“God wants to use you for amazing things.”

Those were the words I heard ringing in my ears after I attended a church service years ago. Surely my pastor was kidding. I mean, I was certainly up to the task of doing mediocre things, or even respectable things, but amazing things? Uh, no. Not me. I couldn’t even keep my house clean. Besides, I had been scarred by a previous divorce and was currently busy drowning in my new stepfamily, so doing anything amazing was completely out of the question.

The Sneaky Source Of Negativity

I did not immediately recognize that the words of negativity echoing in my head were directly from the enemy. Satan is sneaky, and he wants to distract us from doing remarkable things for God. He uses lies to keep us believing that God would never want to use us because of ugly things in our past. He whispers comparisons into our ear to keep us believing that others will always be better suited for the job than us. He dissuades us from following the direction God is leading us to by telling us we have nothing that God can even work with.

And if the lies weren’t bad enough, Satan uses tactics of distraction to keep our focus on overbooking the calendar with school events, soccer practice, business meetings and all around general busyness. Soon, our eyes are off of God, and we find ourselves drowning in a sea of commitments that separate us further from our Creator.

Equipped By God

The truth is, God meets us where we are and equips us perfectly for the tasks He has for us to do. In fact, He uses all kinds of people from different backgrounds in order to fulfill His will. Just take a look at Deborah and Jael (Judges 4). Deborah was a judge. She was educated, and people came from all around Israel to have her settle their disputes. Deborah was well respected and considered honorable in all she did. Jael, on the other hand, was a housewife. She was married to a shepherd, uneducated, her family was nomadic and she lived in a tent. Deborah and Jael were quite the contrast.

You may be thinking that God would certainly use Deborah to accomplish the task of stopping an oppressor of Israel due to all of her qualifications. However, it was Jael, not Deborah, who brought down Sisera, the enemy army commander. Just because Deborah was educated or was a prophetess didn’t mean that she was better than Jael; she was simply different.

Answering God’s Call

Where we see weakness in ourselves, God sees a way to showcase His glory. You see, God has placed us where we are for a specific purpose. Where we live and who is in our sphere of influence is not a mistake. On our own, we can’t accomplish amazing things, but with God we can.

What task is it that God has for you to do? Is it time to start listening to God instead of the enemy? God has an assignment for you, and while He doesn’t need your help, He desires your commitment. To hear God’s voice, pick up His love letter. Pray for those around you and ask God to show you how He can use you.

When you hear God speak, do what He lays on your heart to do. Remember, He chose you for this assignment. When we respond to God in obedience, our assignments get bigger. Before you know it, God will be using you to do amazing things. That’s right – amazing things!

You may also be interested in How To Accept God’s Plan For Your Life