As we started this discussion on who You are in DEMAND, I realized that before we go deeper into your purpose, we really need to nail down one thing: your value. I know we have discussed your identity in a previous post, and value is tied directly to that. The main premise of this post series is that YOU have something that is of great value. YOU are in high demand, but the enemy wants you as well. He wants to destroy you. He wants to break the heart of God by taking out one of His beloved.

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 NIV

He knows your value to God and His kingdom and wants nothing more than to get you to sell yourself short. However, if you do not know your value you are likely to accept the enemy’s short sale offer. In doing so, God’s best for your life is undercut and your potential will not be fulfilled.
During my vacation, I watched a show with some of the fellas called , “Cajun Pawn Stars.” This show follows the transactions and deals in a Louisiana Pawn Shop. In the episode I caught, there was a gentleman who brought in two Civil War diaries uncovered from a field lap desk compartment, mentioning Union General William Sherman, and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Unsure of its real legitimacy and value they called in an expert. They asked the opinion of a historic curator at an area civil war museum and he attested to the supreme value of such a find. He valued the documents at $12,000. All parties were present at the revealing of this valuation.
After the curator left the negotiations began.

[The following is a paraphrased conversation]
The customer was asked, “How much are you looking for?”
“Well i think $10,000 sees reasonable.”
“I’ll give you $2,000.”
The customer seems taken a back and refuses the offer. He counters with $8,000.
The dealer lands with his final offer coming in at $3,500.
The customer decides….
Now wait a minute! Can you imagine standing there and just hearing an expert tell the both of you that what you owned was worth $12,000 and only being offered $3,500 after negotiating?
Well guess what. We accept that offer everyday. We know what we are worth. God tells us in a bold proclamation that we were worth the death of his only begotten son. God tells us that we worth chasing after and pulling from our despair. Yet, everyday Christians are selling themselves short. They and the enemy hear the valuation and they accept the low ball terms that the devil offers.

Well many of us could take a lesson from the gentleman with the  journals. He decided to pack up his wares and take his business elsewhere, to a place that respected real value.
REMEMBER, YOU are in high DEMAND!
Your purpose is not in the hands of the enemy. Don’t sell it out at a bargain basement price, You are not some cheap knock off, you are not some replica item on the shelves of a souvenir shop.
YOU are a child of GOD, a prince/princess of the King of Kings.
DON’T SELL YOURSELF SHORT!