Don't Count Yourself Out

If you read my post before this one, you know how I talked about obeying God and not allowing anything to stop you from doing so. Now I want to dig deeper in my next few post. 

So many times we disqualify ourselves or tell God no to something He's called us to  do because we feel unworthy. How dare we? God knows exactly where we've been, what we've done and who we did it with! If God Almighty, the creator of Heaven and Earth who sent His only righteous son to die so we could fulfill our purpose without guilt of our past calls us to fulfill a purpose, we must do it!

When I think about this subject, I am reminded of two things in particular from the bible. One of those things being of the story of Peter on the rooftop praying then having a vision as he slept (Read Acts 10). In verses 9-16 of Acts chapter 10, Peter has a vision of a sheet being let down, containing all types of "unclean" animals. In the vision, God tells him to kill and eat the animals. Peter respectfully says no, because those were considered unclean to the Jewish people. God then tells him to not call unclean which He has cleaned, meaning Jesus came to save all people no matter their heritage, ethnicity, creed, etc. This begins the relationship and ministry of Jews and Gentiles together (http://biblehub.com/esv/acts/10.htm).

Don't you know we are still doing that today? We tell God of all our flaws and wrongdoings as if He is ignorant of them when we have been called to do something great for the kingdom of God. Jesus died for every one of your mistakes, sins, and flaws knowing you would make them.  Do not let your past hold you back from all that God wants to do through you to help someone else! 

I also think about is God's use of Paul when it comes God using anybody. If God can use Saul/Paul who was once a murderer of those who followed Christ and preachers of the Gospel, then why can't He use you? Can you imagine that? One day you are conspiring to drag Christians out of their homes and watching as they are stoned to death for preaching the word of God, and the next week you are walking in there shoes, preaching that same message and writing most of the new testament? Even Saul, a persecutor of Christ, immediately turned from his old ways and obeyed the voice of God (see Acts 9).

My Personal Story: A few years I was leading in ministry and made a few wrong choices and mistakes. I had grown up in church, seeing many ministers and preachers fall to sin, so I vowed I would never do the same. When I found myself in the same position I saw so many others in, I wanted to run away. I beat myself up so many times, because that mistake held me captive for a while. I would try not to fall to the temptations of it, but would eventually find myself there again. When I finally did get out of ministry leadership, I wanted to make sure I was "perfect" and had it all together before I fully stepped back into my purpose. Waiting to be perfect would be waiting until Jesus returns (that being a literal statement). By then it would be too late. God doesn't call us to be perfect. He calls us to be obedient and surrendered!