What if I told you God doesn’t use perfect people!
What if I told you, you don’t have to be perfect
for God to use you!What if I told you not wearing certain types of clothing doesn’t mean you are a saint.
What if I told you going to Church, quoting scriptures and singing psalms doesn’t automatically make you a Christian!
I know I am going to get some bashing for this, but
I’m going to go ahead with it anyway….
Someone
may wonder, why I’m writing such a piece so for the purpose of clarity here is my
heart for this note. I constantly receive texts and e-mails from people telling
me of their struggles especially with regards to their walk with God so I felt in
my heart to write on this issue of
perfection.
We live in an overly religious culture where we constantly bombard us with the thought that God only uses perfect people so we have to be perfect for God to use us. Well, that is the furthest thing from the truth.
Looking
through The Bible, you will realize that it
is filled with examples of how God loves to use imperfect, ordinary
people to do extraordinary things in spite of their weaknesses. The
truth is, if God only used perfect people, nothing would ever get done,
because none of us is perfect.
Most people
really hate the truth, and sadly most of them call themselves Christians. So
what is the truth that nobody wants to hear? It is the truth about our
sinful-selves. We really don't want to
hear anything negative about ourselves so we act like we are
perfect and pretend like we have it all together.
Most of us Christians always put out a false
version of ourselves… usually; the person you meet when you meet someone
at first is probably not the real person. People
always put out their best trying to impress everybody.
I receive loads of awesome,
breathtaking incredible mails and text from different people all over the world
telling how I inspire them especially in their walk with God. While I get humbled
each time I receive such a modest compliment however, something I always stress
on is, it is not about me but all about
Him.
I must be frank with you people… I am
not perfect and none of us is. I don’t
care if you your mother told you that you are perfect, you are not. All of
us including my humble self have struggles. Some people feel because I reach
out with the gospel and encourage them in their walk with God, I am a better
person (Christian) than them, - that is a lie.
I wish I could tell you I have it all
together but truth is I don’t. True I love God and my earnest desire is that everything about me honors Him, from my
thoughts to my words to actions but I don’t get it right all the time.
I
am not ashamed to admit that sometimes I fall short. I am not ashamed to admit
that sometimes, I struggle to pray and read my Bible. I'm not ashamed to say that I sometimes do things that make Him shake His head at me; I am not ashamed
to say daily I need directions from God.
I know it’s scary to be honest. I know it’s scary to be open… but let’s face it people!
If we are going to be effective with
the gospel message, we need to be real. No hiding, no faking… the fact that we are Christians doesn’t mean we are perfect. That God
uses imperfect people should be encouraging news for us all.
We need to stop hiding our weaknesses and imperfections. Someone who hides can’t be known let alone helped. To be truly human is to be real. We are supposed to be honest with each other and encourage each other in our walk with God.
I
know confessing one’s struggles is one of the hardest things to do because even
if you are heard out, chances are you still will be ridiculed but as for me, I want people to know the real me not
the “I
got it all together” me.
James 5:16 tells us “Make
this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each
other so that you can live together whole and healed.”
– (MSG)
There is absolutely no need of us
pretending, having a holier than thou attitude doesn’t mean you are perfect. Wearing
the most pious cloths don’t mean you are a saint. On our best day, our
righteousness cannot be compared to God’s standard of righteousness. “Our righteous deeds are nothing but filthy
rags” – Isaiah 64:6
As a human being I have to be realistic
and tell you in our walk with God, all
of us are going to fall at some point. We are going to stumble and fail God
but that perfectly normal. Christ already made provision for that on the cross.
When we stumble, even if it is
repeatedly, we can take our failure before the Lord in repentance, and receive
forgiveness.
My
biggest testimony as a Christian is that with
all my mess and all that I am, God still loves me, and He has
the patience to pick me up, dust me off, and set me back on track whenever I
miss the mark.
Now,
here is a very important question! Can a
Christian sin? Answer, yes! Sadly enough yes a real Christian does fall into
sin but here is the difference. A real
Christian doesn’t live in a continuous state of sin.
“Though a
righteous man falls seven times, he will get up, but
the wicked will stumble into ruin”. - Proverbs 24:16
David is known to be “a man after God’s heart” but anyone
that has ever read the Bible knows David
was a long way from a saint. He had flaws, he wasn’t perfect. You see, we are saved by
grace and not works. I’m not saying works isn’t necessary but works only comes
in after we have been genuinely saved. We
don’t become better to get saved. We get saved to become better.
When you think of the limitations in
your life, you may be tempted to conclude, "God could never use me."
But God is never limited by our limitations. God is not looking for the strong, perfect or most able individual. All
He is looking for is the available.
In fact, he enjoys putting his great power into ordinary containers.
God doesn’t only use our best part. He also uses our worst parts. He
take the good and the bad, mixes it together for our good and for His glory. You
are not too much of a mess that God cannot possible use you for anything. The
thought that “God only uses perfect
people” is one of the most destructive lies a person
can believe.
I don’t know who needed to read
this but I trust God that this piece will speak to your heart. Don’t kill
yourself trying to be perfect. Stop pretending, stop hiding. If you have struggles, come out and seek help.
The most important question in life has nothing to do with whether or
not you are perfect. The most important question is “do you have a relationship with God through Jesus?” if yes then seek
to grow that relationship and the Holy Spirit will gradually conform you into
the image of His dear son.
I'm not perfect, you are not perfect,
and none of us is perfect. God is still working on us all and until the day we are glorified in Christ
Jesus none of us will ever be perfect.
Flaws are just a sign showing us that we
all need a savior…
Just
Sharing My Thought
Listen.
Laugh. Smile. Relate. Share
