Not Good Enough: Overcoming Labels and Embracing the Call of God

Opening Prayer for Healing and Wholeness

  • The speaker begins with a prayer for the community in Lacey, Washington, specifically asking God for physical healings and the manifestation of His miracle-working power.
  • There is a deep focus on addressing brokenness and impurity within individual lives, inviting God into personal pain.
  • A central theme of the prayer is the need to move past guilt and shame, confess sins, and live with dignity ("head held high").
  • The prayer covers various aspects of life: spiritual depth, physical health, and relational health, specifically asking for healing in families where marriages have become "flat."
  • A specific request is made for those who feel their jobs are empty and unfulfilling, asking God to "restart our lives."
  • The speaker uses the metaphor of a "spiritual defibrillator" to ask God to kick-start hearts that have almost stopped, returning people to a state of fullness, energy, and hope for the future.
  • The distinction is made between merely attending church to "check a box" and actually meeting with the living God.

Church Announcements and Community Impact

  • Spirit of Pursuit: The speaker encourages the congregation to remain "desperate for God" and to allow internal pain to push them toward God rather than away from Him.
  • Social Interaction: Attendees are prompted to introduce themselves to those around them and be friendly before being seated.
  • Recreational Community: The church participates in softball, with instances of "True Grace" playing against "True Grace." Members are encouraged to check the schedule and support the teams.
  • Faith Harvest Helpers:
    • This is the food bank operating out of the church parking lot.
    • Earlier in the year, a need was presented for $25,000 for a new van, a new freezer, and forklift repairs.
    • Due to the congregation's generosity, the special offering reached $30,000.
    • Updates confirm the freezer is installed, the forklift is repaired, and the keys to the new van have been acquired.
  • Missionary Mindset: The speaker emphasizes that the church exists to meet tangible needs both within the building and in the broader community/world.

Testimony: The Journey of Naima Holt

  • Background of Abuse: Naima shares her history of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her father, who used extreme psychological manipulation, even claiming to be both Satan and God.
  • Search for Comfort: Growing up, she sought attention and validation from men to fill the void left by parents she felt hated her.
  • Turning Point at True Grace: She found a non-judgmental community at True Grace and realized it was time to submit her life to God.
  • Freedom Session: Naima participated in "Freedom Session," a discipleship course where she began healing from her childhood trauma.
  • Future Vision: She expresses a desire to become a leader who helps others heal from traumatic situations, demonstrating that freedom in God is possible for everything done to a person or by a person.

The "Not Good Enough" (NGE) Label

  • New Leadership: After three years of searching, the church has hired a new youth pastor, Pastor Brock, and his wife Eatzel. They are scheduled to join on September 1. Their son's name is Lucas.
  • The Intern House Project: This project was started to address the "dry" leadership pipeline in ministry, aiming to grow more leaders like Brock.
  • Koinonia (Community): The speaker highlights the value of the church tribe during hard times, such as recent deaths and graduations, noting that "no one does community like the church."
  • The Label "NGE": The sermon introduces the label "NGE" (Not Good Enough), a concept from the Freedom Session course.
  • Self-Inflicted vs. External Labels: NGE is a label the world gives, but also one that individuals often give themselves.
  • God's Counter-Message: While the world says you aren't enough, God says you are loved. He knows your failures and loves you anyway, but loves you too much to leave you as you are.
  • Weakness as Strength: God often takes weaknesses and turns them into strengths, as seen in Naima's testimony of using her pain to bless others.

Biblical Case Study: Moses in Exodus 3

  • Moses' Context: He was saved as a baby, raised as a prince, became a murderer, and then fled to the wilderness. At this stage, he assumed his purpose was finished and he was just surviving.
  • The Burning Bush (Exodus 3:1-5): Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, when he encountered a bush on fire that was not consumed.
  • Holy Ground: God instructs Moses to take off his sandals because he is on holy ground. The speaker notes that wherever God's presence is fully felt, that place becomes holy.
  • God's Identity (Exodus 3:6): God identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses covers his face out of a traditional fear of being struck down by God's glory.
  • God's Awareness (Exodus 3:7-9): God explicitly states He has seen the oppression, heard the cries, and is aware of the suffering of His people under harsh slave drivers.
  • The Divine Plan: God's plan is to rescue the Israelites and lead them into a fertile land flowing with milk and honey—the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites (transcript: "Prezarites"), Hivites, and Jebusites.
  • The Activation (Exodus 3:10): God tells Moses, "Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh."

The Identity Question: Who Am I vs. Who Are You?

  • Moses' Protest (Exodus 3:11): Moses asks, "Who am I to appear before Pharaoh?" This is an identity-based objection rooted in a feeling of inadequacy.
  • The Wrong Question: The speaker argues that "Who am I?" is the wrong question because it looks inward at human limitations. The correct question is "Who are You, Lord?", which looks upward at God's unlimited power.
  • Defining Worth: If you let the world (or your own past) define you, you will lack the courage to be who God created you to be.
  • Qualification: The speaker emphasizes that "God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies those He calls."
  • The Great "I AM" (Exodus 3:13-14): When Moses asks for God's name, God responds, "I AM WHO I AM." He tells Moses to say that "I AM" has sent him. This signifies that the Israelites are dealing with the Creator, not just a man.

Divine Enablement and the Risk of Faith

  • The Nature of Weakness: Moses feared rejection from his own people. The speaker references the Apostle Paul's principle: "I rejoice in my weaknesses for when I am weak, he is strong."
  • The "I Can't" Perspective: When the speaker first felt called to ministry, he told God, "I'm not good enough" and "I can't." God’s response was not a pep talk about human effort, but an acknowledgment: "I know you can't, but you and I can."
  • Living Beyond Capacity: God calls people to do things that are impossible in their own strength (e.g., mission trips, being a prayer warrior, sacrifice). If you only do what you can do in your own power, you don't need faith.
  • The Adventure of Risk: Living the "safe" path results in a lack of "God stories." Jumping into the "deep end" of the pool is where the adventure of faith resides.
  • Moses' Impediment (Exodus 4:10): Moses pleaded that he was "not very good with words" and was "tongue-tied." He even asked God to "send anyone else."
  • Enablement: Regardless of Moses' self-perceived lack of eloquence, God empowered, enabled, and walked alongside him. God provided the Holy Spirit, discernment, and wisdom.

Conclusion and Final Prayer of Dedication

  • The Great Commission Connection: The speaker reminds the audience of God's promise: "Surely, I will be with you."
  • Moses' Result: Moses eventually stopped protesting, returned to Jethro to be released, rallied the people, and confronted Pharaoh. Though it was hard and often horrible, God was with him.
  • A Call to Courage: The congregation is challenged to pursue the adventure of faith even if it involves hurdles, rather than choosing a safe, secure path without God.
  • Specific Challenges: The audience is asked to consider what God is asking them specifically: to teach their children, serve their church, give, love enemies, or fight for purity.
  • Closing Hymn Reference: The speaker quotes "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus," emphasizing that as we look at Him, the "things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace."
  • The Artist Metaphor: God defines our value because He is the artist; we are His creations.
  • Final Call: A prayer for those who feel they are checking out or are near the end of their rope, asking God to restart their hearts for new dreams.