Have you ever seen people in your life being used by God in amazing ways, and thought some version of “I feel inadequate; there’s no way I could ever do something like that”? You look at your super rushed mornings, that moment you just snapped at your coworker, or the lack of badges in your Bible App and think God can’t possibly use you. I often see a friend serving in Switch—pouring into middle school girls’ lives—or someone who just started mentoring a new believer, and then I look at my life and feel inadequate.
We know our enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. In my case, Satan just loves to steal the truth of who I am and replace it with destructive lies—he loves to whisper things like, “You could never be a Switch leader, Kathryn; your faith is not strong enough,” or, “You couldn’t serve on the Life.Church worship team; you aren’t talented enough.” These whispers fill my mind, and I find myself sticking to the safe things in life and not stepping out in faith.
But a few weeks ago, I read the story of Gideon, a guy from the smallest clan of Israel. God handpicked him to save His people from the Midianites, who had been raiding the land. Gideon was hiding in a winepress when God selected him and called him to action as a leader to deliver the Israelites. We hear this interesting greeting:
When the angel of the Lᴏʀᴅ appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lᴏʀᴅ is with you, mighty warrior.” Judges 6:12 NIV
Even though the angel of the Lord saw Gideon hiding, he referred to him as a mighty warrior. I imagine Gideon hearing these words and then looking over his shoulder to see who this fierce angel was talking to. Then, when Gideon realized no one else was there, he basically said to the angel of the Lord, “Who, me?”
Gideon was so quick to question the identity the angel of the Lord proclaimed over him. But when God looks at us, He sees the person He will shape us into! Gideon did not believe he was a leader, and he certainly did not see himself as a mighty warrior. But that is exactly what the Lord saw when He looked at Gideon.
Just like Gideon, we may often feel inadequate and ill-equipped to do God’s work. But Scripture reminds us that God sees what we can’t, and He equips the called, instead of calling the equipped. When God calls you to serve, give, share the gospel, or help others, the first step to doing God’s work is to see yourself the way God sees you. Scripture is filled with proclamations of how God sees you:
- You are a child of God (see John 1:12).
- You are chosen by the King of kings (see Ephesians 1:4, Revelation 17:14).
- You are fearfully and wonderfully made (see Psalm 139:13-14).
- You are God’s masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works prepared in advance for you (see Ephesians 2:10).
- You are a light for Christ (see Matthew 5:14-16)!
Light is easily hidden in the winepresses of this life. When Gideon was called out by God, he felt unprepared and inadequate, but God used him to conquer the entire Midianite army with only 300 men! As I read the story of Gideon, the Holy Spirit called me to action.
For a long time, I felt like I was being called to serve on the worship team, but I felt inadequate and unqualified. In reading Gideon’s story, I saw myself. It reminded me who God is and who He says I am. He showed me that He is enough, and He has equipped me to do anything He calls me to. So I stepped out in faith and applied! Sometimes the Lord is calling us to just take that first step of faith, believing that He has equipped you.
Gideon ended up being transformed into that foreshadowed “mighty warrior” when he chose to step out in faith and trust God. I challenge you today to step out of your comfort zone and into the calling that God is fully equipping you for!
