I want to encourage you today that God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, is a master of taking the ordinary and turning it into the extraordinary! There are many examples of His handiwork in the Bible, but I want to share one specific example today. The story of Ananias. Now I am not talking about Ananias who was married to Sapphira whose story is in Acts chapter 5. I am talking about Ananias from Damascus whose story begins in Acts chapter 9. This Ananias is not very well known, even among those who attend church regularly and read their Bible consistently. The only mention of this man is in Acts 5 and Acts 22. He was not one of Jesus' original 12 disciples, nor an apostle, nor a church leader from all accounts in scripture. It appears he was just an ordinary guy; an Average Joe....but he was an Average Joe who loved Jesus and was filled with the Holy Spirit. He was a disciple.
A disciple is one who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another. Even though Ananias was not as famous as the 12 disciples, his role in God's plan was just as significant. When you read the story of Ananias, you see that God called to him in a vision and told him that Saul (whose name was changed to Paul and took the Gospel to the Gentiles) was praying to God right now and to go to where Saul was and lay hands on him so he would receive his sight back. WOW! What a awesome opportunity for a disciple to get to be to be the deliverer of such a miracle of God! Ananias was at first afraid because he had heard of Saul and the terrible persecution he had brought to the believers in Jerusalem, but God told Ananias He has chosen Saul to bring the the Gospel to the Gentiles. So Ananias went, and he was the man who got to witness the miracle of Saul regaining his sight and his turning to Jesus!
As a pastor, I hear something in people's voices so often.....it's a lack of confidence that God could and wants to use them in His plan. I really think the fear comes from trusting in our own abilities. If we look at our own abilities, I would agree that none of us are equipped to be used by God. Not a single one of us. Even the most famous men in the Bible were not qualified on their own. The cool thing is that God does not call those who are already equipped, He equips those He calls! Ananias did not have the ability to restore Saul's sight on his own. This was the Holy Spirit of God working through him to restore Saul's sight. If Ananias had trusted in his own abilities, he would never have gone to Saul, and he would have missed out on one of the greatest opportunities of his life as a disciple of Jesus.
How often do we miss out on opportunities of a lifetime because we are trusting in our own abilities rather than trusting God? As you read The Word and your mind is renewed and transformed you will be able to more consistently see past your abilities and follow the voice of God no matter the odds against you. You may feel ordinary, but God wants to use you for the EXTRAORDINARY! What is He speaking to you about right now? He has not given you a spirit of fear, but of POWER, LOVE, AND A SOUND MIND! Go be a history maker for His Kingdom! He wants you to be a part of His amazing miracles!
