All of your experiences, all of your pain, all of your disappointments, all of your victories, everything about you is necessary for your Purpose. There is not one thing that you have, tangible or intangible, that is unnecessary. It is the sum total of it all that God will maximize, and allow you to thrive in your Calling,

BUT first, you have to believe this.

I am reminded of David,  who before he was King,  killed a whole GIANT, named Goliath, with a sling shot and a stone (1 Samuel 17).  

David was the least likely to accomplish this feat.  He was not military trained,  he was just a boy.  Yet, David was confident in his equipment.  So confident that when Saul tried to clothe David in his military garb, David vehemently refused.

…I can’t walk in these, David said to Saul, ‘I’m not used to them.’ So David took them off.  Instead, he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in his pouch…Then with the sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine.  

I Samuel 17:39-40

Let me rewind David’s testimony back just a bit.  When David declared he could kill the Giant, Saul first tried to talk him out of it, but David’s confidence won Saul over.  

Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.

The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine

I Samuel 17:36-37

Why was David so confident? 

1. He knew God was more powerful than Goliath.
2. He knew God was with him.
3. He knew he had been practicing with the very same equipment that he was trusting now!   

These were the 3 things working in David’s favor, and all 3 were important to this victory. Unbeknownst to David, he had been training for this moment.  God had been preparing him and building his confidence the entire time that he was taking care of his father’s sheep.  

For me,  I am all in when it comes to trusting in God’s all-powerful authority. I know, without a doubt,  that God is with me.  But that 3rd part, the PRACTICE part? That’s the part that I did not always value.  In fact, I totally discounted the role that practice plays in building, not only my confidence, but also my character for the Calling that God has on my life. 

David used what he had. He used what he had been practicing with, even when he was being offered an alternative, that on the surface seemed better. David was so confident in what he had because he had already had private victories with that same sling. 

Is it possible that the reason we don’t believe,

 All We Have Is All We Need, 

is because we have been despising the opportunities that we’ve been given to PRACTICE because we’d rather be on the stage? Is it possible that we’ve been so busy stuck admiring what is working for someone else so long that we’ve devalued, or even forgotten what God has given us?  

If those questions stung a little, let me offer you the good news,  it’s not too late to practice. It’s important that you and I commit to practicing because, 

God will require us to practice with what we have in private, so that He can build up our confidence in what He has given us. So, don’t despise your private victories searching for a public platform. 

I am learning to allow myself to practice, not only for the benefit of cultivating my confidence in what I have,  but also to become closer to God. It is during practice that I am acquainted with His voice, and I learn His ways.  It is during practice that I receive instruction on how to best use what He has given me, so that I am always victorious!

I want  you to value your seasons of obscurity because those are the moments that God has gifted you with. He uses times of obscurity to pump courage into our hearts. Courage to be able to fully become who He has called us to be.

But, if we keep missing practice, our ears won’t be acquainted enough with God’s voice to hear Him above the chaos of the crowds. If we keep missing practice, we will delay ourselves from being put into the “game” because a good coach would never throw his or her star player into a game unprepared.  

You are God’s “Star Player” in your journey, and God is not going to throw you, His Daughter or His Son, into Your purpose without preparing you. 

I am in training. I am embracing training.  I am excited about what God will infuse me with during our training sessions.  I hope you will embrace your training season as well. 

Remember, God is not wasteful. Everything about you, all of your experiences, including your pain, shame, and disappointments will be repurposed to bring Glory to God. You already have everything you need,  you just need to learn how to value, and use what you have been gifted. 

I am so excited about what God is doing in your life.  I am praying for you that you would embrace practice, that you would be confident that you are not lacking anything, and that,  you would,

KEEP YOUR HOPE ALIVE. 

Until next time, with So much Love, 

D