You Are Valuable to God

God treasures you. As His valuable child, you're called to step into an inheritance of love and power. But if you don't view yourself as God sees you, you can't live the life He wants you to live.

Perhaps you're living under the burden of shame caused by painful incidents from your past - some mistakes, or some insults from others. But you don't have to let your past sap joy from your present and future.

Here are some ways you can seek God's healing for past pain and move confidently into a life of freedom with a loving heavenly Father:

• Confess everything that's causing you to feel shame and guilt by praying about each thing specifically. You may want to do this in the form a letter to God. Tell God you're honestly sorry for your mistakes and commit to not repeating them. Express the pain you feel because of ways others have hurt you and commit to forgiving them, with the Holy Spirit's help. Then ask God to heal the pain that each thing has caused in your life. Ask for His grace to move forward in confidence and peace.

• Realize that in Christ, you are an entirely new person. God's transforming power operates in your life when you connect to Him through Christ, and that power will enable you to live a new life. Ask God to help you understand how He sees you and how He wants you to grow in the future.

• Know that God's love for you is strong and unconditional. While it does grieve Him to see you sin or struggle, He never stops loving you and is always ready to help you. Remember that God created you, and knows you even better than you know yourself. With all of this knowledge, He loves you completely.

• Don't be concerned about what other people think of you. You can't please everyone, anyway. Instead, strive to please God by living in the center of His will. Invite God to fulfill His purposes for your life.

• When you sense that God wants you to do something, trust Him and step forward to do it. Say "yes" to God even if you don't think you're ready; God never expects you to be perfect before responding to Him. When He calls you to action, He genuinely wants your service and will help you accomplish the work.

• Encourage and serve others whenever you can, in humility. When you humble yourself, God will exalt you. By acting as a conduit for God's love to flow into other people's lives, you'll open yourself up to God's blessings for your life.

• Don't be anxious about your future. When worries enter your mind, turn them into prayers. Trust God to work circumstances out according to what's best.

• Read the Bible often so you know God's promises. Apply them to your life by making decisions that reflect how much you trust God to keep His promises.

• Don't build walls around yourself to keep out other people who love God. Be transparent with them and receive their encouragement. Worship God with them and rejoice together in His presence.

Adapted from The Princess Within: Restoring the Soul of a Woman, copyright 1999 by Serita Ann Jakes. Published by Albury Publishing, Tulsa, Okla., www.alburypublishing.com, 1-800-811-3921.

Serita Ann Jakes is the first lady of The Potter's House church in Dallas, Texas. She ministers to the church's approximately 10,000 women and also to women throughout the United States through speaking engagements and conferences. She and her husband, Bishop T.D. Jakes, have five children.

Are there any painful secrets from your past -- such as mistakes or insults from others -- that are causing you shame? Have you confessed past painful incidents to God and received His healing? How does viewing yourself from God's perspective make a difference in your life? Visit Live It's forum to respond, or read what others have to say. Just click on the link below.