by Shannon Garrison

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When God asks you to complete an assignment, there can be a tendency to look at your abilities—or lack thereof—and think you aren’t capable of doing what He has asked you. However, God doesn’t ask for perfection; He asks for obedience. Remember, He already factored in your immaturity, wrong attitude, ignorance, and impatience. And yet God still made a way for you to come into this very moment to accomplish His work—not because you are capable, but because He is.

As Christians, when we consistently operate out of the fear that we are incapable of carrying out our assignment—or believe we might miss God’s will, misstep, and be disqualified—we are operating as orphans, not sons and daughters. Beliefs shaped by fear and doubt will get us off course, but trusting in God to lead us well keeps us on track. The truth is, everything does not depend on us; everything depends on God. Therefore, we can trust Him in faith and lean on His grace to fill in the gaps.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
(2 Corinthians 9:8, ESV)

God’s grace abounds and gives us the capacity to do what God asks of us in spite of our weakness and inexperience. Therefore, if we truly desire His will, we don’t have to figure it out as though it were some hidden code or encrypted message. Instead, we go to Him for what we need and allow Him to lead. As He sends us out, we can trust that He will make our path clear. It is not about us finding our way on our own; it is about trusting the voice of our good Father to lead us down His perfect path. There is so much freedom in this.

While we won’t be perfect on the journey, God’s grace is sufficient to help us course-correct when needed and teach us what we need to know. Detours shape us for the journey, and if our pace needs to be adjusted, we learn through experience.

Let’s face it, we do not typically learn to discern God’s process or path simply by hearing His instructions. Most of what we learn comes through experience. You may have heard the saying, “Practice makes perfect.” God’s grace allows for mistakes so that we may learn, grow, and gain understanding. Some of our greatest wisdom comes through the humility of lessons learned.

We must come to terms with the truth: it is not our “goodness” or our ability to measure up to the task that gets us there. It is His loving-kindness and undeserved grace that carry us to the finish line if we learn to lean in and receive it. This is good news. His grace allows us to walk with God-confidence, knowing He will help us reach the finish line:

The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the Lord holds them by the hand.
(Psalm 37:23–24, NLT)

While the goal should be to stay on the right path and not stumble, Psalm 37 reminds us that we may stumble, but we will not fall. Our knowledge, wisdom, or strength does not get us to our destination. It is only because of the One who holds us in the palm of His hand that we get there. He never forsakes us or leaves us.

So quit focusing on your capability. Quit obsessing over getting it right. Instead, lean into God’s grace. It has always been sufficient and will continue to carry you as you follow Him. Friend, enjoy the reality of His goodness by turning away from self-focus and self-reliance. Instead, set your sights on Him—El Shaddai, the all-sufficient One.

For He delivered us and saved us and called us with a holy calling [a calling that leads to a consecrated life—a life set apart—a life of purpose], not because of our works [or because of any personal merit—we could do nothing to earn this], but because of His own purpose and grace [His amazing, undeserved favor], which was granted to us in Christ Jesus before the world began [eternal ages ago].
(2 Timothy 1:9, AMP)

Do you fully grasp what you have received in Christ through His grace? While grace is undeserved, it is a gift from the Father and is always available to you as a beloved child of God. If you struggle to understand God’s grace and receive it, take some time to dig into Scripture about grace. Then allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a fresh measure of His grace. Let grace abound!