Day 12: Some Men God Could Not Use

The Man God Uses: Moved from the Ordinary to the Extraordinary

In today’s study, Blackaby listed five types of men that God cannot use:

1. Men Who Know Best
2. Men Who Put Limits on God
3. Men with Divided Hearts
4. Men Who Will Not Listen to God
5. Men Who Shrink God

I think I’ve been each one of those types at one time or another in my life. When I read the title “Men Who Know Best”, I immediately thought of those “go getter” types, the guys that wait for nothing, think nothing through, never ask for input from others, they just do something to be doing something.

And usually end up doing nothing. Or wishing they were doing nothing. He uses King Saul as an example of this one, when he attacked the Philistines without asking God about it, realized his error and then tried to correct it himself instead of waiting for Samuel. That’s a pattern for the ages.

In his discussion about divided hearts, he used Jesus’ parable of the rich young man that couldn’t turn away from his possessions. Sure, I’ll follow you, but on my terms. Isn’t that what a lot of people do? I know I used to try that one. Didn’t work out so well.

But the one that really stood out was “Men Who Shrink God”. By that he means that we tend to view God and understand God based upon our own experiences. We bring Him down to a level that we can understand and then tell Him what He should do for us. Blackaby said something that rang very, very true in regards to this:

Too often Christians live in a world void of faith, a world limited by their own understanding and power. Their view of God is narrow, confined and powerless. There is no victory, no life, no joy and no power flowing through them. Somehow, they are content with that kind of life.

I see these men walking around church. I used to see this man in the mirror. The only way to avoid that life is to let go of the world, release the chains that bind and plunge fully, wholly and deeply into the love of God.

We must do this for the future of our people. What examples are we setting for the future generations? How are we living today? Are we glorifying God in everything we do?

I look around and see a few half-hearted attempts to live as an example. But much like the divided heart that doesn’t fully belong to Jesus, many people live differently depending upon the audience. I see people professing to be believers, professing to want to devote themselves to Christ, talking about it in one sentence, then in the next cursing away, trying to fit in with the world. Would they want their child to see that? Would they want their spouse to see what they typed about another woman?

Fully, wholly, deeply.

^{Luke 6:46} “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?