Episode 12 You Matter

You are not here by accident.  Your life carries meaning, purpose, and weight.  Far more than you may feel!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello and welcome to Acker Let's Pray Ministry, a space where compassion meets faith, and every heart finds a moment to breathe, reflect, and connect with God. Today we're going to talk about how you matter. You are not here by accident. Your life carries meaning, purpose, and weight. Far more than you may feel in an ordinary moment. There is something uniquely placed inside of you that no one else can replicate. Your voice, your kindness, you in general, your life, even your struggles, they all matter. You make a difference simply by being here. And I thank God for you today. I want us to pause for a moment to reflect on a couple of things. When was the last time you truly spoke kindly to yourself? I used to, and I still do it to this day, but I had these moments where I go, oh my God, I got to tell you something. I do it to my kids, I do it to my sister, my brother, I do it to everybody. I go, oh my God, I really gotta tell you something. And they go, what? What is I said? I don't know how you're gonna take it, but I gotta tell you something. They go, well, what is you're making me nervous? And I go, you have a beautiful mother, you have a beautiful sister, you got a beautiful cousin. And they go, girl, stop it. And I say that because we are truly good people, and so I encourage myself and I tell everybody from time to time, like, I'm a good person, and I am beautiful, I am wonderfully made, I am God's creation, and so I wanted the world to know that I am beautiful from the inside out because my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ created me. So when was the last time you truly spoke kindly to yourself to let yourself know that you are a good person? What would change if you saw yourself the way God sees you? Because God sees us way better than what we see ourselves sometimes, right? God sees the beauty in us, He sees the perfection in us, but sometimes we can beat ourselves up, right? Sometimes we'll still say, I'm not worthy, I'm not beautiful, I'm not loved. We would minimize who we are, but we are God's chosen, we are loved, and we are unique and special. Are you measuring your worth by the right things or by temporary standards, by temporary emotions and feelings? What parts of yourself have you been too hard on lately? What would it look like to give yourself grace in those areas today? We have to learn how to give grace, not just the people and the people that we like and the people we don't like. We have to learn how to give grace to ourselves. Sometimes it's easy to overlook our own worth. Sometimes we may measure ourselves by what we haven't done, what didn't work out, or how we think we have fallen short. But I want you to know your value was never meant to be measured that away. You are already deeply loved, already seen, already known. Scripture reminds us of this truth. Psalms 139 and 14 states, I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Do you believe that you are wonderfully made, even named as you are? What would it take for you to accept that truly more fully? Right? What would it take for you to accept that truth more fully? Also, in this moment, when you feel unworthy or unseen, remember Isaiah 43 and 4. You are precious and honored in my sight, saith the Lord, and I love you. If you truly believe you were precious, that you are precious and honored, how would that change your thoughts about yourself? How would it change the way you move throughout your day? It's time to begin loving yourself from the inside out, not with pride or perfection, but with grace. Speak kindly to yourself. I told y'all I ain't editing nothing. I'm gonna speak who I am because I stumble all the time, but God is working on that. But I want you to be patient with your growth, forgive yourself when you stumble. You deserve the same compassion you so freely give to others. What is one kind thing you can say to yourself right now? And I know I can say right now that I am loved and I am favored, and you are too by our God. What is one step you can take today to care for your heart, mind, soul, body, and spirit? Even in your quietest seasons, you are still becoming, even in your hardest days, you are still held. Amen. Now let us go to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we want to thank you for creating us with intention and with love and with favor, grace, and mercy. Thank you for knowing every part of us, our strengths, our weaknesses, our hopes, and even the things we try to hide from you, O God. Yet you love us fully and completely, anyhow. Help us to see ourselves the way you see us. We're worthy, we're chosen, and we are enough. Quiet the voice of doubt within us and replace it with your truth. When insecurities rises, remind us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. When we feel forgotten, remind us that you call us precious and honored. Heavenly Father, teach us how to love ourselves with patience and grace. Help us to release the need for perfection and embrace the beauty of growth and transformation. Give us the courage to forgive ourselves for past mistakes and the wisdom to learn from them without shame. Fill our hearts with your peace when anxiety tries to take hold. Strengthen us when we feel weak and restore us when we feel weary. Help us to trust your timing even when we don't understand the path that we're walking. Guide our thoughts so that we may speak a life over ourselves instead of criticism. Guard our heart from comparison and remind us that our journey is uniquely made just for us. Honey Father, Lord, what lives have we believed about ourselves that you want to replace with the truth? Show it to us, oh God, on this journey, I pray. Where are we not following the calling over our life, Heavenly Father? Show us so we may grow, so we may trust the process before us, Heavenly Father. Let your love overflow within us right now, oh God, I pray. May you extend your love in our hearts time a thousand, oh God, so we can give that same love and grace to others, oh God. I pray. Holy Father, I pray in this moment, if we feel alone, if we feel uncertain about our situations, remind us, oh God, that you are near. For you said in your word that you will never leave us nor forsake us. Holy Father, in moments of confusion, bring clarity to our souls. In moments of pain, oh God, be our comfort and our healer, Heavenly Father. Shape us into who you've called us to be, oh God. Open doors that align with your will and close the ones that are not meant for us to walk through, oh God, and help us to set to accept your yes, no's, maybes, and your weights. Heavenly Father, give us discernment, courage, and a heart that seeks after you above all things, Henry Father. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and all his righteousness and all these things shall be added to us, oh God. Let our life reflect your light, oh God. Let our life reflect your love, Heavenly Father. Let our light reflect your eyesight, Heavenly Father. Let our life be what you have called our life to be. Use us to bring encouragement, Heavenly Father. Use us to be that vessel, Heavenly Father. Use us to be kind to people, Henry Father. Use us to bring hope back to those around us, Henry Father. Because this world is losing hope, oh God. But help us to be an encourager of hope, an encourager of faith, an encourager to keep walking with our hand connected to yours, oh God. Help us to walk boldly in our purpose. Help us to walk bold in our faith, knowing that we are never walking alone, Heavenly Father, because you are with us every step of the way. Thank you, O God, for your endless grace, for your new mercies every morning, and for a love that never fails. Heavenly Father, we place our life, our thoughts, and our heart in your hands. Thank you, O Lord. Thank you, O Lord. Thank you, O Lord. It's in your holy, holy, holy name we pray. Amen. Amen. I hope you all have a splendid rest of your day. And I want you to remember this key thing. You are important. You are loved. And yes, you truly do make a difference. Until we meet again tomorrow, I want you to know that we care and we are praying for you. Have a blessed day.