Know thy worth

So sometimes we face circumstances that leave us feeling twisted, torn, bent over and broken. Yea, sometimes you lose sight of who you are. Forget all the promises over your life, and the prophecies spoken by the Lord to you.

I have been there more times than I care to count. 

Here's the thing though, no matter how much life has roughed you up, your value is not any less. Like that crumpled 100dollar bill, no matter how many  hands have pressed you, no matter how many hands you have been through, no matter how crumpled you feel, your value has not changed. You are still precious, still worth the life of a King.

You may have sinned against God, and now feel like you are not good enough to be His, well He says, (Isaiah 1:18) "Come now let us reason together," says the Lord, "Though your sins are red as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

You may have been rejected or hurt in the hands of people, but He says, (Deuteronomy 31:6) "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord you God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.

Smile and hold your head high, and know your worth. You are who God says you are. No matter where you have been, you are still the apple of God's eye.

(Jeremiah 31:3-4)..."Yes , I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt....

(2 Corinthians 4:8-9) We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed

 Know your worth. God still has the final say.

Speak life. You are good enough. Strong enough. Beautiful enough. You are more than a conqueror, more than what people say

Cover of love

I had for many a day read the scripture that reads, "love covers a multitude of sins" but the impact and truth of these words had not occurred to me until recently. I will tell you the story.
Having had a friend for close to a year who I looked up to especially on entrepreneurial  terms, I was once required to give an evaluation of him. I was very positive in my report, giving my honest opinion as at that time, despite his unpopularity with the rest of the team. They thought he was boring. I didn't. About a fortnight later, I needed something from the said friend as a matter of urgency.... something within his ability. He very rudely turned me down, saying something to the effect that I did not deserve the assistance. I was shocked by his words, staring in disbelief hoping someone would wake me up. It was one rude awakening. I walked away thinking I would never stand his sight again.
The next time I was to interact with him, I couldn't help but notice how boring he was. Come to think of it, he always talked a bit too much, right? How could I not have seen? I didn't seem to mind earlier, but after my change of heart, I could barely stand him.
He had not changed. My heart had. The cover of love had been lifted off my eyes. That which covers a multitude of sin and weaknesses.
(Proverbs 10:12) Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins- in some versions, weaknesses.
Have you ever been in a relationship, and just when it goes sour you look at the person and wonder what you had seen in them?
Have you ever had interest in a lady and just when she rejects you, you notice that her teeth are crooked?
Have you ever disagreed with your friend then suddenly noticed that her jokes are actually not funny, or her accent is weird?
I am sure you have heard of people who suddenly say that their spouse, or fiance is  not who they thought they were, and the thing they say is actually not a new trait in the accused...
I cannot for one second try to rule out the fact that people change, but many times, the love faded away, probably after a disappointment or fight with the person, or having your attention drift to another interest, at the expense of the first.
They said love is blind, then beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.
Love does not see flaw... It understands that flaws are there, they just don't appear in its line of vision. If the beholder has love, the thing is beautiful. If the beholder lacks love, the thing is not beautiful.
You view things from your perspective. From the veil over your eyes. If your eyes are covered with love, you see beauty. If they are veiled with hatred, you see ugliness...
The flaws had been there before, except love had covered them.
When you start focusing on the flaws and weaknesses of another, you can barely stand them...
Conflict is an inevitable part of any relationship where two individuals are real to each other... Parent-child, brother-sister, friends, spouses, etc. When they do arise, view each other with love and fight the issue, not each other. Hate the problem, not each other.
Let love cover the multitude of weaknesses your neighbor has. Let love cover the fact that she sings off-key. Let it cover your spouse's weaknesses, and they are many. This is not to say that you should be silent when someone does wrong, but could you please fight the ill and not the person? Can you correct them lovingly?
Pretending is very different from loving. Taking an example of a man whose wife always make saltless food that he doesn't like, he has two options: Pretend that he doesn't mind when really he does, and he will slowly develop a distaste for her cooking, and y'all know the repercussions of this... or he can lovingly correct her and ask for more salt in her cooking, as he commends her for the job that far.
Pretending always grows tired and it will boil over in a moment of pressure, while the loving correction will yield the desired fruit, with no negative effect.
I know... I know... There are those veeeery "unlovable" people. You know that type that is always up in your business sourcing for something to gossip about over all social media, the type that doesn't seem to understand that mobile phones are not public booths ( they don't seem to understand the meaning of 'private' and 'personal'), that neighbor who just won't stop telling everyone who cares to listen how lately you seem to be barely living, that your house rarely smells of food, and that girl who just won't stop sneering at you... I know those are there, I have met my share of them. But what would  Jesus say to you?
(Matthew 5:43-48) "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies , bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect."

Yes, we should love even them whom we think don't deserve it. That is what Jesus did for you and I!
Decide to live a life of selfless love. Even when you stand to gain nothing, just love anyway. If God chose to love only those who deserved it, and hate those who deserved it, what side of the divide would you be on?
(John 13:35) "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
Be true to God and to yourself and ask Him to  fill your heart with love. If you particularly find it hard to love a specific person, tell it to the Lord and ask that He give you a heart like His, to love even them who don't deserve it.
Speak life and speak love.

Lean on Him

(Ecc 4:9-12) Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not easily broken.

Here is the thing, there are some plants that just can't survive on their own. They need support to stand straight. If they are tied to another weak plant, their chances of standing together are almost nil, right? On the other hand, the height that will be achieved by this plant basically is the height of its supporting plant. The shape of this tree will largely depend on the shape of the host plant, if I may call it that way. The strength to stand storms, and winds without breaking under the pressure depends on the strength of the host. 

We are like these plants that need support. We are not made to stand alone. It is not in our nature not to place our trust in anything. Some trust in men, others in things, material or not. 

I had placed my trust in my friends at some point. I could almost swear these ones will never leave me. Well, you can guess, they left. A false rumour started spreading at school, that really left me scarred. Everyone at school was talking about it, and shunning me like I had some deadly disease, and yes you guessed it, my friends did too... Of course I was broken. I could go on and on about the many times I have trusted in men and was let down thoroughly. This is not at all to say that there are no genuine friends. I know I have one who has stuck through almost 20 years of friendship. These exist and I pray that each of us gets a covenant friend who the Lord places in your life strategically for His own divine purposes. 

Anyway, there are many things we trust in. Parents... oh how I did this. In my previous post everything will work together for your good, I talked of how I lost my dad some time ago. Well, I had put my trust in him so much, God almost never got credit for anything I was provided with, and neither did He know of anything I needed except when I asked Him to remind dad that I wanted such and such... So when he rested, I was left stranded because he had been what I had looked to for everything. 

Some trust in their beauty... I have heard of ladies who know they won't lack a husband because they are beautiful...newsflash for you, there are many beautiful women who for many reasons didn't get spouses at the age they had desired. (Prov 31:30)... beauty is vain... 

There was once we had auditions to join one of the most popular clubs in high school. They were quite tough for me and I did not expect to pass them. On the next morning, we found pinned to a notice board, a list of the names of those who passed. I looked the list from bottom-up and was really happy to see my name on the list along with other very talented girls... As we walked towards the dining hall for breakfast, chattering excitedly about the club, I commented how grateful to God I was for enabling me. One lady shocked me with her response, "For me it's not God. I couldn't have missed." I went silent the rest of the way in amazement at her words. 

(Col 3:2) Set your mind on things above, not on things below... 

So many times we put our trust on temporary things. We tie ourselves to things that have an end. When for a reason they do come to an end, we are left broken, lost and in pain. Many times a woman finds her identity in the relationship she is in, and when it comes to an end, she too feels 'ended'. Man may find his identity in his business or in his job. If trouble strikes and it hits the rock, they are devastated. 

We are as strong as what we tie ourselves to. When we think of the man who built His house upon a rock, when storms hit, the house stood. What is your foundation? Where do you draw your strength? How tall will you grow? Money and wealth is good, we all desire to have it in plenty... friends are a blessing, we all need them... Will you stand if you got separated from that friend? Don't love them any less, don't be less devoted to your career. But let your eyes be trained on God, the author and perfector of your faith. Will you stand tall and God forbid, if there were no phones or computers? Would you survive? 

Many benefits accrue to you when you trust in God, among them being,

1. You do not worry

(Rom 8:28) for we know that God makes all things work out together for our good if we love Christ and are called according to His purpose.  In my words...

2. You flourish uncontrollably.

(Prov 11:28) He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage

(Prov 28:25) He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife, but he who trusts k  the Lord will be prospered.

3. You are always safe.

(Prov 29:25) The fear of a man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.

(Prov 30:5) Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. 

4. You get what you desire

(Psalm 37:4-6) Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noonday. 

5. You are never alone

(Psalm 9:10) And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

6. You live in perfect peace

(Isaiah 26:3) You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Many people know repercussions of trusting in earthly things... I will highlight a few verses.

(Jer 17:5-12) Thus says the Lord, "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places in the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. " Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water,  that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?...

I don't know about you but I would surely hate to be deemed cursed by the Lord Himself...for the Word was God...(John 1:1) for what He blesses no man can curse and what He curses no man can bless

Does anyone know your schedules before God does?

 Does anyone know you are hurt before God does?

 When you meet a challenge is there someone who pops in your mind a that you need to tell before God pops up?

 When you have good news is there someone you tell before you tell God? 

When you are called for an interview do you think of your qualifications before you think of your God?

 If you answered yes to any of the questions then you need to realign whom you trust. Only God never changes, never leaves, never turns His back on us... Choose to cling to the strongest support you can get.

Speak life and ask God to teach you how to trust Him. That you may never lean on your skills or understanding, on money nor man... That He may take you where your skills and background do not allow. Ask for His grace, which grants you things you do not deserve, and his mercy, which ensures you do not get the punishment you deserve. For even your good deeds are not enough to save you. Salvation Belongs to the Lord. We receive it by His mercy.