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Big Enough

Rising Above Discouragement

January 2001 - By Brooke Redwine - Staff writer    

As a new missionary, Herbert Jackson faced challenges daily, one of which involved transportation. His problem was not lack of transportation but lack of power. In order to start the car that he used, he had local children push his car as he was turning the ignition. And as he drove from place to place, Jackson would either park on a hill or leave the car running to avoid problems throughout the day. For two years, Jackson’s solution seemed to work just fine.

When Jackson left this particular place of assignment, he gave instructions to the new missionary about the car. Much to Jackson’s surprise, the new missionary looked under the car’s hood, tightened a loose wire, and the car started without a hitch. Jackson realized that his plan "of necessity" was not necessary after all. The issue wasn’t a lack of power; rather, it was a lack of using the power he had.

Jackson’s situation is all too common in our spiritual lives. We settle for less because we don’t make use of the power we’ve been given in Christ. Jesus’ death at Calvary brought us forgiveness of our sins for all time–past, present, and future. And His resurrection gave us restoration and power.

Once you have accepted Jesus Christ, you have God’s Holy Spirit living in you. You are limitless because God enables you to do everything He asks. Have you let sin and shame discourage you? Maybe you feel like God can’t use your broken vessel.

Don’t let your feelings overshadow the truth in God’s Word. God is big enough to forgive you, restore you, and use you to restore others. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Once you have confessed and turned from your sin, you are cleansed. God does not purify you and empower you with His Spirit to make you feel good, though. God’s purification process is in fulfillment of the Scriptures, and He also cleanses His children for service. The question is not "Do I have the power?" It is "How will I use that power?" Once you’re asking the right question, here are the prerequisites to answering it:

• Conviction of inadequacy. This is not feeling as though God can’t use you, and it’s not simply knowing that God alone is sovereign. It is knowing and acknowledging through prayer that without the Holy Spirit, you are incapable, unwilling, and too weak to do what He asks you to do.
• Purity of life. Purity is not synonymous with perfection. Purity is continual, immediate confession of and repentance from sin.
• Prayer. When you are consistently convicted of your inadequacy, you will consistently reach up to God through prayer. You know that He is your lifeline, and you cannot live without Him.
• Belief. Matthew 21:22 says, "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." When you ask according to God’s will, He answers. You must believe that He will do what He says.
• Engaged in service. God has given you the power of the Holy Spirit, and He wants you to be willing to use it.

Whether it is for ministry to one person or to many, the power of God’s Spirit changes lives. God was big enough to transform your heart and save you from bondage to sin. He is also big enough to cleanse you, help you rise above discouragement, and use you to influence the lives of others–all for His glory.

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