You make a decision; I won't live with put downs. I won't live with negatives. I won't live with these things. I won't be put down any more. What I will do is, I will begin to arise and handle things differently, whether that means confront it, quieten it and calm it down, whether it means withdraw from it, I'll do whatever is needed to do this. If it means that I've got to spend time alone and change my friends, begin to build a different kind of environment around me that supports the life of God, I'll do that. I WILL pursue the person that I'm called to be. See, you're called to do that. You're called to do that. You're called to do that and that's what will make you different, because others will look around, they'll say how did you get where you are? They want to know because they need your help to get there.
So whatever you've been through, whatever you've faced, God's just ready there to help you get up, be a winner in it. That's what you're wired up to be, a winner in life; a winner in whatever situation, a winner! You say well, you don't understand how bad my situation - well, what a great chance for Jesus to raise the dead! Suppose you got killed and knocked down, battered, beaten, broken and there you are, crushed, don't even know who you are, whatever. Well that's as close to death as you can get. Jesus raises the dead!
He has the power to lift you up, but you've got to tap into it by faith in Him, and engaging Him at a heart level over these things. So over these few weeks God has been doing that, and tonight's an opportunity for you, if you've been subject to verbal violence, to cursing, words spoken over you that put you down, this is your time to make a decision, I will break out of that. If you're a person here tonight, and you've never ever actually walked with God, known what it is to have a personal connection with the Lord, tonight's your night to make that decision, to come to Jesus Christ. He came to give you life. That implies something. If He came to give you life, and give it more abundantly, it means you're living below your potential, and to maximise what God has called you to be, you must connect with the one who created you.
Come on, let's close our eyes right now. Maybe there's someone here tonight, and you know what I'm talking about. You just know what this is. You think man, I think he must have known, must have read my mail or something. He's talking just about my life, but friend tonight God loves you. You are loved by God. You are valued by God. I have taught people around the world to hear the voice of God, and almost every time they feel Him love them, and they hear Him say I love you, I love you. You are special to Me. Words from heaven - what wonderful words. Words from heaven; I love you, you are very special to Me. God Himself telling you He loves you. I have been to meetings where God's love started to touch people, people felt the love of God, and then they began to hear Him say, I love you, you're very special to Me.
When you've lived years with put downs, abused for never being good enough, criticised, accused, attacked in various ways verbally, then you hear a different kind of word, a word from heaven, I love you. Suddenly the well springs of grief begin to break open; I'm valued. I'm important to God. See, connecting with heaven you connect with the environment of God's glory and goodness, an environment where everything thrives.