The Bible is full of men and women that God used incredible ways.
I mean, to do the impossible. Why were they chosen? What was it about them that made them more suitable, more ready in situations they faced to be greatly used by God? Well, today we're going to learn how we can be used by God to make a real impact on our world. Stay with me. Welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. The mission of these daily programs is to intentionally disciple Christians through the Bible teaching of Chip Ingram. I'm Dave Drouin, and we're nearing the end of our series, Precious in His Sight, taught by our guest teacher, Teresa Ingram. For these last two programs, she'll unpack four roadblocks that hinder us from being fully used by God.
As a quick reminder, if you missed any part of this series, you can catch up through the Chip Ingram app. It's a great way to listen to Living on the Edge anytime. With that, here's Teresa with today's talk. The goal of the teaching has been that each of us would learn to be able to reflect Christ in our world by the free expression of the truly unique individual that God has created you to be, the wonderful you that you are. And God tells us that there's a calling upon each of our lives because of all the spiritual blessings that we possess, because of all that He's given us, because of what Christ has done in our lives, because of who we are. We have a responsibility to make an impact in the sphere of influence so that others will experience the love of God through us and that we will bring the message of God's truth to them.
We have a responsibility. We have a calling because of all the wonderful things that God has given to us. In Ephesians 2 10, it says, For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. We have been called to do good works. We were all created and prepared to do God's work of love. And He has chosen us to be His hands and His feet and His voice and His arms of love and His ministers of good works to others.
He says, Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and then glorify your Father who is in heaven. And as we love someone who's unlovable and as we give sacrificially of our time and as we serve others and we put their needs before our own and as we use our gifts, our spiritual gifts and abilities to build up the body of Christ, then the light of Christ shines brightly through those things. And people see Christ in us.
They'll see Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5 20, it says, Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ. We have been called to be God's ambassadors. We have been appointed by Him to be His ambassadors. And as an ambassador, we represent Him.
We speak for Him. We influence others on behalf of Christ. And we're here as His representative to tell others who He is. And God has entrusted us with this special job.
He's entrusted this to all of His children. So God didn't just give us a position in His royal family and He didn't just give us a new identity, but He has given us the privilege of being His representative, of carrying His name, of being His witness to the world. And He says to you that you are so significant to Him that He is going to allow you to represent His name to the rest of the world. And that as you do that, that His power will work in you, and that He will use you in a mighty way.
God's truth says about you, it says, I am a competent person equipped by the Holy Spirit to carry out God's will in my life in a way that pleases Him, regardless of what stage of growth I may be in at the present. My real importance in life is connected with the way I am touching other people's lives with the love of God and the message of Christ. Now sometimes, though, it's hard for us to believe that God would ever use us in a great way, or that we could ever do anything significant with our lives. And we think, does my life really count for anything? You know, when I die, have I made any difference at all? You know, we all down deep inside long to be significant. We long to know that we're doing something important with our lives. But sometimes we wonder that when it's all said and done, you know, have I made any difference? Have I made any impact? Does anything really matter? And what will people remember about me?
What will they remember about me when I die? Well, many times the only hindrance standing in the way of our having a great impact for God in our lives is us. It's the only thing standing in the way. And sometimes the other thing is that we wrongly perceive what are those significant activities. What are the things that are truly significant to God? We wrongly perceive what those are.
And so this morning we're going to talk about four roadblocks, four negative beliefs that we could have that hinder God being able to use us in the way that He would want to. When my children were little, I just loved reading storybooks to them. And I still love to read children's books. I read lots of the kids' books that we put in the library just because I like to read them. But sometimes I would be reading a story to my kids and there was a truth in it that just really spoke to me.
And that would happen a lot. And there was one particular story that I've always remembered. And the name of the story was called Wings. And it's about a little garter snake and a caterpillar. And one day this little caterpillar slid down from the branch of a willow tree. And a young garter snake came out of the flower bed and they introduced themselves to each other. And the garter snake said, everybody knows me.
They admire my golden stripes and my shiny dark green skin. Well, the little caterpillar began to stretch and curled down softly. You don't do that right, said the garter snake.
Can't you put more movement into it, more wiggle and twist? The garter snake began to show the caterpillar how he could twist, do an up and over, side to side and whirl into a circle. The caterpillar tried again and did her best to dance like the garter snake.
How's that, she asked proudly. Terrible. You'll never be a snake. The garter snake looked at her sadly.
I'm afraid you just haven't got the talent. Well, the caterpillar was getting tired and decided if she could rest for a while, maybe she would be able to learn. The caterpillar crawled back into the tree and began to spin something fine and glossy and tied herself to a branch.
You're a funny one, thought the snake. The snake glided away to another part of the garden and forgot about the caterpillar. Well, spring came and the garter snake remembered the caterpillar. He wondered what had become of her and went back to the tree to find out.
All he could see was a strong looking bundle hanging from the stem of a leaf. Caterpillar, is that you? My, you're a sleepy head.
Do you know how long you've been there? The little caterpillar stretched out a sticky wing to dry the air and then she stretched out another wing. Wings, exclaimed the garter snake. How on earth caterpillar, what have you done? I didn't do anything, the butterfly said.
I really didn't do anything. The garter snake began, begged her to think. There must be something she could tell me. I must grow wings.
A bird looked out from her house. Why are you happy the way you are, she asked. I'm happy just to be me, she said. That's all right for you to say, said the garter snake.
You already have wings. He begged her again to tell him what she did. I didn't do anything. I just went to sleep.
Oh, that must be it. Plenty of rest. I'll go to sleep and see what happens. Well, the garter snake slid over to the rock and yawned, but he wasn't sleepy. Then the bird said, my poor boy, don't waste your time. You'll never grow wings.
Why not, said the little snake. Why can't I grow wings? Because your parents didn't have wings.
That's why. My parents had wings, said the butterfly. So had mine, said the bird. Sadly, the garter snake realized, you mean I'll never be able to fly? And he tried not to cry.
No, you won't, the butterfly said. But you can dance like a dream. Yes, I do, don't I, said the garter snake. And he did his special twist and twirl.
There are not many as good as I am. I guess I like myself the way I am. I thought that was a pretty cute story. And the garter snake, you see, thought he was pretty special until he began to compare himself with the butterfly. And then he became dissatisfied with how he was uniquely made, even though he could dance like a dream. And our first roadblock to God being able to use us in the special way that he wants to is comparing myself with others. If I could be like her, if I could have her spiritual gifts, if I could have her money, or if I had her abilities or her personality, then God could really use my life. If I could be like her, you know, it's looking around at what others are doing and what their gifts are, and we start thinking, their gifts are better than mine.
Or I may become envious of the way God is using her life. And so then I tried to be like them or to be better than them, and I failed to see and to appreciate the special gifts and abilities that God has given me. Well, in 2 Corinthians 10, 12, it tells us what God says about comparison. It says, For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. But when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. He says that when we compare ourselves with others, we don't really understand who we are. We are not really being content with how God has made us, and we're not accepting the special qualities that God gave us.
And we think that our gifts don't really matter, that our gifts aren't really as important as someone else's. And we can find an example of this in John 21. That's a real interesting passage here, that after Jesus' death and resurrection, he appeared to his disciples, and he spent time with them at the Sea of Galilee. And Jesus dearly loved all of his disciples. They were very special to him, and they were each one chosen very specifically by him.
Each had a unique background and a personality and gifts that God would use in a special way to build his church and to proclaim the kingdom of God. In John 21, verses 20 to 22, Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved, following them, the one who had leaned back on his breast at the supper, and said, Lord, who is the one who betrays you? Now, Peter's referring to John here. He's looking back, and he sees John. And Peter, therefore, seeing John, said to Jesus, Lord, and what about this man? Jesus said to him, if I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?
You follow me. And you see, Peter was talking to Jesus, and he said, well, what about John? How are you going to use his life?
What's going to happen to John? And he says, you follow me in what I have called you to do, and I will take care of how I will use other people. And John and Peter were called to very different types of ministry, very different types of service for the Lord, and they were not to question why, and they were not to compare their ministries with each other, but they were to be obedient to God and what he wanted them to do with their unique gifts and abilities, and God would use each of them to have an impact in their world for Christ.
Out of the life application commentary, I read this. It says, if we want to follow Jesus, we must be totally committed to obeying him, but God's call and the result of that obedience are different for every person. God can use all kinds of people.
He has specific plans and service for the impulsive Peters, the thoughtful and sensitive Johns, and the forceful souls. God takes into consideration each person's nature and abilities. Each Christian is called and guided by God and is accountable to no one but God. Christians should not make comparisons among themselves or judge others regarding how each is fulfilling God's plan. We must be content with where God has placed us and not be jealous about what he has given others to do.
It tells us not to compare ourselves with other people, but Jesus' command is to come follow me. See, that's what he wants us to do, and as we do that, as we follow him with the unique gifts and the abilities and our backgrounds and our personalities and even our pain and in our struggles, even if what we have seems small in comparison to others, that he'll use us in a great way to spread his love and the message of salvation in this world. So God wants to use you in the unique way that he's created you. No one else is like you, and no one else has the sphere of influence that you have. You think about that, the people that you are connected with, that are in an area that you have an influence over.
No one has that but you, and your life may be the only connection with Christ that some people will ever have. Brian Mitchell wrote a little psalm called Me, and he says, All my life I've tried to please others. All my life I've put on an act for others. I will not do this, for if I spend my time trying to be someone else, who will spend time being me?
God wants you to be you because he has gifted you and given you abilities and a personality that will have an impact in the sphere of influence where he has placed you and what he wants you to do. And sometimes our deeds seem so small and petty that we think that they're insignificant. And God watched as the widow put her couple of pennies in the offering that day, and she gave all that she had to him.
And you know what? It was no small thing to God. It may seem insignificant in the world, but it was no small thing to God. No, there's no small deeds that are done in God's eyes when they are done out of a heart of love towards him. And there are no spiritual gifts so small and unimportant that they are not critical to the health of the body of Christ. We need to remember that we're all important.
God needs you and he needs your gifts just the way you are. And there's an older lady in our church, and she just loves to bake cookies. I'm sure some of you know who she is. She loves to bake cookies, and she's good at it. She can make all kinds of little fancy cookies. And she has had a ministry of encouragement by baking cookies and sharing those cookies with other people. And our family has been one of those that have been able to receive her cookies. And we call her, our kids call her affectionately the cookie lady, because we know when a holiday rolls around or sometimes just in between, there's going to be a plate of cookies left for us. And you know, God has used her offering of love to encourage us so many times. And it's been amazing, you know, and she doesn't even know this, that she would leave cookies for us. And it was right when we were having people over or we were reaching out in some way to people, and I didn't have the time to make something.
And those cookies were there, and they were wonderful. God's using her and it may seem insignificant compared to other things that we think about, but it's not insignificant to God. And she's doing that in the will of God, and her reward will be great in heaven because of that. Well, if you're taking prayer seriously, talk about something else that sometimes seems insignificant to be involved in. If you're taking prayer seriously in your life, you're already having a great impact.
You already are. And we tend to think that when we're doing something out there, when we're accomplishing these great things, doing some kind of activity, if something that others can see, we tend to think that that's really having an impact, that we're really doing something. But you know what? Prayer is the most significant activity that we could ever be involved in, we could ever do. There's a prayer team that's praying for this retreat and has been praying for you and for all that's happened here.
And probably hardly anybody in here knows who they are. We don't know who they are, but they are having a great impact, and it's evidenced by what has happened here this weekend. And it's the most significant thing that we can do. Prayer is the vehicle through which God empowers our ministries and our lives to accomplish His will. And I'm convinced that in the storehouses of heaven, that there's all kinds of blessings and answers of prayer for which people didn't even bother to ask.
We need to ask Him. He says the effective prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much in James. It could accomplish as much. And you know, it's easy to get out there and do things that look good, but God might not be in them. And He uses those whose hearts are tender and open towards Him, and only by spending time in prayer and seeking His guidance for our lives and for our ministries will we experience the power in those activities and works that we do. And so that's not insignificant to God.
You're having a great impact if you're praying. So roadblock number one is comparing myself with others. She who measures herself and compares herself with others is without understanding because she doesn't see the whole picture.
She doesn't understand who she really is. Well, the second roadblock is focusing on my weaknesses and failures instead of God. And that is, well, my life is too messed up. My life is too broken for God to use me.
He'd never use me. I used to believe that. 2 Corinthians 12, 9, and 10 says, And He has said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I would rather boast about my weaknesses that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. You see, it's when we're weak that we realize that I can't do this on my own, that I need the Lord. I can't do this in my own strength and that we'll stop and we'll allow the power of God to begin to work in our lives. And we realize that I need God.
If this is going to happen, I need the Lord. He will be the one that will give me strength. And as I yield my life to Him, then there's no telling what God can do. He will be amazed at what He can do. He says that we should set our eyes continually upon Him. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. He will be there in a powerful way. And God wants to take ordinary people like you and me, and with all of our cracks, all of our failures and all of our weaknesses, and we all have cracks.
Some of our cracks are just bigger than others, but we all have them. And He wants to use us as His witnesses in this world. And God uses our broken past. He uses the sins in our lives that we have confessed to Him. He uses the failures that we've experienced in our lives to help other people grow, to teach other people and give them hope as they see how God has changed us.
He uses those things. And He says all things work together for good to those who love Him. God promises us that He will always bring good out of everything that is offered up to Him, that is given to Him with a sincere heart. Even though we know that we will experience the consequences of our wrong decisions, and we will experience at times the discipline for our sins as those things are offered up to Him, He'll use them in a great way, and He'll use us to impact other people to help them. And the One who loves you with an everlasting love, who loves all of His children with an everlasting love, never gives up on us, and He'll bring something good out of the worst of experiences that we've been through, whatever it is. I don't care what you've been through.
I don't care what you've done in your life. God can use that for good in another person's life, and He wants to do that if you'll let Him do it. So if you've never messed up, you've never blown it too greatly for God not to be able to put the pieces back together and transform our broken vessels into something useful to the Master. Well, when God's people were enslaved in Egypt, He allowed a Hebrew baby named Moses to be raised in the Pharaoh's home by the daughter of the Pharaoh, and He, I think supernaturally, allowed Moses to be placed in this place of authority, in this position where he would one day be able to help God's people. But Moses, you know what he did? He blew it big time.
Here God had taken the time to allow this baby to be found in the water and to be raised all these years in this place of influence and authority. Moses blew it. You know what he did? He murdered an Egyptian, and then he fled for his life. He ran to the land of Midian, and he spent the next 40 years of his life there, 40 years, while God's people were still enslaved and in bondage in Egypt. And you know, God had placed Moses there for a special purpose, to deliver God's people, but he blew it.
How do you think he felt about that? But God didn't give up on Moses. He didn't give up on him. God came to Moses in Midian in the wilderness, and He commissioned Moses to go back to Egypt and deliver his people, to go back and do what He planned for him to do.
And Moses, after giving excuse after excuse of why, he just couldn't do it. He finally obeyed the call of God, and he stepped out in faith. And do you know how old he was when he went back?
He was 80. He went back, and he led God's people out of Egypt, and he obeyed the call of God. He stepped out in faith, and he did what God called him to do. And so you see, you can't mess up too much. You can't mess up too much that God will not take you into His arms, forgive you, and give you new marching orders.
He wants you to do something with your life. God used King David, even after he committed adultery and murder, because of David's repentant heart. And God even calls him a man after God's own heart, even after he did all these things.
That's how God referred to David. This is Living on the Edge, and you've been listening to the first part of our guest teacher, Teresa Ingram's message titled, Wings, from her series, Precious in His Sight. She and Chip will join us shortly to share some additional thoughts and application to what we've heard.
Do you often feel like you don't measure up, or that your past mistakes or failures disqualify you in some way from being accepted? Through this series, Teresa Ingram candidly reflects on her own painful journey with self-doubt and feelings of worthlessness. She'll share how God freed her from that mindset, and opened her eyes to see her true beauty and value.
Don't miss how you can experience that freedom too, and better understand God's love. For more information about Precious in His Sight, or our series resources, go to LivingOnTheEdge.org, or call 888-333-6003. That's 888-333-6003, or LivingOnTheEdge.org.
App listeners, tap Special Offers. Before we go any further, Chip, I can see you're wanting to jump in here real quick. Thanks, Dave. I want to share an important request with you. If Living on the Edge is ministering to you, would you consider returning the favor? If you've been listening but haven't yet become a financial partner with Living on the Edge, would you prayerfully consider sending a gift today?
If you've given, but could do it monthly, I can't tell you it would make a huge difference. If we all pitched in, it would just make an incredible difference in terms of what we can do here to reach and care for more people. Thanks so much for all that you do, and thanks for just praying and doing whatever God shows you to do, and we will receive it with great gratitude.
Thanks, Chip. Well, as you prayerfully consider your role with this ministry, I want to remind you that every gift is significant. When you partner with Living on the Edge, you multiply our efforts and resources in ways that only God can do. To send a gift, call us at 888-333-6003, or go to livingontheedge.org. That's 888-333-6003 or livingontheedge.org.
App listeners tap donate. Now here's Chip and Teresa to share some final thoughts. Teresa, as I listened to your message today, you talked about the roadblocks that hinder us from God using our lives.
I mean, using us in everyday ways and for His purposes and impacting other people. And the first one you talked about was comparing ourselves with other people. Why is it so dangerous to go down that path? Well, we will never find satisfaction with who we are as long as we're comparing ourselves with other people. I used to do this a lot, and I still struggle with it to this day. I always wish that I could be an expert at something. If I could be an amazing teacher, or if I could be an artist, or maybe a good musician or a cook, that I could cook gourmet meals. And I used to think if I could just have a building named after me, that's so ridiculous.
But anyway, I used to think just something that would stand out. And I realized that God made me in a different way. He didn't want me to be that kind of person. And He made me to be like a Swiss army knife. And the way that He made me is that whatever is needed for the moment, for the time in my life, or with the circumstances or people I'm with, one of those tools pulls out, and I begin to use that to help others. And so I am a teacher, and I can draw.
I draw so much with my grandchildren. And I am a musician. I love to worship the Lord and to sing and praise, and I love to cook. So all of those things God uses at different times. Nothing stands out like newspaper worthy, but that doesn't matter. It's worthy to God. It matters to Him. Everything we do matters to Him. And there's no little things in God's view.
And so I just say, stop comparing yourself with other people. As I was listening to you, Teresa, I was thinking, you know, you have way more than a building. Your living monuments are Eric and Jason and Ryan and Annie, and boy, watching their lives. And then, you know, our 12 grandkids. And honestly, anything I have ever accomplished, I know for sure it would have never happened without what that Swiss Army knife has meant in my life.
So what a great word to remember to be who God made us to be. Thanks for those encouraging words, Chip and Teresa. Well, before we go, at Living on the Edge, we want you to know about an easy way to listen to our extended teaching podcast. Hear Chip anytime on Amazon's Alexa Echo and Echo Dot. Just say, Alexa, open Living on the Edge, and you'll hear that day's extended teaching anytime you want. Well, for Chip, Teresa, and everyone here, this is Dave Druey saying thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge.
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