1 Cor 2:4 ‘And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power’.

DAILY READING; Matthew 5:1-20; Exodus 28:1-29:46; Proverbs 13

With the global impact of Smith Wigglesworth’s  ministry, it is amazing that he never went to school. From age seven he was sent to the mills to work, sometimes 12-14 hours a day, to help provide for his poor family. Not until age 26 did he learn to read and write, when his wife Polly taught him. He once wrote a letter to a university graduate. The next time this person saw Wigglesworth, he said, “You spelled the title of the Holy Spirit seven different ways in your letter.” Though Wigglesworth may not have had grammatical command, definitely he had spiritual command.

1 Cor 2:4 says ‘And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power’

Smith Wigglesworth’s life highlights the fact that the enemy has no regard for grammar or education, but has every respect for power. .And Wigglesworth mightily displayed the power of God wherever he went. Throughout his  amazing ministry, countless people were healed of serious illnesses and disease, and thousands came to faith in Christ in his meetings. Known as the “apostle of faith,” Wigglesworth  spearheaded a powerful healing and deliverance ministry that ultimately led to the foundation of the modern Pentecostal movement. When he prayed, broken limbs were healed, people came out of wheelchairs; cancers were destroyed, blind eyes saw. His life exuded the power of God in manifestation in ways few have ever seen. Once, Wigglesworth went to the home of a family mourning the death of their little boy, just five years old. As he stood looking at the boy lying in the coffin, tears ran down his face. He asked the family to leave the room, then lifted the boy’s body and stood it in the corner of the room. Rebuking death in the name of Jesus Christ, he commanded it to surrender its victim. The boy returned to life!  Such supernatural signs followed Wigglesworth’s ministry as he taught and ministered in Europe, Asia, America, and South Africa, impacting whole continents for Christ in his lifetime.

Indeed God is not looking for the qualified, rather He is looking for those He will qualify.  I Corinthians 1:26-30 says “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.’

In a very real sense not one of us is qualified, but rather God calls us and then qualifies us. It is not about our strength, it is about the God who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. It is not about our ability, It’s about our availability. So often we let inadequacies  be excuses to settle for mediocrity. But the good news is that  God’s calling on your life is not put on hold until you become 100% perfect. No, God will use you even when it seems you have inadequacies in some areas. You may not have enough money, have enough education, or have the right background. What matters to God is that you have the right heart; a heart that pants after Him. His eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth searching for those whose hearts are perfect towards Him. God looks at the heart. When you have a heart that desires to please God, and you make yourself available, He will work in and through you to accomplish His will on earth. The scripture says, “We are God’s workmanship”.  This indicates we are His work in progress. God is constantly at work within us to conform us to the image of Christ. And while we are becoming daily more like Christ, God will still use us to accomplish great works.  We must therefore look away from our inadequacies and focus on  God’s great power and His amazing abiltiies. Sometimes we may feel overwhelmed by the magnitutde of what we sense God is calling us to do. When God told Moses to go and deliver the people of Israel, Moses was full of excuses. He felt inadequate especially because of his stutter. But  God let Moses know that He could take care of his limitations and use him anyway. When God told Jeremiah that he was going to be a prophet to the nations, Jeremiah told God, ‘ I can’t do it. I’m too young.’ But God quickly told him not to say he was too young.  God was letting him know He would not have called him if he was not already equipped and well able for the assignment.  Like Jeremiah and Moses, we can come up with excuses: But we need to start seeing ourselves the way God sees us. In the eyes of men, even in our own eyes, we may seem not qualified enough, but God who has called us, knows how to empower us to accomplish His will. What is more important is for us to commit to a lifestyle of fervent prayers and diligent study of God’s Word.  We must also mainatin a life of purity and holiness so that The Spirit of God will have the liberty to work in and through us. And as we remain obedient to His leadings, it is only a matter of time before we come into the full manifestation of God’s plans for our lives. Indeed the faithful One that calls you, is also able to accomplish His will in your life in Jesus Name.

PRAYER: Lord, please help  me to stop worrying about my limitations, or how unqualified I may be. Help me to see indeed that through Christ I can do all things. I know by Your grace I will run this race and finish strong  in Jesus Name. .

Quote

When God places His hand upon a man in life nothing can come against him, this is because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.