Topic:    Increase in Value
Text:      2 Cor. 3:18
Minister: Pst. Belemina Obunge

Once you walk with the Lord, your value increases in life. There is no way you will walk with the Lord in partnership and remain the same.

One thing that is very essential when it comes to divine partnership is increase in value. What does it take to increase our value? 2 Cor. 3:18 “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord”. As you walk with God, and partner with Him beholding his glory, the bible says you are changed; not just you, your business and everything you are engaged in changes as well.

“Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your glory”; your value is not a function of what people see, but there is something in you that makes you realize that you are who God says you are. If people don’t value diamond, does it mean that diamond has no value?

Values are like light houses, they are signals giving us direction and purpose. Wherever you are, you should be determined to be a person of value.

If it doesn’t add value, it is a waste. If your relationship doesn’t add value to you, it’s a wasted relationship; if what you are doing right now doesn’t add value to you, you are wasting your time. Whatever you do that does not add value to your life is a waste.

It’s not important who values you, it’s important how you value yourself; and money flows in the direction of value. So we ask ourselves – How do we increase our value?

Firstly, what are values? Value is the way you regard something. There are certain things you don’t regard because it’s of no value to you. The word of God makes it clear that “we are bought with a price”; you are not just a nobody, there is something unique about you. (Proverbs 22:1).

So wherever we go to in life, we must determine and realize that we are of value, it must be seen in everything we do, in our behaviour, in our reaction, it must be seen in us; but again we ask, what is it that needs to be seen in us?

We would be looking at things we need to do to increase our value, but before then let’s quickly look at what determines your value. Your value is simply your rating: there are times when films come out, they check the rating; when you want to buy a commodity online you check the rate; the rating determines the value; the relevance and how important it is determines the value. In the same way your ratings in the sight of God, your relevance wherever you are, how much you are required determines your value. You should be so significant that your absence should create a void.

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR VALUE

i.              Work on Your Character: the various features that forms your personality; the attributes you are known for, that’s your character. The truth is a lot of us may have flaws in our character, some people may have flaws in their moral life, their business, their social integrity, but we need to work on it. Job 27:5

We are in times when people say “if you can’t beat them join them”; we are in time when people are ready to compromise their integrity. Character is who you are when nobody is watching you. That which you don’t deal with now, will deal with you in the future; there are people whose life has been messed up because they compromised their character.

ii.             Build Competence: Improve in Knowledge and skill – “If you do more than you are paid to do, in due season you will be paid more than you want”. Wherever you are, don’t just do what every other person is doing, acquire knowledge that will make you extra, acquire knowledge that will give you an advantage over others.

iii.            Build Capacity: Competence is acquiring more skills, capacity is performing and doing more. You have acquired more skills, so you are a solution to diverse problems; when they call a problem your name is the answer, because you are a solution provider. You have multiple competencies, so you are relevant in many areas. Determine to improve your capacity in life, that is what God expects. For you to increase your capacity, you need to keep increasing, keep innovating, and keep impacting.

iv.           Courage: For your value to increase you have to be courageous. When people are paralyzed by fear they don’t move forward. Courage is moving on in spite of your fear, surviving in tough environment. Courage is been able to conquer fear and not allow people to discourage you.

Character need courage to say yes and no to the right things; competence need courage to go in spite of challenges; capacity need courage to take up all responsibility; and courage need courage to build character, competence and capacity.  

Beloved, it is important that our value increases; when God gave Joshua responsibilities, he was told “Be strong and of good courage” (Joshua 1:9). When God gives you an instruction, he goes with you.

Finally, for one’s value to increase, you need to understand culture or wherever you find yourself.

Prayer Point:

Oh Lord God, anything that is not bringing value to my life, Lord help me to stop it in the name of Jesus.