Has God called you to do something? He will never call you to do something He hasn’t equipped you to do. All He asks for is obedience and a willing heart. Only then can God accomplish through you the things He put in you to operate in so you can be the vessel He intended you to be and touch the people He sends your way.
He never said it would be easy. What He asks of all of us is to have faith & take that first step. Sometimes you just have to step through the fear that grips you & just do what God’s told you to do. It’s not easy and will normally take you out of your comfort zone.
I remember reading about Barbara Streisand and how she has battled severe stage fright and thought to myself “You’ve got to be kidding. She has such talent!”. Many actors have to deal with being extremely nervous. One important thing they have going for them is that they manage to push through their fears to do what they need to do to be successful.
That’s exactly what God is reminding all of us to do. Fear has kept many of you from walking in the anointing and purpose He has for your lives. After failing miserably at a task God had instructed me to do, I made the comment that I was never going to do that again. That’s just what the devil wants to hear you to say!
How easy it is for us to give up. The devil tells us that we’re not good enough and instead of declaring what God says about us, we are way too quick to agree with the enemy! We always compare our talents to someone we feel we could never measure up to.
For years I struggled with fear and feelings of inadequacy that held me hostage and kept me from having the freedom to function in the gifts God had given me. God told me what to do and instead of blatantly stating that I wouldn’t do it, I decided I’d do it “eventually”. If you told your child to clean their room and every day you went by it you saw them playing with their toys or playing on their xbox but never actually cleaning it, I imagine that there would be some unfavorable consequences to their disobedience. When God calls you to do something and you don’t do it, no matter what the excuse you give, you’re being disobedient and God can’t use you like He wants to. We have a tendency to become spiritually stagnant.
He’s not looking for perfection. God took a tone deaf Down syndrome boy and anointed his song so heavily that everyone in the church was in tears. He just wants a willing and obedient heart that He can use, to mold into the vessel of honor that He can use in the capacity He wants.
What is it that God’s called you to do? What has kept you from operating in that gift and calling? Fear? Fear of failure? Feelings of inadequacy? We are all going to fail and stumble at some point but it’s important to get up and keep pushing forward. A baby doesn’t go from laying on its back to running overnight. I’ve made plenty of mistakes and embarrassed myself way too many times but God dusts us off and says “Great job my precious child. Let’s take another step.”
The problem is that we place our confidence in ourselves and our own abilities. We are like toasters that haven’t been plugged in. We might be polished and shiny and look great but unless we’re plugged in to the power source, we’re not operating in our intended function. A pastor preaching without the power of God in his life can be a person who speaks well. A singer without the anointing of God is just someone who can sing a pretty song. In our own strength both of these people are like the unplugged toaster. In God’s strength and power, they are like the power lines that carry power to everything attached to it. So today, God is asking you what it is that He has called you to do that you are not doing and why? He’s ready. His hand is stretched out waiting for you to take it, to be obedient. Has He called you to a specific ministry? Has He called you to write, sing, preach, work with kids, teach, evangelize, help others?
Today is the day you need to decide that God is bigger than your fear, bigger than your failures, and able to accomplish in you what He has planned for your life. When you do that, you will be amazed at what God can do through you!
Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:15 AM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) and Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) If you can't be with us in person please visit via internet video on Jubilee T.V. If you live in Batesville please tune into KBAP 88.1 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.
Jubilee Family Church45 Thunderbird Dr. Batesville, AR 72501 (870) 793-9124