There is this old family picture that my son likes staring at. He can be on the picture for minutes, smiling in excitement. We have wondered what used to excite him about the picture. One day, her elder sister saw him gazing at the picture and shouted; “Daniel, stop staring at our picture. You are not in the picture.”
Daniel’s mum came to his rescue; “Daniel, don’t mind her. You are in the picture. It’s only that she cannot see you.” This reminded me of how the devil lies to us that we are not in the family picture. He often deceives people into thinking that they are not in the picture of what God is doing.
Friend, you are in the picture. Your very life and existence are an integral part of God’s program (Isaiah 49:16). You may look small and inconsequential before people but not before God. Like my son, you may seem to have been born again late, but God’s program has you in the picture from the foundation of the world (1 Corinthians 15:8-10, Galatians 1:15-16).
Always tell yourself this daily; “I matter to God. I am in the picture. God’s purpose has my portion inside of it. I am not just a face in the crowd. God has chosen me. I am not inferior. I am not inconsequential. I know who I am.” The truth is, if you don’t learn to affirm yourself based on God’s word, the lies out there would soon catch up with you. It is what God says about you that is truth (Psalms 119:89, John 17:17).
You are not a face in the crowd. You are not just a statistical item in the scheme of things (Jeremiah 1:4-5). Even in a local church, God has given you a place in that spiritual family (Psalms 68:6). No matter how big the church is, you are supposed to be in the picture. This is why a good church is one that is big enough to accommodate you, yet small enough to identify with you.
When God sees you, what does He see? He sees His handiwork (Ephesians 2:10). He sees your potential and possibilities, not your problem (Judges 6:12-16). He sees someone who would carry out a major portion of His purpose on earth (Jeremiah 1:10-12). But how do you see yourself? Do you see yourself as a giant killer or a grasshopper (Numbers 13:25-33)?
Don’t let people intimidate you (Nehemiah 4:1-6). Get excited at what God is doing in your generation. Get involved. You may have just five loaves of bread and two fish (John 6:9-12). Yours may be just five smooth stones in a shepherd’s bag (1 Samuel 17:40-50). It may even look like the fragile feet of the four lepers (2 Kings 7:3-9). All of these do not matter as long as you yield to God. Nothing can stop a man who is completely yielded to God. Will you be that man or woman?
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria