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There are many people who have disqualified themselves from serving God because they think that they are not good enough because of something they did in their past. How many here would honestly say that you have often wrongly based your worth on your past experiences?

(I’m Not Good Enough – Part 1 — Morning Devotions)

For all of us that have ever felt this way, I want to show you that some of the heroes of the faith felt this way as well. One in particular that we’ll look at today is Moses. Moses believed the lie: I’m not good enough.

In Exodus 4, God Himself called Moses to deliver God’s people from bondage. Moses felt just the same way so many of us often feel.

Moses said to God: “God, I’ve never been good with words. I am slow in speech and tongue.” In other words: “Don’t put me in front of people. I freeze. I get nervous. I’m not a good public speaker. Of all the other people out there God, I’m sure there are dozens who are more qualified than I am.” In other words: “God, I’m not good enough.”

God speaks truth to Moses but what is interesting is that Moses’ own sense of inadequacy was speaking even louder. God says: “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

You would think that Moses would say, “Okay, that settles it. God’s in on it. God’s going to deliver. Nothing to worry about.”

But watch what he says in verse 13, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.” Can you read between the lines? “You don’t get it, God, I’m not good enough. Please send someone else.”

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So many of us have believed this lie and it has led to some dangerous conclusions about our life like: “Since I’m not good enough, I can’t make a difference. Why even try? I’m always average. I fail at everything I do. I’m not good looking enough. I’m not talented enough. My body’s not right. I’m inadequate in every way. I’m really not worthy to be loved, so why bother?” I’m not good enough! We need to remember that we get our worth and value from what God says about us!

We are not who others say we are and we are not the sum total of our past experiences. We are who God says we are.

This is where we are to find our worth and our value! Let that settle in. You are not what others say about you and you are not the sum total of your past experiences. We get our worth and value from what God says about us! So, whenever the lie comes up “I’m not good enough. I’m inadequate” we have to replace it with the truth.

Here’s the bottom line: When we come to Christ, our old nature dies. It’s gone. We have a new heart and a new spirit. We are a new creation.

But just because we are spiritually new doesn’t mean that the old memories of who we used to be just go away. We are often haunted by those negative tapes that continue to run in our mind. That’s why we need to capture those lies and let God’s truth renew our minds. When we do this we will begin to believe what God says about us. And when we believe what God says about us then we can do what He calls us to do.

So what does God say about us? He says we are His! Our worth comes from the fact God says that we belong to Him!

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says: “You are not your own; you were bought at a price.” Or as the New Living Translation puts it: “You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price.” We are valuable because we belong to God. We were bought at a price – a very high price.

The image here of being “bought with a price” comes from the days of buying slaves. The slaves were put in the market to be sold and then people would buy them for the agreed upon price. Our price, the cost of purchasing us, was Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:18-19 says: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

We are also valuable because God loves us. God does not love us because we are valuable. We are valuable because God loves us! God loves us because we are His creation! God loves us because He wants us to know Him! God loves us because we need Him! God loves us the way we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way!

So our worth/our value is determined by our association. A story is told of a man who was travelling in Paris and purchased a rather inexpensive amber necklace in a trinket shop. Upon returning to the states he was curious as to the value of the necklace so he took it to be appraised. After looking at the necklace under a magnifying glass, the jeweller said, “I’ll give you $25,000 for it.” So surprised was the man, he decided to have another expert examine it. When he did he was offered $10,000 more! “What do you see that is so valuable?” asked the astonished man. “Look through the glass,” replied the jeweller. There before his eyes was an inscription: “To Josephine from Napoleon.” The value of the necklace came from its identification with a famous person.

As a Christian, we are identified with One who is far more valuable and important than any human. It is from our union and our association with God that we find our true identity, worth and value. We get our worth and value from what God says about us!

Our worth is not based on what others say or have said about us. Our worth is not based on our past experiences. We get our worth and value from what God says about us! And God says that we are HIS! We are valuable because we belong to God.

Scripture reminds us and tells us that God says: “I have called you by name, you’re mine.” This is not something we have to convince ourselves of, this is a reality – this is the truth. We belong to God; we just need to be conscious of the reality. Are you conscious of that reality today?

When the little voice says to us: “You’re not good enough” we have to remember that our worth is not based on what others say about us or our past experiences. We get our worth and value from what God says about us! And God says that we are valuable because we belong to Him!

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