Let It Flow

 Topic: Let It Flow

Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. – John 4:14

Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Gentleness. Goodness. Faith. Meekness. Temperance. Powerful forces the Bible calls the fruit of the spirit. They’re the character traits of God Himself and when the Holy Spirit came to dwell in you, He brought them with Him, so they could become your character traits too.

They’re designed to bubble up inside you, to gush forth like a powerful stream constantly protecting and cleansing you from the inside out.

Have you ever noticed that you can’t put any trash in the mouth of a flowing fountain? When it’s shooting that water up, the force of its own outflow protects it and keeps it clear of any impurities from the outside. Well, the spiritual fountain within you works the same way. When you’re allowing the forces of love and joy and peace and gentleness and all the others to flow out, the devil can’t get any of his junk in.

How do you keep the spirit flowing? You pump your heart so full of the Word of God that the forces of eternal life start bubbling out. Just a little at first…and then stronger and higher.

Choose to keep those forces streaming out of the fountain of your heart. Refuse to let selfishness and sin stop the flow. You have a fountain filled with unbeatable life forces inside you and it’s ready to come forth. Let it flow!

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 17:7-13

This message was written by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, the leader of the Kenneth Copeland Ministries (www.KCM.org) that specializes in teaching principles of bible faith – prayer, healing, salvation and other biblical topics.

Flatimes Notice Board: Until you are born again, God ever abiding presence will never be with you. You must be born again to enjoy continuous victory. Please say the displayed prayer below in faith:

Lord Jesus, come into my life. I accept You as my Lord and Personal Saviour. I believe in my heart You died and rose from the dead to save me. Thank You Lord for saving me, in Jesus name Amen.

If you just prayed the prayer of salvation online please send your testimonies and prayer request to info@awmi.net,

Find Yourself In The Book

 TOPIC: Find Yourself In The Book (TREM Devotional 2 August 2024)

“And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written.” Luke 4:17 (KJV)

Wisdom For The Day MESSAGE: 

The secret of power is having a vibrant, intact, ongoing relationship with God. It must not be a one-time shot. You must put your ears in His mouth. That is the secret of power. If you do not discover this, you can fast all you want and pray all you want; power will not flow. Your father needs you around every time. The reason for manipulation is that people are too much in a hurry. They don’t want to wait. You ought to sit at the Master’s feet and let him share the secret of victory with you.

When Jesus went home to Nazareth, and as His custom was, they gave him the book to read. He opened to what was documented about Him in the volume of books. Jesus opened to Isaiah 61 and read: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the broken hearted…” After reading, He closed the book and sat down. That seat had been waiting for the man whose documentary was in the book to come and sit there. He sat down, and the Bible says all the eyes of those present were fastened on him.

Do you know some of your seats are empty? Do you want people to be drawn to you? Then, find yourself in the book and become the book. It was the same thing with John the Baptist. They asked him, are you the Christ? He said no. Are you one of the prophets? He said no. Then who are you? He quoted from Isaiah 40: 3: “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God”. The scripture says people left the city and went to look for him in the wilderness. What happened? He found himself in the book.

FURTHER READING

Luke 4:16-21

DAILY BIBLE READING

Morning – Psalms 60-62; Evening – Romans 5

Wisdom For The Day Devotional was Written by Dr. Mike Okonkwo; Is the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM); a versatile man of God with over 30 years of dedicated service unto the Lord.

Flatimes’ Notice Board: Until you are born again, God ever abiding presence will never be with you. You must be born again to enjoy continuous victory. Please say the displayed prayer below in faith:

Lord Jesus, come into my life. I accept You as my Lord and Personal Saviour. I believe in my heart You died and rose from the dead to save me. Thank You Lord for saving me, in Jesus’ name Amen.

If you just prayed the prayer of salvation online please send your testimonies and prayer request to trem@trem.org,

POVERTY IS PART OF THE CURSE OF THE LAW!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY AUGUST 02, 2024.

SUBJECT : POVERTY IS PART OF THE CURSE OF THE LAW!

Memory verse: "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree") (Galatians 3 vs 13.)

READ: Deuteronomy 28 vs 15 - 20:

28:15: But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

28:16: Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country.

28:17: Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

28:18: Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.

28:19: Cursed shall shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.

28:20: The LORD will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me.

INTIMATION:

Poverty is a curse. It is part of the curse of the law. The passage we read today reveals the curse of poverty inherent in disobedience to God’s law. In the beginning God placed everything that man could use and enjoy in the Garden of Eden. His Will is for us to lack nothing, and be in abundance. God saw to it that Adam lacked no good thing. Haven created Adam in his own image and after His likeness (as we are also created), left nothing to be desired, but asked for their obedience to a single command; “Do not eat of the of the tree of knowledge of good and evil..” (Genesis 2 vs 17). Adam was the master of the kingdom given to him. God only placed Himself above Adam as his master.

God's Will of abundance for Adam was supreme until that fatal day he committed high treason against God, haven believed the devil with his wife, Eve, and doubted God’s integrity. When Adam partook of the deadly tree, he died, not physically but spiritually. Spiritual death—the nature of Satan—overtook his once righteous spirit, and he became one with Satan. Every phase of Adam's life came under the curse of his new god, Satan. He was driven from the Garden; abundance was no longer his to enjoy. He had to toil and sweat in order to survive. His beautiful life was overrun by thorns and thistles both in the physical and in the spiritual world.

God's heart yearns for His people to be free, and in His infinite wisdom and mercy, sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, as a propitiation for our sins. He paid the supreme price for our sins, and redeemed us from the curse of the law, when He was nailed to, and hung on the cross, and shed His blood for the remission of our sins. The Scripture says, "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree") (Galatians 3 vs 13.)

The Scripture reveals that Jesus bore the curse of poverty at the same time He bore the curse of sickness (Isaiah 53 vs 4 - 5). You can believe for divine prosperity just as you believe for divine health. Both blessings already belong to you. You should refuse lack just as quickly as you refuse sickness because they both are the curse of the law, and Christ has already redeemed you from that curse. The blessing of Abraham is ours, as well as the promises of the Spirit. God’s wish is that we shall prosper in all things and be in health, just as our soul prospers (Third John 2). Prosperity is God's Will for us. Most of us usually look at prosperity in a different way from other things, such as divine health. There are Word principles for divine health, healing, deliverance etc., as well as divine prosperity and abundance, and they all work the same way.

But we have not been using the Word to believe for divine prosperity as we had for divine health. We usually live in the laws of prosperity (paying tithes, give offering, make kingdom investments etc.), but we don't take authority in the Word for prosperity. If you have obeyed the laws, and then refuse to take what belongs to you, you will miss it. We have been acting on prosperity differently from other provisions of the Word. In this way, we would allow symptoms of lack to come on us and stay there. We are willing to tolerate it, and sometimes claim is God's Will. But the word is very clear on the Will of God (Jeremiah 29 vs 11 & Third John vs 2). If you have obeyed the laws of prosperity, then take authority in the Word over it because it belongs to you.

Satan will always come to us with the thoughts of doubt and say; "There is no way you can have your needs met." "There is no way you can come out of your debts because you are poor, your salary cannot carry you through." "There is no way you can do all you ought to do, build a house, by a car, marry etc., There is just no way." Your answer to him should be "No Satan, my God is able! Christ has redeemed me from the curse of the law, and the blessing of Abraham are mine in Christ Jesus." You will hang your faith completely in the Scriptures.

Confess continually the Word in Second Corinthians 9 vs 8 and personalize it; "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” The Amplified Version is more revealing on this verse, “:And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to me in abundance, so that I may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need, be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donations]. 

The Word says that God is able to get it to you. Don't look to natural sources. Don't look at your job, your present position, your natural capabilities, and present financial position, but look unto God. Keep your eyes single on the Word. Trust Him in whatever your hands have found to do, He will prosper you there. You have to realize and know that He can and will work in your behalf. God is real! He is able to get things done!

Prayer: Abba Father, thank you for all you received for me in redemption. Through the grace of our Messiah, Jesus Christ; though He was rich, yet for my sake He became poor, that I through His poverty might become rich. I refuse the lies of the devil, and embrace the truth of my abundant life in Christ Jesus: Abraham blessings are mine, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

Humility, Pride, And Miracles

TOPIC: Humility, Pride, And Miracles

MEMORISE: “And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?” – 2 Kings 5:13 (KJV)

READ: Matthew 15:22-28 (KJV)

22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.

23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.

24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.

27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.

28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 64-66

Open Heaven For Today 2024 MESSAGE

God does not give miracles to proud people. I have noticed that everyone who got a miracle from Jesus approached Him in humility. The leper in Matthew 8:2-3 worshipped Him, the centurion in Matthew 8:5-10 didn’t send a messenger but came personally to ask Jesus to heal his servant, and the woman in Matthew 15:22-28 was practically insulted by Jesus when He likened her to a dog, but she took no offence. On the other hand, everyone that would have gotten a miracle from Jesus but didn’t, exhibited pride in one way or the other, especially the people of His hometown (Matthew 13:54-58). The Bible says that He was only able to do a few miracles there.

Naaman almost died a leper because of pride. He went to the prophet for healing and was told to go and wash in River Jordan. He got angry and wanted to return to his country to die as a leper because he thought that a man of his calibre should not wash in the Jordan river. Thank God for his servants who talked sense into his head.

Sometimes, God will give me an instruction that sounds childish during our Holy Ghost Services. Because I am a child in His hands, I will tell the people what He says, and those who are not too big to obey the childish instruction will come back to testify about how they got their miracle after obeying Him. One time, God told me to call out all those who had back pains and dance around them. That was a very childish thing to do, but I obeyed, and when I was done, their back pains had disappeared, and they could all bend over to touch their toes conveniently.

If you are too proud to submit to a man of God, you cannot get a miracle through him. If you are too big to carry out an instruction because it seems beneath your social status, you cannot get a miracle. You must humble yourself before the Most High God if you want to enjoy His miracles. It amazes me that people consult doctors in humility, answering all their questions and surrendering their bodies for examination and treatment, but when they come to God, they act in a proud manner as if they know more than Him.

KEY POINT

If you want a miracle from God, you must put your pride aside and come to Him as a child.

THE SIN OF EVIL DESIRES!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY AUGUST 01, 2024.

SUBJECT: THE SIN OF EVIL DESIRES!

Memory verse: "But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.” (First Timothy 6 vs 9.)

READ: Matthew 5 vs 27 - 30:

5:27: You have heard that it was said by those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’

5:28: But I say to you that whoever looks on a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

5:29: If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out, and cast it from you; for it is profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

5:30: And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

INTIMATION:

A desire is a craving or longing for something. Some desires are evil or sinful and is frequently translated as “lust.” Some desires are good. For instance, the apostle Paul had the good desire to be with Christ; “For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Philippians 1 vs 23). Just as the Lord’s desire concerning the last Passover; “Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” (Luke 22 vs 15.)

For evil desires, or inordinate affections, the apostle Paul says, such should not be tolerated by believers because, “Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passion and desires.” (Galatians 5 vs 24.) When we accept Christ as our Savior, we need to turn from our sinful ways and willingly nail our sinful nature to the cross. This doesn’t mean, however, that we will never see traces of its evil desires again. As Christians we still have the capacity to sin and sometimes sin, but we have been set free from sin’s power over us and no longer have to give in to it. We must daily commit our sinful tendencies to God’s control, daily crucify them, and moment by moment draw on the Spirit’s power to overcome them. 

“Lust” is a devilish desire. Jesus said “lust” is as good as the “deed” itself. For instance, the Old Testament law says that it is wrong for a person to have sex with someone other than his or her spouse (Exodus 20 vs 14). But Jesus said that the desire to have sex with someone other than your spouse is mental adultery and thus sin. Jesus was emphasizing here that if the act is wrong, then so is the intention. In the passage we read today, Jesus is condemning the deliberate and repeated filling of one’s mind with fantasies that would be evil if acted upon. Therefore, desires that will lead you to wrongdoing should not be accommodated. 

Some people may desire to be rich, which in itself, is not wrong or evil, but the desire to be rich at all costs will definitely build up ideas in their minds that will expose them to temptations, snares, and many foolish things that are harmful and destructive. For instance, somebody might desire to make wealth by all means, and will be harboring stealing, money rituals, or obtaining by false pretenses, and if such desires are acted upon, the person may be committing murder, and other heinous crimes that are evil in themselves. Sinful actions are more dangerous than sinful desires, hence desires should not be acted out. Nevertheless, sinful desires are just as damaging to obedience as the actions proper. Left unchecked, wrong desires will result in wrong actions and turn people away from God.

Jesus was speaking figuratively when He said we should get rid of your hand or your eye, He didn’t mean literally to gouge our your eye, because even a blind person can lust. But if that were the only choice, it would be better to go into heaven with one eye or hand than to go to hell with the two. It takes the help of the Holy Spirit to resist any actions on our evil desires. The world is full of enticements. Daily we are confronted with subtle cultural pressures and overt propaganda. The only way to escape these destructive influences is to ask God to help crucify our interest in them. Evil acts begin with evil desires. It isn’t enough to ask God to keep you away from temptation, make you stronger, or change your circumstances. You must ask Him to change you on the inside—at level of your desires.

The Scripture says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4 vs 23.) We should keep our hearts with all diligence, making sure we concentrate on those desires that will keep us on the right path. Make sure your affections push you in the right direction. Put boundaries on your desires: Don’t go after everything you see. And don’t get sidetracked on detours that lead to temptation.

“Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things that are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things that pure, whatever things that lovely, whatever things that are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4 vs 8.)

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to put boundaries on my desires, to concentrate on those desires that will keep me on the right path of obedience to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen. 

PRAISE  THE LORD!

Prayer against Evil Adversary

 Today, we're praying against evil adversary because our enemies will never rest to torment us so we need to end them and their adversary against us.

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

PRAYER POINTS

1. Let all the powers, agreeing against my goodness and breakthroughs, become confused and scattered in the name of Jesus.

2. Let all the powers of my adversaries, be rendered impotent in the name of Jesus.

3. Let every evil tongue, uttering curses and other evil pronouncements against my life, be completely silenced in the name of Jesus.

4. I command every evil stronghold and powers, housing my rights and goodness to be violently overthrown, in the name of Jesus.

5. I pursue, overtake and recover my properties, from the hands of spiritual robbers, in the name of Jesus.

6. Let every counsel, plan, desire, expectation, imagination, device and activity of the oppressors, against my life be rendered null and void in the name of Jesus.

7. I terminate every contract, and cancel every evil promissory note, kept in satanic files for my sake, in the name of Jesus.

8. I release myself form the powers and activities of the wasters, in the name of Jesus.

9. I refuse to be tossed around by any evil remote control device, fashioned to delay my miracle in the name of Jesus.

10. Let all the citadels of evil summoning of the spirit, receive the fire of God and burn to ashes in the name of Jesus.

11. Holy Spirit, teach me to avoid unfriendly friends, and unprofitable associations in Jesus name.

12. Let all my goodness presently in the prison of the enemy, begin to pursue and locate me as from today in the name of Jesus.

13. Let all strange fire, prepared against my life, be quenched in the name of Jesus.

14. I command every tongue issuing destruction against me, be condemned in the name of Jesus.

15. Let all the troublers of my Israel, be disbanded and confused in the name of Jesus.

16. Let the blood of Jesus clean off all unprofitable marks, in every department of my life.

17. Let all strange hands that have touched my blood be neutralized, in the name of Jesus.

18. I command every spirit that repels blessings to be bound in the name of Jesus.

19. I receive victory over the host of wickedness surrounding me in the name of Jesus.

20. I stand against dream defeats and its effects, in the name of Jesus.

21. Let every spirit attacking me, in the form of animals receive the fire of God.

22. I stand against the operations of the spirit of death, in my life in the name of Jesus.

23. Let the counsel of the devil against me, be destroyed and frustrated in the name of Jesus.

24. I bind the spirit of doubt, unbelief, fear and tradition in the name of Jesus.

25. Father, destroy every stronghold of the powers of darkness in my family, in the name of Jesus.

26. Let every problem paralysing my mind; be neutralized in the name of Jesus.

27. Let every evil effect of ritual killings upon my life, by my ancestors be neutralized in the name of Jesus.

28. Let all terminal, genetic, and ancestral sicknesses be removed from me, in the name of Jesus.

29. Lord gives me power to pursue and overtake the enemy, and also to recover my stolen property.

30. O God, Let your fire destroy every foundational problem, in my life in the name of Jesus.

31. Let every link, label and oppressors be destroyed by the blood of Jesus.

32. Every evil pregnancy in my life, be aborted in the name of Jesus.

33. Let every dirty hands, be removed from the affairs of my life, in the name of Jesus.

34. Let every effect of evil access to my blood, be reversed now in the name of Jesus.

35. Let everything done against me under the devil’s anointing, be neutralized now in the name of Jesus.

36. All evil vessels dispatched to do me harm, crash in the name of Jesus.

37. Satanic banks, release my properties in your hands, in Jesus’ name.

38. I remove my name, from the book of untimely death, in the name of Jesus.

39. I remove my name, from the book of tragedy in Jesus’ name.

40. All evil umbrellas, preventing heavenly showers from falling upon me, be roasted in the name of Jesus.

41. Let all evil associations, summoned for my sake be scattered, in the name of Jesus.

42. Let every problem connected to polygamy, In my life, be nullified in Jesus’ name.

43. I command every satanic reinforcement against me, to scatter in the name of Jesus.

44. I cancel evil vows, that are affecting me negatively, in the name of Jesus 

45. I destroy the clock and the time-table, of the enemy for my life in the name of Jesus.

46. Lord, reschedule my enemies to useless and harmless assignments.

47. Let every evil device against me be disappointed in Jesus’ name.

48. Let the healing power of the Holy Spirit, overshadow me.

49. I bind every spirit, working against answers to my prayers, in the name of Jesus.

50. I disarm any power that has made a covenant with the ground, water and wind about me in the name of Jesus.

51. O Lord, make my life invisible to demonic observers.

52. I bind all evil remote control spirits, in the name of Jesus.

53. I withdraw all the bullets and ammunition, made available to the enemy against me, in the name of Jesus.

54. I revoke any conscious, or unconscious covenant, with the spirit of death in the name of Jesus.

55. In the name of Jesus, I call on the heavenly surgeon to perform surgical operations, where necessary in my life.

56. I refuse to be spiritually amputated, in the name of Jesus.

57. I refuse to wage war against myself, in the name of Jesus.

58. O Lord, wake me up from any form of spiritual sleep, in the mighty name of Jesus.

59. All evil seeds, planted by fear into my life, be uprooted in the name of Jesus.

60. Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; let your kingdom be established in every area of my life.

WE ARE OF GREAT VALUE TO GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JULY 31, 2024.

SUBJECT : WE ARE OF GREAT VALUE TO GOD!

Memory verse: "Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the sin of man, that You are mindful of him?" (Psalm 144 vs 3.)

READ: Psalm 8 vs 3 - 8:

8:3: When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, 

8:4: What is man that You are mindful of him? and the son of man that You visit him?

8:5: For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honour.

8:6: You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,

8:7: All sheep and oxen—even the beasts of the field,

8:8: The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.

INTIMATION:

Humans are of great value to God. By comparison, the existence of the universe minimizes the significance of man. There is no comparison between the two. Though existing in a small planet of the universe, man is considered and cared for by God. The existence of man on earth alone exemplifies God’s consideration for man. Man’s very existence is evidence of the fact that he is the most important of all that God created. Of all beings that God created through Jesus (Colossians 1 vs 16), man was least in comparison to angels. And yet, God exalted man above angels to the point of sending His only begotten Son into the world for the salvation of man (John 3 vs 16).

When we look at the vast expense of creation, we wonder how God could be concerned for people who constantly disappoint Him. Yet God created us only a little lower than Himself and the angels! We have great worth because we bear the stamp of the Creator. In Genesis 1 vs 26 - 27, the Bible says, “Then God said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

God obviously did not create us exactly like Himself because God has no physical body. Instead, we are reflections of God’s glory. Some feel that our reasoning, creativity, speech or self-determination is the image of God. More likely, it is our entire self that reflects the image of God. We will never be totally like God because He is our Supreme Creator. 

Reference is, therefore, to the spiritual image of God that dwells within every person through the God-created spirit of man. Being in the image of God refers to the spiritual inclinations of man that make him a spiritual being who seeks to worship a higher power than himself. Consequently, we do have the ability to reflect His character in our love, patience, forgiveness, kindness, and faithfulness.

Knowing that we are made in God’s image and thus share many of His characteristics provides a solid basis for self-worth. Human worth is not based on possessions, achievements, physical attractiveness, or public acclaim. Instead, it is based on being made in God’s image. Because we bear God’s image, we can feel positive about ourselves. Criticizing or downgrading ourselves is criticizing what God has made and the abilities He has given us. Knowing that you are a person of worth helps you love God, know Him personally, and make a valuable contribution to those around you.

Because of the worth God placed on man, He gave human beings tremendous authority—to be in charge of the whole earth. But with great authority comes great responsibility. If we own a pet, we have the legal authority to do with it as we wish, but we also have the responsibility to feed and care for it. To “have dominion over” something is to have absolute authority and control over it. God has ultimate dominion over the earth, and He exercises His authority with loving care. When God delegated some of His authority to the human race, He expected us to take responsibility for the environment and the other creatures that share our planet. We must not be careless and wasteful as we fulfill this charge. God was careful how He made the earth. We must not be careless about how we take care of it.

For the love and value God placed on us, He did the unthinkable for sinful humanity; giving for us His only Son, Jesus Christ, as a propitiation for our sins, who died a shameful death on the cross to pay the wages we owed: the wages of our sins which is death. For all the creation of God, He loved humans and gave up the life of His only Son for us. Because God has already declared how valuable we are to Him, we can be set free from feelings of worthlessness. The next time you question your worth as a person, remember that God considers you highly valuable. 

Prayer: Abba Father, there is nothing I can do to thank You enough for Your love, care, and value You bestowed on me. Endue me with the spirit of gratitude and obedience to You, and give me the grace to live for, and pleasing You all the days of my life, in Jesus Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!