Equipped And Empowered
1John 4:17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
That phrase as He is, so are we in this world, is worth considering. We are meant to make Him known to the generations in our lifetime.
Matthew 10:7 And as you go, preach, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
Jesus modeled this way of ministry to His twelve disciples. They witnessed how He ministered to the people. He let them minister with Him. Then He tells them they can do likewise because He has given them what it takes. You have His fullness and the Holy Spirit of promise.
You have what it takes!
There’s a story of a little boy walking a beach littered with stranded starfish. Walking, he picked up starfish and threw it back into the sea. A man saw him and asked what he was doing. The boy answered, “I’m rescuing these starfish.” The man told the boy, “But there are so many; you can’t possibly help all of them?” The boy picked up a starfish, threw it into the sea, and then said to the man, “I just helped that one.”
If you get distracted by the size of the task before you, you may talk yourself out of doing anything at all. The man in the story was distracted by the size of the task, but the boy could focus on helping one starfish at a time. The boy had what it takes.
Jesus said, “All things are possible to him who believes!” If that is even a partial lie, Jesus was not sinless. He couldn’t be the perfect sacrifice for sin if He wasn’t sinless. That would mean you and I are still in sin and without hope. But we know Jesus never lied. That means all things are possible to him who believes! Your past does not define you, the abuses you have suffered do not define you, hurts and offenses cannot define you, betrayals cannot define you, your ancestry does not define you, failures do not define you! You are set free in Christ, and all things are possible to anyone who believes. You are more than an overcomer through Christ!
You have what it takes!
David could slay a giant much bigger than himself who defied the armies of Israel and mocked God because David believed in God and His promise for Israel!
Daniel could survive a night in the den of hungry lions after refusing to do something that went against God because he believed.
A fourth man stood in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they refused to bow and worship an image because they believed in God.
You have more inside and working through you today than those men had in their day! You have what it takes!
You can face down your giant of fear in whatever area it is when you believe in the One who is greater than your fear! Perfect love casts out fear! That includes fear of death, fear of man, fear of rejection, fear of failure, or any other type of fear. They all are kicked out of our lives by His love.
You have what it takes!
You’ve been equipped and empowered to go to your generation and share the good news of Jesus with them. Allow faith to rise in you, and you can freely give to others what you have freely received. I encourage you to take God at His word today and every day.
