Monday, May 4, 2015

Qualified or not?

So, you've been told you are unqualified. Now what?

If I'm not qualified then, what's my purpose? What else can I love? What else can I do? I thought I was going after my purpose. I thought this is what God wanted for me, but now I don't know.

Any of this ring true for you? Do you feel defeated? beat down? useless?

What should you do? It's actually pretty simple. IGNORE THEM!

People may say you are unqualified, but they aren't the ones who get to decide that. God is. God qualifies you! If He says you are qualified, then Ignore those naysayers and keep running your race! What is impossible with men is possible with God! (Luke 18:27)

This happened to my husband and I this past year. We were told that we could no longer be trusted with the ministry of the Gospel and removed from our ministry of 8 years. But, God met us there in that moment, and though it hurt, He healed those wounds and encouraged our hearts. He made us bold in His Spirit, and placed us in a church family where we can use our gifts and where we are wanted and needed. We could have given up, and agreed with them. Instead we stopped listening to the naysayers and started listening to the voice of God and allowed Him to direct us to His perfect plan and purpose for our lives.

Acts 5:17-41 is one of my favorite passages of Scripture this year. I'm not going to get into the whole thing, but go ahead and look it up if you want to read the whole thing.

Basically, the apostles were facing some pretty powerful naysayers, telling them they had to stop preaching and healing in the Name of Jesus. What was their response? They just kept preaching and healing in the Name of Jesus! Here's what they said:

"The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!"

When people tell you that you are not qualified to do what God has called you to do, they are just like the Sanhedrin who told the apostles not to preach in Jesus Name. Your response should be the same, "(I) must obey God rather than men!" and then get back out there and use the gifts the Spirit of God has given you in Jesus Name!