Precious in His Sight - Wings, Part 2

The Scripture says that we're fearfully and wonderfully made, but do you really believe that? Are you struggling down deep, wondering whether your gifts, your goals, whether your life really makes a difference? Well, today my wife wraps up her series and shares certain mindsets and attitudes that keep us from being used by God.

You're not going to want to miss this message. Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. I'm Dave Drouy and Chip's our Bible teacher for this international discipleship ministry focused on helping Christians live like Christians. And as Chip just said, today we're finishing up his wife Teresa's series, Precious in His Sight. Over the past several programs, she's encouraged us to see ourselves through God's eyes and that we are loved, adored, and valued by Him. So if you've been moved by what Teresa's talked about, would you take a minute after the message and share this series with a friend?

You can do that either through the Chip Ingram app or by downloading and sharing the free MP3s that you'll find at livingontheedge.org. With that, let's join Teresa for the second half of her talk. God used a harlot named Rahab to help destroy God's enemies and deliver God's people. He used a Paul who tortured and murdered Christians. He used a Paul like that to be a messenger of the gospel, to write, to be inspired by the Holy Spirit, to write many of the New Testament books, and to be a great leader in the early church.

He used someone like that who had messed up a lot. And over and over again, we see this in Scripture, no one messed up too badly that when they came to God with a humble and repentant heart that God would not forgive, that He would not forgive and give them new marching orders. He had something for them to do because He wanted to use their lives. And nothing can stand in the way of God using the lives of those whose hearts are completely His, no matter what we've done in the past or last week or yesterday, no matter what we've done. He wants to use our lives.

And God is a God of second chances, and He's a God who wants to use you. And so you need to think about what marching orders is God giving me? You know, what does He want me to do? Maybe there's something He wants me to do, and I'm allowing some of these roadblocks to get in the way, and I'm not listening. I'm not hearing what He's saying. And many times He uses those very areas of our lives where we have struggled the most.

That's what He uses. He will use the lessons we've learned from the sins and the failures of our past to help others to learn and to grow. And I'm not proud of the fact that I have a divorce in my past. I'm not proud of that at all.

But you know what? God has used what He taught me through those years of my life to help hundreds of people that are going through that same struggle. He's used that. And God has used my crooked thinking and how He's taught me to learn to think about myself the right way. He's used that to help lots of other people learn how to think correctly about God and about themselves. And if you will allow Him, God will turn your failures into opportunities to give hope and the message of Christ to someone else. He will use those very cracks in your life that you thought made you unworthy and unusable.

He'll use them for His glory. The third roadblock is focusing on what I don't have instead of on God who is my adequacy in all things. And I could say, I'm not adequate enough. I don't think I'm adequate enough for God to use my life. And we can limit God because we think that we don't have enough training, that we don't have enough education, or that maybe I'm too old, or maybe I'm too young, I'm not smart enough, or I'm not, I'm not, I'm not.

We can come up with all kinds of reasons that we think we're not adequate to do what God would want us to do. God says to us that we can do all things through Him because He is our adequacy, even things that we think we're not able to do. In 2 Peter 1-3, He says, seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything, everything that we need pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. And in 2 Corinthians 3-5, not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God. It's from God.

It's not from us. Because God is our adequacy, we can do greater things than we ever thought that we could do. And all God desires from us is that we be willing to do it and that we have a heart open to Him, to be obedient, and then He'll do the rest.

He'll provide all that we need. After 40 years in the land of Midian, getting back to Moses again, Moses probably felt like a failure. I'm sure he did. And he probably had a poor self-image.

Did you ever think about that? That Moses could have had a poor self-image? He maybe had an inferiority complex because he had a speech impediment. I'm not sure how that all worked and what he sounded like, but the Bible tells us that he had a speech impediment. And he probably thought that he was permanently disqualified from God's service, from God using his life. And when God's call came to Moses in the burning bush, and he said, I want you to go back and I want you to speak to Pharaoh to deliver my people. And Moses offered excuse after excuse of why he was inadequate to do the job. And he said, God, I just don't have what it takes. I just don't have that. Take someone else. And he said, God, I can't talk or they won't believe me.

I can't go. And he used all kinds of excuses of why he was inadequate to do what God was calling him to do. But God said to Moses that He would provide all that Moses needed to do the job, to go and deliver God's people, and that God would be his adequacy in everything. And we see this, what God provided for Moses.

And he provided it beforehand. He showed Moses what he was going to do. In Exodus 3.12, God said to Moses, I will certainly be with you.

You see, he wasn't sending Moses out there by himself. He was going to go with him. He was going to be with him in a powerful way. He'll go with you wherever he wants you to go, whatever he wants you to do.

He'll be with you. Exodus 4.2, he gave him a rod to perform signs as a witness of God's power. He gave him something that would authenticate that he was from God, that God was sending him to use to perform miracles with. And whatever, when God asks us to do something, He'll give us what we need. It's probably not going to be a rod that does miracles, but He'll give us what we need to do that. In Exodus 4.11, God says that He will give Moses the words to say. He said, you don't have to worry about it. He said, I'll tell you exactly what you need to say.

I'll show you. And then in Exodus 4.14 and 16, it says God gave Aaron. That's Moses' brother. He gave him as his mouthpiece because Moses was unable to speak clearly. And so He said, I'll bring Aaron, and you take him with you.

And I'll give you the words to say, and Aaron will say the words for you. And so He provided everything that Moses needed to do God's will. And God tells Moses in Exodus 3.14, He says to Moses, I am who I am. That's what God described Himself as.

I am who I am. And He said, and you shall say to the sons of Israel, I am has sent you. And God told Moses and He told the children of Israel that whatever you need, you see, I am whatever you need. And God says to you, to His beloved children that whatever you need, I am. And so think about what's God calling you to do? And are you willing, are you willing and available to use your life as God would want you to? And God doesn't have a list of assignments and degrees that you need to achieve before you use your life.

It doesn't work that way. All He requires is a woman who loves Him and who's willing to be obedient to God's will for her life. That's all. And so we can say to God with a sincere heart, you know, God, I love you. My life is yours. Use me. Use me, Lord, in whatever way that you would choose. And you'll be amazed at what God will do and the powerful way that He'll work through your life. And I've just learned that every time that God calls me to do something, that instead of dwelling on my inadequacy, I begin to thank Him for my inadequacy because I always feel inadequate. I especially feel inadequate doing this, but you know what? I can thank God for my inadequacy because you know what? In my own inadequacy, I know that I can be dependent upon the Lord because He will do it.

He will be my adequacy and He will get the glory and He will get the honor. You see, not us. That's why He wants us to realize that we're not adequate without Him. In 2 Corinthians 4, 7, He says, But we have this treasure, this life of Christ that we have in jars of clay. In jars of clay, He describes our weak human and adequate bodies as jars of clay that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not of ourselves. And God takes these blobs of clay and that's how He describes us and He molds us into a beautiful vessel, into a masterpiece to reflect the image of God. And He is the treasure that's found inside of every one of you. And if we will allow Him, He will be our adequacy in all that we do and then people will see Christ and not us. In fact, every time I get up to speak to a group or teach a class, I'm amazed at the power of God at work in my life because I know where I came from. You know, I know.

I know that I can't do it. I remember a day when I could barely communicate verbally to anyone about anything that was going on deep in my heart and early on when we were in ministry. Here's the pastor's wife. I remember sitting in a group and sharing things and my heart would start pounding because I wanted to say something but I didn't have the courage to get it out and I just couldn't get it out and fear so overtook me. And when I felt God's call on my life to begin to get up and to teach and to share what He's done in my life, I just felt like a Moses.

I thought, God, you've got to be kidding. You want me to do that? But in my fear, I was willing to be obedient to what God was calling me to do and to trust that God would do it and that He would be what I needed and He promised to be my great I Am for whatever He called me to do and He's been so faithful. I've just seen Him work in my life and change me. But you know what? I know that it's Him and it's not me and it's not easy. Even though you know something is the will of God and you know God's going to be with you, it's still not easy to do.

It's still hard. But I know for certain that He'll give me what I need and I Am, the great I Am is calling each of us to be His ambassadors and to let our light, the light of Christ, shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father who's in heaven. And so I just encourage you to quit focusing on all the things that you don't have, to quit making excuses like Moses did, but rather focus on the God who will give you all that you need to do all that He's called you to do for every good work and for sharing the message of Christ in our world. The fourth roadblock is unwillingness to believe God's promises, just an unwillingness to believe. I just don't believe that my one little life can make that much of a difference. Who?

Me? My one little life could make that much of a difference. In Hebrews 11, 6 it says, But without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. When we step out in faith, God says that He rewards that and He's very pleased when we do that. And faith or belief is an action word.

It's not just trying real hard to muster up certain feelings. You see, faith isn't a feeling. And it's not just saying over and over again, I believe, I believe, I believe, until I believe it.

It doesn't work that way. But it's hearing God's word. It's hearing His truth and His promises to me. And then it's stepping out to serve God based on the faithfulness of His promises and knowing that He will keep His promises. It's a firm expectation that God will do what He said He'll do.

It's a firm expectation. Faith is what pleases God and not accomplishing things, not accomplishing things that outwardly make us look significant, but by faith doing those things that are God's will for each of our lives. And even though those things may seem mundane and even though they may go unnoticed by others, they are significant to God. And when we step out in faith and we do God's will, it pleases Him and He rewards us. And we have spiritual blessings that are just so wonderful. And it takes sometimes, I've noticed in my own life, as much faith to step out and do those mundane things in our daily lives and believe that they are important as it is to step out and do something that's really big and something that we feel like we're not equipped to do. Sometimes it takes just as much faith to do those little tiny things. In Romans 10, 17, it says faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of God. You see, our faith will not grow if we're not in the Bible on a regular basis. And I know we talked about this a lot last night, but it's just so important.

I see how it affects every area of our lives. As God's Spirit lives inside me, He helps me to understand God's Word and He helps me to apply His Word to my life. And it's God's responsibility to make me mature. It's His responsibility to grow me up in Him and to give me all that I need.

But you know what? It's my responsibility to pick up that Bible and read it and to fill my mind with His truth and to meditate in it and allow its transforming power to work in my life. But it's a choice. It's a choice that I have to make. God's not going to take control of my arm and make me pick up my Bible and read it every day. It's a choice that I need to make. It's a choice to step out in faith and do what God is calling me to do.

And we can either say yes to God or we can say no. I spent time with a young woman this past year in counseling her some. And this young woman was really destroying her life by the negative beliefs that she has, physically destroying her body because of how she believed. She viewed herself and God viewed her. And as I shared with her and as I prayed with her about God viewed her and her value in Christ, she told me one day that as I was praying and as I was praying God's truth into her life that inside, in her heart, she was shaking her head no. And you see, she was refusing to believe.

She just refused to believe God's truth. And it takes a step of faith. It takes a choice, an act of our will to say yes, God.

Yes, I will do this. I will believe. And so how about you? You know, are you continually shaking your head no to God, to all that He has for you? Or will you decide to act by faith to say yes? Yes, Lord, I want all that you have.

Yes, thank you, Lord, for what you've done for me. And say, I'm willing, Lord, for you to use my life in whatever capacity that you would choose. And I know that I'll never deliver a nation of people like Moses. And I know that I'll never lead a kingdom like David. And I'll not be an apostle like Paul, but that God has gifted each of us and chosen us to be a reflection of Him in the sphere of influence that He's given us. And God needs and will use your one little life.

He'll use you. Here's an example of one little life that God used. A Sunday school teacher named Edward Kimball wasn't always sure his life had had much consequence either. In 1858, he at least was able to lead a shoe clerk to Christ. Now, probably in your life, you don't think, well, that's okay, but that's not a significant impact.

Look at what happened. The clerk, Dwight L. Moody, became an evangelist. And in 1879, Moody awakened an evangelistic zeal in the heart of a man named F.B. Meyer, the pastor of a small church in New England. Meyer, preaching on a college campus, won a student named J. Wilbur Chapman to Christ. While Chapman was engaged in YMCA work, he employed a former baseball player named Billy Sundy to help with evangelistic meetings. Sundy held a series of services in the Charlotte, North Carolina area, and a group of local men were so enthused by the meetings that they planned another campaign. This time, they brought preacher Mordecai F. Ham to town. During one of his meetings, a young man named Billy Graham yielded his life to Christ. Since then, millions have heard the gospel through Graham's ministry. Campbell had started quite a ripple effect.

So can you. In fact, you're probably already making a greater impact than you think you are. Now, that's quite a testimony.

One little Sundy school teacher, one little life. And so are you ready to claim your inheritance? I am. Are you ready to fully claim your identity in Christ and not turn back? Not look back? You know, God wants to use us.

Cracks and all. In 2 Timothy 2, 20 and 21, it says, Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things, and these things could be unfaithfulness, corruption, false beliefs, cleanse ourselves from these false beliefs, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the master, prepared for every good work. That's who you are. The master was searching for a vessel to use.

Before him were many. Which one would he choose? Take me, cried the gold one. I'm shiny and bright. I'm of great value, and I do things just right. My beauty and lustre will outshine the rest. And for someone like you, master, gold would be best.

The master passed on with no word at all and looked at a silver urn, narrow and tall. I'll serve you, dear master. I'll pour out your wine. I'll be on your table wherever you dine. My lines are so graceful, my carvings so true, and silver will always compliment you.

Unheeding, the master passed on to the brass, wide mouth and shallow and polished like glass. Here, here, cried the vessel, I know I will do. Place me on your table for all men to view. Look at me, called the goblet of crystal so clear.

My transparency shows my contents so dear. Though fragile am I, I will serve you with pride, and I'm sure I'll be happy in your house till abide. The master came next to a vessel of wood.

Polished and carved, it solidly stood. You may use me, dear master, the wooden bowl said, but I'd rather use me for fruit, not for bread. Then the master looked down and saw a vessel of clay. Empty and broken, it helplessly lay. No hope had the vessel that the master might choose to cleanse and to make whole, to fill and to use. Ah, this is the vessel I've been hoping to find.

I'll mend it and use it and make it all mine. I need not the vessel with pride of itself, nor one that is narrow to sit on the shelf, nor one that is big-mouthed and shallow and loud, nor one that displays its contents so proud, nor one that thinks he can do all things just right, but this plain earthen vessel filled with power and might. Then gently he lifted the vessel of clay, mended and cleansed it and filled it that day. Spoke to it kindly, there's work you must do. Just pour out to others as I've poured into you.

Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much that we are your vessels of honor and that we're but clay pots that have many, many cracks, but you use those very things to draw others to yourself and you fill us with yourself and that you're our adequacy in everything that we do. Thank you, Lord, that you are our great I am. You are everything that we will ever need. We love you so much.

We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Teresa Ingram has been our guest teacher for this program, which is from her series Precious in His Sight. Teresa and Chip will be back in studio shortly to share some application to what we heard today. Teresa's messages really get to the heart of an issue that both men and women wrestle with, identity. You know, many of us define ourselves by our work, our looks, our wealth, or our accomplishments.

But the thing is, those ideas never quite satisfy do they? Well, in this series, Teresa reveals the freedom that comes with knowing we are children of God and that He values and loves us just the way we are. Discover how you can live in that truth every day and experience true wholeness and satisfaction. Now, if you missed any part of this series, Precious in His Sight, or want to learn more about our helpful resources, the Chip Ingram app is a great way to get plugged in. Well, Chip, this whole series is built on some of the most vulnerable parts of your wife Teresa's story, and she expounds on what she went through in the lessons God taught her in a new book. Now, would you take a minute and talk about her journey to write this book and what you both hope people will get from it? Well, I have to tell you, you know, I've heard her teach on this and we reviewed these truth cards together for years and years, but I read the introduction that she wrote fresh and I learned things about my wife. I thought, honestly, I can't believe she's sharing this, but it's so powerful. And what happened was she actually taught this and then the women of the church just kept saying, you've got to get this in writing.

You know, we've listened to it, but I need to read it. And then, you know, she would write like three paragraphs and walk in and say, this is terrible and I know this won't be any good. And, you know, then finally she persevered and persevered. And when she got done, I think she saw this was a God-ordained moment that will speak into the heart of women and especially women that are really hurting. So, I just can't wait for people to read it. It's a great book, it's a great story, but it has God's truth woven in it to learn how that you are precious, that you're one of a kind, that you don't need to be anybody else. And it's told through her story in a way that I think so many women will say, oh, that's me, that's me, that's me.

And then they'll say, wow, there's hope, there's hope, there's hope. So, Dave, why don't you take a minute and just share with them how they can get this book? Well, Chip, it's really easy to order a copy of Teresa's new book, Precious in His Sight. Simply go to livingontheedge.org or call us at 888-333-6003. And if you're wanting to give this book as a gift for Mother's Day, be sure to place your order by April 29th to receive it in time. Also, if you'd like to order some books for the women in your church, discounts are available. Again, you can find all these details by going to livingontheedge.org or by calling us at 888-333-6003. That's 888-333-6003 or livingontheedge.org.

Hapless nurse taps special offers. Now, to wrap up this entire series, here's Chip and Teresa. Well, honey, thanks so much for being with us. I know this is not sort of your comfort level to speak and with all these people you know that are listening, but God has done an amazing thing in your life. I've watched how what you've shared here, you've imparted to our daughter, and I've seen how literally thousands and thousands of women have been transformed and privately Precious in His Sight has made a big difference in my life. Just as we kind of come to the end of this whole series, would you mind leaving us with some final thoughts about your journey and encourage those who are still on maybe some of the difficult parts of their journey? Well, my journey has been filled with lots of mountains and valleys and sometimes just plain falling into the pit and feeling like there's no way out.

But there always is because we're never anywhere where God is not with us, even in the pit. And I've realized that my journey is all about Jesus. It's all about how He changed my life, how He has given me His power to do all that He's called me to do, how He's healed me, how He's restored me, how He's renewed my mind. And we're all on a different journey, but we have the same God. You have the same God that I do. And God loves you as much as He loves me. We all have an important part to play in His kingdom here on earth. We all are His treasured children. Your Heavenly Father loves you. He says you're the apple of His eye.

He says that you're the reflection of Him on this earth, that you are His masterpiece, that you are His delight, that He thinks about you all the time. So I just want to encourage all of you not to give up. Don't give up. Seek the Lord with all your heart. Obey what He says in His Word, and you will find that your life will be transformed into a new purpose and a new story that God wants to tell about you. There's a scripture in Psalm 91 that I just wanted to end with. It says, Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord. He alone is my refuge. He is my place of safety. He is my God, and I trust in Him.

And that's for you and me, for every person who trusts in Jesus. Well, Teresa, thanks for just sharing so honestly and so vulnerably. And when you were speaking, it reminded me of God's Word to the Apostle Paul when he was really struggling. My grace is sufficient for you. Power is perfect in weakness. And I think you've been really open about your weakness.

And what we've got to see is God's power. So thanks so much. We really appreciate you coming in. Before we close, I want to thank those of you who regularly give to the ministry of Living on the Edge. You're making a big difference in helping Christians live like Christians. Now, if you're enjoying the benefits of Living on the Edge but aren't yet on the team, would you do that today? You can set up a recurring donation by calling us at 888-333-6003 or by visiting us at livingontheedge.org. App listeners, tap donate. And thanks for doing whatever the Lord leads you to do. Well, for all of us here, this is Dave Druey saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge.