I sought the Lord for help. I made the decision to put my faith in Him. But at the same time, I had these lingering thoughts in the back of my mind…what if God didn’t come through for me? What would I do? How would everything work out? My mind tossed between faith and fear. When I thought of His promises…when I meditated on His word, I was filled with faith. But when I thought about my situation…when I thought about everything that I faced, I was filled with doubt. But that’s not all, it wasn’t just the thought of my situation that caused me to doubt, it was also the stories that I’ve heard from others. I allowed the report of what happened in their situations to affect my faith in God.
I’m sharing this with you because I believe that this is something that many of us struggle with. We allow the lives of others to dictate our faith. Did the situation work out for them? Were they able to be successful at it? Did they get the job, the promotion, the raise? Were they healed? Was their marriage restored? Did they receive what they were hoping for? We see the unfortunate outcome of their situations, and we use it as a measurement of what can happen in our lives. But that is not biblical. As children of God, we are not limited to what happens in the lives of others.
We are the exception.
When we read the scriptures, we see that God did the improbable over and over again. He used those that seemed incapable. He chose those that were unable to do what He desired them to do on purpose. He chose Abraham and Sarah, a couple that had been unable to conceive, to birth the nation of Israel…they were the exception. He chose Gideon, a man from the weakest clan in the tribe of Manasseh, to rescue the children of Israel from the Midianites…he was the exception. God chose Saul, a man from the least of the tribe of Benjamin, to be the first king of Israel…he was the exception. He chose mere fishermen, a tax collector, and a zealot to be His first disciples…they were the exception. He even chose a murderer named Paul, to be the leading writer of the New Testament…he was the exception.
It doesn’t matter where you come from. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or where you are in life. It doesn’t matter if you are good enough or whether you are qualified enough. He chose you anyway… you are the exception.
We can’t allow the experiences of others to negatively affect our faith.
This applies to walking in purpose, but it also applies to the trials that we face. Maybe you know someone that experienced a situation similar to the one that you are facing right now. Maybe this person is your parent, your sibling, your friend, or your coworker. Maybe they’ve shared their negative experiences with you, and it’s caused you to believe that your situation will turn out the same way. If this is the case, I want you to know that you are the exception. The fact that it didn’t work out for them has no bearing on whether or not it will work out for you. We serve a God that is faithful to His word! If He promised you something…if He spoke it in His word, believe that He will do exactly what He said he will do.
For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations. The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does. (Psalms 145:13 NLT)
Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true. (Joshua 21:45 NLT)
And the Lord said, “That’s right, and it means that I am watching, and I will certainly carry out all my plans.” (Jeremiah 1:12 NLT)
The word of God never fails.
Maybe it’s not a trial that you face, maybe you’re faced with a purpose that you feel you are unqualified to walk in. Maybe you heard stories of others failing in the same area. Maybe you’ve seen others fail while doing something similar. If this is the case, I want you to know that you are the exception. If God gave you an instruction, he will surely enable you to walk in it.
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. (Philippians 2:13 NLT)
As I said earlier, I was faced with the fear of what I had seen in the lives of others, but at the end of the day, my declaration was, “ I trust you Lord. I trust you in the middle of this uncertainty. I trust you even though the facts aren’t on my side. I trust you regardless of what happened in their situation. I believe that I am the exception…” And God worked a miracle in my situation. He did in a weekend what others waited months for. He proved that He is faithful. He proved that nothing is impossible. He showed me that I am the expectation…and so are you. He is no respecter of persons…you just have to believe.
A little faith is all that you need.
…“I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” (Matthew 17:20 NLT)
I’ve shared my doubt because I want you to know that I am not perfect. I waver, I experience fear, but still, I was able to see God work a miracle in my situation.
All you have is all you need.
Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” (Judges 6:14 NLT)
The Lord told Gideon to go with the strength that he had. Even though he was from the weakest clan in the tribe of Manasseh, the Lord told him to go. Even though he had no idea how he would rescue Israel, the Lord told him to go. And I believe that this is what He is saying to you today.
Go with the strength that you do have. Believe with the faith that you do have.
For we live by believing and not by seeing. (2 Corinthians 5:7 NLT)
It may not seem like you have what you need to do what He’s calling you to do, but go with the strength that you do have. Go with the ability that you do have. Go with the resources that you do have. Maybe it seems like you’re facing an impossible situation right now, but believe with the faith that you do have. You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to have perfect faith all the time. Of course there will be moments where the facts overwhelm you, but in the face of those facts, choose to believe with the faith that you do have. Believe that God is on your side. Believe that He is for you, so no one can be against you. Believe that He will equip you to do everything that He’s called you to do. Believe that you are the exception, because you are. You are loved. You are called. And you have the favor of God in every situation that you face.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding me that I am chosen, and I am called. Thank you for reminding me that it doesn’t matter where I’ve come from. It doesn’t matter what I’ve done or where I am right now. Even if you are calling me to do a new thing…something that’s never been done before, you will enable me to do it, because I am the exception. I am the exception in every situation that I face. Even if those around me have failed, I believe that you will enable me to be successful at everything you have called me to. Even if everyone around me has received a bad report, I believe that your favor will enable me to receive the outcome that you have promised me. Today I am making the decision to walk by faith, not by sight. When I am faced with the facts, I will choose to trust in you…I will choose to believe that you have good for me in every situation. I love you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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