God wants to use you to do extraordinary things on this earth. Yes, that’s right…He wants to use YOU. Despite all your mistakes, your shortcomings, your in ability to hit the mark perfectly, He has predestined you to do incredible works, to accomplish the unimaginable, to fulfill impossible dreams. Yes, that’s right. He wants to use YOU! So what are you waiting for? Get back in the game!

The Bible says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago (Ephesians 2:10 NLT).”

And these good things God wants to accomplish through each of us are in spite of our imperfections. In fact these good works are not based on us at all, but on trusting in the finish work of Jesus Christ. When we are in Christ, we are a new creation, made right with God. God no longer looks at us as sinful, but as he sees Jesus, who is perfect.

Take Peter for example. He just denied knowing Jesus, not once, not twice, but three times in one night! And God went on to use Peter to be the head of His Church and an Apostle that wrote a portion of the New Testament. A short time after Peter denied Christ, God used him to heal a man that was crippled. This was Peter’s response after this event took place:

“’…People of Israel,’ he said, ‘what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this…Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes (Acts 3:12-13, 16 NLT).’”

Peter said this man wasn’t healed by his own performance or righteous behavior, but by faith in Jesus Christ. God used Peter even though he just messed up. Peter learned that the Christian life, the good things God wanted to do in and through him, wasn’t based on His performance but on Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. It was simply by believing in Him.

The Bible says. “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it (Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT).”

This is good news for you and me. We are imperfect vessels that God fills with Himself because of faith in Jesus. And because we are made right with God through Jesus’ perfect performance, God can use us to do extraordinary things, just like he did with Peter.

The next time the Enemy whispers in your ear lies like, “you aren’t good enough. God will never use you. You’ve made one too many mistakes. You’ve blown your chance. You are washed up. Finished.,” remind him of this truth. God uses imperfect people to do extraordinary things. Remind him that you are righteous and that God is the God of the second chance, the third chance and fourth. God knew every mistake you and I would make and He still chose us and wants to display His power and love through us to a world in need. Don’t listen one more second to the Devil. He is called the Father of Lies because he is a liar. He distorts the truth and seeks to steal, kill and destroy you so that you remain ineffective on the sidelines of life…no longer in the game.

God wants to liberate you, to breathe new life into your dead bones, the dry desert areas of your soul. He wants to awaken in you the victorious warrior you were created to be. Now step past condemnation, fear and regret. You can’t change your past, but you can move forward in faith, receiving Christ’s mercy and forgiveness. His mercies are new every morning. You can receive his healing touch. The scriptures say that He will work all things together for your good, even your past mistakes (Romans 8:28). It also says, “For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again…” (Proverbs 24:16a).

Just like Peter, shake off those negative thoughts and feelings. Let hope arise inside of you. You are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus. Hold your head up high, God has good works for you to fulfill that He has predestined for you. The world is waiting for you to become what you were created to be. Now  get back in the game and become what God purposed you to be.