Your REAL Worth and Why Satan Hates It!

I was watching an interview the other day with Shahrukh Khan and Anushka Sharma from a popular Bollywood movie, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. In the interview, Anushka asked Shahrukh if bits of who Shahrukh is comes through in his characters. This is what he said:

 "I am uncomfortable being Shahrukh Khan. I don't like being me. I like being someone else. People who are unhappy with themselves, I think they become actors... Every morning I wake up not wanting to be me. I look at people who are comfortable with themselves and think 'God what a wonderful life they have,' yet I have this desire to be someone else every moment of my life."

When I heard this, it made me really sad. It felt nice to know that I wasn't alone in how I had felt, especially since it was coming from a big name actor, yet it still made me sad. How insecure can one person be when they don't want to be themselves, when they don't like who they are? With me, it's a combination of many things: looks, aspects of my personality, hobbies and likes, etc. There were times that I would sit down in prayer and ask God, "God, help me to see myself through your eyes." I was only seeing through my eyes, and the eyes of the world. I couldn't see too much beauty in myself.

Now this devotional is just as much for me as anyone else, because I have to take this into consideration myself. I quickly figured out why we feel so insecure about ourselves. I read this quote from a fabulous book called Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge, and it said, "The wounds you have received come to you for a purpose from the one who knows all you are meant to be and fears you." Wow! Though I know many people know that their insecurities are just lies from Satan, I don't think it really sinks in. I was listening to Kat Kerr and she was talking about some scripture from Ezekiel 28 which goes perfectly with this. Ezekiel 28:12-14 says, "You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, emerald, chrysolite, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones." Then in Ezekiel 28:17 it says, "Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor..." If you look at the world now, take a moment to think about what beauty means to the world. Women strive to attain the beauty of models found in magazines. Men strive to attain the muscular stature of men in the movies and on tv. Beauty standards have changed so much over the years, that they have literally become impossible to obtain. People have spent millions of dollars in the quest to obtain beauty and some have died. But even then, it's not all about physical beauty. Satan was also known for his wisdom. People have insecurities about their personality as well as their intelligence. It's easy to see that, based on this scripture, Satan knew all about beauty and it went to his head. So because he was cast out of Heaven for this, he sought revenge on the very creations that God so deeply loved: His children.

My dad always says to be on a regular basis, "If you ain't who you are, you are who you ain't." In other words, if you act like someone you're not, you eventually become that person, and it wasn't God's desire for you to dislike yourself so much that you would change who he created you to be. Genesis 3:10 says, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." That is how many people act today. They hide behind a façade because they are afraid of being emotionally naked, of being exactly who God created and intended them to be. Have you ever noticed though, that the more you try to hide who you are and become someone else, the worse things become? Sure for awhile, it may help, but it changes who you are emotionally and not for the better. I want you to take Matthew 16:25 and look at it in a different perspective, based on beauty. It says in Matthew 16:25, "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it..." It is very true, in this sense. When you work so hard to be someone else, you lose the very essence of who God intended you to be.

Now, would it help you to know that you are all ready perfect just as you are? Would it help you if you were told the TRUTH instead of a lie? Psalm 8:3-5 has both the question we ask, and the answer that God gives. Psalm 8:3-5 says, When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor." Wow! God loves us so much that he made us so beautifully! Not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well. 1 Peter 3:3-4 talks about this! It says: Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight."

Look at the scripture above and you will see the word "worth". Most people believe that worth is based on physical beauty. There are people who are so beautiful on the outside, but their hearts are cold and calloused. Therefore, physical beauty has little to do with our worth, because it says in the bible that we will know a person by their "fruit". God has clearly shown in one scripture how he values us. In Matthew 6:26 it says, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" It's so easy to fall into the trap of, "I'm not good enough" or "I'm not valuable". However, if you trust God, and let him do work in you, he can restore your wounded heart; the lies that Satan has told you about your beauty and worth. And he can help you to see yourself how you really are! A good scripture for this would be Isaiah 54:11-12. I am changing one word in it though so that you can look at in for your own perspective. Instead of using "afflicted city", use "afflicted heart". Isaiah 54:11-12, "Afflicted heart, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with lapis lazuli. I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones."

Trust that God has your back in the battle of your worth! :) Just a few days ago, I was feeling really down. I felt a little too weird because of certain aspects of my personality and certain things that I liked. I was beginning to feel like I should start closing these areas of my life off from other people so that I couldn't get picked on or hurt. I got on Facebook the next night. On Facebook there is this neat application called Message From God. It said I had a new message. I opened it and this is what it said: "Today we believe God wants you to know that you are unique and precious. When you try to value yourself for being the best in something, you are bound to fail. Even Olympic champions are the best only for a few years. You are precious to God not because there is no one better than you, but because you are a unique creation of mind, body, and spirit- there is no one else like you,- and that is exactly what makes you so indescribably precious." I was almost in tears. My eyes started to water because I knew at that moment that God was really speaking to me through this app on Facebook. He was letting me know that I am precious and valuable and he was contradicting the lies that were stirring inside my head. I know that if God shared this message with me, surely he wants you to believe it as well. God will fight for you in any battle that you are facing! Jeremiah 30:16-17 says, " 'But all who devour you will be devoured; all your enemies will go into exile. Those who plunder you will be plundered; all who make spoil of you I will despoil. But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord..." 

Trust him, believe in him, and he will give you what you need :) Amen!