| Copyright 2005-2008 Dr. Jad Khalaf, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved |
| "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." II Timothy 2:15 |
| WITH GOD U CAN! By Dr. Jad Jamal Khalaf “God, I can’t...because I am not adequately prepared.” Have you ever said something similar to those words before? Too many times we feel inadequately prepared to serve God. God migth call us to a specific task in which we feel we are not qualified to accomplish or carry out. The task may be simple or not so simple. For instance, God might call you to share Christ with a family member, to teach a Sunday School class, or to help out on a mission team. These tasks can be overwhelming. If you feel like you are the only one feeling inadequate to answer God’s call to serve Him, you are not alone. Many Christians have struggled and continue to struggle with not feeling adequately prepared. However, we should be reminded that with God you can accomplish what He calls us to carry out. Christians have a tendency to forget who is God. God is the Creator, Sustainer, Provider, and Caregiver. Creator means that God knows about His creation and is actively involved in what takes place. Sustainer means God will be with His children through any situtation life may bring. Provider means God will provide the strength and ability in which His children need to carry out tasks. Caregiver means that God provides care and love for His own. God is not just some being sitting in a big, comfy chair way up in Heaven somewhere. God is constantly working through and with His children. Everyday you wake up, you should remind yourself that with God you can accomplish what He calls you to carry out. The Bible provides examples of individuals who felt inadequate for the task God had called them to carry out. Gideon was one such individual. He was approached by an angel of the Lord. The angel said that the Lord had chosen him to save the nation of Israel from the hand of the Midianites (Judges 6:15). Gideon was terrified because of his family and tribe’s position in Israel. He reminded the Lord that his family and tribe were the smallest and least in Israel. As a result, Gideon felt as if he was not adequately prepared for the task. However, the Lord was not calling Gideon to perform a task he could not accomplish. Gideon was reminded that with God he could accomplish what he was called to carry out (Judges 6:16). The prophet Jeremiah was another individual who felt inadequate for the task God had called him to carry out. Jeremiah lamented that he was a child who was afraid to answer God’s call upon his life because he was not adequately prepared for the task (Jeremiah 1:6-8). He told God he could not speak and that he did not know what to say. God instructed Jeremiah to not view himself as a child. Instead, God told Jeremiah to view himself as a prophet. Furthermore, God informed Jeremiah to answer the call because the words in his mouth were not his but God’s (Jeremiah 1:9). Once again, Jeremiah was reminded that with God he could accomplish what he was called to carry out. Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). Paul realized that he could do nothing on his own strength. If he tried to carry out his call all by himself, he would fail. The Creator, Sustainer, Provider, and Caregiver provided Paul the necessary strength to accomplish what he was called to carry out. Today, you and I must realize that sometimes we are just like Gideon or Jeremiah. At times, we might think that we are incapable of sharing Jesus in our community because our family might not be that influential. Still there are times we might consider ourselves too young and naive to carry God’s message. Like Paul, we must realize that strength can only be found through Christ. Constantly you and I must remind ourselves that with God we can accomplish what we are called to carry out. Eventually our response to God may be, “God, I can...because I am adequately prepared.” Remember: WITH GOD U CAN! |
| Dr. Jad Khalaf |