“And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”
Matthew 16:19(NLT)

“Know your worth” is more than a mantra these days. It’s an anthem that signals our refusal to allow society or someone else define us. We are our Father’s children. He has called us out from among the world to be His very own, and our identity is contained within the person of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. We know who we are and whose we are, and that’s something to celebrate. No longer should we think another person has the power to make our lives more than what they are. God tells us in Ephesians 1:3 that we’ve been blessed with all spiritual blessings because of our union with Jesus Christ, and Colossians 2:10 tells us that we are complete in our beloved Savior. It is undeniable that God wants us to be confident in the reality that we are His masterpiece, and He is the Source of all that we need.

Without even realizing it, some of us hit the pause button on other areas of our lives because we feel we’re missing out on something wonderful. We might think that our lives aren’t as fulfilling as they could be because we don’t have a spouse or a significant person to share our lives with. God has told us that we’re complete in Christ, and we must know that only Jesus Christ can fill our cups. Growing in him will give us unyielding joy, because it is what God has destined us to do. Yes, a spouse will certainly bless us, but we must be clear that nothing blesses us like having a beautiful relationship with God through Christ. This is what builds the foundation for all other blessings.

Sometimes, we forget how important we are to God, especially if we’ve been waiting month after month, year after year, to cross paths with that special someone. We might think He’s withholding the blessing of a spouse, but Psalm 84:11(NLT) declares, “For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.” Our Heavenly Father desires to see us blessed way more than we could ever desire this for ourselves. Our trust in this truth is a must. Many of us feel as though we need another person to make our lives complete, but no person has the power to make our lives more than what God has made them through Jesus Christ.

We are whole in Christ in this moment. The past is gone, and the future belongs to God. All you and I have is right now. And in the right now of this moment, God commands us to walk by faith. If we see ourselves or our lives as less simply because another human being is not in our space, then we are focusing on the lack of something and not the blessings that God has provided. In other words, we are binding the lack, and not binding increase and abundance. This is why God tells us to renew our minds, to change the way we think, because very often our thoughts, feelings, and attitudes are not in line with God’s Word. When this happens, we will live beneath our privilege.

To permit something is to take our hands off it and allow it to unfold beautifully and blessedly, according to God’s Will and plan. He doesn’t need our help to do anything, but He does require our faith in Him. God tells us to trust Him, and this means to have confidence in what we cannot see. The length of time is a detail that shouldn’t have any bearing on our faith. Jesus Christ taught us in Matthew 6:26(NLT), “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?” God wants us to know that we are precious and valuable to Him. Heavenly Father can cause anyone to find you in less time than a blink of an eye. He knows what He’s doing, and He will take care of our needs. Our faith in Him must cause us to shift our focus off what we don’t have and on to the bounty of His blessings. They will increase as we enrich ourselves in His love, Word, and purpose. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Recognize Your Value”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2022.  All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.