ONE: FCA Reading Plan For CompetitorsНамуна

Is Your “But” Holding You Back?

By Kerry O’Neill

READY:

“Now Jephthah of Gilead was a great warrior. He was the son of Gilead, but his mother was a prostitute.” – Judges 11:1

SET:

It seems like any scouting report contains a “but.” He’s a good shooter, but he is too slow to guard anyone. She is fast, but she is skinny and not very strong. He’s a good coach with the X’s and O’s, but he does not relate well to his players. The girls like her as a coach, but they really don’t learn a lot about soccer from her.

Imagine the huge “but” that Jephthah had to face from birth. He “was a great warrior…but his mother was a prostitute.” It’s likely he was teased, called horrible names and judged by others. Perhaps being picked on and learning to defend himself is what helped him become a mighty warrior.  

Here are some of the “but” labels that were placed on me by others: broken home, divorce, single mom, poor, alcoholism, ADD, skinny, weak, can’t jump—just to name a few. But those labels, even though part of my background, didn’t need to define me. And none of them are my identity.

You too are a great warrior, but you have weaknesses and labels like every other person on earth. In which truth will you walk? Let your identity in Christ and the strengths He gave you be your identity, not your weaknesses. Ultimately, let the Lord’s opinion of you outweigh the opinion of man.

GO:

1. What are the “but’s” in your life?

2. Which ones have you allowed to negatively define you?

3. How can you walk in the truth of God’s opinion of you and overcome any negative labels?

WORKOUT:

Isaiah 41:13

Colossians 3:1-3

1 John 3:1-2

OVERTIME: 

“Lord, help me to walk in the truth of Your opinion of me. In Jesus’ Amen.”