Harris Temple Outreach Ministry

Pastor, Supt. W.K. Ellison

November, 2007

Self Evaluation

“Taking control of who you are”

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (I Peter 2:9)

Sometime it’s a good thing to stop and take inventory of the value God has placed in us. God has a purpose and plan for each of our lives. He made us unique. We are one of a kind for a purpose, with all the gifts, talents, and tools to achieve His purpose in our lives. Our personality, our temperament, our childhood up-bringing, our life experiences, our education and training are all part of God’s system of creating our uniqueness. I know I might sound like a broken record, but the devil is deceiving so many people in thinking beneath what God has designed them to be.

That combination I mention in the previous paragraph is designed to be maximized, utilized and specialized into our most significant influence of others for the purpose of the ministry of Jesus Christ. We must never allow part of our equipping to sit on the shelf, but we must exploit our own uniqueness and proclaim our own identity.

We must be our own selves and never copy other people. It’s very important that we love and appreciate who God made us to be. We are one of a kind; to copy others is to cheat ourselves out of what God has called us to be and to do. If we don’t take control of our lives, somebody else will.

If we really know who we really are in spirit, soul, and body, we will not pretend to be someone else, but will be pleased with what God has assembled for a model of Christ known by our name. We will be able to stand before the mirror each morning, identify who that is in the mirror, what that person stands for, what that person can do today, and how that person is to declare ourselves to the world in order to make a difference

First we must recognize our gifts, talents, and strengths and do everything in our power to build on them. Proverbs 3:6 states: “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” One person with commitment, persistence, and endurance will accomplish more than people with only interest. It behooves us to stop being spectators and become participators.

Ephesians 2:10—For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. When we accept our value as children of God, our fear of failure or defeat will be eliminated; because nothing can stop us and God working together. Realizing our self-value will wipe out inferiority, because we are in God’s class of being and He in us is greater than any person or power outside of us.

Our lives is the sum total of our choices and decisions. Our decisions define what we want in life. We can win if we choose to win, desire to win, and are committed to win. We can never fail until we choose and decide to give up. “With God all things are possible.” The key word is “action.”

Action takes us out of the gallery of spectators. It invigorates, energizes, and vitalizes. Action is the proof that we believe and trust in God, in ourselves, and in other people. We must get ourselves in gear. Go! Never wait for an emotional surge. Think in term of “NOW.” “Do not put off until tomorrow, what we can do today.” God is calling us to a higher place in Him. We must stand before Him and be judged according to the deeds done in our bodies. We can’t afford to bury our gifts and talents.

I must warn each of us. In this life we must face opposition. But, when we get knocked down, get up! Only those who do not expect anything are never disappointed. Only those who never try, never fails. Everybody gets knocked down; it’s how fast we get up that counts. Remember the call is higher than the fall. If we don’t take chances, we want advance. We must aim high and take risks. Dream big, because we serve a big God.

We are called to stand out, not blend in. Therefore we must dare to be different. One of the greatest compliments that anyone can give us is to say that we are different. We are not to be ordinary, but to be extraordinary. We must never fear being different.

“WARNING”—our talents treasures and dreams can lie dormant for our entire life if we do not take action to develop, experience, pursue, and enjoy them. Will we dare to develop our talents? Will we choose to give ourselves the gift of enjoying our treasures? Will we risk pursuing our lost dreams? If we don’t pursue our lost dreams; no one not even God Himself-will do that for us.

Yes we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people…The bottom line of positive and stable self-value is when we can say, “I accept the value that God has placed within me.” When we do that we will then cooperate with God to develop the best possible person He designed us to be.

Have a blessed and safe Thanksgiving Day.

Please remember to pray for our troops and leaders of the countries, states, cities and communities every where.