The Power of I Am: Two Words That Will Change Your Life Today (11 page)

The Scripture talks about how God has made us to be kings and priests unto Him. Men, you need to start seeing yourself as a king. Women, start seeing yourself as a queen. Start carrying yourself as royalty. Not with arrogance, thinking that you’re better than others, but in humility be proud of who God made you to be. You are not better than anyone else, but you are not less than anyone else either. It doesn’t matter how many degrees they have. It doesn’t matter how important their family is. Understand, your Father created the whole universe. When He breathed His life into you and sent you to planet Earth, you didn’t come as ordinary. You didn’t come as average. He put a
crown of honor on your head. Now, start thinking as royalty, talking as royalty, walking as royalty, and acting as royalty.

I was in England a few years ago. They were having a ceremony to honor the queen. When the queen walked in the room, you could feel the strength, the confidence, and the dignity. She had her head held high and a pleasant smile on her face. She waved to everyone as though they were her best friends. What was interesting was that there were all kinds of important people in that room. There were presidents of other nations, world-renowned entertainers, famous athletes, scientists, and some of the brightest, most talented people in the world. But—and I say this respectfully—the queen was not the most beautiful person in the room. There were other ladies who were younger and much more beautiful, but judging from the way the queen carried herself, you would have thought she was the cat’s meow. She had it going on—strong, confident, secure. The queen wasn’t the wealthiest, fittest, or most educated woman in the room either. A lot of people would have been intimidated walking into that room, but not her. She walked in as though she owned the place. Why? She knows who she is. She’s the queen. She comes from a long line of royalty. It’s been ingrained in her thinking,
I’m not average. I’m not ordinary. I am one of a kind.

No doubt some mornings when the queen wakes up, the same thoughts come to her mind that come to all of us.
You’re not as beautiful as your sister. You’re not as talented as your brother. You’re not as smart as your coworker. Be intimidated. You’re inferior
. The queen lets that go in one ear and out the other. She thinks,
What are you talking about? It doesn’t matter how I compare to others. I’m the queen. I’ve got royalty in my blood. In my DNA is generations of influence, honor, and prestige.

If you and I could ever start seeing ourselves as the kings and the queens God made us to be, we would never be intimidated again.
You don’t have to be the most talented to feel good about yourself. You don’t have to be the most educated or the most successful. When you understand your Heavenly Father breathed His life into you, you too come from a long line of royalty. Instead of being intimidated or made to feel insecure by someone who you think is more important, you can do like the queen. Just be at ease, be kind, be confident, and be friendly, knowing that you are one of a kind. Ladies, you may not be the most beautiful person, but be confident you’re the queen. Men, you may not be the most successful, but stand up tall. You’re the king. You are crowned not by people but by Almighty God.

But a lot of times we think,
I can’t feel good about myself. I’ve got this addiction. I struggle with a bad temper. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in life. I don’t feel like a masterpiece
. Here’s the key: Your value is not based on your performance. You don’t have to do enough good and then maybe God will approve you. God has already approved you.

When Jesus was being baptized by John in the Jordan River, He hadn’t started His ministry yet. He had never opened one blind eye, never raised the dead, never turned water into wine. He had not performed a single miracle. But a voice boomed out of the heavens, and God said, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” His Father was pleased with Him because of who He was and not because of anything He had or had not done.

We tell ourselves, “If I could break this addiction, I’d feel good about myself. If I could read my Bible more, if I could bite my tongue and not argue so much, maybe I wouldn’t be against myself.” You have to learn to accept yourself while you’re in the process of
changing. We all have areas we need to improve, but we’re not supposed to go around down on ourselves because we haven’t arrived. When you’re against yourself, it doesn’t help you to do better. It makes you do worse. You may have a bad habit you know you need to overcome, but if you go around feeling guilty and condemned, thinking about all the times you’ve failed, the times you’ve blown it, that will not motivate you to go forward. You have to shake off the guilt. Shake off the condemnation. You may not be where you want to be, but you can look back and thank God you’re not where you used to be. You’re growing. You’re making progress. Do yourself a big favor and quit listening to the accusing voices. That’s the enemy trying to convince you to be against yourself. He knows that if you don’t like yourself, you will never become who God created you to be.

In Genesis 1, God had just created the heavens, the earth, the sea, the animals, and Adam and Eve. When He finished, the Scripture says, “God looked over all that He had made and saw how it was excellent in every way.” When God looks at you, He says, “You are excellent in every way.”

You may think,
Not me, I’ve got these bad habits, these shortcomings. I’ve made some mistakes in the past.
Get out of that defeated mentality. You may not be perfect, but God is not basing your value on your performance. He’s looking at your heart. He is looking at the fact that you’re trying. You wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t have a heart to please God. Now, quit being down on yourself. Quit living condemned, and dare to believe you are excellent in every way. Our attitude should be,
Yes, I may make some mistakes. I have some flaws and weaknesses, but I am not going to live my life guilty, condemned. I know God has already approved me. I am excellent in every way. I am His masterpiece
.

If you’re going to overcome your flaws and weaknesses, you have to not only stay positive toward yourself, but be bold enough to celebrate who God made you to be. Be proud of who you are. I know people who are good at celebrating others. They’ll compliment their friends and brag on a cousin. “You have to see my neighbor. He’s an awesome football player. You must meet my sister. She is so beautiful.” And that’s good. We should celebrate others, but make sure you also celebrate yourself. You are smart. You are talented. You are beautiful. There is something special about you. You can’t get so caught up in celebrating others, putting them on a pedestal, to where you think,
They are so great, and I am so average. She is so beautiful, and I am so plain
.

They may have more natural beauty or more talent in some area, but God didn’t leave anybody out. You have something that they don’t have. You’re good at something that they’re not good at. And it’s fine to celebrate them and say, “Wow! Look how great they are,” as long as you follow it up by saying internally, “And you know what? I’m great, too. I’m smart, too. I’m talented, too.”

It’s like this story I heard about the mayor of a small town. He was in a parade, riding in a float down Main Street with his wife next to him. While he was waving to all the different people, he spotted in the crowd his wife’s former boyfriend, who owned and ran the local gas station. The mayor whispered to his wife, “Aren’t you glad you didn’t marry him? You’d be working at a gas station.”

She whispered back, “No. If I would’ve married him, he’d be the mayor.”

You have to know who you are. God breathed His life into you. You have royalty in your blood. You are excellent in every way. Now, put your shoulders back, hold your head up high, and start carrying yourself as royalty. You are not average. You are not ordinary. You are a masterpiece. Get up every morning and remind yourself of who your Painter is. Your value doesn’t come because of who you are. It comes because of whose you are. Remember, the most important opinion is the opinion you have of yourself. How you see yourself is how other people are going to see you. I’m asking you today to see yourself as a king. See yourself as a queen. Not arrogantly but in humility, for that is truly who you are.

Maybe you need to change the recording that’s playing in your mind. If the message is,
I’m slow. I’m unattractive. I’m nothing special
, dare to say, like David, “I am amazing. I am talented. I am one of a kind. I am a masterpiece.”

I
t’s good to have dreams and goals. We should be stretching our faith, believing for something bigger. But here’s the key: While we’re waiting for things to change, waiting for promises to come to pass, we shouldn’t be discontent where we are. Maybe you’re believing to have a baby, believing for a new house, or believing to get married. That’s great, but don’t go the next five years discontent being single, discontent with the house you have, or discontent not having a child. Learn to enjoy the season that you’re in.

Being unhappy, frustrated, and wondering if something is ever going to change is not going to make it happen any sooner. When we’re discontent, we’re dishonoring God. We’re so focused on what we want that we’re taking for granted what we have. The right attitude is,
God, I’m believing for a new house, but in the meantime I’m happy with the house I have. I’m believing to get married, but in the meantime I’m content being single. I’m believing for a better job, but I’m happy with the job I have right now.

The Apostle Paul said, “I have
learned
how to be content, whether I’m abased or abounding, whether I have plenty
or whether I’m in need.” Notice he had to
learn
to be content. It doesn’t happen automatically. It’s a choice we have to make.

Being content doesn’t mean that we don’t want change, that we give up on our dreams, or that we settle where we are. It means we’re not fighting everything. We’re not frustrated. We’re trusting God’s timing. We know He is working behind the scenes, and at the right time He will get us to where we’re supposed to be.

I’ve found some situations will not change until we change. As long as we’re frustrated, stressed out, thinking,
Why is it taking so long? Why am I still dealing with this problem? Why is my husband still aggravating me?
nothing will change.

But if God has us in a situation, we must need to be there. He is going to use it to do a work in us. When we’re content, we’re growing. We’re developing character. Our faith is being strengthened. You don’t grow as much in the good times, when everything is going your way. You grow when there’s pressure. You feel like being sour, but you choose to be happy. You could easily complain, but you say, “Lord, thank You for another great day.” All of your dreams haven’t come to pass, but you choose to enjoy the season that you’re in. That’s passing the test. That’s what allows God to go to work. Instead of trying to change the situation, let it change you. There’s something wrong if we’re always discontented. “I don’t like my job. I’m tired of this small apartment. I don’t have enough help with the kids. When is my business ever going to grow?” That’s going to keep you where you are. God’s plan for our life is not to just make us comfortable but to grow us up, to mature us, so He can release more of His favor. You may not like where you are, but you wouldn’t be there unless God had a purpose for it. Make sure you pass the test.

This is what David did. He spent years in the lonely shepherd’s fields taking care of his father’s sheep. What’s interesting is that he had already been chosen to be the next king of Israel. The prophet Samuel had already anointed him. David could have thought,
God, this isn’t right. I’ve got big dreams. You promised me great things. What am I doing stuck out here with a bunch of sheep?

But David understood this principle. He didn’t live stressed or frustrated. He bloomed where he was planted. He knew that God was in control, so he just kept being his best, going to work with a good attitude, grateful for where he was. Because he was content in the shepherd’s fields, he made it to the throne, to the palace. He passed that test. But if you’re not content in the season you’re in, while you’re waiting for things to change, then even if you do somehow make it to your throne, so to speak, and your dreams do come to pass, you’re still not going to be satisfied. You may be happy for a little while, but here’s the problem: Discontentment will follow you everywhere you go.

A few years ago I came home one evening, and I heard this high-pitched sound in the house, like a tone you hear from a television broadcast. I could just faintly hear it. I thought maybe a smoke detector battery was low or an alarm was going off upstairs. So I started going around everywhere, trying to figure out where it was. But it seemed as though everywhere I went, it sounded exactly the same. I couldn’t get any closer to it. It was very puzzling. I went upstairs and checked rooms and drawers, checked the pantry. Finally, I went up in the attic. I thought maybe a hot water heater or an air conditioner
had a part that was going bad. I got way up in the attic, and it still sounded exactly the same. After about twenty minutes, I went down to my room to change clothes. I took off my cell phone from my belt where it was clipped, and I put it on my counter. When I did, I could tell the tone was coming from my cell phone! That’s why it sounded the same everywhere I went. It was clipped to me. I couldn’t get away from it.

That’s the way it is with discontentment. It follows us around. If God blesses us with a promotion, we’re happy for a little while, but then the discontentment comes. We don’t want to work so hard or we don’t want the responsibility. But it’s not our circumstances. It’s the spirit of discontentment, seeing the wrong, complaining about what we don’t like, never having enough. That’s why Paul said, “I’ve
learned
how to be content.” You have to train your mind to see the good, to be grateful for what you have. Life will go so much better if you will be content in each season. Content when you have a lot, and content when you don’t have a lot. Content whether your children are in diapers or whether they’re in college. Content whether you’re in maintenance or management.

You have the grace you need to enjoy each season. If your dreams are not coming to pass, that’s a test. Will you do as David did and bloom where you’re planted? Will you choose to enjoy that season and not just endure it, thinking,
God, when is this ever going to change? I’ve been praying for two years.
Maybe your situation is going to change when you change. You have to be satisfied with where God has you right now. Again, it doesn’t mean you settle there and never expect anything better. It means you don’t live frustrated, always wanting something more. “I need more money. Then I’ll be happy.” “I need a better job.” “I need a bigger house.” “I need
to lose twenty pounds.” “I need my kids to make better grades. Then I’ll enjoy life.”

If you get all that corrected, if you accomplish your wish list, something else will come up to make you discontented. You have to put your foot down and say, “That’s it. Everything may not be perfect in my life. All my dreams may not have come to pass yet, but I’m not living frustrated and stressed out. I’m going to bloom right where I’m planted.” In other words, “I’m content whether I’m driving a twenty-year-old Volkswagen or a brand-new Mercedes Benz.” “I’m content whether I’m living in a small apartment or a beautiful dream house.” “I’m content whether my business is booming or whether it’s a little slow.”