Remember Gideon? In the book
of Judges, chapter six, we witness an angelic visit. Remarkably, the angel
first announced who Gideon was in God’s sight, much to his surprise. In spite
of the fact that Gideon was hiding down inside a winepress to sift wheat—this
out of necessity, as the Midianites had destroyed their crops, and precious
little food was available. Sifting wheat in a winepress may have been the prudent
thing to do, but it certainly wasn’t the bravest. Yet God saw Gideon’s
potential and spoke to it.
And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him,
The Lord is with you, you mighty man of [fearless] courage (Judges 6:12 ampc).
The angel then gave Gideon
his marching orders. Scary marching orders. And Gideon could hardly believe his
ears. Gideon’s response? “But…how can I?” (verse 15).
Gideon’s question was the
very same question I have asked more than once.
Isn’t that the very question
that pounds against our hearts when we sense God speaking scary words of
promise? Words that require effort and cooperation and faith on our part,
especially when we don’t understand and when every cell in our bodies trembles
with fear?
“How can I _____ when
______?”
Yet God saw something in
Gideon. He saw his potential. And I’m convinced He sees the potential in us
too. If only we will rise to the occasion.
We may not defeat the
Midianites, but God still desires to accomplish specific, awesome things both
in us and through us. Things for which He has uniquely equipped us. Things that
may not always appear grand or flashy, yet if He is the Author and Establisher
of those things, we can be assured they hold eternal value.
Everything God accomplishes
in and through us matters. It all holds value and divine purpose. Even the nonglamorous
things. The day-to-day things. The things we do that nobody ever sees. But God
sees. And when we do each thing unto Him, He is not only honored, but greatly
pleased.
God uses who He wants…He
doesn’t look for the talented so much as the willing. In both Gideon He saw a
willing heart. Not a perfect heart, but a humble and willing heart. And with
those two qualities, God can do anything. Those two ingredients allow God to
fill in every blank.
God chose us, equipped us
with specific gifts, and desires for us to produce fruit. Eternal fruit. Jesus has literally appointed us to produce lasting
fruit using the gifts God has entrusted to us. He is interested in results that
remain—results that matter in light of eternity. In addition, we are expected
to use well what we are given, or it will be taken from us.
To those who use well what they are given, even more will be
given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even
what little they have will be taken away (Matthew 25:29).
I want to be a faithful
steward of what God has entrusted to me. I want to wisely use what I have been
given, and I want to hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Matthew
25:23).
How about as we ponder and
pray, we ask God to enable us to recognize and accept the gifts He has given
us? How about if we choose to accept the gifts—no matter how surprising—and
commit to doing our part?
What if, instead of agreeing
with the enemy that there’s just no way, we link arms with Jesus, Who is the Way? What if we determine to
believe God is not only able to reveal our destinies, but to equip us in
whatever way He sees fit and in His perfect timing? What if we step forward
trusting Him instead of doubting ourselves?
Let’s lay our humble and
willing hearts before Him—those two beautiful ingredients with which Almighty
God can supersede all we could ever dare to hope, ask, or imagine. Let’s
acknowledge that we are women in possession of divinely bestowed gifts and
talents, with specific assignments. And let’s dare to believe that we are, in
fact, determined women of destiny.
This is an adapted excerpt from
my new book, From Hot Mess to Blessed.
For more encouragement on your God-given destiny, and to receive hope that will
enable you to embrace God’s promises for you, get your copy HERE or HERE.
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7 comments:
God's not looking for perfect hearts :)
What an encouraging piece. Thank you. Blessings, Leslie Davis lesliedavis1989@yahoo.com
I so need this book in my life right Noe. My life has been a hot mess for quite some time, and I'm not sure where to start to get on track. I believe reading your book will give me the head start l need. My email address is pg04181960@gmail.com. l have followed you for some time, and you're a blessing to many!
It is Tuesday again. Three weeks ago on Tuesday morning I list my 42 year old daughter to a brain aneurysm. This book would be such a help.I am standing on all I know God to be, but my mother's heart is broken and crying out in pain.
My email is jhedg55@gmail.com Thank you for your prayers.
Julie, so thankful your home was spared from Irma - and thankful for your gift of teaching us how to pray, to trust in prayer and to love our Jesus more everyday.
This past year with my husband being on unpaid medical leave and now being threatened with termination as we continue to go through the maze of disability paperwork for the State of Maine, it has been a very hot mess. Thank God for His provisions and peace during this time. My email is ladyrunerois@gmail.com
This is exactly what just happened to us. Bam. God gave my husband a job that he desperately needed but too far away from home for us to stay put. So out of the blue with no savings and a house that is no where near ready to put on the market to sell God completely spun us around and pointed us in the opposite direction away from our home. Absolutely a hot mess right now. So desperate for more of God's words and comfort to cling to as we know this is His plan.
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