No one is responsible for believing in you, you must believe in yourself. Man’s valuation isn’t God’s evaluation.
Do you believe that? This question may not be applicable to all my readers but to those who have struggled with their identity or purpose the Holy Spirit wants you to know that you were always on the mind of Christ. You’re not an afterthought or accident. You were created on purpose for a purpose. You just need to find the true Source of the answers you seek. Your identity is not in who your parents are, they were just the channel the Lord used, it’s not in where you were born, that’s just the method the world uses for placement, it’s not in your academic achievements, that’s just a hint of the greatness God has wired into your DNA, it’s not in your career, that’s just a limited resource incomparable to all He has for you. And it’s not in your relationships or extracurricular activities. God has what the scripture describes as, exceedingly abundantly above all that, and more than you could ask, think or imagine. Wow! That’s a mouthful. But it’s all true.
Consider what David wrote as he contemplated the greatness and awesomeness of God. If this doesn’t get you pumped up, you need help. No child is an accident, the parents may not have planned it, neither can they. But there are no accidents with our Creator, only appointments. Consider your birth an appointment with greatness. Your greatness. God planned for your birth before your parents were born. He determines who they would be, how they’d meet, where they would live, the second, minute, hour, days, months and year of your conception and birth. He knew every intricate detail of your life. Knowing all this, how could you ever be an accident? You were planned for and your arrival was celebrated in heaven. God already set in motion everything that pertained to you.
The problem was that your parents didn’t involve Him so they were unaware of His plans for you. You may have grown up without a sense of how special you really are, but it doesn’t negate the reality that Someone thinks you’re special. You just hadn’t met Him yet. As a matter of fact He thought you were special enough to die for. Before you ever sinned, before you ever said your first words, He made provision for your total wellbeing. Spirit, soul and body. You can’t get any more special than that. You were loved before your mom held you. It doesn’t matter if you were the product of rape, incest, from a single parent or married couple, whether you grew up with loving or abusive parents, foster care or adopted. God your Creator and Father says that you’re not an accident. All that matters right now is that you believe Him.
Jeremiah didn’t think he was special when God told him what His plans were for his life. We’re all on assignment, born on purpose for a purpose. No one can be you and no one can do what you have been created to do. What’s ugly to man is beautiful and precious to God. What’s useless to man is useful and valued by God. What’s castaway by man is acceptable, welcomed and pleasing to God. Find your worth and identity in Christ alone. I was told I wouldn’t amount to much. But here you are reading the words He has given me by His Spirit. They saw nothing worth saving. My Creator saw the purpose for which I was created. Let only His Words define you.
“Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” Then the Lord put out His hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.”
Jeremiah 1:4-9 ESV
It doesn’t matter what you or anyone says about you! Say what He puts in your mouth and says about you! We become sidetracked when we begin to elevate man’s words over His. We don’t have to fear their faces and taunting, just focus on what He has said. His words are the only ones that matter. You had no control as a child about what happened to you, but you’re not a child any longer, not in that sense, you’re a child of God who needs to know who you are in Him and that you’re loved. You’re not in a fickle relationship, you're in a covenant relationship with the One who has put His words of affirmation on your life. Go ahead, look in the mirror, who do you see? Do you see an accident or a chosen vessel of God? Speak what He puts in your mouth!
Back to David. He could’ve had an inferiority complex. But spending time alone with His Creator gave him a different perspective on who he was. His father and brothers saw a boy only capable of tending sheep and running errands. His Creator saw a giant slayer and the future king of Israel. They weren’t privy to the secret conversations David had with the Lord. Intimacy breeds confidence, not self confidence but confidence in God. The God who enables us to do unimaginable things. We learn how to take lemons and make a refreshing drink. See yourself the way God sees you and say what He sees. You’re special, you’re beautiful, how can you not be? You’re made in your Father’s image. He gives you beauty for ashes. He clothed you with His righteousness, hallelujah! He called you to wear His glory and represent Him. That’s special! David didn’t have the stature and handsome looks of his brothers, but he was clothed with the presence of the Lord. He was God’s man, that’s why others couldn’t see him. But because he wasn’t an accident and didn’t consider himself as such, God presented him as a man after His own heart. That’s who you are, that’s who I am, that’s who those who say what He says about them are. Hallelujah!
I’ve taught on the scripture I’m about to share but no other passage describes in intricate detail our uniqueness and specialness. David by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit did not sparse words, they were well thought out. No detail left to the imagination. We leave knowing who we are and why. God has no accidents, just appointments. Let’s read together out loud.
“Lord, You know everything there is to know about me. You perceive every movement of my heart and soul, and You understand my every thought before it even enters my mind. You are so intimately aware of me, Lord. You read my heart like an open book and you know all the words I’m about to speak before I even start a sentence! You know every step I will take before my journey even begins. You’ve gone into my future to prepare the way, and in kindness You follow behind me to spare me from the harm of my past. You have laid your hand on me! This is just too wonderful, deep, and incomprehensible! Your understanding of me brings me wonder and strength. Where could I go from your Spirit? Where could I run and hide from Your face? If I go up to heaven, You're there! If I go down to the realm of the dead, You’re there too! If I fly with wings into the shining dawn, You’re there! If I fly into the radiant sunset, You’re there waiting! Wherever I go, Your hand will guide me; Your strength will empower me. It’s impossible to disappear from You or to ask the darkness to hide me, for Your presence is everywhere, bringing light into my night. There is no such thing as darkness withYou. The night, to You, is as bright as the day; there’s no difference between the two. You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside, and wove them all together in my mother’s womb. I thank You , God, for making me so mysteriously complex! Everything You do is marvelously breathtaking. It simply amazes me to think about it! How thoroughly You know me, Lord! You even formed every bone in my body when you created me in the secret place; carefully, skillfully You shaped me from nothing to something. You saw who You created me to be before I became me! Before I’d ever seen the light of day, the number of days You planned for me were already recorded in your book. Every single moment You are thinking of me! How precious and wonderful to consider that You cherish me constantly in Your every thought! O God, Your desires toward me are more than the grains of sand on every shore! When I awake each morning, You’re still with me.”
Psalms 139:1-18 TPT
How about that accident huh? Listen to your Creator, and I’ll close.
“But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the One who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are Mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I Am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom; I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place. Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to Me. You are honored, and I love you.”
Isaiah 43:1-4 NLT
He named you. He formed you. He called you. You’re His! He will give nations for your life. He will take out and take down anyone who tries to harm you. He will walk through every struggle, pain and disappointment with you. Why? Because you’re that special to Him and He loves you. Pretty awesome right? Whose word will you believe?
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant
July 22, 2021