“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.” – 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 KJV

There are leaders within the Church who treat others as though they have no place in the Church except to submit themselves to their authority, that they may carry out their personal agenda. Such people often cause others to become discouraged as they leave little or no room for people to express who they really are in Christ. And thus they hinder them from fulfilling God’s purpose for them within the Church. Perhaps you’ve had an encounter with someone like this before. Well, don’t let this kind of thing keep you down. These people do not have the right to order your steps. Only God does. And God will call whomever He will to do His work. Those who interfere with His calling will face severe consequences at some point for rebelling against His voice. God will not be mocked!

You don’t have to be a scholar or a born leader to work for God. The qualifications for godly work aren’t based on personal achievements, but on a sincere desire to live by and uphold the truth as it is in Jesus Christ. Many people who once had a passion to serve God within the Church have lost their zeal for godly service because they have allowed ungodly men to give them the impression that they weren’t fit or qualified to do the work that God was calling them to perform. And if that isn’t enough, there are some who will tell you that you have to prove yourself to them before they will give you a chance to exercise the gift that God has given to you. Who are they to think so highly of themselves as to suggest such a thing? What happens when you’re in a position of having to prove yourself to someone who opposes the truth? Could you ever prove yourself to such a person without being in agreement with them? And how can you really prove yourself unless you are given an opportunity to work?

Listen, if you know that you are called to serve God in a certain way then you are called, not by men but by God Himself. And no man can take that away from you. Some will try to, but at some point the LORD will humble them; that is, He will move them out of the way. And if He doesn’t move them out of the way then He will make a way for you to move away from them, thus giving you an opportunity to be active elsewhere. So, my advice to you is to not let anyone stand in the way of your doing the work that God has called you to do. You may not be able to do certain things in certain places as a result of a few bad seeds being present, but until God moves them out of the way you ought to do what you can do where you are able to do it without constraint.

Keep in mind that as you continue to be faithful to God in the little things you will be given greater responsibilities. But be patient. Don’t give up. Follow God by doing what you know He has asked of you, and you will see wonderful things unfold before your eyes as He uses you to impact the lives of others in a profound way!