#252: Letting God Use Your Life

The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

I have a conviction. Can I share it with you? Here’s my conviction: I believe God wants to use your life for his purposes.

You might be thinking: “Me? God wants to use me?” or “why would God want to use me, when he has so many other options?”

I get that, but based on what I see in scripture, I believe God wants to use your life.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Imagine this…there are good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do. Your life has a purpose. You have a mission. There is a task God has prepared for you to do.

It’s easy to think, God can’t use my life. After all, I’m not like this person or that person. But as we read the Bible we begin to see God uses all kinds of people. And just about every person God used had some reason why God shouldn’t have used them.

Abraham lied. Sarah laughed at God's promises.

Moses stuttered. David's armor didn't fit.

Hosea's wife was a prostitute.

Jacob was a liar.

David had an affair.

Solomon was too rich.

Jesus was too poor.

Abraham was to old.

David was too young.

Lazarus was dead.

Naomi was a widow.

Paul persecuted Christians

Moses was a murderer.

Jonah ran from God.

Gideon and Thomas both doubted.

Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal.

Elijah was burned out.

Noah got drunk.

Peter denied Jesus.

The Bible is literally filled with imperfect people that God used for his kingdom purposes. If God can uses these people, he can use you.

Now that we have established that God wants to use your life, the next question is how does God want to use you?

It’s often said that God works at the intersection of our gifts and our passions. Where do your gifts meet your passions? That may be God’s purpose for you. What are your skills, talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts? What are you passionate about? What needs burden your heart?

Your ministry may also come out of your own pain and brokenness. God loves to take our mess and make it a ministry. If there is a particular brokenness in your past, you have an understanding and a compassion for others going through the same thing.

Finally, what doors are open before you right now. Sometimes we overlook the opportunities that are right in front of us. I’ve learned that as we are faithful in the small things, God gives us opportunities for larger things.

When you feel that you can’t to it, just remember that God can use people with or without the natural ability and proper background. God can, and often chooses to, work with raw material. God prepares and empowers those He chooses to do His work.

It’s not about our ability. It’s about our availability.

Today’s Challenge: Believe that God does want to use your life. If God can use someone like me, I know he can use someone like you. Let’s make ourselves available to God. There is tremendous joy in serving the Lord.