Growing up, my parents subscribed to the philosophy that little children should be seen and not heard. So dad reminded us often of this saying, especially if company came over to visit. My parents loved me, but this message left me feeling unseen. As a result, I struggled with low self-esteem early in life. As I aged, I often judged myself unfit or unqualified to do many things I wanted to do.
Unqualified – So, as I started to experience the nudge from God to share the Gospel on the mission field, those old feelings reared their heads once again. "I am not a Bible scholar," or "Why would anyone value my thoughts on God?" I… Click To TweetSo, as I started to experience the nudge from God to share the Gospel on the mission field, those old feelings reared their heads once again. “I am not a Bible scholar,” or “Why would anyone value my thoughts on God?” I convinced myself I was unqualified to do the work of the Lord. Have you ever experienced such feelings in your life?
Feeling Unqualified
Those same feelings hung around even as I followed God’s calling. But, as part of the team organizing these trips, I discovered I could hide my perceived inadequacies from others. Then, God nudged me again. This time, I discerned Him pressing me to write a book about the mission adventures. “I am not a writer,” I told God, “I am completely unqualified for such a task.” But, like an obedient child, I did as instructed and wrote my first book.
As the years wear on, I discover God equips me for the task He plans for me. And, I see this message played out within the pages of the Bible. I praise the Lord that He does not use worldly standards to define us. Instead, he looks at our hearts to judge our qualifications. God wants people with a moldable heart and someone willing to follow Him no matter how they feel about themselves.
He Qualifies Us
God has a purpose for each of us. Part of that purpose includes sharing our faith with others. But, unfortunately, the thought of sharing our Godly stories with others frightens most of us. And, if you are like me, you feel unqualified for these Godly assignments. Trust God. He knows what He is doing. He is not lonking for perfection, just our best effort. So, let’s look at some Biblical examples of God qualifying those He calls.
Examples of Unqualified People
Here are some examples of people God used for the greatness of HIS glory. And they would be considered unqualified by worldly standards.
- Abraham -Was old (Genesis 21:5 NIV).
- Elijah – Was suicidal (1 Kings 19:4 NIV).
- Joseph – Was abused (Genesis 37:12-36 NIV).
- Job – Went bankrupt (Job 1:13-22 NIV).
- Moses – Had a speech problem (Exodus 4:10 NIV).
- Gideon – Was afraid (Judges 6:15 NIV).
- Samson – Was a womanizer (Judges 15 NIV).
- Rahab – Was a prostitute (Joshua 2:1 NIV).
- Samaritan Woman – Divorced (John 4:18 NIV).
- Noah – Was a Drunk (Genesis 9:20-21 NIV).
- Jeremiah – Was young (Jeremiah 1:6 NIV).
- Jacob – Was a cheater (Genesis 27 NIV).
- David – Was a murderer (2 Samuel 11 NKJV).
- Jonah – Ran from God (Jonah 1:3 NCV).
- Naomi – Was a widow (Ruth 1:3 ESV).
- Peter – Denied Christ three times (Matthew 26:75 ESV).
- Martha – Worried about everything (Luke 10:41-42 ESV).
- Zacchaeus – Was tiny & money-hungry (Luke 19:1-10 NIV).
- The Disciples – Fell asleep (Matthew 26:40 NIV).
Good News for Us
Which Biblical person resonates with you and the areas of your life that cause you to feel unqualified? For example, I relate to Abraham’s old age, Gideon’s fear, and Jonah’s running away from God. If God can use these folks with their problems, He can use any of us. That thought brings me comfort, and I hope it does for you too.
Unqualified – Rejoice in the fact that the more unqualified you are, the more God's glory can shine through you. Click To TweetAdditionally, Isaiah and Paul’s words in the Bible confirm that we are qualified servants of the Lord. God defines us, not the world.
“9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth and called from its remotest parts, and said to you, You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not rejected you. 10 Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will also help you, I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:9-10 (NASB)
“26 For consider your calling, brothers and sisters, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the insignificant things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no human may boast before God. 30 But it is due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.”
1 Corinthians 1:26-30 (NASB)
Rejoice
Rejoice in the fact that the more unqualified you are, the more God’s glory can shine through you as an exhibition of His grace. So don’t ever think that God can’t use you. I probably won’t ever be the best writer in the world, but God will use what I do for His purposes. God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called. He calls us to be His ambassadors, and what a great calling and blessing for us.
Prayers
Heavenly Father, you are a good good father. You delight in me. At times I have struggled to believe this because of my insecurities. I flounder to walk in the truth that I am your child. I forget that you are with me always. I want others to see You in me and that You are qualified alone. Thank You, Lord. Amen.
Do you need prayer? I would love to pray for you. Submit your prayer request on my website at https://yvonne-morgan.com/submit-your-prayer-request-here/
Grace and Peace to you,
Yvonne M. Morgan is a Christian #author, #blogger, and #speaker. #BibleGatewayPartner
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
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I am thankful God equips us to share His love and glory. Your message came at the exact time I needed. Thank you.
Thank you Melissa. I think we all feel these feelings at times in our ministries. The words you write and share encourage so many people. God bless.
You are singing my tune! I have been playing with “not good enough“ for most of my life. But this one line you wrote just wrecked me: “he (God) looks at our hearts to judge our qualifications.”
I think so many of us need to hear this message. You are a blessing to others. God bless Lisa.
Love this!
Yes, I am soooo grateful that God doesn’t always call the qualified, but He always qualifies those He calls!
Me too Ava. Thanks and God bless.
I’m grateful that the Lord equips us for the work to which He has called us. He does the gifting and equipping. We hear His call and obey Him!
Thanks Melinda. I am grateful too. God bless.
Amen Ms. Yvonne. All throughout your post, I kept replaying “I God leads you to it, He’ll lead you through it” in my mind ma’am. I too believed, for far too many years, that I had to be prepared for whatever I’m undertaking. This is worldly thinking, and it’s a great example of “circular reasoning.” When we think worldly, we think “I can’t apply for this job, I don’t have the education, work experience, or skills needed to perform it.” We often “reason” ourselves out of pursuing what we have perhaps been called to do. When we let God lead, we think “I may not be qualified yet, but if God brought me to this, I must trust Him to help me achieve, learn, grow, or whatever His goal is for me.” What a great way of describing this in your post ma’am. And for the record, you are an amazing teacher of biblical principles and a great example of what it looks like to live a life surrendered to God.
Thank you JD. Like others, sometimes we all listen to much to the world and feel unqualified. But Christ makes it all possible. I pray your fast is drawing you closer to God and I can’t wait to hear about your time with Him.
Amen, Yvonne. I’m also grateful the Lord calls us just as we are and then equips us for the plans and kingdom work He has for us. If we had to make ourselves qualified for the tasks ahead of time, none of us would ever be called by the Lord in the first place.
Amen dear Karen. None of us can ever measure up to God’s standards so we get the blessings of His picking us even when unqualified.
SO good, and that list of “unqualified” people from the BIble was a really great touch. None were perfect, but God equipped them to do great things for Him, and they stepped up and say “yes.” This is what I strive to do, as well. Thank you, Yvonne! God bless you!
Thanks Jessica. We each serve His purpose and we are blessed for it too. God bless.
Satan whispers we’re not good enough when God tells us to go. We’ll miss out on His best if we listen to the ugly whispers. Great message!
Thanks Nancy. And boys does he like to whisper ugly messages. God bless.