39.520 --> 0:23:42.720 who you are, like I did with the watch, you'll 0:23:42.720 --> 0:23:46.440 discount yourself. They got all, man, I'm ordinary, nothing much 0:23:46.480 --> 0:23:49.680 to offer, nothing special about me. You need to google 0:23:49.760 --> 0:23:54.000 your manufacturer. You have the fingerprints of God all over you. 0:23:55.480 --> 0:23:59.520 Someone thirty nine says God, I praise you because you 0:23:59.600 --> 0:24:02.879 have made me in an amazing way. What you have 0:24:03.040 --> 0:24:07.440 done is wonderful. If you're going to recognize your value, 0:24:07.560 --> 0:24:11.680 you have to see yourself as amazing, as wonderful, not 0:24:11.760 --> 0:24:15.199 because of who you are, but because of who made you. 0:24:16.160 --> 0:24:18.360 Now life will try to make you feel like you're 0:24:18.440 --> 0:24:24.840 anything but amazing. Disappointments, betrayals, rejection will try to steal 0:24:24.880 --> 0:24:28.760 your sense of value. But all through the day, despite 0:24:29.080 --> 0:24:32.480 what thoughts are telling you, despite who left you out, 0:24:33.040 --> 0:24:36.720 you need to remind yourself. I am amazing, I am 0:24:36.760 --> 0:24:41.920 a masterpiece. I have been wonderfully made. Don't discount what 0:24:42.000 --> 0:24:45.800 God has created. Don't go around feeling ordinary when in 0:24:45.840 --> 0:24:50.600 fact you're extraordinary. People may try to make you feel average. 0:24:51.040 --> 0:24:54.480 Like David's father, You don't have much to offer. Are 0:24:54.480 --> 0:24:57.919 you going to believe what people say about you? Or 0:24:57.960 --> 0:25:02.639 believe what God says about you? God says you're amazing? 0:25:03.560 --> 0:25:06.800 Have you ever said that to yourself? It has to 0:25:06.840 --> 0:25:11.560 start on the inside. I read where Tom Brady's jersey 0:25:11.840 --> 0:25:14.520 that he wore during the Super Bowl is worth five 0:25:14.640 --> 0:25:18.880 hundred thousand dollars. I can go online and buy that 0:25:19.000 --> 0:25:23.800 same jersey for forty nine dollars. What's the difference who 0:25:23.840 --> 0:25:28.399 it belongs to? Same jersey, same size, same color, but 0:25:28.520 --> 0:25:32.760 one belongs to Tom Brady. That makes it extremely valuable. 0:25:33.520 --> 0:25:38.280 The scripture says you belong to God. You may feel average, 0:25:38.720 --> 0:25:43.200 think you look ordinary, nothing special about you, but because 0:25:43.359 --> 0:25:47.639 of who you belong to, that makes you extremely valuable. 0:25:47.960 --> 0:25:52.080 Now my challenge, don't let people discount you. Don't let 0:25:52.080 --> 0:25:55.760 your own thoughts push you down. Put your shoulders back. 0:25:56.119 --> 0:25:59.400 You belong to God. You don't have to prove anything. 0:26:00.040 --> 0:26:02.520 You don't have to try to impress people. Just be 0:26:02.960 --> 0:26:06.840 who you are, be amazing. If you'll do this, I 0:26:06.960 --> 0:26:10.720 believe and declare every chain that's held you back is 0:26:10.800 --> 0:26:15.399