Never Ready Faith

Come across this blog post when I did a blog-walking. I love what is written there. It remind me of the-old-me a couple years ago when my leader choose me to be the next leader to lead cell group. You may read her struggle here. And here I copy the excerpt of sermon by Stefen Furtick. Enjoy!!

I have never been ready, Never – Ready Faith
by Steven Furtick 
A lot of people weren’t ready in the Bible – Abraham wasn’t ready when God called him, Moses wasn’t ready, the disciples were never ready and they never got it. Even when they got it they still didn’t get it. Each time they were ready they started to doubt because their faith was in their readiness.

Jeremiah 1:4-10 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” 6Then said I: “Ah, Lord God!Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” 7But the Lord said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord. 9Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. 10See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.”

• God always look at the hearts, never the appearance.
• There’s the time where God shapes you and calls you for something and then there’s the time where you become aware of it and responsive to it.
• “I am not ready” is just an excuses because you will never been ready.
• He’s got options and you just have to show up! Present yourself to God.. Here I am.

Mark 8:13-21 And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. 14Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. 15Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”16And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.”17But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? 18Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” 20“Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.” 21So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?”

• The disciples had just seen Jesus multiply the five loaves and 2 fishes, but yet they forgot. You’re never ready, it’s not about your preparation. God is with you.
• There is no need for God to tell us the details, but He cares about every detail.
• God doesn’t need me to be ready – I will never be. He just wants me to obey and follow Him (ask for His supernatural wisdom).
• Insecurities happen because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.

1. Cancel the audition! God CHOSE you!

Compared how some people may feel with those auditioning for the TV show “The Voice.” “Cancel the audition, you’ve already got the part. A lot of people spend their whole lives waiting on somebody to hit a button, turn around, and choose them,” he said. “A lot of believers spend their whole walk with God performing, trying out, feeling bad, waiting on God to hit a button and turn around and say now He loves you. God said before you were born ‘I chose you.’” Isn’t that enough?

• He chose you before you were born.
• You don’t need to impress God. You don’t need to try out, you just have to live out what God has already placed in you.
• God gave you the part not because of anything you did; God chose you precisely because you’re awkward a.k.a uniquely awkward.
• God’s got options, but He chose YOU.
• Equip your spirit with the word of God.
• “My Father says I am”
• Live by what God says about you, about what you can do. His is the only opinion that matters.
• When God is speaking, one word is more than enough. Have enough faith in your Father to go with one word.

2. Get ready on the way !

• God doesn't call you to “feel ready” or trying to be as ready as possible, He calls you to have faith and follow Him.
• Trust that God will drive and get ready on the way. Just like husband and wife, sometimes the women will just never been ready until the car engine starts. As His bride, you just have to hop on to the car and get ready on the way. God will drive and you get ready on the way!
• Blessings is God’s department, obedience is yours.
• If you can hear God’s voice, you can stand in the face of your fear 

3. Stay behind the guide!

• Psalm 23 - To have the Lord as my shepherd, I’ve to acknowledge that I’m a sheep
• Psalm 48:14 - For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. He does not want to give you guidance, He wants to be your Guide forever!
• "I'm never going to audition for Your love again. I'm never going to audition for Your calling again. I receive Your love. I receive Your calling." 

  

“I’ve never been ready. I wasn’t ready when we started the church. I didn’t feel ready when the church started to grow, thousands of people were coming to Christ, but the church got bigger than the town I grew up in. I wasn’t ready for that.” said Steven Furtick