Why is it so hard to believe that you are a jewel in the eye's of the Lord? Is it because, you don't feel worthy? The enemy of our souls will make us believe that we've done so much wrong that the Lord doesn't have the capacity to forgive us, and we begin to believe the lies. Lies that we're not worthy, we're not loveable, we're not forgiven, we're doomed to hell, we're doomed to fail, and we're not overcomers. We will never amount to anything, we should just give up, your not important to anyone, and nothing ever goes right, just give up. No, all of that is lies to keep you in bondage.

Here's what the Lord thinks about us when we choose to follow him, and strive for perfection on a daily basis, when we repent of our sins and pick up our cross to carry it.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

You are so important to the Lord that he paid a ransom for your life before you were formed.

Psalm 139: 1-6 says You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. 2. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. 5. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. 6. Such knowlegde is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Psalm 139:13-17 says For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 17. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!

The Lord knows you, he sees the potential in you before you were formed. He knows your thoughts before they come to your mind, He knows the words before you form them upon your tongue, He sees who you are before you can imagine it. He cultivates you through trials, struggles and yes even heartache. He wants to get the best out of you for the use of his kingdom. I remember being at a point in life that I was confused about where I was supposed to be. I didn't think highly of myself. One day I just prayed asking the Lord, who am I destined to be? Who am I Lord when you look at me? What is it that you, Lord see in me that I don't see in myself? I had so many doubts, my self-esteem was low. I didn't want to be useless, I began praying the Jabez prayer for the Lord to broaden my territory, to open doors of opportunity that he had for me, and to close doors that would hinder me in my walk with him. I asked him to show me the schemes of the enemy, and to show me the way of escape. When you realize that the Lord is guiding you; you begin to trust the unseen hand of God that gives you a push in the right direction, your spirit will agree to the pushing, and instead of going left you'll choose the right road.

As a parent teaches their child about life they want what's best for them, and they don't want to see any harm come to them. The same with the Lord. Jeremiah 29:11 says For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. God sees us as precious and honored according to Isaiah 43:4

The Lord sees each of us through eyes of unconditional love, and it doesn't depend on looks, wealth, race, or educational background. He sees our heart.

Ist Samuel 16:7 says But the Lord said to Samuel, " Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

What is it that you see of yourself in the mirror? Are you able to look at yourself in the mirror, and do you like what you see? I ask this, because; when I was so wounded, self-esteem so low, confused about my life, I couldn't look at me, in the mirror. Of course I'd style my hair, put on makeup, but I never looked at me. I felt disappointed, because of who I turned into. A person with emotional scars, lacking confidence, I felt damaged beyond repair, I felt ugly and unworthy of what the word of God said. Wounds can keep you emotionally imprisoned, you walk with your head down avoiding eye contact for fear that someone would see how damaged you truly were. You are ashamed and disconnect from others, you don't want anyone to see you at your weakest point. It's as though you feel that you are a failure, but that's just another lie from the enemy. Just because you make mistakes doesn't deem you as a failure, it means that you have another chance to get it right. If you'd look at mistakes as a lesson and not a judgement of impending doom, it will help develop you in spiritual maturity, there is growth from it.

I'm here to tell you that what you believe resonates to your inner being and directs the course of your life. You have to reject the negative thoughts of past wounds; and build a wall against wounds that try to penetrate your new mindset. Once you start thinking positive the enemy will always try to bring up negative thoughts to keep you bound to the past. Your positive thinking and standing on God's word will help you stand against any negativity that comes your way. You will believe the truth of God's word instead of the lies of the enemy. You will reject negative thinking and stand on the truth through the word of the Lord.

Once you see yourself the way the Lord sees you, your wounds will heal, you'll become victorious over low self-esteem, negative thinking, and you'll be able to hold your head high, walk in confidence and be able to look at yourself in the mirror. Keep praying, ask the Lord how he sees you? Ask him to show you yourself? When I asked those questions he showed me things I needed to change about myself and he showed me how to walk in love, kindness, joy, peace, forgiveness, patience, and confidence in his word.

Numbers 23:19 says God is not a man that he should lie, nor son of man that he should repent of his word. God will not go back on his word.

Romans 2:11 says for there is no respect of persons with God. What the Lord does for one, he will do for another. He does not show favortism.

Everyone's situation is different, I know, but if you go to the ultimate problem solver, Psalm 55:22 says cast your cares on the Lord, he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

I pray that this episode of Open the Wound has blessed you, and has given you new found hope, strength and confidence in the word of the Lord. That it will dwell in your hearts to build your self-esteem, your walk with Christ and will give you the peace and joy that you desire. Walk in victory and see yourself through the eyes of God by studying his word. As always I thank you for listening and subscribing, please comment, send feedback via email to let me know your thoughts, opinions and any victories you've overcome by listening to this podcast. I look forward to hearing from you and will keep you lifted in prayer. Remember you are not alone and it is healing for your mind, body, spirit and soul. Have a great weekend.