Do you ever feel like you’re not good enough for God to really use?
If you have times of feeling like that – take heart! Today I want to talk about 2 great people who struggled with those same feelings, and how God used them in spite of it!
First let’s look at Moses.
Moses was left as an infant in a basket floating on the Nile River because Pharaoh put out a decree to kill all the Hebrew baby boys (Exodus 1:22). He was soon found by one of Pharaoh’s daughters, and ended up being raised by the Egyptians (Exodus 2:1-10).
Yet Moses knew he was Hebrew, not Egyptian, and one day he got mad and took matters into his own hands by killing one of the Egyptians. This didn’t turn out well, and Moses ran away to hide in the desert where he lived for many years.
But God had a plan for Moses. He wanted to use him to free the Hebrews from the Egyptians’ bondage.
When you get to Exodus 3, you find Moses tending flocks in the desert when he sees a bush burning. He goes over, and God calls to him from the bush, telling him that He’s going to use Moses to free the Hebrews. The excuses start:
“Who am I that I should do this?” (Exodus 3:11)
“What should I tell them?” (Exodus 3:13)
“What if they don’t believe me?” (Exodus 4:1)
“But, Lord, I just don’t speak well…” (Exodus 4:10)
Finally, God has had enough of his complaining, and tells Moses to get going, reminding him that He Himself created him. However, in His mercy, He ends up sending Moses’ brother Aaron along with him (Exodus 4:11-17).
Well you know the rest of the story. God uses Moses to free the Hebrews from their slavery through many miracles – including the parting of the Red Sea!
The second person I want to bring up is David Wilkerson.
David Wilkerson was a great preacher and evangelist of the Word of God. He was the founding pastor of Times Square Church in New York City which grew into a mega-church said to be home to over 100 different nationalities. He also founded the addiction recovery program, Teen Challenge, and wrote the book The Cross and the Switchblade about his work on the street with gang members.
Yet Wilkerson himself preached in his sermon “Who Told You You Are Unworthy?” that he never once felt worthy to be a preacher. As a matter of fact, Wilkerson in his sermon told the story of one time when he was asked to preach at a big crusade in Los Angeles. However on his flight to LA he started to really feel unsettled, remembering some hurtful words he had said to his wife before leaving, and as he stood up to preach he felt like the enemy was literally screaming in his head what a fake he was.
He finally had to close his Bible, stepped down from the podium, and went back home. He told the Sister who had invited him to the crusade that he didn’t feel like he’d ever feel worthy enough to preach again.
He admits that he’d let the enemy succeed. He had listened to his lies instead of believing the truths of his Father in heaven – his Father’s words of love and assurance.
I know I have certainly felt unworthy at many moments in my life. Often after leading Bible studies I would drive home in tears because I felt “just who do I think I am?” I was listening to the lies of the enemy saying, “That was pathetic! You’re no one! Who do you think you are to be teaching the Bible to others?”
Oh we live in a constant battleground, no doubt. 1 Peter 5:8 (NLT) says,
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
My friends, the next time you start to feel inadequate in doing what you believe God has called you to do, step back! Remember even Jesus Himself was pounded upon by Satan while on this earth. That’s why it’s so important to put on the full armor or God which the Apostle Paul talks about in Ephesians 6:10-17. Memorize some of your favorite Scripture verses, so that when those feelings of inadequacy come, you can defeat the enemy as Jesus did in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11) by quoting Scripture.
Our Father God wants to use each one of you to further His kingdom. And you know what? You are the perfect person for what God has planned!
The God Of All Comfort 