Can God Really Use Someone Like Me?

After God freed me from the ways of the world, I was overcome with shame.

I believed God had plans for me, plans for hope and a future. I understood I was his masterpiece, created to do works God planned for me long ago.

But how could God could use a girl with a past like me for his glory?

At church, I believed I wasn’t “Christian” enough compared to others who had known God their whole lives.

With dating, I wanted to marry a man who loved the Lord. But I doubted whether any godly man would be interested in a girl like me. Would they judge me for my sexual past?

Even if God set you free from sin, it can be hard to shake the shame and guilt from your past. You want to become more like Christ, but the devil constantly reminds you that you aren’t good enough.

Experiencing shame and guilt is not from God.

Once we confess our sins, God does not hold our sins against us. He remembers our sins no more and sees us purified by the blood of Jesus.

If you’re doubting whether God can use you to make a difference in this world, I encourage you to study Rahab’s story in the Bible.

Rahab was a prostitute who grew up following other gods in a foreign land.

When Joshua and the Israelites were about to destroy her city, Rahab trusted God and hid Israelite spies on her roof.

God honored her faith and saved her and her family from destruction.

But God also blessed Rahab with a husband and a son. Rahab was the mother of Boaz, one of the most prominent men of God in the Bible, whose offspring became part of the lineage of Christ.

Rahab used to sleep with men for money, yet God still used her life for good. If God can redeem Rahab’s past and use her to become part of Jesus’ bloodline, he can use someone like you, too.

Your past does not disqualify you from the blessings, and future God has for you.

God promises to work all things for good, and he may even use your past to reach people who don’t know the love of Jesus yet.