Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
10 6 2023
No Audio today – Sorry
Your death would leave a great hole. What is your life worth?
Do you remember Clarence, George Bailey’s guardian angel in the movie; “It’s a Wonderful Life?”. The angel said, “Strange isn’t it… Each man’s life touches so many other different lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole”. If you don’t remember the movie with James Stewart, it will lift you up and help you believe in yourself and that God does have a purpose for your life. Sometimes that inner voice is a demon trying to take you down for the final count. Don’t let him. Let’s talk about what got you there and the truth about who you are.
After surviving open heart surgery, and visiting my 98-year-old Mom yesterday for her birthday, it seems only normal to take inventory of your life’s work and life’s focus. Have you ever thought of what you are worth? What your value as a man or woman is? Where did you learn that? Who influenced you? Were they good mentors who told you the truth and set a high standard? And if you are one who doesn’t place the highest value on your manhood, are you seriously in the mindset of a makeover that would reveal a higher truth? Maybe it is just a set of too many circumstances that never seemed to go your way and didn’t bring out your best.
I am not sure that any man ever achieves the level they truly would aspire to… in doing it the right way. The view and truth of our compromises tend to dirty the windows of what we see and those same compromises for gold and glory, however small or large, also tarnished the character and soul of that man. They may have created success by man’s standards, but we all own this bucket filled with things material with just enough eternal to plug a couple of holes and give us some degree of personal redemption. Or so some think. But it’s typically not real.
Some of you are listening because you have known the empty bucket. There were just too many holes to plug and your truth was a longer list of what went wrong than what went right. There were so many chances that never spelled redemption for you, your career, your marriage, your relationships, whatever… You never felt like you were enough. What you had the best intentions of, too many times…just fell to pieces representing another failure…or another I told you so of just not being the man you wanted to be. It’s true, we can be our own worst enemy.
So let’s look in the mirror… let’s set up a registry of truth that may challenge what you believe and
how you see yourself.
Self-esteem is how we value and perceive ourselves. It’s based on OUR opinions and beliefs about ourselves, which can feel difficult to change. We might also think of this as self-confidence.
But here is an irrefutable truth. God chose you to be born during this time….this century. He has a plan for you, so don’t give up on you…because He never will. Let’s change the paradigm of your thinking. Let’s grasp onto a much higher hope and hear what God has to say about YOU!
Why You Are Valuable to God?
God says in Eph 1:4 that You are valuable because of who you are. You were made in God’s image, according to His likeness (Genesis 1:26). A long time ago, even before God created you and before He created this universe, you were the focus of His love. “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love” (Ephesians 1:4).
I know we may not look like that today. You may not feel like that either but that doesn’t change the truth of it! Paul said, “Don’t be moved by what you see and hear” 2 Cor 4:18 Many times that includes us and that inner voice that is always putting ourselves down. Or the voices of others who have bullied you into believing you are different and less than you should be. Joshua, said, choose you this day who you will believe!” As for me and my house, we will believe in the name of the Lord my God. You get to choose who you believe. Choose to believe this millstone around your neck of demon voices is not what God wants for you. God’s word says otherwise. God’s DNA is in you. Even though your upbringing may have beaten you down and reinforced a lot of negative and or failed behaviors, God says differently…He has not given up on you and He still loves you even though you may be struggling to love yourself.
What does God say about YOU?
As one loved by God, you have also been chosen by God for “adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself” (Ephesians 1:5). This adoption came at a high price, the death of His Son. “He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Ephesians 1:6, 7). Can’t you see, that you are valuable because of what you cost?
Therefore, stand your ground and keep on standing, and take those other thoughts of self-esteem that don’t line up with God’s word captive! Whatever it is you are stumbling through will only last a moment…it won’t last.
Change your focus…Change your words! Speak out God’s word over your situation and your life!
You are coming out of it.
That situation IS working out for your good; Your time is in God’s hands. He is working for you a far richer and eternal weight of glory, by the virtue of your consistency and commitment to what God has told you. Take ahold of His word and make it your own. It was meant for you, so you could have hope and believe in God’s truth. You will not lose God in the midst of the storm. He says you are more than a conqueror. He promises to shine on the weakness of his children and use that to confound the wise…to topple mountains and the lies of the enemy.
Today is your day to look up and believe what God says about you and why you are so valuable to Him. He’s not done with you yet. Believe that and he will show you how to walk out of the fire into
His glorious light!
Sorry I could only write twice this week. Thanks so much for your prayers…I get tired easily. Blessings
