People need to know that they matter and their lives are valuable, but popular Christian speaker and author Joyce Meyer says some people waste their lives searching for self-worth in all the wrong places.

"In the world, people base their value and importance on what they do, how much education they have, who they know, what kind of clothes they wear, how they look, their job title, and the list goes on," Meyer writes in an article for The Christian Post. "But when worldly standards determine your sense of self-worth, you'll always be striving to please people and it will derail you from your God-given destiny."

The only way people can find true security and have a healthy self-esteem is when they experience the love of God, Meyer says.

"The bottom line is you are valuable because God loves you and He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for you. Your worth is not based on how you look, who you know, your title at work or any of the other superficial things the world considers impressive," she says.

People get so busy seeking the world's approval that they forget just how valuable they are to God, who is simply waiting to have a personal relationship with them. Meyer adds that God has wonderful plans and purposes for all people, and that His love is so unconditional that He still loves them during their worst days.

"No matter what your past is like, where you're from, what you've done, or where you are today, God is there for you and He loves you! He loves us all the same, and He wants to meet us right where we are to heal our wounded souls and bring us out of the messes we're in — whether we've created them or they are the result of things others have done to us," she says.