“I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.” (1 Corinthians 2:3)
“God, I’m not the right person for this.” Have you ever felt that way when an opportunity or responsibility came your way that was out of your comfort zone? Our instinct is often to step back and assume someone else is better suited for the task—someone more gifted, more confident, or more experienced. But many times, that’s exactly where God places us. Why? Because when He calls you out of your comfort zone, the results can only be explained by His power—not your abilities.
Are you feeling inadequate or anxious about something He’s calling you to do? The apostle Paul understood that feeling. He openly admitted feeling weak and afraid when he came to Corinth. That may surprise you. This is the same man who stood boldly before crowds and powerful leaders, proclaiming the name of Jesus. Yet when he arrived in Corinth, he wasn’t relying on confidence in himself. Instead, he looked to God.
Paul wrote, “My message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4–5). Paul wasn’t trying to sound impressive or prove how persuasive he could be. His focus was to faithfully proclaim the message of Christ and trust the Holy Spirit to do what only He can do.
So what is God calling you to do? Maybe it’s speaking up about your faith, stepping into a new responsibility, or saying yes to something that stretches you beyond what feels comfortable. As a believer, the same power that worked in Paul empowers you (Ephesians 3:16). You can move forward—despite your fear—by relying on the Holy Spirit to work through you.
What sense of inadequacy keeps rising in your mind? Bring those fears honestly to God. If you operate only from your own knowledge, talents, and strength, you’ll accomplish only what is humanly possible. But when you depend on the Spirit—stepping out of your comfort zone and beyond what you think you can do—you’ll experience what only God can accomplish. And when that happens, there’s no mistaking where the power came from.
