But God I Can't...
We all, and I mean all struggle with a level of insecurity. In some area at some level we don’t feel confident, or capable, or qualified, or smart enough, or gifted enough or you fill in the blank. It’s a voice in our gut we’ve heard all of our lives, a feeling that we are just.not.enough.
Moses grew up in the palace of the Pharaoh of Egypt. He grew up in privilege, wealth and the best education. But when God calls him to lead the Israelites out of bondage, all of a sudden he’s not eloquent enough, no one will believe him, and he can’t talk right??
Gideon was minding his own business when God calls him in Judges 6:14-15 “The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family. Umm can you say “low self-esteem”…..?
Peter was a Rabbinical School reject when Jesus called him to be His disciple. In the natural Peter didn’t have much going for him except Jesus doesn’t look at our natural talent or abilities when He is looking for someone to work with. He looks directly at our hearts.
The world isn’t short of people who want to judge you by your appearance or your checkbook, your education or any other scale they think is important. Nope. But He is looking at a place in us that we often don’t see and don’t realize is there and He sees things we have difficulty comprehending.
The Message Bible says it perfectly in 1Corinthians 1:27a, “Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”?
Jesus, when looking for disciples to follow in His footsteps and change the world, didn’t go to the best schools around or to the local Rabbis and ask for their best protégés. No!!! He went around looking at people in a different way, He looked through the façade of the surface and saw what “could be” in them.
Insecurity has run rampant in our world like the plague; like a disease without a remedy it’s running its course through people causing an epidemic of the “I cant’s and the I’m not qualified’s”. It's making us question ourselves and doubt that we could possibly make a difference. Let that just soak in a minute!!
Our enemy’s strongest power isn’t power at all its deception. If he can get us to BELIEVE we aren’t and we can’t then we won’t. We could be fully capable but if we don’t believe that then it will cripple us and keep us from doing anything.
God looked at all of these men and saw beyond where they were into their future. He saw what their yes could accomplish. We are focused on the here and now, on what we feel and see. Nothing will keep you from your possibilities quicker than an outlook that is based on what YOU can see.
Trust is all about DOING what LOOKS impossible and stepping out onto the water of faith and trusting He will cause that water to become firm under your feet!! If walking on the water was a “possible” thing all of the disciples would have jumped out there that day. God doesn’t ask us to do the “possible” but to allow Him to do it through us!
Gideon wasn’t a great warrior, a high statesman, rich or powerful. All he had going for him was that God had called him and GOD was fully able to empower Gideon to do the job. When God looks deep into our hearts He isn’t looking for hidden capability or strengths He is looking for a heart that will O.B.E.Y.
1 Samuel 15:22 is clear, “What is more pleasing to the Lord, your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
God needs our obedience not the sacrifice of our gifts or talents. He just needs that ‘yes sir” from you and then He swoops in and provides the power, the strength and all of the ability necessary to get the job done. He just needed Moses to go and He took care of the rest. He needed Gideon to gather the army, let Him whittle it down till it looked impossible and then Bam!! He defeats their enemies. He just needed Peter to give his life for the preaching of the Gospel and God did the rest.
What could be accomplished if we just gave God our “yes’? If we just simply surrendered to whatever He is asking us to do and let Him have the reins of our lives and get it done? Are you ready to find out? I am….lets do this thang!!!