~Ephesians 3:8-9~
"When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God's way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along."
These verses have become a huge source of strength and encouragement for me over the last several weeks. I’ve been feeling very inadequate as I’ve taken on a new role that I am highly under-qualified to do, and at times I have sabotaged my own success in my head because I was convinced that my lack of training and experience would quickly show their cracks and I would fail. But as I sit reading these verses yet again, it’s once again hitting me that I have allowed Satan a foothold in my life by allowing him to grab hold of my insecurities and my fears of rejection and failure. I hate that!! I’ve allowed him to discourage me and to prey on my weaknesses, which has left me feeling paralyzed in a sense and I find myself holding back. But I’m also realizing that by only focusing on my own abilities or lack thereof, I have placed God in a box.
But isn’t that exactly what Satan wants? Isn’t that his plan of attack…to use our fears and insecurities to keep us from doing the things God is calling us to do? I love what Paul says about it having nothing to do with his natural abilities, but rather that, “God saw to it that I was equipped.”
~2 Corinthians 12:9~
“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”
That takes the outcome out of our hands and places it solely in His, which is a very good thing as I tread through unchartered waters with little idea as to what I’m really doing, LOL. I’m so thankful that His mercies are new every morning and that we serve a God that continually extends grace to us and wants to use the least qualified to do His kingdom work, because in the end, all of the glory and honor and praise will be directed toward Him!!
~Ephesians 3:12~
“When we trust in him, we're free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go.”
For me, that perspective changes everything and allows me to take risks that I’m not necessarily comfortable taking, but I know that He is ultimately in control and His will is going to be accomplished despite my fears and weaknesses! So, I’m choosing to jump into the deep end with both feet, while admittedly still holding my breath, but knowing that I have a lifeguard on watch with a spotless safety record!
