God often calls us to roles that feel overwhelming or beyond our capacity. Jennifer Slattery reflects on how recognizing our flaws doesn’t disqualify us—instead, God can use our weaknesses to grow our faith and strength. By serving Him wholeheartedly, seeking Him consistently, and relying on His guidance, we can step confidently into the assignments He’s placed before us. Even when tasks seem impossible, God equips us to follow His commands and complete the work He has called us to.

Highlights

• Feeling ill-equipped doesn’t mean you’re disqualified; imperfection can lead to growth when anchored in God.

• Like Solomon, success in divine assignments requires a close relationship with God and attentive obedience.

• Serve God with a unified heart, setting aside mixed motives and self-protection.

• Seek God through prayer, Bible reading, worship, journaling, and surrender to His guidance.

• Courage and strength come from trusting that God has placed you in the role and will make your efforts fruitful.

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Full Transcript Below:

Hearts Prepared for Divine Assignments
By: Jennifer Slattery

Bible Reading:
“So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever.
“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.” - 1 Chronicles 28:8-10

Years ago, when I began to sense that God was opening doors for publication and establishing my calling, I became overwhelmingly aware of my sin, flaws, and weaknesses. I feared I wasn’t spiritually or emotionally mature enough to hold any type of platform for Him. Initially, I wanted to withdraw and choose a less visible role (also known as suppress and deny my gifting). As I prayed through this, however, the Lord helped me see that yes, I assessed my faults and potential vulnerabilities correctly, but my imperfection needn’t disqualify me. My recognition could, in fact, lead to growth and strength, so long as I remained focused on and connected to Him. 

If I wanted to live more like Jesus in this new and much more public role, I needed to consistently apply King David’s advice to his son Solomon. David, ancient Israel’s second king, knew his life neared its end and wanted to ensure his son had everything he needed to lead the nation well and complete David’s long-held dream of building the first permanent temple for God. 

This assignment must’ve felt overwhelming.   

To succeed, Solomon needed much more than building, math, leadership, and problem-solving skills. He needed to maintain a close relationship with God in which he remained alert to the Lord’s voice and set his heart on dependent obedience. 

Intersection Life & Faith:

We’ve probably all landed in situations for which we felt severely ill-equipped. Perhaps you’re parenting a rebellious and drug-addicted teenager, managing a highly toxic team, facing a diagnosis with confusing treatment options, or trying to heal from deep childhood wounds. 

When the path ahead feels steep and shrouded in fog, we can stall in fear, march ahead in human foolishness, or apply today’s passage.

Again, this reads:

“Be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God … 9 “... serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you … the Lord has chosen you... Be strong and do the work” (1 Chron. 28:8b-10, NIV). 

Let’s break this down. 

Be careful to follow God’s commands. This implies living with intention and predetermining to obey; however, He leads. Of course, I must know the Lord’s will, as recorded in Scripture and whispered in my heart, to remain intimately aligned with my Savior. 

Serve Him with my whole heart. Sadly, I often carry mixed motives. I want to honor Christ and to self-protect. I long to love my family well, but my pride often gets in the way. I choose contentment while simultaneously fighting against a desire for increased wealth, beauty, or better health. But with God’s help, I can worship Him with a unified heart. 

Seek God through prayer, Bible reading, worship, journaling, and inviting Him to remove any lies that distort my perspective of Him. He will be found by me. I’m comforted knowing that God never withholds love or relationship. He always makes Himself available to us. The moment I take a step toward Him, He is already moving toward me (James 4:8).

The Lord has chosen you. When my insecurities tell me someone else would perform my responsibilities better, the Spirit reminds me that God placed me in this role. He alone holds the figurative pen for my life and the power to make my efforts fruitful.

Be strong and do the work. While I want to begin each day quietly connecting with Christ, eventually I must leave my figurative prayer closet to follow however He leads.

May these steps, and your Father who preserved them in writing, increase your courage and resolve the next time you feel overwhelmed or insufficient for whatever stands before you.

Further Reading:
Colossians 3:23-24
2 Timothy 2:1-7
Hebrews 10:36-39