**If you haven't read Part 1, check it out here.
After getting so amped on the Holy Spirit shouting out pure TRUTH, I realized I still had a message to deliver. I shared my testimony about how I used to have such a great fear of public speaking that I would get physically sick whenever I had to do presentations at school, but how God has opened my mouth and given me the words and the strength to deliver His message to His people. (You can read about God freeing me of this fear here).
As I told my testimony, I realized how ridiculous and unbelievable it must sound as I'm standing on a stage, sweaty and with a hoarse voice from yelling, making extravagant hand motions, standing with a relaxed posture, and projecting my voice to reach the whole auditorium without a microphone. I'm not sure I would believe it either if I didn't still have the memories of all those awful and humiliating experiences.
Here's the truth. I am nobody special. I have no special talents or skills. I often realize that I am SO unqualified for the work God has for me each month. But God is bigger. God gives me the strength. He gives me the abilities. He gives me the energy. He gives me the words. He gives me the boldness. He gives me everything I need to do the work He has laid out for me to proclaim His name throughout the nations, to love His children, to bring His justice, His hope and His peace to those who lack it, and to glorify Himself through my life. I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH [CHRIST] WHO STRENGTHENS ME. Amen.
If you've grown up in a Christian home, I'm sure you know the story of David and Goliath by heart. Maybe you even know a cute song to go with it or maybe you can still picture those Veggie Tale characters re-enacting the story. But please, go read this story again with fresh eyes. Don't skim, but soak up God's Word. Seriously, I know you will be blessed by it. You can find it in 1 Samuel 17 (click here to read it online).
David was a young shepherd. He knew nothing about war. He didn't even come to battle Goliath with proper armor or a sword, but a measily little sling shot. Why? Because he relied on God and trusted Him to do all the work. If David had gone in with special kungfu skills or heavy duty artillary, then David would've received the glory, but this way, God's power and glory was put on display.
As David confronts Goliath, he says to him (verses 45-47 ESV), "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the nameof the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know what the Lord saves not with sword and spear. Fot the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hand."
What faith. And God claims the victory. Because that's just what God does. God will always be victorious. When we step out in faith, He will not put us to shame, He will always glorify Himself through us. Knowing this, you'd think we'd be a little more bold stepping out in faith huh?
I shared more with the students that day…they actually had stop me and let me know it was time to wrap up because I was on such a role just proclaiming truth after truth. Again, very strange for me. Actually, this whole thing was so out of character for me that my squad leader asked at the end "Who are you?" I told her this wasn't me, that I was afraid of public speaking. The next day she poured into me, declaring the truth that this IS who I am, because I am filled with God's Spirit. This is who He created me to be. He didn't create me to be the quiet girl who sits in the corner and never speaks her mind; He created me to be a woman who is so filled with His love that she can't help but shout it out.
This takes me back to week 1 of the Race. I was voicing to a couple teammates my frustrations with myself because I was so quiet and uncomfortable sharing the Gospel during door-to-door evangelism in a gypsy community. I distinctly remember saying, "I mean, if I really believe the Gospel as truth, with all that that means, it should make it so that I can't help but shout it out from the rooftops." Who would've thought that 7 months later I would be standing, not on a roof, but on a chair in front of 150 students (most of whom did not believe in Jesus as their Savior) shouting the truth of the Gospel?
I post this long blog (congrats if you've made it to the end!) not for my own glory, because none of this is me. Apart from Christ I can't do anything. Instead, I post it to glorify God with yet another testimony of how He amazes me with how much He can do through a broken, unqualified, timid girl like me. I also post it to challenge you to step out in faith, not in little, safe, comfortable, baby step ways, but in HUGE, radical, terrifying ways. If God can give me the voice to shout Philippians 4:13 and share my testimony with 150 Ugandan students, He can do anything through you. We serve a BIG God who is faithful to us. He will NEVER fail. Be fearless.
