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15th September 2011 by Claire Hill

Do you think God could use you to lead his people? Do you believe that he could use you to change to the world?

A: No – because I don’t have the right skills and gifts

Some people rule themselves out because they don’t believe they have what it takes.

They say:

“Talking in front of people is my worst nightmare. I cannot be a leader of anything.”

OR

“I am nothing like the influential Christian people I see around me. They all seem to have a similar outgoing, loud personality and that’s not what I’m like.”

B: Yes – because I have all the right skills and gifts

There are others who consider themselves perfectly suited to being used in big ways by God. They fully expect leadership opportunities to be handed to them and great, tangible results to quickly follow.

They might think:

“I’m just like a lot of the famous people I see leading stuff. I’m loud, pretty funny, confident and happy to be the centre of attention. ”

OR

“I grew up around church stuff and have always been very successful at everything I’ve ever tried in life. It makes sense that God would want to use me for big things.”

The person God uses:

Did you know that God’s word actually gives us a pretty clear idea of what makes us suitable or unsuitable for his use?

And it’s got nothing to do with our natural talents, skills or personality.

Again and again throughout Scripture we see that the big thing that determines whether he can use us, is our ability to surrender.

In 2 Chronicles we learn that:

“The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully surrendered to him.”

I really like this image. God is actually scanning across the earth, going from person to person – not checking our skills but checking to see whether our hearts are surrendered to him.

John Wesley famously said:

"Give me one hundred men who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergyman or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon the earth.”

Wesley knew about the powerful things that God can do when one of his people were fully submitted to him.

Samuel Logan Brengle taught lots about the importance of us being surrendered to Jesus and being filled with the Holy Spirit. He offered the following encouragement:

“See to it that you are "filled with the Spirit," and Jesus will see to it that out of your life shall flow rivers of holy influence and power to bless the world; and you, too, will be surprised, at the reckoning day, to behold the vastness of your reward as compared with the littleness of your sacrifices and your work.”

To any of us leaders (and potential leaders) who have prayed: “God please use me” or “God, please use me more!” Brengle offers this advice:

“God is using everybody that he can, and using them to the full extent of their fitness for his service. So, instead of praying so much to be used, people should search themselves to know whether they are usable.”

So... could God use you?

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