Listen to Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 3:5: “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” (New International Version) This verse comes alive for me every time I stand in front of a group to speak or sit in front of my computer to write. God provides the competence I need to do the work He calls me to do. I am at my best when I embrace this truth and live out of His competence,
not my own.
Allow me to share a few details about my life. When I was a child, I struggled with dyslexia and had trouble reading and writing. For the first six years of grade school, I spent time in remedial classes. Very few summers went by that I didn’t attend some kind of summer school or receive some kind of special instruction. As a result, my level of confidence in do anything like reading, writing, or speaking was extremely low.
As God began to stir a desire in my heart to teach women His word and to write Bible studies, I did not think those things would be possible. I didn’t feel confident reading in public, and the mechanics of grammar, punctuation, and spelling challenged me. As I struggled with my desire to teach and write, I spent many nights tossing and turning thinking, “Lord, I cannot do this!”
Hope came as I embraced the truth that I did not have to possess all the necessary resources to accomplish God’s work in my life. Instead, the resources would be provided as I daily followed God’s plan, willingly listening to Him and obeying.
Over the years, God brought people into my life who helped me. These people served as my mentors and pointed out abilities in my life that I could not see. They helped me hone the skills that I did not know I had. Through it all, God became my Teacher, and I slowly realized that He was going to allow me to do things I never dreamed possible. However, I would have to rely on God and daily trust Him to do the speaking and writing
work in me and through me.
Today I wonder if you can relate to my experience;
is God calling you to do something that is beyond your level of ability? If so, you too can experience
God at work in your life as you learn how to find your competence in Him. The first step is surrendering to the truth that you do not have to have all the necessary resources to accomplish God’s will in your life. In fact, if you think you do, you are most likely not in God’s will. Why? Because God desires to take you to a place where you find your competence in Him. This is a place where it is clearly God at work in you—a place where your abilities mean nothing and His abilities
mean everything. The second step is learning how to walk by faith and not by sight. Oh how challenging this step can be! You accomplish this step by daily looking for ways that God is at work in you and around you. When you sense God calling
you to step out in faith, do it!
Right now you can know that God has big plans for you. Amazingly, these plans are not dependent
on your level of ability or the skill set you currently possess. More than anything, these plans are dependent on your heart longing to please God as you place all of your hope in Him! Think back to the words of the Apostle Paul: “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” Dear friend, where does your competence come from? You are at your best when you can say, “My competence comes from God!”