Not letting your spiritual wheelchair confine you

When I was called into the ministry I began to pray to God to give me a specific message that He wanted my ministry to be based on. After a year of praying, really getting to know myself and how God could use me; I’ve really come to believe that my specific message, my calling is to challenge everyone to get out of their wheelchairs. Now I know you are asking, “How does that apply to you in your life?” Here’s what God has shown me over the years. He has shown me that everyone has a wheelchair. Some people have physical wheelchairs, some people have spiritual wheelchairs, and some people have mental wheelchairs. Your wheelchair could be sex, alcohol, drugs, or your past. We all have some type of wheelchair in our lives.

One thing I have noticed from being in a physical wheelchair is that a wheelchair doesn’t confine who you are.

So I really believe that is the core of my ministry- to challenge each and every one to get out of their wheelchairs. In recent days God has shown me that He has not only called me to challenge individuals to get out of their wheelchairs. He called me to lead, instruct, and show them how this can be done. Before I go on, let’s stop for a moment. Stop a moment, and let’s be real.

Is there something holding you back from BEING ALL God has called you to be? Whatever that is I want you to mentally identify it. Put a name on it. Just be real with yourself. Is there a wheelchair in your life? The beginning of getting out of your wheelchair is admitting that you are in one. Then coming to the point where you are ready to get out. I have known by being in my wheelchair all day every day, that by the end of the day, I can’t wait to get out of it. So I believe a lot of you are dying to get out of yours. You are dying to let the real you free.

First, we have to prepare our hearts and minds. We do this by getting over the consequences.

When trying to do something significant with our lives for the cause of Christ, consequences are irrelevant.

Therefore, we have to stop being aftraid of what may or may not happen. A lot of you are sitting there already telling God the reasons you cannot get out of your wheelchair. You are telling him that this person might think this about you. This or that is going to happen. I can’t because of blah blah blah and on and on and on. Well, I also believe God is saying something back to you. He is saying, “You might as well be speaking to a brick wall because I don’t hear you. I am not listening to your pitiful excuses for not relying on My will and My power in your life.”

In chapter 4 of Exodus, God gave Moses the assignment of leading His people out of Egypt. In return Moses presents to God, his so called “wheelchair” as well as the consequences of getting out of it.

“Then Moses said to the Lord, ‘Please Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since Thou has spoken to Thy servant for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue’ and the Lord said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him dumb or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now then go, and I, even I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.’” -Exodus 4:10-12

I believe that Moses was saying a lot right there. H was saying, “There are consequences. I may not be able to say what you want me to say, the way you want me to say it. They may laugh at me because of my speech. They may interpret what I am saying wrong.” However, if you will notice there is a lot God did not say ight here. Let’s look at some of the things he did not say. He did not say “yeah you’re right, Moses, so let me correct your voice.” He did not say “let me pick someone that can speak better than you.” He did not say “I made a mistake by telling you to go and lead these people out of Egypt.” He did not say “the consequences are too much.”

But, what he did say was, “I made you Moses. I have still called you. The consequences of doing what I called you to do, is not an excuse. And I will be with you when you face those consequences.” People, they may laugh at us. They may talk behind our backs. Or they may even talk about us to our face.

Consequences are not a reason to stay confined to whatever situation that you are confined to.

Yes it’s going to be uncomfortable to get out of your wheelchair. Yes, you are going to have to face some things that you may not want to face. Yes, there will be people that will mock you and make fun of you. But I am telling you that consequences are irrelevant, when it comes to experiencing the freedom of God. You can say, Chris, do you mean to tell me that God is not concerned with my problems? Not when you are using them as an excuse not to do what he told you to do in the first place.