Sister Tarpley’s Column: Will You Be Used by God?

“Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.” Philemon 11.

Paul’s letter to Philemon reveals something about a man named Onesimus. At one time, Paul viewed Onesimus as useless. But while Paul was in chains he treated Onesimus as a son. Something changed in this man that made him useful instead of useless.

As Christians we are going to err in our ways. The question is, once we know we have made a mistake before God, do we make the necessary adjustments that will allow Him to intervene on our behalf? And will we avoid the same course of action in the future?

God says that if we do, He will pour out His Spirit on us; read Proverbs 1:23. Ask God to help you to depend on Him to be a source of victory in your life so that He might receive all the glory.

When you depend on God you become a better and richer person. He will bring peace, love and joy into your life. You will learn to share His love and life with others.

And when you are dependent on God you see the thorns (trials) in your life as blessings. Paul said, “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” 2 Corinthians 12:7.

You may have something in your life that you wish was not there. If you could, perhaps you would change that one thing.

Maybe it is the source of pain or challenge in your life. You seek God continually for relief from it, but He seems strangely silent.

As stated, Paul also experienced an ongoing burden that he called a “thorn in his flesh.” It was so hurtful to Paul that he asked God on three different occasions to remove it from his life:

Paul said that in responds to removing it, God said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Possibly, God has given you such a trial designed to allow you to place greater trust and reliance upon Him. Ask Him to reveal to you the blessing of the trial He has placed in your life so that you can be used by Him in a greater way..

The bloom of a rose is beautiful, but the thorn of a rose produces only pain. Thorns hurt us yet, they humble us. That is the blessing of trials in a life.

When your heart is overwhelmed; seek to be lead to the rock that is higher than you are. God will be a shelter for you; a strong tower from the enemy. He will calm your soul and be your shelter always.

There is a timing that is ideal for every situation and every trial that God provides for Christians. Jesus understood the importance of timing. When He performed His first healing miracle He instructed the man He healed with leprosy to not tell anyone.

Now that would be difficult – not to share being healed from leprosy with your friends who have known you and your condition. He could not keep the secret.

How often has Jesus not been able to move in your situation because you have failed to honor the right timing of the situation to be useful to Him? Perhaps you have moved ahead when you were not supposed to move. In the Old Testament, David was fighting the Philistines. He won the first battle, but they were coming against him again.

He inquired of God and God said, “Go to battle, but not until you hear the marching in the balsam trees” (2 Sam. 5:23). There was a strategic timing associated with his actions.

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” Ecclesiastes 3:1.