April's featured article
NEW LIFE FACT I
BELIEVE YOU ARE VALUABLE AS GOD’S CREATION
YOU ARE CREATED in God’s image to share His life, love, purpose and creative plan. You are therefore infinitely valuable to Him. He is saying to you, right now: “I love you. I created my best when I created you. I paid a price for you and you are worth all I ever paid for you. I have destined my best for you.
God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. In the likeness of God he created male and female.2
God made nothing inferior. He is first class all the way. He created you unique. You are exceptional —one-of-a-kind Before you were born, you existed in God’s mind. He knew this world would need you at this time. He planned you with a special purpose that no one but you could fulfil because no one on earth could do what you are here to do. Your God-given value does not depend on special genes from superior parents. Your worth before God is not measured by your assets, the colour of your skin, super intelligence or formal education. All sorts of miracles start happening when you discover and accept your value and your potential.
The Bible says, You are God’s workmanship.3 The man who wrote most of the Psalms was wonder-struck by how God made human persons. The Lord made people a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor4 (K.J.V. a little lower than the angels. The original Hebrew word used is “Elohim” — God, as used in Ge.1:l.)
The Lord gave them dominion over the works of his hands; he put all things under their feet.5
The bottom line of positive and stable self-esteem is when you can say: “I accept the value that God has put on me. When you do that, you will then cooperate with God to develop the best possible you in this world.
Self-value will rid you of all jealousy because you will never again want to be anyone else.6
Self-value will wipe out inferiority because you are in God’s class of being and He, in you, is greater than any person or any power outside of you.7
Self-value will eliminate fear of failure or defeat because nothing can stop you and God working together.8
Self-value will give you courage because you discover that with God at work in you, you become indomitable.9
Self-value will cause you to stand up tall, to square your shoulders, to look out into the future with new confidence, to walk with a steady stride, and to rise to the level of importance for which God created you. ‘
God created human persons as much like Himself as any child can be like its natural parents.
God planned that whatever could be said about Him, could be said about you.’
God never planned you or me for poverty, inferiority, sickness, depression, want or insecurity. 12
God never created anything inferior — not you —not any human person.’3
As this powerful principle takes root, you begin to see and respect yourself as a member of divine royalty. 14
God’s family is supposed to represent Him and to reflect His lifestyle on earth. Recognise your value. When you do, you cause the seeds of greatness to germinate in you.’5 Keep those seeds watered by thinking on them and reaffirming your value until your attitude and conduct are transformed.
Now say this to God, out loud.
I RECOGNIZE my value, that You created me in Your own image and likeness. Whatever can be said about You can be said about me as Your offspring.
My life is Your very breath — Your life in human form. Your best material is in me. I am the product of love. Tam created for greatness, crowned with glory and honour, to have dominion over all of Your works.
THANK YOU, LORD. I have had a rebirth of self-worth. Knowing that I am created in Your image and likeness reminds me of my divine origin, of my high purpose, of my infinite value.
I shall never again depreciate the me that You value so much. I shall never again put down what You have lifted up. I am not a nobody. I am a real somebody.
AMEN!
NEW LIFE FACT II
KNOW THAT DISTRUSTING GOD’S WORD IS THE ORIGINAL AND BASIC PROBLEM
GOD’S DREAM for humanity is recorded in the Bible book of Genesis. His plan was to reproduce Himself in Adam and Eve and to have companionship with them.
But their friendship had to be two-way. God would need to be sure that Adam and Eve wanted Him, like He wanted them. They were not required or forced to respect Him any more than you are.
God placed them in the garden of Eden and gave them every tree that is pleasant to the eye and good for food; and the tree of life also in the midst of the garden.’
The only condition: Since they were created in God’s image, to share His lifestyle, they were to trust what
He said. God made one single restriction to measure their faith and confidence in His dream for them. He said:
Of every tree of the garden you may free/v eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will not eat of it; for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die.2
They were expected to have confidence in what God said and that is all that He expects of you and me.
Satan, God’s enemy, heard of God’s dream and conceived a scheme to induce Adam and Eve to betray
God’s trust.
Satan came into the garden.3 He contradicted God, asserting himself as an authority, and said: If you eat of
that tree, you will not surely die.4
Eve took of the fruit and ate it, and gave some to her husband with her; and he ate it.
That was the original sin — distrusting God’s word.
Say this to God.
PRAYER:
LORD, now I understand why faith is so important. That is all You ask of me — just to believe
Your word.
I now realise that lack of confidence in Your word was the original sin. Your friendship and companionship with me depend on our mutual trust. You want to know that I desire Your company and Your lifestyle, just like You have proven that You desire mine, And the only way I can prove my affection for You, is to trust what You say.
I have not done that hi the past. I now realise why I have had to walk alone. I have played into the enemy’s hands by abusing the trust of life You placed in me.
WITH THE KNOWLEDGE of this basic problem, I come to You, 0 Lord, convinced that Your word and Your way is the only basis for the abundant and blessed life You created me for.</p>
From today, my choice shall always be to totally trust in Your living word.
AMEN!
Bible References
Gen 2:9; Gen 3:1; Gen 3:6; Gen 2:16-17; Ge.3:4
Go to read more New Life Fact
Do you have a ministry or a business
Do you have a called of God ministry where your whole purpose is to "feed the sheep", and God supplies your needs, or do you have books, tapes, videos, etc. that you SELL for a "donation", or just outright SELL, and your buyers supply your needs?
There is nothing wrong with being in business and selling things. However, if you are a church or any kind of "ministry", you may want to check your motive for how you are conducting the work of the Lord.
Remember the money changers in the temple where JESUS turned over the tables and threw them out. They were selling things in the "CHURCH". (God made it quite clear to us that we were not to charge for anything, that HE is our source.)
