It Starts Small

Have you ever been told you are not qualified? Some people, the world and even fellow Christians will tell you that you are not qualified because of education, looks, etc. The world does not define who you are nor do they determine if you are qualified to do the work God has called you to do. God does not go by human standards, He sets His own in you! He goes by who you are in Him and your faithfulness to obey and listen to Him.

Many people look on their outward appearance and determine if they are qualified to do something, and most of the time they find themselves making big mistakes.

 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7

Man looks outward, while God looks in the heart. A perfect example of this is David. He was completely overlooked by his own father and brothers. God told Samuel to anoint David because of his love for God and his heart posture towards Him. He was faithful to tend the sheep and do his work with excellence. That is what the Lord requires. Faithfulness and excellence in all we do. He will fill in the rest of what is required to do His work. This is what people did not see about David, but God saw! David’s brothers were warriors and good looking. God did not look at what was on the outside of them, He looked on the inside.

DO not think for one moment that because you do not have what someone else has you are disqualified! God has the ability to use your gifts and talents that He placed within you, to bring you to a place of favor that you can not gain on your own. God can give you wisdom and ideas that go beyond what others think. Just keep being faithful. Continuously seek the Lord and His righteousness.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

Matthew 6:33

Continuously seek the Lord and His right way of doing things, and He will be sure to give you everything you need.

God is the one who has the final say, and your qualification comes from God alone.

I believe this is also a stern warning for us as. We should never question or determine someone’s qualification when the Lord calls someone to do something. I encountered an odd situation. This past spring I had an opportunity to visit a few distant family members. They live next door to a piece of property that had, at one point, two working church camps. Since the property has been sold, they are no longer being used in that capacity. In fact, they are not being used for anything.

We talked about the idea of how neat it would be to see them restored and even took a drive around them. A few months prior I had a dream about the “yellow” building. I heard a voice say that it would be restored. I knew exactly where this place was and called the family member and told them about my dream. After the past few years with God, I believe He can and will do all things to bring glory to Him.

The morning after having this fun conversation, while in prayer I remembered how we ended up on Del Norte, Colorado. God had reminded me from a devotional that all we need to do is ask and seek Him. I thought, why not ask the Lord to send someone or people to retore and rebuild this place? I felt Him leaning upon me to just go and pray over this place with these family members. Where two or more are gathered He hears…

So I asked one of the family members if they would like to go down and pray over the place before I departed and returned to Texas. They seemed ecstatic about it and then came the other family member. I honestly am not sure how inviting people to pray turned into being grilled over qualification to praying. I was dumbfounded at this person attacking a request to just go pray. Thankfully the conversation was interrupted by a visitor and we departed ways.

As I drove away I decided I was going to be obedient. I stopped at this place and laid hands on that yellow building and prayed.

The point is, obedience. Sometimes the Lord will ask you to do something that does not make sense, but we just do it anyways. I am not in a position with millions of dollars to buy the place and restore it, but what I can do is pray and intercede that the Lord bring someone with a vision and passion to do His work there.

We have to be very careful not to get our own idea about someone else’s calling to do something for the Lord. Just because it is not what we think is right or that person is not qualified to do what we think needs to be done, does not mean that is what the Lord thinks. In the end, it is GOD not people that qualify us to do His work, even if it is just praying.

Do not allow others to determine your qualification to do what the Lord asks of you and be careful to never disqualify what the Lord calls others to do.

Thoughts to Ponder:

• DO you let others determine your qualifications to serve the Lord?
• Has God called you to do something but you do not believe you can because you are not qualified? What stands in your way to serving as you have been called?
• What encourages you or challenges you in today’s scripture?

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