In This Strength That Is Yours

A great difference between seeing a vision or idea realized is often action. You can spend a long drafting plans and perfecting them and never realize your goals. Perfect plans are not a guarantee for success. Nothing will bring you closer to your goals that a plan and action to back them up. Plans and inaction = stagnation. How many dreams are you carrying? How long have you been carrying them? Do you have any tangible action backing your plans?

Lack of resources is often an excuse for inaction. I sometimes catch myself dreaming about what I will do when or if I got a particular resource. Are you obsessed with the resources you hope to have at the expense of action with what you have? What you have now is the means to get what you want to achieve the ‘bigger’ things you see. The (little) you have right now is really the great resource you’re looking for. See the value of what’s in your hand and leverage it!

But God faced him directly: “Go in this strength that is yours. Save Israel from Midian. Haven’t I just sent you?” – Judges 6:14 (MSG)

This was part of a conversation between Gideon & God. Prior to this statement Gideon had (indirectly) communicated a desire to Israel delivered from her oppressors. Despite his desire he expressed why he couldn’t save Israel. This sounds like most of us! We want to do great things but how willing are we to pay the price? What dreams has God given you? We lose more in our ‘self made safety’ of inaction than in risk chasing God’s call on us!

Gideon said to him, “Me, my master? How and with what could I ever save Israel? Look at me. My clan’s the weakest in Manasseh and I’m the runt of the litter.” God said to him, “I’ll be with you. Believe me, you’ll defeat Midian as one man – Judges 6:15 – 16

Gideon then launched a fight to stay in the comfort of his discomfort. What does your fight for staying in the comfort of your discomfort look like? You see, Gideon and his people did not have it easy. They were constantly being harassed by the Midianites and Amelikites. By not rising up to the challenge there can be no change. You can never change what you’re not willing to confront. Gideon was also overlooking this fact: Whatever God calls you to; it is ultimately going to be greater than where you are right now! Not moving to where God is calling you to is denying God the opportunity to act through you! Stop stopping God! Allow Him to make his purposes to be fulfilled through you…

 With all this being said, God echoes to you His charge to Gideon:

But God faced him directly: “Go in this strength that is yours. Save Israel from Midian. Haven’t I just sent you?” – Judges 6:14 (MSG)

Obsessing over what you don’t have will blind you of want you do have! God will bless the work of your hands. When your hands are not at work there is no blessing to empower you for success. You may be praying and waiting for God to start doing something, but He’s actually waiting for you to do something. God moves in our moving. As feeble as we are, we hold the key to seeing God’s strength at work. We must go in the strength we have!  All excuses must end right now. God is not going to ask you about what you did with what you did not have, but what you did with what you had. It is time to act with what we have!

We are never going to change the world with excuses of why we cannot do something. We will only change the world when focus on why we cannot afford to do something.  Your inaction not only affects you but the people God has called you to. Your community or church’s action or lack of it, is the difference between God being manifest to them in a tangible way or not. You have something and can use it for a great impact. Don’t undermine what you have by getting hung up by what you don’t have. Go in this strength that you have!

illustration by ralphbijker, flickr, (cc)

What have been some of your excuses?

Published by Blessing Mpofu

just a guy changing the world

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  1. WOW what inspiring words! Just what I NEEDED to hear today! Thank you so much!
    I came by way of another post, so glad I did!

  2. WOW what inspiring words! Just what I NEEDED to hear today! Thank you so much!
    I came by way of another post, so glad I did!

  3. great, inspiring, and very true words!  thank you!!!  posting on the Revive staff page now!

  4. great, inspiring, and very true words!  thank you!!!  posting on the Revive staff page now!