Once again, God has taught me........

This past Sunday night I preached at Tehillah & God taught me a ton. I thought my sermon was supposed to teach others, but I really think that I learned the most. Let me tell what God showed me.
1. Be prepared in season & out of season: I found out that I was preaching Thursday afternoon & I told Mark Coop that I would do it. Normally I would have been fine coming up with something to speak on, but I was not prepared like I should have been. Alot has been going on right now & I had a hard time thinking of something to speak on. I didn't really know what I would say until I got the microphone. Crazy stuff!!! If you want to shake your nerves, try speaking & not knowing what you are going to say for sure! AUHHHHH!!! :-O
2. Even in your weakness He can move: I got up there to speak & I felt so inadequate. When I put down the mike, all I could think was that I sucked & I probably didn't touch anyone. I beat myself up all during the altar call because I wasn't prepared & I didn't speak as eloquently as I know I can.
You have to love God, because he always humbles, but He is also the lifter of my head when I am down. After the altar call I had a bunch of people come up to me & tell me that the message was literally life changing! Several people were crying & they thanked me for saying what I said! I have to be completely honest, I was speechless, because I truly did not think that it was good. It is amazing how God can use anyone at anytime to make a difference.
I have never felt more inadequate & unprepared, but God still used me to minister to others. This is mind blowing to me that my God can use someone so foolish, so incapable, to reach others & make a difference. I have learned a strong lesson about depending on God & not my own wisdom or persuasive words. He is the only one who can stir hearts, not me. He can take an unprepared, nervous, choppy sermon & still make a difference in someone's life.
I have to praise Him because He has shown me alot through this experience. I received so many words of encouragement & a letter telling me that what I said was a turning point in their lives. I have known for awhile that God has given me a ministry of freedom & that when I speak people will be changed, but it is really cool to see how He is using me even in my brokeness.
I had these grand ideas of how my first sermon at Tehillah would go, & it didn't go as I would have liked, but God did awesome things despite that. He is an amazing God & I have to praise Him for His mercy! He is the only one who has the power to change lives & free hearts, not me, & it will only be HIS words spoken through me, a clay vessel, that will be the freedom to hurting & captive people!
I have to go, but I will blog more later when I have the time. God is good!

Little Vel Potter (soon:)

P.S. I love you Brian!!!