Walking in ObedienceSample

Use What You Have

There are so many voices out there today offering tips and tricks, promising to pave the way to success with their own how-to resources. Some resources are better than others, but it’s important to use wisdom and discernment in determining whether any particular resource is right for you, right now.

Let’s go back to David as he moves toward the battle against Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. King Saul is supportive of David’s desire to fight against Goliath, but he dresses David in his own armor, thinking that would be the best way for David to move forward. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, King Saul has a voice of manipulation in trying to achieve a certain outcome by offering his own proven strategy. Notice how David doesn’t immediately reject the offer. He tries it out, but ultimately decides it’s not going to work for him. We’ll see David dressed in a suit of armor later in his life, but for this battle, he chooses what he knows and what he has in his own hands.

When we begin to walk out what God is calling us to in obedience, just like with Moses in Exodus 4, He will often ask us to notice what we have in our own hands rather than giving us something new or different. 2 Peter 1:3 tells us, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” The truth is, what we need in order to walk in obedience and accomplish what God has called us to do is not what someone else has but what we already have.

It’s easy to list all the things we don’t have that we think we might benefit from as we walk in obedience, but take a moment to notice what you already have. What character qualities do you have, what habits do you keep, what physical things do you hold, what relationships do you have? Take a second look, and consider how these things are already a benefit to you.