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We can sufficiently fulfill our destiny
The journey of life includes facing many challenges, obstacles, or uncertainties. These difficulties expose our weaknesses and creates fear within us. To overcome our flaws, it is important to first acknowledge that, by ourselves, we are helpless! Even more so if we are seeking the help of God. The degree to which we acknowledge our inadequacies is the same degree to which we can seek help from God. In other words, we can sufficiently fulfill our destiny after we have humbled ourselves to receive the help of God. However, when we fail to accept our insufficiency as humans, we are in danger of denying ourselves the opportunity for God to help us. This, in the long run, will inhibit our ability to realize our full potential.
Moses murdered an Egyptian!
Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.
Exodus 2:11-12, 15 (New King James Version)
Moses failed to wait for Gods own time to deliver His people. He took matters into his own hands which resulted in the killing of an Egyptian. Pharaoh decided to kill Moses as a penalty for his offence. Eventually, he had to run to Midian to avoid the death penalty. Moses, being overzealous, acted prematurely. I can say without any shadow of doubt that this act by Moses represents one of his life’s serious mistakes. Like most of us, if not everybody, it will take God and He alone for us to overcome certain mistakes of our lives. The good news is that God is willing to help! Regardless of the gravity of our mistakes in life, if God is involved in our lives, we will certainly have the courage and opportunity to carry on.
Moses was smart enough to underscore his weakness
Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
Exodus 4:10 (New King James Version)
Moses admitted that he had a speech impediment. Therefore, he couldn’t speak well in public. His inability to speak fluently constituted a weakness in his life. Indeed, the assignment God gave to Moses further exposed this weakness. Moses was smart enough to underscore his weakness. As humans, we are not perfect in many ways. When God is playing a part in our lives, even with our imperfections, we will do well. However, when God is not involved in our lives, even the smallest mistakes can have terrible consequences on us!
Gideon disqualified himself from leading Israel
So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
Judges 6:15 (New King James Version)
Gideon felt inadequate when God called him to save Israel. He was of the opinion that he came from the weakest family in Israel. Also, he felt that he was too young to be given such an enormous responsibility. Gideon disqualified himself from leading Israel. He didn’t think that he was good enough to handle that responsibility.
Jeremiah: too young to be a prophet
Then said I: “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”
Jeremiah 1:6 (New King James Version)
Jeremiah acknowledged his inadequacy when God called him. He believed he couldn’t speak because he was young. He couldn’t understand and accept the fact that God would call somebody like him keeping in mind that he was too young to be a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah may have suffered from inferiority complex. His feeling of inferiority represented a weakness. He had to overcome this feeling to fulfill his mandate as a prophet. I’m pretty sure that he thought about how he was going to function as a prophet, bearing in mind that the people were very wicked.
Paul’s thorn in the flesh
… a thorn in the flesh was given to me…
2 Corinthians 12:7 (New King James Version)
Paul confessed that he had a thorn in his flesh. The thorn in his flesh made him feel inadequate. It is not clear what the thorn in his flesh was but certainly it represented some kind of weakness that really frustrated and troubled him. However, because God was involved in the life of Paul, towards the end of his life, he could say “I have finished the race” 12 Timothy 4:7, NKJV.
Conclusion
As believers, we must understand that we can never be over qualified for anything in life. It is simply by His grace that He counts us worthy of certain things in life. That is why Paul said that “But by the grace of God I am what I am” 21 Corinthians 15:10, NKJV. We will not place too much weight on ourselves when we come to the realization that we are just humans. Rather, we will turn to God, bearing in mind that He is the One who can really fill the gaps in our lives. Therefore, God said to Paul, “for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 32 Corinthians 12:9, NKJV. Our weaknesses, failures and mistakes should make us humble enough to turn to God, not hide from Him. Through our humility, God will be in the position to complete our lives. That’s why James said, “But He gives more grace to the humble” 4James 4:6, NKJV. On the other hand, pride is what will make us look to ourselves or our own strength rather than looking up to God. That means, pride will drive us away from God by making us think that we are capable of doing everything on our own. God will detest us if He finds even the smallest amount of pride in us. Which is why James insisted that “God resists the proud” 5James 4:6, NKJV.
Let’s keep the fire burning until the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ!
References
- 12 Timothy 4:7, NKJV
- 21 Corinthians 15:10, NKJV
- 32 Corinthians 12:9, NKJV
- 4James 4:6, NKJV
- 5James 4:6, NKJV