Running from God’s Will?

Have you ever run from the will of God for your life, thinking, “I could never do that”?

After I became a believer, I sensed that God was calling me to preach. Now, I wasn’t the person who got up in front of crowds and just started talking. Like most people, I had a serious fear of public speaking.

I was more of a behind-the-scenes guy. I liked to design and do things of that nature. But I had a sneaking fear that one day God would call me to preach. However, the reason that I didn’t want to be a preacher was because I thought so many of them were simply strange creatures. I thought they were just weird.

I remember one such person when I was a kid. I’d go to Corona del Mar Beach in Newport Beach, where there often was a man dressed head to toe in black, complete with a wide-brimmed black hat. And he’d tell all of us that we were going to Hell.

I’d stand there in my board shorts and T-shirt and think, “What is wrong with him? I hope I never have to do that.” I didn’t want to be that guy.

And now here I am, a preacher.

Maybe you’ve said, “Lord, you can give me this gift, but don’t give me that gift.” But it’s God who decides which gifts He will give to which person. The apostle Paul had this to say about spiritual gifts: “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (1 Corinthians 12:11 NKJV).

God is not looking for ability nearly as much as He is looking for availability. You may feel unqualified to serve the Lord. But God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called.

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