1. God cannot use Me? Author: Praveen Raj Kumar. Y Date: 02/09/2012 Place: Houthalen, Belgium 1God cannot use Me!

2. Today we are going to discuss about few examples/personalities from the Bible and what is the lesson that we learn them: . Abraham – Too Old . Jacob – was a Liar . Moses – had a stuttering problem . Gideon – was afraid . Samson – was a womanizer . Rahab – was a prostitute . David – was an adulterer & a murderer . Elijah – was Suicidal . Jonah – ran away from God. . Job – went bankrupt . Peter – denied Christ. . Zaccheus – was too small 2 God cannot use Me!

3. ABRAHAM: - TOO OLD Genesis 12: 1  “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you”. Genesis 12:4  “Abram was SEVENTY-FIVE years old when he set out from Haran…” Genesis 16:16  “Abram was EIGHTY-SIX years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael”. Genesis 18:11,12  Read from Bible. Genesis 21:2,3,5  Sarah bore Abraham a son, in his old age. Abraham named his son ‘Isaac’. Abraham was A HUNDRED years old, when Isaac was born. 3God cannot use Me!

4. JACOB: - WAS A LIAR Genesis 25:26  Isaac was SIXTY years old when Rebekah gave birth to Esau & Jacob. Genesis 27:1-40 (19)  Jacob gets Isaac’s Blessings with the help of Rebekah. Genesis 27 Chapter  Explains that Jacob LIED to Isaac in order to get the blessings. But we do not find any verse which says that God was not pleased with this act. 4God cannot use Me!

5. MOSES: - HAD A STUTTERING PROBLEM Exodus 3: 1,2  Moses was tending the flocks of Jethro. An angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Exodus 4:1-9  God speaks to Moses explaining about the signs/miracle that he can show to the Pharaoh. Exodus 4:10  Still Moses tries to give few excuses that he had a Stuttering Problem. Exodus 7:14- 12:36  We read about the Ten Plagues which came over the Egyptians during Moses period. God made use of Moses, even when he was not perfect/fit for the purpose. 5God cannot use Me!

6. GIDEON: - WAS AFRAID & TESTED THE LORD MANY TIMES Judges 6:1 - 12  Lord introduces Gideon, who will save the Israelites. Judges 6: 13-21  Gideon saw the angel of the Lord Face to Face Judges 6: 22-23  Gideon was afraid because of seeing angel of the Lord face to face, and was worried that he will die. Judges 6: 34- 40  When Lord calls Gideon to save the Israelites with this hands, Gideon tested to Lord many times. May be he didn’t believe that Lord will support & drive him throughout the battle. He was weak in his belief initially. 6God cannot use Me!

7. SAMSON: - WAS A WOMANIZER Judges 13  Birth of Samson. There were few rules provided by the angel of the Lord to Samson’s mother, before Samson was born and they obeyed to his words. Judges 14  We can notice that Samson was a Womanizer. Very weak towards women and easy to fall to their words. Judges 15  Samson kills 1000 men once Spirit of the Lord came upon him. Judges 16  Samson & Delilah, which leads to his death. Samson was a Strong Person, Spirit of the Lord always with him, but still he was very weak towards women. 7God cannot use Me!

8. RAHAB: - WAS A PROSTITUTE Joshua 2  Rahab, a prostitute, helped and saved 2 of the Spies sent by Joshua to look over on the land, which the Lord has handed over to them. Since Rahab had faith in the Lord that the Lord has given their land to the Israelites, she helped to save the Spies, and also made an Agreement with them. Hebrew 11: 31  She was not put to death with those who had gone against God’s orders and people who were with her, were Saved. 8God cannot use Me!

9. DAVID: - WAS A SHEPERD, AN ADULTERER & A MURDERER 2 Samuel 11: 1-27  David has a look at Bath-sheba taking bath, during his walk in his roof. Gets the knowledge of her, who she was. When it was informed that she was the wife of Uriah, David didn’t leave the matter as such. David did not seek the Lord in this issue. 2 Samuel 11:14  David plans to kill Uriah in the battle with the help of Joab. When Uriah was killed in the Battle and when the days of weeping were past, David took Bath-sheba has her wife and she bore him a Child. 2 Samuel 11:27  God was not pleased with the thing David had done. 9God cannot use Me!

10. ELIJAH: - WAS SUICIDAL 1 King 18  Elijah kills 450 Prophets of Baal. 1 King 19: 1,2  Ahab informs Jezebel all the news about how Elijah put all the prophets to death with the sword. Jezebel sends a word to Elijah that she would kill him by tomorrow this time. 1 King 19: 3  Elijah got up and fearing for his life, flew away to Beer-sheba in Judah, trying to save his life. 1 King 19: 9  The word of the Lord came to him asking “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He explains that the children of Israel have not kept their words and are attempting to kill me. He forgot how promisingly God guided him, until then. 10God cannot use Me!

11. JOB: - WENT BANKRUPT Job 1: 1  In the land of Uz there lived a man named Job, who was blameless and upright. Job owned 7000 sheep, 3000 camel, 5000 yoke of oxen, 500 donkeys & large number of Servants. Job was the greatest man among all people of the East. Job was put to several tests by Satan, to test his patience to stay with God. Job went Bankrupt, but still did not sin by charging God with wrong doing & in what he said. 11God cannot use Me!

12. JONAH: - RAN AWAY FROM GOD Jonah 1: 1  Word to Jonah “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because its wickedness has come before me”. Jonah 1:3  Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. God sent a big fish to swallow Jonah and he laid there for 3 days inside the fish. Jonah 3:1-4  Jonah preached that 40 more days and Nineveh will be overturned. Nineveh believed in his words and returned from their evil ways and were saved from the destruction, God planned for them. Jonah initially didn’t believe &obey to the word of God. 12God cannot use Me!

13. PETER: - DENIED CHRIST Among the disciples, Peter was a special person, according to me. Matthew 16:16  Active participant in discussions with Jesus. Matthew 16:18  Jesus said that he will give the keys of the kingdom of heave. Acts 2  Peter stood amidst of the 17 nation crowd to speak about Jesus. Matthew 26:34, 69-75  Jesus predicts Peter’s denial and Peter disowns Jesus, before the cock crowed 3 times. 13God cannot use Me!

14. ZACCHAEUS: - WAS SMALL & A TAX COLLECTOR Luke 19:2  Jesus was passing Jericho and a man was there by the name Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector & was wealthy. Luke 19:3  Zacchaeus was very anxious to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not see him in the crowd. Luke 19:7 -9  Read from bible. 14God cannot use Me!

15. Conclusion:  God Does Not Call the Equipped, He Equips the Called.  We can never say ‘God Cannot Use Me !’  God has called many unworthy people and have made them worthy.  We are one of such examples. We, who had no relationship to God, until we were saved by our Saviour.  Let us make this call, to be worthy and try to accomplish for what we have been called. 15God cannot use Me!

16. !!!! AMEN !!!! 16God cannot use Me!