Pass the test!

My allergies are in full effect and I’m just going to be honest. I feel and look a mess! I tossed and turned all night and woke up this morning feeling like a zero. I knew it was Rhema day but I just didn’t have anything to give. A couple of folks asked me when it was coming but again, I had no response. It’s an interesting thing when God has you on assignment. You know that He has given you a task but life doesn’t always cooperate. Things or people happen that throw you off and sometimes you just don’t see how you can get it done. It can be stressful because sometimes you want to either put it off or not do it all. But today, I heard God clearly tell me to speak to my stumbling block. What about you? What is it that God has given you to do that is seemingly always under attack or you struggle to accomplish all that you need to do? Whatever it may be, God is saying that if He called you to it, He has equipped you to handle it.  

Isn’t God hilarious?! Doesn’t He seem to always ask you to do the things that are the most difficult? Doesn’t He require you to respond in a holy way to certain situations that you really want to cut up in? This morning, as I was thinking of ways to get out of writing Rhema, He sent me to Jeremiah 1. I immediately started shaking my head because I knew what was coming. The Lord gave me this message:

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
    Before you were born I set you apart
    and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

 “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. ⁸ And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”(Jer. 1:5-8 NLT)

Soooo…guess what? It’s time to rise up and get to work! God knows what you are capable of handling. Remember, He sees the big picture and the future plan. He knew before I was placed in my mother’s womb that I would write Rhema and that sometimes I would struggle to feel worthy to share His word. He knew that you would be a pastor and sometimes struggle with leading people when you still have your own imperfections. He knew that you would be the strong one in your family and sometimes struggle with the weight of everyone’s issues. But God said very clearly in that passage that He will be with you and will protect you. He is faithful and present!

So here’s the deal! It’s time to have a conversation with that stumbling block, that stronghold, that hindrance. It’s time to be like David when he was captured by the Philistines. He stood confidently and said, “But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. I praise God for what He has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?” (Ps. 56: 3-4, NLT) There is nothing that can stop what God has ordained for you to do. So don’t let man, the enemy, or allergies stop you from carrying out the assignment that God has given you. Even if it seems like you don’t have the strength or the courage to do it, remember that He knew before you were born what you would be. Do you trust Him enough to carry out His plan? Kick that stumbling block out of the way and pass the test!

Amen…