Restore

1 Peter 5:10
In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. (NLT)

Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will personally restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little. (HCSB)

Restore, Establish, Strengthen and Support.

Introduction
The people that Peter was writing to were suffering under unjust persecution because of their faith. Peter encourages them to stand firm. He has just spent quite some time encouraging them to holy living, to know that they are a chosen people and to live according to God’s call on their life, not getting trapped by the things of the world. They had probably already suffered much and would suffer some more, but Peter encourages them to remain firm. Jesus will restore them, He will establish them and he will strengthen them.

A Definition
re·store  [ri-stawr, -stohr] 
verb (used with object), re·stored, re·stor·ing.
1. To bring back into existence, use, or the like; re-establish: to restore order.
2. To bring back to a former, original, or normal condition, as a building, statue, or painting.
3. To bring back to a state of health, soundness, or vigour.
4. To put back to a former place, or to a former position, rank, etc.: to restore the king to his throne.
5. To give back; make return or restitution of (anything taken away or lost).

The Greek word means to render fit sound and complete, to mend what has been broken, to repair, and to prepare, to make one what one ought to be.
Peter is saying –God is in the business of restoring.

Whether it is because of our own stupidity or because of circumstances, God is in the business of restoring, repairing, making us who he sees us to be. When we need restoration, it is because we are no longer in a fit state. It might be a relationship, our lives etc., but God says Jesus himself will come and restore and repair us if we will let him.

In Joel, we read that the people had turned away from God, and had suffered the consequence at the hand of God for incredible disobedience and idol worship. By their own doing, they needed restoration. But God was gracious towards them. He promises to restore them, to not only restore, but to repay them what they had lost.

Joel 2:25-27
I will repay you for the years
that the swarming locust ate,
the young locust, the destroying locust,
and the devouring locust—
My great army that I sent against you.
You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied.
You will praise the name of Yahweh your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
My people will never again be put to shame.
You will know that I am present in Israel
and that I am Yahweh your God,
and there is no other.
My people will never again be put to shame. (HCSB)

His promise is that if we trust God, then whatever has been the reason for our need for restoration, Jesus himself, because of his great love and desire towards us will restore us.

Job 42:10
When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!

The question for us is – if we need restoration – has it been due to circumstances or because we have disregarded God?

Have we, by our own attitudes and behaviours, ripped ourselves off of God’s best for us?
What opportunities have we missed, because we have not trusted?
What relationships have we broken or strained, because of our own stupidity or lack of understanding?

The good news is that whatever the reason we are in need of restoration, whatever has gone on in the past, whatever our circumstance may be – God is in the business of restoration.

Some thoughts about engaging the restoration process.

1. Humility

Develop an attitude of humility before God. Humility and humiliation are not the same thing. Humility is an attitude of the heart; humiliation is what one person does to another from a position of pride and power. God values humility greatly. When we come before God with our own ideas and agendas and place them higher than his, when we are too proud to admit fault or to admit our situation before him, then we limit the process of restoration to our ideas and not God’s perspective.

Isaiah 57:15
The high and lofty one who lives in eternity,
    the Holy One, says this:
“I live in the high and holy place
    with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.
I restore the crushed spirit of the humble
    and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.

2 Chronicles 7:14
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

When we have brought consequences upon ourselves we need to repent of our sin and our pride and come before God with a heart full of gratefulness and humility. In both James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5 there is an exhortation to live in humility.

1 Peter 5:5-7
In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for
“God opposes the proud
    but favours the humble.”
So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honour. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

The HSCB says clothe yourself with humility- it literally means tie around yourselves humility.

Humility before God and humility as we live our lives before others, brings restoration. If we are to engage with the process of restoration, whatever the cause, we are to be humble, we are to allow him to do his work, and in due time lift us up. We are to give our cares and worry to him – not doing so is actually pride. Anyone needing restoration must come in humility before God.

Prov 22:4
True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honour, and long life.

Psalm 18:27
You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud.

It’s pretty clear that for God, humility, a humble attitude of heart, is key to restoration.

Am I living with an attitude of humility before God and others?

What attitudes do I need to repent of and change so that I can have an attitude of humility?

2. Turn towards God

Once we come with an attitude of humility, the process continues with a turning towards God. What do I mean by this? Keep God the focus of everything we do. Build into God’s perspective for your life. Look beyond the circumstances to the life God has planned for you and promises you in his word. Lift up your eyes from the situation you are in and begin to see the bigger picture.

Romans 5:10
For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.

God has a great life planned for each one of us.

Will we engage with his restoration, with his plan, by focussing on him, or will we sabotage his plan by narrow self-focus?

Where is our thinking? What do we dwell on?

Are we engaging God’s purpose in our thought life, our prayer life and our behaviour?

God wants us to focus on him, not because he’s a megalomaniac but because he is the one with the answer; he is the one who restores, he is the one who is able to mend what is broken and help us to become the people he has called us to be. (Remember our definition) Dwell on God’s ways and understanding. Keep your focus on him.

Psalm 121
I look up to the mountains—
    does my help come from there?
My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth!

This psalm was written for people who were travelling to Jerusalem. The way was often difficult and treacherous, and there were many dangers. But the psalmist says, ”my help is not to be found in anything of earthly origin, my help is found in God”. God is the one who is able; he is the one who helps us. Our answer is not in the circumstances around us, but in who God is.

What circumstances am I focussing on that are damaging my restoration prospects?

What promises of God can I choose to focus on instead?

3. Choose obedience

Obedience is a word we do not always cherish. As a kid, we usually didn’t like being brought into line. We didn’t understand that our parents (if they were good parents) required obedience because it helped us to grow and develop properly, to learn and to become confident secure adults. As a parent, we understand why we require obedience from our children. It is to protect them, to nourish them and to help them grow in a way that is going to help them in life. We want them to flourish.

God wants us to flourish. As his children, we don’t always understand why obedience is so crucial, we want to do our own thing and get cross when God pulls us into line. As we mature in him, we hopefully come to understand that in obedience is life. In obedience is hope. Obedience enables us to flourish. As we engage God’s restoration for our lives, choosing obedience enables us to flourish and to grow. We need to give up the rebellion and the fight.

Phil 2:12-13
Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.  For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

God enables us to be obedient for our own good and our own well-being so that we can flourish.

Jeremiah 15:19
This is how the Lord responds:
“If you return to me, I will restore you
    so you can continue to serve me.
If you speak good words rather than worthless ones,
    you will be my spokesman.
You must influence them;
    do not let them influence you!

We are to be people that influence others for good, who show others what God’s restoration looks like. We are restored from rebellion, through humility and looking to Him that we may influence those around us, not be influenced by them. In 1 Peter 4:2-5 the people are encouraged to continue to live in obedience, to move away from the temptations of the world and to stop doing the things they once did.

1 Peter 4:2-5
You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.  You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.

Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. 5 But remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead.

It’s a call to obedience. Others may not understand it, may be surprised that you are choosing a different road, may even have a go at your for it; but God says enough time has already been wasted in wrong living. King Saul disobeyed God’s command and then tried to make sacrifices to appease God.

1 Samuel 15:22
But Samuel replied,

“What is more pleasing to the Lord:
    your burnt offerings and sacrifices
    or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
    and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.

God is clear, he would rather obedience than us promising all sorts of things.

What “sacrifices” are we making to try and appease God instead of simple obedience?

How much of our time is spent following our own desires, instead of God’s plan and purpose for us?

God says don’t waste time in worldly pursuits; rather use your time to pursue his purpose in obedience to his Word and his call on your life. Our choice if we are to be fully restored is between “my way” and “God’s way”

What will we choose?

Where am I choosing my way over God’s way?

What am I going to start doing today to begin living in obedience to God’s way?

Conclusion

Restoration – from brokenness to wholeness, from sin to salvation, from the consequences of circumstance or of our own decision to true restoration requires:
Humility
Turning to God
Choosing to live in obedience even when it’s tough to do so.
God wants to restore, to bring us back to wholeness and to restore us to what we ought to be.

Purpose

We have looked at Worth Strength and Purpose
Worth:- Who We really are: valuable and of great worth in God's sight. We have intrinsic worth.
Strength:- We have the ability to choose, to think, to manage emotions and to find our strength in God.
Purpose:- God's purpose for us; our dreams and vision for the future, answering the question "What am I here for?"

Purpose can be defined as "the reason for which something exists, a desired end or result, an aim or an intention. To do something on purpose, by design and intentionally". We live for a purpose and we do things on purpose - being deliberate and intentional in how we live, not just letting things happen but having a deliberate plan of action.

Jeremiah 29:11-13
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me."

God has a good plan and purpose. His desire is that we have something purposeful to do and to live for. Notice that if we want to find God's purpose, we need to listen to him, and to seek him with all our heart. I believe the mistake we make is to want God's purpose, but without seeking him wholeheartedly. We want God to solve our problems, but we want it on our terms instead of his. God says if we seek him wholeheartedly, he will hear us, listen to us and we will have an incredible purpose.

God's purpose is good, and gives us a hope and a future. Hope is important. We all function best when we have hope. Not just a wishful thinking, but true hope, based on the truth of God's word. We also have a future. Something that is positive and adds value not just to us, but to the families and communities in which we live.

1. I have a dream
Purpose involves us having a dream, believing that there is something that we are meant to do, and someone we are meant to be. I'm not talking about weird and strange dreams that come in the night, but of the dreams and vision you have for your life. This may be from an actual dream, or from an inner sense that there must be more. This sense can find itself outworked in the things we are passionate about. The things we dream about for our future, the things we focus on, are what we will end up living out.

Martin Luther King had a dream - a vision for the future, something that propelled him to live with purpose, to be deliberate and to serve something bigger than himself. His focus, his purpose was his dream and he lived and breathed it.

Genesis 37-50 is the story of Joseph. Its an amazing story. Joseph was a visionary and a dreamer. His life did not always go to plan, but he had a sense of purpose in his heart and a vision to live by. He walked through rejection by his brothers, sold into slavery and servitude in a foreign country, being falsly accused and thrown into prison and forgotten by those whom he helped. During it all, he never lost sight of the plan and purpose he had been shown and knew to be his purpose. He knew God was with him.

He lived each day, looking ahead, fully believing God had a good plan and purpose for him. I'm sure that some days it was difficult to see the dream being fulfilled, but he went on. His situation changed literally overnight. When it seemed he was completely forgotten, God used the king of a foreign country to bring Joseph into his true calling and purpose. He became the greatest administrator in the land of Egypt, carrying out God's plan and purpose. In the process he saved his family, a people group, from starvation. This people group became the Hebrew nation, that many thousands of years later would usher in the birth of the Messiah.

Genesis 45:8
So it was God who sent me here, not you. And he is the one who made me advisor to Pharaoh - the manager of his palace and the governor of all Egypt.
God's dream and vision for your life is bigger than your own.

Joseph had a dream that involved leading a family, God had a dream for him that involved eternity, and the entire world. God has a vision and dream for your life that is greater than your own. The things God places in our hearts, the desires, the things that stirr us are small compared to the entirety of what God has planned for you.

Eph 3:20
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

We often talk of this in relation to personal things that are going on in our lives. It is true and definitely speaks to us in these things, but I believe that this verse speaks so much more about God's amazing plan and purpose for your life; a purpose that is far greater than the paltry things we think are important.

How large is your dream?

What is God saying to you about his dreams and purpose for your life?

This might be dreams for your ministry, your family life, your education, your work, your community service and volunteering. I believe God is saying to us we need to enlarge the vision, enlarge the dream. What we are dreaming is too small. He has something much bigger in mind for us.

2. I have a place
God places us where he knows we will function best. He places us in church, in family, in teams etc. When we have place, we have the vehicle through which our purpose will be best fulfilled. God never does things in isolation. Our purpose is always connected to other people. Having a place is important to having purpose. Our purpose is never fulfilled in the imagination, but on the ground with real people in real situations.

We live in community with others, and God has placed people in our lives for a reason. Knowing where we belong is as important to our purpose as the vision we have. Humans are created to be part of families and to be planted firmly in family. I believe that knowing where you belong is crucial to how you serve and where you serve. We will best fulfill our purpose serving where God has called us to serve, where God wants us to be planted.

Ps 93:12-14
But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon,
For they are transplanted to the Lords own house, they flourish in the courts of our God.
Even in old age they will still produce fruit, they will remain vital and green.

This is why its important to sow into the life of the church where God has placed you. It may not be a perfect family, but it is God's family and his purpose for us is best fulfilled in that environment. I'm not just talking about within the church. Church is our home and church is within the community, our community, where God has placed us.

How well are you planted and connected within the church community?
What attitides might need to change to build stronger connections and a deeper planting?
What are you passionate about?
What purpose is God calling you to with in the church and your community?

3. I serve a larger vision
This is about living on purpose, for a greater purpose than our own. It's an irony of life, and a spiritual truth, that when I choose to live for a vision and a purpose larger than my own, I discover that my own vision, my own dream is fulfilled and I find true purpose. When its all about me, myself and I, we miss the point of purpose. It's about God's greater plan and purpose, serving and  living for the bigger vision.

Poem
I had a little Tea Party
This afternoon at three
Was very small
Three guests in all
Just I, Myself and Me
Myself ate up the sandwiches
I drank up all the tea
Twas also I who ate the pie
And passed the cake to me.

This is a quaint little rhyme but it sums up how most of us see life. Its all about me. This is not God's way. He says that life is not just about me. Life is actually about others and the well being of others. There is a world that is dying and God's salvation is for all. Our purpose is to serve the larger purpose of taking God's good news of love and grace to the world. This is not a haphaxard thing. If we are to do anything, we need to be deliberate.

When we serve a greater purpose, a larger vision, we will discover, that in doing so, our own vision and purpose is fulfilled. We begin to see life from a different perspective and we understand that purpose requires us to be deliberate. It doesn't just happen. The apostle Paul says to the church in Corinth, that we live this life as though in a race that we run to win. He is determined to make his life count, to fulfil God's purpose.

1 Cor 9:26
So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadow boxing.

Paul is living life with purpose, and on purpose. He is doing what it takes, being deliberate in every action, for a greater purpose than his own. Most of the world is living day to day. To a certain extent, we do to. But we must live day to day with eternity in mind. As we live each day, we are to be deliberate in living out God's purpose. This means that we don't just let life happen, but we are actively engaged with life.

It means we are actively engaged in serving and deliberate in our friendships and relationships. Not for our sake, but for the sake of others. This seems a paradox - but when we live this way, we find greater fulfillment, because we are actually engaging in something that is bigger than us and worthwhile.

Prov 16:3
Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.

Prov 16:9
We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

Prov 19:21
You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail

As we serve God's greater purpose, as we are deliberate about life, doing life on purpose, then we will make plans according to God's purpose.

Whose vision am I serving?
What greater purpose is God calling me to serve?

Conclusion
Purpose - visons and dreams, a hope for the future, a place to serve and a greater purpose to serve. As we grab hold of thses, we will find God's purpose for our life and discover that we are living a purposeful life greater than we could ever imagine.

Strength

Strength
What does it mean to have strength?

Last week, the girls shared their testimonies on worth, strength and purpose and how they have found these to operate in their lives.
This week, we will take a closer look at strength.

Proverbs 31:25
She is clothed with strength and dignity and has no fear of the future.

What does it mean to be clothed with strength, so that strength becomes part of who we are? We can define strength in many ways: physical,  emotional, spiritual. This week looks more at the emotional and spiritual strength and where our strength comes from.

Ps 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

Habbakuk 3:19
The sovereign Lord is my strength. He makes me a sure footed as a deer able to tread upon the heights

In other words, our true strength comes from God who enables us to have strength in him, when we do not feel strong, but who enables us to overcome. Our strength comes from the decisions we make, the thoughts we think and our ability to trust God in all things. Strength enables us to overcome challenges in life and to move on.

Have you noticed that people can experience the exact same thing and yet respond differently. This strength or resilience is related to lots of things but ultimately it comes down to choices that people make that enable them to either move forward or to be destroyed. When we live our lives from our convictions, based on who we are in God, and who God is, we will have strength.

1. I have the power of choice
We build strength when we understand that we have the power of choice. We have been given free will to enable us to exercise this power of choice. We always have a choice. The decisions we make each day will determine our future, not just the big decisions but the little decisions we make. What we choose to believe affects our life. We can choose to believe a lie or we can choose to believe the truth.

We have the power of choice. Sometimes we say "But I had no choice". This is a lie - we always have a choice. Because we have free will, and God has given us free will, he expects us to use it. We are able to make choices and decisions for our lives. Learning to make good decisions based on truth builds strength into our lives. In Deuteronomy, Moses lays out the choice for the people, blessings and curses that relate to the way they live their lives and whether they will choose to live in obedience to God or to themselves.

Deut 30:19
Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh that you would choose life, that you and your descendants may live.

Prov 2:11
Wise choices will watch over you, Understanding will keep you safe  (note some translations - wise planning).

What values do we have?
What convictions about life do we carry?

They will affect the types of choices we make. A couple of weeks ago we spoke about worth. Our worth is a conviction that we carry. When we have strong, positive convictions about who we are, we are more likely to make good choices based on these convictvions, even when the decisions we need to make are really hard.

What areas of life do we hold strong convictions about? Our convictions may relate to God, family, self, health, finance, education or any number of things. When we hold strong convictions and live from them, they will affect everything and allow us to put appropriate boundaries in place. What we choose to believe will affect what we do.

If we are struggling with negative convictions the good news is we can change. We may hold convictions based on the lies we were told about ourselves - e-g. I'm no good, etc. But we can learn the truth and develop convictions based on truth. As we do this, the ability to make good choices also develops. We can choose to believe what others have said or what God says about us. We can choose to live by what is right.

We have the power of choice.

2. I can take control of my thinking
One of the most exciting things is that God has given us the ability to take control over our thinking. We are what we think, because what we think determines the choices we make, and we are the consequence of those choices. This is sometimes hard, but the truth is that we can change the negative patterns of thinking that creep in to our lives.

We are able to take control of the random thoughts and the not so random thoughts that flow through our brains. Our brains are amazing things and God has created them in a way that enables us to take control of our thinking. Our brians build structure according to what we constantly think about, so when we constantly think negatively, that is what is reinforced, but if we think in a positive way, that too is reinforced. The Bible says be transformed by the renewing of the mind, changing the way we think.

Romans 12:2
Don't copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you which is good, and okeasing and perfect.

Eph 4:23
Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.

We are not to live like the world does, letting every random thought have its way, we are to take them captive  (2 Cor 10:5), and to make decisions about whether or not this thought is appropriate, helpful or unhelpful for us, and deal with it accordingly.

2 Cor 10:5
With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas and we teach ten to obey christ.

In other words, the ideas and thoughts that rise up that are in rebellion to the truth of God's word can be conquered and taken captive. When a thought comes into our conscious mind, that is when we are able to change the nature of it and how it affects the structures and pathways in our brains. We can actually change the pathways in our brains and we can choose to accept or reject the thought. We can choose to change our convictions and to have God's convictions about us as our convictions.

If the thought is already part of the structure of our brain we can rework the thought, we can transform our thinking, by understanding where that thought comes from. We can  look at the truth of that thought in the light of God's word and who we really are, and we can begin to change the nature of our brains and the thoughts.

Calvin and Hobbes is a cartoon about a little biy with an active imagination. He imagines himself in all kinds of situations and where necessary, he transmogrifies into something different. This is cute in the cartoon, and totally in his imagination, but the truth is we can change our thoughts - rewire and transform them, from something that is harmful to us, to positive thoughts.

For example, thoughts like "I'm no good", "I'm hopeless" etc. can be changed. We may think this because we have been told this and somewhere along the line we have chosen to believe it, even though it isn't true. But each time we dwell on it, we make that pathway stronger in our brain. Instead we can, when that thought arises, choose to reject that thought, and to "rewire" our brains by deliberately choosing to think about the truth of who we are.

It takes practice but it is very possible and God's word enables us to know the truth about ourselves, the truth about our situations and circumstances and to dwell on what is good and right and positive instead. By doing so we break down negative patterns and pathways and build good positive patterns and pathways.

Our thoughts are powerful. We can develop a stop think act approach to our thoughts. We can learn to "catch" the thought, to think "is this a good thought", "is it truth" etc. then we can act upon it by accepting or rejecting it. People with true strength, know how to take thoughts captive and to deal with them. God is the one who enables us to do this. He tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, so that we can understand what his will is, what his thoughts about us are, what the truth is. Instead of believing the circumstance has control, we believe that God is in control.

Ps 63:6
I lay awake at night thinking about your promise.

Ps 103:5
He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagles.

What we think about is what we become. The psalmist is choosing to meditate on God's word, on the promises. He is choosing to rewire his brain and to know what God says about him, allowing what God says to dictate his life and actions. Instead of believing that God is against us, we can acknowledge the word of God that says that if God is for us, then nothing can be against us. We can think about the word of God that says, He is able.

What changes to your thinking might you need to make?
What thoughts do you need to take captive?
What will you do today to begin to change the way you think?

3. I am not dictated to by my emotions.
Feelings are real and they are given to us to help us understand what is going on internally for us, and to enable us to process and move forward. They help us to deal with situations, but they should never dictate our actions. When we are struggling with emotions, we need to look at the emotions, and to understand where they come from. Thoughts and emotions are connected. How often do we think about a situation and then we realise we are feeling an emotion, either good or bad, that is attached to that thought?

How do we deal with emotions when they arise, and seem to want to overwhelm us?We need to acknowledge that the emotion is there and exists.

1. What am I feeling? - identify the emotion - am I happy sad etc - e.g we teach kids to identify and say how they are feeling.
2. Why am I feeling this way?  - what are the circumstances etc.
3. What choices do I have? - we always have choices
4. What action will I take? - take positive action

What often happens is instead of processing the emotion before we act, we allow ourselves to become overwhelmed and act from emotion, rather than from good decision making processes. Instead we can learn to acknowledge, identify, and understand the feeling, then we can look at choices and act accordingly.This is learning to respond rather than react to a situation. Emotions unchecked affect everything we do but we can learn to be in control of our emotions instead of them controlling us.

Strong people do not ignore emotions, they have simply learnt to not let them dictate how they will act, or negatively affect their decisions.

In 2 Sam 11, we see King David allowing his emotions to dictate his actions and it caused him issues. He saw Bathsheba and lusted after her and he let his lust dictate his actions which lead to adultery and murder. Later in 2 Sam 19, he is in mourning, it was a difficult situation, but his son had been trying to take the kingdom, the soldiers had saved David's life but in the process his son was killed. This was a horrible situation, but in the process of mourning for his son, he was so overwhelmed, that he forgot what the real situation was - his son had actually been out to kill him. He let his emotions overwhelm him and forgot his duty to the people who had saved his life.

In Luke 22:39-46 we see a right reaction. When Jesus was going to the cross, he too was overwhelmed with emotion, so much so that sweat and blood poured from him, (the Bible says he was in agony of spirit) yet he did not allow what he felt, to dictate his actions. He said instead - whatever your will is God. He acknowledged his emotion - and he looked at the choices and made his decision on God's will and not his own. When we identify our feelings, especially when someone has hurt us, we can look at what happened and then make decisions based on that. We can choose to forgive, we can choose to talk to someone, we can choose to go to that person and work out the problem with them etc.

What negative emotions am I allowing to control my life?
What steps will I take to ensure my emotions do not rule my life?

4. My strength comes from God.
When we allow God into the picture, he brings strength to our lives. When we learn to trust him in every situation, even when we don't understand what is going on, when we learn that he wants his best for us, then we will find his strength sufficient.
The apostle Paul acknowledges this in 2 Corinthians.

2 Cor 12:10b
When I am weak, he is strong.

Paul understood, that when he felt weak, when he felt he was not able, that was when God was proved strong and able. There are times in our lives where things are heavy and we can't see a way through or understand what is going on. In these times we can draw on God's strength to enable us to go forward. He promises to strengthen the weak, to be our strength for us.

Ps 23:3
He renews my strength, He guides me along right paths, bringing honour to his name.

Ps 28:7
The Lord is my strength and my shield.

When we are feeling that its all too much, God is there to strengthen us, we can trust in him.

Is 40:31
Those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength. They will run and not grow weary they will walk and not faint.

True strength is found in God and in who God is. He gives us strength to make the difficult decisions and to stick by them, and to live his way.

Eph 3:16
I pray that from his glorious unlimited resources, he will empower you with strength through his Spirit.

God is able to bring true strength to our lives. His resources are unlimited, he is there for us to call upon his name and to find our strength in him.

What do you need strength for today?

Trust God for his strength.

Conclusion
As we make good choices, as we learn to transform our thinking and learn to understand and process our emotions, we will develop strength in our lives. Ultimately, our strength comes from God.

Are we willing to trust God, and to draw on his strength for our lives, letting him in to transform us?

Worth

Worth, Strength, Purpose,
Placing value on human life.

I have worth because....
I have strength to....
I have purpose for....

Each of us is incredibly valuable, we are capable of making choices and we have a divine purpose that God has created for us.

What is worth?
Worth - the quality that renders something desirable, that commands esteem and respect.

We think about worth often in the monetary value of things and the benefit of something, either for us or somethimgw e can offer someone else. We tend to think of worth as the value that something has: the top is worth $10;  it wasn't worth the money I paid for it; what is it worth to you? etc
We can value people this way too, by what they do! But this is not God's way.

God's way places value on people because they are and not because they do. God says we have worth because we exist, because we are. Worth is not about material or physical assets, even if the world in general and the media in particular tells you that it is. Worth is an intrinsic quality, given to us at conception, because we are.

We treasure what we value, those things that are of great worth to us - our families, our friends, our relationships that are important to us. Worth is not dictated by the circumstances of life - what we have or haven't done - but by the value that God places on us for who we are, not what we do. In our culture we often derive our value from what we do. We find out what others do and we measure ourselves against this mark - either better than or worse than - (which leads to pride or lack of self-esteem).

Thomas Edison said "Your worth consists in what you are and not in what you have". This is partly right, but it's really about what we are in the sense of how God sees us. God says "I value you on the basis of who you are - a much loved and valid person of great worth simply because you exist." What we do does not change our worth or value - e.g. the $10 note - crisp and clean or old and squashed - its still $10. It still has intrinsic worth.

We have incredible value in God's eyes because we are, and he loves us so much that he sent his Son for us. We were created to be children of God. Because God values us highly and places great worth on who we are, we also choose to place value and worth on others.

So who am I? I am a woman of great worth Because:

1. I am known by God
Everything about us is known by God. He knows our greatest desires and our greatest needs. He understands everything we have and do. He knows us intimately.

Psalm 139 :1-2
Lord you have examined my heart and you know everything about me.
You know when I sit down and when I stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I'm far away.

It goes on, showing how God is there always, he knows us and we can be assured that we are known by him.

Psalm 139:6
Your knowledge of me is deep, it is beyond understanding. GNT
God knows everything about us, and this is a good thing, it is meant to show that he cares for us, and that he knows us.

Jesus said that God knows even the number of hairs on our head. In Luke 12:7 Jesus says that God even cares about the sparrows and knows when one of them falls, and we are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows. We are known by God therefore we do not have to worry about anything.He values us highly and cares for us. God wants us to understand that he knows us, because he values us and wants us to know him in return.

2. I am loved by God
Knowing everything about us, the good the bad and the ugly, God still values us and loves us. We are of great worth to him.

Eph 1:4
Even before the creation of the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
Loved and chosen by God.

God has loved us for a long time. Since before the creation of the world, we were loved by God. He saw us, and loved us even when we had not been born. This is something that shows our great worth. We are loved by God.

John 3:16
For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that whoever believed in him would not perish but have everlasting life.

God loves us so much that he was prepared to lay down his life for us.

Romans 5:6-8
For when we were still helpless, Christ died for the wicked at the time God chose. It is a difficult thing for someone to die for a righteous person. It may even be that someone might dare to die for a good person. But God has shown us how much he loves us - it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us.

What this verse actually means is that while we were "devoted to sin" God proved, established and exhibited his great love. It goes on to say that we were God's enemies, but because he loved us he made us his friends through Christ.

1 John 4:9
And God showed his love for us by sending his Son into the world, so that we might have life through him.

We see God's love in the way he treats us and tells us to treat others. We are loved by God, therefore we can love others in the same way. In John 8:1-12 we read the story of the woman caught in adultery. For many of us, familiar with this story, we see and understand God's grace extended to this woman. But we also see Jesus placing incredible value on this woman.

The teachers of the law wanted to humiliate her and judge her because of what she had done. Jesus treats her differently. Jesus sees her not by what she has done, but by who she really is - a woman who is loved by God and in need of care and restoration. The love of Jesus for this woman elevated her and changed her. She understood that she was valuable because of who she was and her value was not in what she did. Jesus loved her enough to encourage her to change her ways, but his love for her, and God's love for her was based on her intrinsic value as a person and not on what she had done or failed to do.

I am loved by God, not because of what I have done, but because of who I am. Loved by God means that I am valuable and of great worth to him.

3. I am created by God
Each of us is incredibly valuable and we see that in the amazing creation that we are. We are created human beings but we are created in the image of God. We are created individually and specially with different fingerprints, different DNA. The human genome is an incredible thing. Scientists have been able to identify it. We are different to very other animal.

We are not like any one else - we are not a copy. The Mona Lisa is a masterpiece, a one of a kind. We may copy it, but the copy will never be the masterpiece. We are one of a kind, not a copy of someone else. We alone are created in the image of God. God desired human beings to be in relationship with him, and he desired that they be like him.

Genesis 1:26
Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.

Genesis 1:27
So God created human beings in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
Male and female he created them.

Make - to fashion, to accomplish, to produce.
Created - to shape and to form.

We are created by God. His plan for us is good. His plan for us is blessing. God values human beings so much that he makes us in his image, in his likeness.

Ps 139:13-16
You made all the delicate inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mothers womb.
Than you for making me so wonderfully complex. Your workmanship is marvellous - how well I know it.
You watched me as I was formed in utter seclusion as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment laid out before a single day had passed.

God has created us with great care and complexity. He knows us and loves us, created by him, thought of by him before we were born. Jeremiah was a prophet to the nations. He was a young man, called by God and he found it all a bit daunting. God says to him

Jer 1:5
I knew you before I formed you in your mothers womb.
Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you a prophet to the nations.

God knew who Jeremiah would be even before he was born. God knew us even before were born. This is not about us existing before then, but that God already had a plan in mind for us and created us with great care, with great love and valued us for us, even before we were born. Life for Jeremiah was not always easy, and our life isn't either, but that does not negate God's love for us and does not negate how valuable we are to God.

Ephesians says we are God's masterpiece. You may not feel like one right now, but God says we are his masterpiece. We are created anew in Christ, but even before that we are fearfully and wonderfully made and loved by God.We are women of great value and great worth.

4. I am a child of God
Because I am loved by God, because he sent his son for me, I can be a child of God. A daughter of the King. Romans 8:15-17 says that we are his children and his heirs.

Roms 8:15-17
For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory.

An heir is someone who receives his alotted possession by right of sonship. Our alotted possession is heirs of God's glory. Ephesians says he has given us every blessing in spiritual relams. We are truly children of God if we follow him.

When we understand our true value, when we understand that God knows us, loves us and cares for us, that he places value on us: When we understand that he made a great sacrifice for us, to make a way for us to have a relationship with him, then we can also know that we are God's children.

So I am valuable because I am known by God; I am loved by God; I am created by God and I am a child of God. This means I have great worth. Not because of what I do, but because of who I am. My value is intrinsic, because I exist and am valuable to God, created by him, as his masterpiece.