You Are Loved and Valued

 

In my preaching over the past 20 years, I have often ended my messages and letters with a powerful blessing: “You are loved and valued – be blessed in Jesus’ Name.” This statement holds a deep spiritual significance. It symbolizes the intrinsic value of each individual and the constant love God has for us, no matter our situation. In this blog I explain why this statement has become so essential and why it carries a powerful influence.

 

The Power of Affirmation

Too many times, people I know are hindered because they struggle with feelings of inadequacy and insignificance. When they hear an affirming word such as, “You are loved and valued,” it can be life-changing. The whispers of the enemy have told them they are unworthy. However, when we learn to affirm, we remind people that God loves them and helps them to receive the courage to pursue God’s best in their lives.

The Bible reminds us of God’s love and the importance He places on every individual. Jeremiah 31:3 (KJV) The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

 

Psalm 139:14 (KJV) says I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. The Bible affirms this truth in many different scriptures and attests to the fact that our value comes from Jesus Christ and what He says about us.

 

Leadership with Heart

Leadership is not a position of power or having a certain title. To be sure, every leader must cast vision and direct the saints to fulfill a collective mission, but it must be done with compassion and love. We serve others. We fight for the common good of precious saints and sinners fighting for their survival, and we are empowered to help them defeat their adversaries. We offer insight, direction, and prayer cover so they can be victorious.

In Matthew 20:26–28 Jesus told His disciples, But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. We are to follow His example, for He came to serve and not be served. He came to make himself a sacrifice for many. When we lead with heart, we learn humility, serve others, and are dedicated to helping others find their freedom and ministry.

Accepting Failure

Be assured that God loves you even if you make mistakes. Your worth is not based on performance but on your relationship with Him. However, it is our responsibility to learn how to fail forward. Failure is not our destination but a necessary component of our advancement in the Kingdom. If we can learn from our mistakes we can grow and overcome anything and everything. Failure is a part of our development. Understanding this perspective enables us to act with courage, get up when we fall, learn to grow, and never give up.

We can learn from failure, and it doesn’t change our value. It may be difficult to face what we did wrong but when we do, we improve and advance in the kingdom purpose of God. As Proverbs 24:16 (KJV) says, For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. We can bounce back; we can advance in the midst of adversity because our lives are anchored to solid rock, and higher principles guide us.

Godly Confrontation

Confronting individuals as leaders without diminishing their worth or causing them to feel abandoned by God is a challenging task. Confronting people in a godly way necessitates wisdom. So, it is our job to teach them to repent, to forgive, and then work toward reconciliation and, hopefully, complete restoration.

The Apostle Paul taught us in Ephesians 4:15 (KJV) to “speak the truth in love,” which means we address issues in a loving manner. Once people see that we have their best interest at heart, they will allow us to help them understand the destructiveness of their behaviors and map a course for spiritual improvement.

Sometimes it is a simple matter of communicating our vision more effectively because things can get lost in translation. The different views of team members can enhance the team if offered humbly and with everyone’s best interest at heart. If a team member weakens the overall vision by being oversensitive or argumentative, sometimes tough choices must be made to replace them with someone who can “make the team work and then the dream work,” as John Maxwell says.

The Secret Place

When we meet God every day and learn to fellowship with His presence and hear His word, and when we strive to cultivate a powerful connection with His purpose, we will learn our value and see that we are loved. Without this connection it will be hard for us to accept it. We will find it difficult to minister with the spiritual assurance that God is with us to help us accomplish His will. For it is in the “secret place” that we discover God is our refuge, His word is our guidance, and His Spirit gives us strength as David said in Psalm 91:1 (KJV),He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Our duty is to develop that daily connection to discover the secret place and pursue His presence, learn wisdom from the word, and be strengthened by His power.

The world around us is changing faster than we can keep up. It is literally spinning out of control, but just because the world is going crazy doesn’t mean we have to. It is our responsibility to deepen our relationship with God, to learn to lead with heart and acknowledge the value of others. When we do, we help them accept failures as a part of the process and address problems with love.

Speaking affirmation using words such as, “You are loved and valued” contains a life-giving call for hurting souls to encounter the life-changing impact of God’s love. Affirmation creates an atmosphere where the blessing rebounds back to us when we help others and reinforces our will to continue despite the obstacles. When we remain grounded in our faith in Jesus Christ we can lead with humility and walk like Jesus walked. We will motivate others to do the same, and we will all be changed into His image according to God’s perfect will. Never forget that you are treasured and cherished; you are loved and valued, anointed to have dominion, blessed to be abundant and with great grace to multiply. Let’s make this happen.

You are loved and valued.