Ill-Equipped
By Allison Herrin
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. Romans 8:28 NLT
I was a mess! My past was sordid, my life was in disarray and I had made some really, really bad decisions. If those around me on the church staff knew who I really was, what my life had really become, I would probably get fired.
But God knew… and gave me a chance anyway.
You see, I was the least likely candidate for ministry. I was a single mom of three boys, a divorcee, a victim of sexual abuse, a former party girl who delved in a lot of alcohol and, even more, promiscuity.
But God had decided that I was His perfect candidate for ministry. He wanted to use my sordid past to bring glory to Him.
He wanted to bring redemption into my life so that I could share Him with a hurting world.
My years of struggling as a single parent were some of the hardest and most painful years of my life as I watched my children suffer the consequences of my past and my poor choices; but they were also the most fruitful years of my life.
I spent them receiving healing from my past and restoration for my soul as I learned to release my past to God and trust Him for my future.
Now, I am the founder and Executive Director of an organization that supports single moms but not because I was capable. Believe me, I am nothing without God; but because I allowed God to use me, past and all, for whatever purpose He saw fit.
God fulfilled His plans by taking every ounce of my sordid past and working it together for His good because I am loved and called according to His purposes!
What about you? Are you struggling with or hanging on to something from your past?
Do you believe that God can use you, in spite of your past? Do you believe that God has a purpose for you that He wants to accomplish?
I would challenge you to let go of your past and trust God, who wants to fulfill every promise to you! Then watch as He turns it into something glorious to be used by Him, for His purposes.
Allow Him to take your past and turn you into a servant, leader and role model because of your past rather than continuing to let your past define who you are and what you will become.
The decision you make today, concerning your past, will determine your future.
Will you let God cause it to work out for your good? Because you, my friend, are called according to His purpose!
Heavenly Father, thank You that You are a God of redemption and that You take everything from our past and use it for Your glory! Lord we know that You did not die in vain and that if I were the only person on the planet, You would have died just for my sin and my past. Give me strength to lay it at Your feet for good because I know that you want to use it to fulfill Your plans. In Jesus’ Name! Amen.
© 2017 by Allison Herrin. All rights reserved.
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Originally published Wednesday, 19 April 2017.
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