A profound statement I have often used is “it’s not your ability God is looking for, it’s your availability”.
Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.”
In my testimony, I tell people about how I was delivered from a wasted life of sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll. In the beginning of my Christian walk, I often wondered about my life’s purpose and just how I could be used by God. I knew He had saved me and healed me for a reason. I knew in my heart that my testimony was important to encourage others who were still caught in that kind of life.
But the enemy of my soul (satan) would accuse me and tell me that nobody wanted to hear what I had to say. I used every excuse I could think of to shrink away from the call of God on my life, but it was no use. God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
God didn’t call Moses because he was a great orator – for Moses stuttered. God didn’t call Esther because she was a heroine – she feared for her life at first. God didn’t call Jonah because he was obedient – he ran the other way! And God didn’t call Lori Graham Bakker because she was a stereotypical preacher!
I learned that my availability is all that He needed. He didn’t ask me to be a great orator. He didn’t ask me to be a heroine. He didn’t ask me to get a degree in theology to add to my credibility with the religious. He was not satisfied with just a little piece of Lori – He asked me for my all.
When I gave Him my all, I didn’t know how He would use it and it wasn’t for me to know. Sometimes God will ask us for our availability and wait to see if we respond. If we give Him our all, He will take it and make something wonderful of it. He made my willingness to tell my story into a great healing ministry. He took my shame of a sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll life and brought glory to His own name through my brokenness.
You see, He saved me with His love. It is the goodness of God that leads to repentance, and now I can’t stop telling others of His great love. Love conquers ALL. And now I can only say ‘yes’ when He asks me to be available to tell of His love, His healing, and His restoration.
Remember, God is not looking for your abilities, He is looking for your availability.
Lord, I thank you for your great love towards me. I know in my heart that your love conquered every fear I ever had, healed every wound and empowered me by your Holy Spirit to be bold to tell others of You. I pray now for every person who reads this, that they would be completely overtaken by Your great love; and that they give themselves without reserve to Your purposes for them, that You will be glorified!
Lori, don’t be ashamed of your past. We have all made mistakes that needed God’s forgiveness. I am a PK and was having sex with my boyfriend in high school. I didn’t think I was doing wrong. How could loving someone be wrong? I did not drink or smoke or do drugs. I tried to always do what was expected of me. I was blessed because my boyfriend meant it when he said he loved me. We have been married for 28 years now. Now I realize why I agreed to sex before marriage and now I realize why it was wrong. But even after I got pregnant I did not think that loving someone could be so wrong. God opened my eyes later when I started to read His word, the Holy Bible, later in life. But through it all, I believe that God knew my heart belonged to Him. The wonderful thing about God is that he created us knowing what mistakes we would make even before He created us. God knows our hearts. God knew your heart too, Lori. God knew why you were going to make the decisions you did. And God knew He could use your heart to make things better for other girls who may be in your past situation. I am so thankful you are allowing God to change the lives of others because of the decisions you had to make. I pray that God will use me in the church that I am attending and that my past mistakes will be forgiven by the people like yours have. Fear of not being accepted is a biggie! I have forgiven myself and I know God has forgiven me. God bless you and Jim here on earth and in Heaven also. Love, Lisa
Dear Lori, I admire u for what you’ve been thru and u have so much love. My younger daughter reminds me of u. She also has a big and loving heart. She’s 23yrs old and hasn’t allowed herself the good things in life, but only the negative things of the world. I pray and know the Lord is with her. Just knowing that, if he did it for u, he can do it for her. This keeps my hope alive. Thanks for caring and sharing your life, it gives us many, many hopes…thx Mimi
? If she wanted to attend Master’s Commission like u did, is it available with your facility?
Mimi, your daughter can find an application for Moringside Media Master’s Commission here
Blessings!
Jim Bakker Show Web Team
I have been surrounded and bombarded with so many negative words lately, I needed to be reminded that I am still OK in God’s eyes. He made me, He loves me and has a plan for me. Sometimes I wonder what that plan is and I often pray for clarity, but I have no doubt the HE is there for me and loves me. That statement alone just typing it out encourages me. Thanks Lori and God Bless
Very good…yes as Bobby Conners said today….God wants us to keep it simple…I believe He wants US before our work.
As ALWAYS Lori… I love your heart of hearts… a woman after God’s own heart! Your ministry constantly encourages me move forward, along with prayer and the Word! We NEED it all, don’t we?
So many times I felt the same and asked: “How can God use me?” My own soul (mind, will and emotions) beat me up so well over the years the enemy didn’t have to! However, when I dumped the pride… (I call it “Victim’s Pride” that I didn’t even know I had ~even as a Christian~) & the enemy got nervous & then came against me big time. Like you, there came a time that I was sick and tired of being sick and tired and God picked me up again and said “This is the way… walk in it”!
I love and cried out Isaiah 6:8 after I read and believed the Lord meant business when Luke wrote in 7:47
“Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little, also loves little.””
It’s difficult for the human mind to conceive this great love of God… but Hallelujah… He has a plan for each of us. And in that plan nothing can stop the preaching and teaching! I’m sure glad YOU didn’t stop! I know you do a gazillion things in the ministry but my heart flies to yours as a magnet when it comes to Lori’s house. I’ve never had an abortion, but I have helped many teenage girls in the church through their pregnancy & delivery of their babies when their parents were ashamed of them to the point of not helping them through such traumatic times and even ‘thought’ of abortion to save THEIR faces! I was one of THOSE BAD GIRLS in high school who had a child out of wedlock and went through it all alone, and can speak to the shame as my parents were prominent business owners in the small town we lived. But I loved the life within me and found no shame in him… only in “ME”. I found Christ 5 years later and never been the same since! Today that little life is 44 … ha ha… loves the Lord and a brilliant man!
I ADORE you Lori and all that I know of you. God is so pleased with you and all you do… all you write and all you minister!
You are greatly loved! Thank you for your incredible energy in the Lord!
Bouquets of Love & Blessings from California!
Kathlene
AMEN!
Amen!
Great post,Lori! Thank you for this post and that beautiful prayer.Hugs!