God Can Use You

Messing up is not fun. Sometimes a mess up resorts in job loss, problems with families, a past that people never allow you to live down. Many people ask the question or will ask the question, “can God still use me”? As men in the church we limit use to position when God never intended for it to be that way. Designation does not merit effectiveness. On the same note, your past does not decide whether God will use you in his Kingdom or not. We serve a God that has used some people from all walks of life, income levels, and races in effort to save his people, spread his gospel, and teach his word to individuals all across the world.

Moses was born during a period of time that social injustices to Israelites was alive and well. To the point that the King at that time was killing young baby boys to control the ability to oppress Hebrew people. Nonetheless the faith of his mother placed him in the hands of Pharaoh’s daughter, provided a great education for him, and a prosperous future in Egypt if he so desired. Many of us despite the neighborhoods we grew up in, the single parent homes we lived in, the hardworking father that we had does not nullify the fact that many of us have made mistakes that are completely contrary to the way we were raised.

Situation -

Moses, like many of us made a mistake. Not just any mistake but he actually commits murder. One may even defend Moses, “he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren”. Nonetheless he makes a mistake, understand he probably had the influence and the ability to speak to Pharoah and make things easier for his people instead he looks one way and looks another and sees that no one is around and killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

As we move forward in the text, we see Moses attempt to handle a similar situation in the way God expects us to handle it but instead of the person taking his words into consideration he states, “who made you a prince or a judge over us? Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? Then Moses was afraid and said, Surely the matter has become known.” Sometimes a mistake is just your calling misguided.

No matter if you are a father, son, brother, sister, mother, aunt or cousin mistakes are a part of life. Our mistakes are as significant as our response to them. Understand God has the power to turn a murderer into a Judge, Leader, Prophet, Psalmist and one of the greatest leaders history has ever seen.

Just like God used Moses, God will use us. God created you to use you! He loves you, He desires that we bounce back after our mistakes. The great thing about mistakes are they make the greatest people great because of the way they bounce back from mishaps.

Complication

The issue we face is even when we desire to be Kingdom Men and Kingdom Women our past hurts us and hinders us in many ways. The past should not keep us from being used by God it should prompt us to be used by God.

For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity.

As long as Moses lived his life like a murderer he could not assume the role as a leader. Even with a past, Kingdom Man can be in your future but we have to know that there is process of healing that has to take place.

When you fall, you have to get up and dust yourself off. Understanding falling is a part of your greatness process. Why would God use a murdering man, who grew up amongst his people in a place of elitism to free those same people.

Sometimes your greatest mistake is your greatest blessing. Understand that God can use that energy that we use for Satan and show us where we can be a blessing to his Kingdom.

Resolution

Before you bounce back you have to have the confidence that you will bounce back. If God woke you up the day after you have made a mistake then he expects you to rise up.

What does rising up look like?

Rising up is confidence in the grace and mercy of God.

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Confidence in his grace that I can still adhere to my calling despite my imperfections. Confidence in his mercy that the punishment I deserved I did not get.

How do I get up after I’ve messed up? I have to leave fear right where it is!

1 But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob,

And He who formed you, O Israel,

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name; you are Mine!

2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,

Nor will the flame burn you.

3 “For I am the LORD your God,

Even after the mistake we have to know that God is still with us! That is confidence, do not give up, do not retreat! One mistake does not remove the fact that God can use you. Do not give up! Your burning bush moment is coming and you have to be ready to respond to God’s call.

When Moses should have been killed by Pharoah, God spared his life. “When Pharoah heard of this matter, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the presence of Pharoah and settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.

The big question we’ve got to ask ourselves is what will we do with what we have. Your past is something you can use to limit you or help you excel.

Celebration

Celebrate the fact that God still will use you despite our imperfections.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

My testimony is my badge of honor because that story is the reason I stand here now. My imperfections are the reason God used me in the first place to bless someone with the same issues.

I shout because a life of darkness has now turned into a bright shining light on a hill! Praise God for his grace and mercy. Thank God that his mercy saw fit to bless me. Thank God that his grace had space for a lowly sinner like myself!

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

There is no mess up that God can’t clean up. There is no life that God cannot fix. There is no chaos that God can’t organize. There is no distress that God can’t make peaceful. He is our God almighty!

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

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