You are very precious. Do you see yourself as precious, worth while and a blessing to those around you? Maybe you believe that the words spoken over you in your childhood or circumstances determine who you are. Do you say to yourself: ?he does not like me; therefore there must be something wrong with me,? ?I am not as smart as my brother, so I'm no good,? or ?Daddy abused me; I must be awful and no good.?



The thoughts implanted in your subconscious so long ago took root, didn't they? They not only planted themselves firmly in that fertile soil of a child's imaginative mind, but they keep showing up all the time. They are like your constant companions, reminding you and confirming over and over again that what you've been thinking of yourself is indeed true.

Your thoughts have power over you because they came from authority figures. You had no other standard to measure your feelings by unless you had positive, affirming voices to counterbalance your self evaluation. Feelings have power to create firm thoughts and reactions, whether good or bad.

There is only one authority figure who can give you an accurate assessment of yourself. That is your Creator. When He made man, He breathed His Holy Spirit in him, and saw that it was good! He made you in His image and He wants to walk and talk with you. Adam and Eve ?messed up? their lives (and ours) by listening to their ?thoughts? whispered by the devil. Disguised as a snake, he made them think by asking the question: ?Has God said...?? That produced the thought which led to their downfall! That one act of disobedience gave Adam's God-given authority over the earth to Satan. The Holy Spirit departed and Adam lost his intimacy with God.

Because of the fall of Adam, man's spirit, though always yearning for God, was no longer connected to God (Genesis 1- 6). However, God still loved you so much that He literally came down to earth, was born as a man - the second Adam - to take back what the devil had stolen. Through Adam, death and sin came into the world. Through His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus bought back eternal life and restoration with God. He paid the price that we could not pay!

The Gospel of Jesus Christ simply declares that He loves you so much that He was willing to come into Satan's territory to restore that union. God, however, no longer had any legal authority on the earth. The only lawful way he could restore you to Himself was to take on an earthly body, thereby becoming the second Adam. Sinless himself, through His connection with the Father through the Holy Spirit, He carried every sin and sickness on His body on the cross. Although at his death the Holy Spirit left him as He descended into hell, He knew that through His obedience as a man, He would not only be reunited with the Holy Spirit, but be the first man to sit at the right hand of God!

Easter Sunday represents the day that the Holy Spirit literally raised up His mortal body, thereby defeating Satan and restoring our rightful place with Him. That is what it means to be ?born again.? By declaring Jesus? sacrifice on the cross and acknowledging your sinful nature, your spirit will become reunited to the Holy Spirit, and your relationship with Him will be restored.

As you get to know Him, and realize His power inside of you, you will never be the same! No more need to fear death or doubt where you'll end up. You are assured of eternal life with Him! You will then become his heir, bought back from Satan by His blood! No authority on earth could do that for you!

Look up! Jesus thinks you are so precious that He would have died just for you! His last prayer on the night before his crucifixion was for you to be one with Him as He is with the Father! This love He has for you will show the world that He is God and that you are indeed precious! (John 17)