Greatness is on the inside of you

“The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully surrendered to Him….By God’s grace I’ll be that man!”

D.L.Moody

Another stronghold that holds us back and stops us entering the fullness of God is self-doubt and under confidence.

Ever been asked… “If you could have a superpower, what would it be?”

As a child I loved pretending I had superpowers.  I would play with my best friend using my coat as a cape pretending I could fly or turn invisible. As kids we believe we can be anything when we grow up…an astronaut, a racing car driver, a singer, an actor. 

But as we mature, we can often become more aware of our humanity and fragility and we lose confidence, become realistic, average and, dare I say it, boring!  But God has not called us to be average.  He’s called us to be extraordinary!

He’s not looking for perfect people. He’s looking for the “has nots” and the “are nots” to display His glory through. 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 tells us this…

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,  so that no one may boast before him.” 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 (NIV)

You may not think you have much to offer. You may feel weak, incapable, untalented….Well that’s PERFECT! This means you QUALIFY!

Gideon was the least in his family and part of the weakest clan.

“Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” Judges 6:15

Jeremiah was young. 

“But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.” Jeremiah 1:7

Abraham was old. 

“Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him.  Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” Gen 18:11

Jonah was afraid and ran away. 

“The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai:  “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord.” Jonah 1:1-3 (NIV)

David was overlooked by his family, but God was looking, searching for a man after God’s own heart, and David went from being a shepherd boy to being a King.

“I’ve searched the land and found this David, son of Jesse. He’s a man whose heart beats to my heart, a man who will do what I tell him.” Acts 13:22 (MSG)

Availability Over Ability

Don’t let excuses get in the way of God’s purpose for your life. Don’t disqualify yourself.  Step out and give yourself completely to Him because He’s not looking for your ability, He’s looking for your availability.

God knows we are but dust, broken weak vessels, born into sin.

“The Lord is like a father to his children, tender & compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.” Psalm 103: 13-14 (NLT)

Yet because of Jesus we are not only forgiven, but when we accept Him into our lives, we carry Him. We become carriers of His glory.  Like the stumbling colt on which He rode into Jerusalem before He was sent to the cross, we too can carry His glory! 

“So they went and found the colt outside in the street, tied to a gate. When they started to untie it, some people standing there said to them, “Why are you untying that colt?” They answered just as Jesus had told them: “The master needs it” Mark 11:4-5 (TPT)

Forgive me if this sounds rude, but we are just like the little colt. Inexperienced donkeys, all tied up, that Jesus sets free because He needs us! He chooses us. He purposefully chooses the weak, and the fragile to emanate and carry His glory.

“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give us the Light of the knowledge of the glory and majesty of God [clearly revealed] in the face of Christ. But we have this precious treasure [the good news about salvation] in [unworthy] earthen vessels [of human frailty], so that the grandeur and surpassing greatness of the power will be [shown to be] from God [His sufficiency] and not from ourselves.” 2 Corinthians 4:6-7 (AMP)

Treasures In Jars Of Clay

As Spirit-filled Christians we can easily undervalue and dismiss the glorious gift given to us in Christ Jesus. Christ died for so much more than our sins. He died so that we can be heirs with Him.

“And if [we are His] children, [then we are His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His spiritual blessing and inheritance], if indeed we share in His suffering so that we may also share in His glory.” Romans 8:17 (AMP)

These scriptures can quite easily be glossed over and not truly believed by many of us.  It is part of our inheritance as God’s children to step into all that Jesus died for, otherwise it’s like being given a diamond necklace or priceless watch and never wearing it.

I inherited some beautiful cut wine glasses from my grandmother after she passed away. I have no idea what they’re worth but she never used them because they were too expensive. When I got married I bought a glass cabinet to showcase this cut glass just as she had done.

One day my husband decided to use them for a special occasion. I was so nervous they would get broken in some way the first day, but fast forward 15 years and we still use these beautiful glasses today, sometimes when it’s not even a special occasion!

God did something incredible for us by sacrificing His only Son. How can we choose not to access this incredible treasure every day, when it cost Jesus His life?

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” 2 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV)

Greatness is on the inside of you. Stop denying its power. Stop focusing on your weakness or lack, and instead receive His greatness, His sacrifice and His incredible love for you.

“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvellous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.” 2 Peter 1:3-4 (NLT)

His Divine power runs through our veins. Life that comes directly from God flowing through you and through me! So again, don’t disqualify yourself from accessing all Christ died for. You are not here to endure life, you here to live life abundantly in all of its fullness.

Jesus said,

“I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12 (NIV)

He has empowered you, He has qualified you, He approves of you and He has chosen to use you.

Choose now to step into “the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power (which) is in us who believe.” Eph 1:19 (AMP)