Related Articles
Can Even Change Your Name
That’s what happened to a lady in the Scripture named Sarai. She had to change her “I am.” God promised Sarai and her husband, Abram, that they would have a baby. But Sarai was eighty years old,
way past the childbearing years. Back in those days, if a wife couldn’t conceive and give her husband a child for some reason, even if it was the husband’s fault, the wife was considered to be a failure. She was
looked down on greatly. There was a sense of shame in not being able to conceive a baby. This is how Sarai felt. She was eighty years old and never had a baby. She felt as though she had let Abram down.
Her self-esteem was so low. I can imagine some of her “I am”s: “I am a failure. I am inferior. I am not good enough. I am unattractive.”
Yet Sarai has this promise from God that as an older woman she Joel Osteen
was going to have a baby. God knew that it would never come to pass unless He could convince Sarai to change her “I am”s. It was so imperative that she have this new mindset that God actually changed her name from Sarai to Sarah, which means “princess.”
Now every time someone said, “Good morning, Sarah,” they were saying, “Good morning, Princess.”
“How are you, Sarah?” “How are you, Princess?”
“Would you pass me the ketchup, Sarah?” “Would you pass me the ketchup, Princess?”
She heard this over and over. Those words got inside her and began to change her self-image. Sarah went from “I am a failure”
to “I am a princess.” From “I amu nattractive” to “I am beautiful.”
From “I am ashamed” to “I am crowned by Almighty God.” Instead of hanging her head in defeat, in embarrassment, she started hold-ing her head up high. From “I’m not good enough” to “I am a child
of the Most High God.” From “I’m inferior” to “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Her new attitude became: “I am amazing. I am wonderful. I am a masterpiece.”
And ladies, as was true for Sarah, you may have had a lot of things in life try to push you down—bad breaks and disappointments, maybe people have even tried to make you feel as though you just
don’t measure up or you’re not quite attractive enough. You could easily let that seed get inside, ruin your sense of value, and cause you to live inferior. But God is saying to you what He said to Sarai,
“I want you to change your name to Princess”—not literally, but in your attitude. You have to shake off the negative things people have said about you. Shake off the low self-esteem and the inferiority
and start carrying yourself like a princess. Start walking like a prin- cess. Start talking like a princess. Start thinking like a princess. Start waving like a princess!
Instead of whispering, “I am inferior. I am less than,” you start declaring, “I am one of a kind. I am handpicked by Almighty God.
I am valuable. I am a masterpiece.” When you get up in the morn-ing, don’t focus on all your flaws. Look in the mirror and dare to say, “I am beautiful. I am young. I am vibrant. I am confident. I am secure.” You may have had some disappointments. People may have tried to push you down, but quit telling yourself you’re all washed
up. Do as Sarah and say, “I am royalty. I am crowned with favor. I am excited about my future.” This princess spirit got inside Sarah.
It changed her self-image. I’ve learned you have to change on the inside before you’ll see change on the outside. At ninety-one years old, against all odds, she gave birth to that baby. The promise came to pass.
