what a powerful name when I was a little girl I loved to hand
make cards for my parents I always like to tell him how much I love them and
show my affection with these hand made cards and I used to put my signature
butterflies and flowers all over them you know I did the same kind of
butterfly and the same kind of flower every time not long ago I was going
through a stack of scrapbooks that my mother had so you know carefully saved
and put together when I came across one of these signature cards that I had made
and there it was my butterflies and flowers as I was looking at it I noticed
at the bottom of the page written in yellow pencil or these words I feel like
we are somebody important and I know that we are when when my eyes drop to
those words I thought what in the world was I thinking as a little girl I feel
like we're someone important and I know that we are what was I thinking why
can't I feel like that now you see I feel like I am something important and I
know that I am it really it made me laugh it made me chuckle but you know
what I couldn't let those words slide by they kept going through my mind the next
day and the next day because I thought what was I thinking
and then it was this I realized inside of every single one of us is the voice
of God saying you are made in my image you are valuable you are significant and
you are important in this life you see inside of every one of us there is a
voice that is speaking out value significance and importance but
sometimes life trust to change and drowned out that voice it tries to
devalue unfair things happen people talk about
you somebody walks out on your life struggles problems they distort that
voice they try to speak louder than that voice you know I realize though God has
put that in each and every one of us and we have to allow that voice to come out
of us because see doesn't matter what we think it matters who we are
you may feel insignificant but God sees you as valuable he sees you as important
to his plan you see doesn't matter how we feel it doesn't change the value of
our life in the eyes of God you know I have this nice crisp $100 bill and
they're pretty that look like it's been handled much it doesn't look like it's
been spent a whole lot it's beautiful isn't it does anybody want it who wants
this hundred dollar bill anybody pick up there you go oh sorry my sweet lady of
course you want that beautiful hundred dollar bill its pristine it's it's
amazing isn't it and it'll spend well oh don't worry I have another one oh but
this one looks like it I'm sorry just a minute it looks like it's been in the
washer and the dryer it's not so pretty you probably don't want this one this is
all ugly and messed up now do you think anybody anybody what you want this one
all right my sweet sister was there I'm sorry of course you want that $100 it
doesn't matter what it looks like it holds tremendous value doesn't matter if
the life has put some wrinkles in you it doesn't matter if you feel like you've
gone through the wringer you have value and you have importance and you have
significance today you know God doesn't make mistakes
god only makes masterpieces and you are a masterpiece in the eyes of God
he's already qualified you and he's left nothing out of you you know we all have
a responsibility to keep that voice of God clear and free from the debris of
life we all have a responsibility to spend our life well and to make it count
you see this great God has put so many amazing things in us he's already put
assignments in our path we have a responsibility and how we live our life
it matters you know it matters how I live my life it matters to my children
matters to my husband it matters to my neighbor you see when I
realize that God's placed this value in me I'm gonna spend my life well and you
know when I spend my life well it helps others spin their as well when I have
God confidence it helps others rise up and have confidence in themselves you
see how do you live your life makes a difference and that's why God want you
to keep that voice free and clear keep that childlike wonder in the things
of God I read the letter that day and I realized you know what I may feel
unqualified I may not have call for this I may feel like I lack the
ability but God doesn't see me that way he sees me as strong capable to do what
he's called me to do you know there's a guy in the Bible his name was Gideon you
may know his story he lacked confidence he lacked the feeling that he had the
ability to do anything one day an angel the Lord came to get in and he said
Gideon the Lord is with you you mighty man of fearless courage then the angel
went on to say get in the Lord wants you to help the Israelites his children
defeat the enemy the Midianites in that interesting he addressed him as a mighty
man of fearless courage and then he asked him to do something but this is
what Gideon replied he said Lord wait a minute how am I going to do that I have
a family and our family amounts to nothing in fact we are the least of all
the families in the area and not only that's my family not have what it takes
I'm the least in all my family you see his reply there's such a contrast in the
voice of God telling him my mighty man of Valor speaking up to what Gideon's
reply was you hear the voice that tries to drown doubt God's voice see God is
saying the same thing to you today whatever's in front of you he's calling
out those things that you are that you have on the inside of you but the voice
of life wants to be so noisy wants to distort the voice of God very
interesting the difference between God's voice and Gideon's voice you see Gideon
didn't see himself as strong but you know what's interesting didn't change
gods perspective Gideon he talked himself out
of it when he replied to God God didn't talk himself out of it
Gideon felt weak but God saw him as capable as able as a champion a fearless
courageous champion you see the good news is this gideon finally took hold of
that voice took that strength of that voice and let him go out and lead the
charge and he won the victory for god that day you see whatever is trying to
hold you down you need to shake it off you need to let the voice of god come
booming out loud and clear you may feel weak
you may feel small but your weakness can be turned into strength when you take
hold of God I saw this animated cartoon one time that made such an impression on
me it was this tiny little mouse and his friend was this big huge elephant and
they were about to cross this dispatch'd bridge that was high in the air as they
cross that bridge that little thatched bridge started swinging and shaking all
the way across it was rickety swinging and shaking but when they got on the
other side of that bridge safe that little mouse was so proud he looked up
at his friend that great big elephant and he said we really shook that bridge
didn't we you see you may feel small but when you grab hold of God's strength you
have the power of an elephant you can look at God and you can say we really
shook that bridge didn't we God you see at the end of the day what matters most
is what you believed about yourself protect the voice of God he's put it in
you speaks it out every single day the
unfair things happen to us God said in this world they'll be trouble but you'd
be a good cheer because you got an overcomer in you you got an overcomer in
you you are a mighty man a mighty woman a valour don't lose that childlike
on wonder go out of here today and shake some bridges with God amen amen he's an
awesome God your partnership makes this ministry possible your faithful and
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