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Day 1: When God Calls You
I used to attend church with someone who shared my less-than-common name. He was my first youth leader and a deacon. As a young teen passing notes in church and maybe talking a little more than I should during service, I was seized in anxiety when the pastor said, “DeWayne, dismiss us in prayer.” My heart beat out of my chest and silence overtook the entire sanctuary.
The other DeWayne thought it was me, I was afraid it was me, and both of us were frozen. I was breaking in a cold sweat. My name had been called, but surely I wasn’t the right one to pray the final prayer, was I? Seconds seemed like minutes. People wondered if they were going to ever be dismissed.
Like me sitting in church paralyzed with fear, many people can relate to the feeling that perhaps God rang the wrong phone when He interrupted your normal, comfortable life for you to answer an impending call for service. You will be the first one to question your ability, but probably not the last. Our culture tends to spotlight the polished and poised, but sometimes God likes to turn those expectations on their heads and use a vessel not so obvious.
If you think about it for even just a few moments, you might recall at least one time when you weren’t the best candidate or the best prepared or the most comfortable and yet God used you in your weakness. The power of the Holy Spirit made the difference, using you to accomplish His purpose.
I used to attend church with someone who shared my less-than-common name. He was my first youth leader and a deacon. As a young teen passing notes in church and maybe talking a little more than I should during service, I was seized in anxiety when the pastor said, “DeWayne, dismiss us in prayer.” My heart beat out of my chest and silence overtook the entire sanctuary.
The other DeWayne thought it was me, I was afraid it was me, and both of us were frozen. I was breaking in a cold sweat. My name had been called, but surely I wasn’t the right one to pray the final prayer, was I? Seconds seemed like minutes. People wondered if they were going to ever be dismissed.
Like me sitting in church paralyzed with fear, many people can relate to the feeling that perhaps God rang the wrong phone when He interrupted your normal, comfortable life for you to answer an impending call for service. You will be the first one to question your ability, but probably not the last. Our culture tends to spotlight the polished and poised, but sometimes God likes to turn those expectations on their heads and use a vessel not so obvious.
If you think about it for even just a few moments, you might recall at least one time when you weren’t the best candidate or the best prepared or the most comfortable and yet God used you in your weakness. The power of the Holy Spirit made the difference, using you to accomplish His purpose.
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About this Plan
There is a sacred anxiety when believers feel called to minister, especially when distracted by an awareness of their inadequacies. But God is more concerned with the condition of the heart and willingness to respond than a person’s abilities or inabilities.
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