In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Jesus says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
We at F.R.E.E. take Prayer & Outreach very seriously. We do our best to be prepared and we seek to say and do the right things in each moment. We pray bold prayers. We desire to boldly proclaim the gospel whenever we are given the opportunity. We want to speak truth and shine a light on the tragedy of sex trafficking and exploitation occuring in Reading and around the world. However, we do fall short of perfection. We are imperfect humans who are striving to be more like Jesus. Sometimes after talking with someone, we regret not saying something. I’ll share an example of this from a recent Prayer Walk:
We were walking in the city, looking for people to bless and pray with. As we walked, we saw two firefighters standing outside of the station. We offered them some snacks and water and asked if we could pray for them. One of the men said that he is not religious. We accepted that and said, “Have a nice day!” and continued on with our Prayer Walk. As we stopped to pray down the street, I apologized to our team for not taking that opportunity to share the difference between RELIGION and the RELATIONSHIP we have with Jesus. I didn’t make the choice to be bold in that moment and I felt like I had failed.
As Christians, we fail daily. We are not qualified to do anything on our own. Although, I am learning that being unqualified is wonderful. It’s wonderful because it shows that we are not God. It demonstrates the Lord’s power. It shows that it is actually in our weakness where God’s power is displayed so perfectly. I thank God that His grace is sufficient for you and I! I thank Him that His mercies are new every morning! When we fall short, He gives us another opportunity.
Are you willing to accept this opportunity with me? Are you willing to lay aside your past mistakes and learn from them, looking forward to the next opportunity? I think sometimes we get a little mixed up in the Church. We think that our spiritual gifts are limited to the areas we thrive in. You know, the extrovert makes a great evangelist, the intelligent student makes a great teacher, etc. But what if we have that backwards? What if our spiritual gifts are actually those things that we fail at on our own, but in which we are obedient to God when He presents an opportunity to grow? I want to constantly be looking for opportunities to grow and show God’s power in my weakness! What spiritual gift do you consider your weakness? If you’ve taken a spiritual gifts test, what areas have you scored the least in? I encourage you to look for opportunities to invite the Holy Spirit into those areas and watch how God’s power is made perfect in your weakness!
May God use our obedience and weakness to show His power.
Lauren Haller, FREE Prayer Walk and Outreach Coordinator