A recent devotional covered the story of Billy Graham. I was surprised to learn that he had no advanced degrees and never attended seminary. He was to speak at Cambridge University in England. And according to what I read, he said he couldn’t remember feeling more “inadequate and totally unprepared for the mission.”

I found that story stunning! Billy Graham feeling inadequate! That is stunning to me!

The rest of the article explains how he overcame those “feelings”.  He prayed for God’s help. You have done that enough times that you know the rest of the story. And we know what happens WHENEVER Billy Graham speaks ANYWHERE. “God used him to share the simple truth of the gospel and the cross of Christ.”

I love to read how current day Christians overcome their fears and problems. And, the Bible is full of examples like Moses and Gideon who thought they didn’t have what it takes to do what they knew they were called to do.

What about you and me? What do people that are not a Billy Graham or a Moses or a Gideon. What do we do to overcome and obey what God calls us to do and to be?

We do the very same thing they did…We go to the SOURCE of whatever it is we need. God!

We are told in Scripture that we are to resist the devil and He will flee from us.
We resist. He flees. Are those just words? What does that mean in practical terms? What did that mean to Billy Graham when the devil was trying to convince him that he wasn’t smart enough, educated enough, good enough to talk to that group at Cambridge University?

There is a minor detail 🙂 that precedes the resist and flee parts. And I believe Billy Graham and Moses and Gideon and many of the others may have followed this pattern:

1. SUBMIT to GOD. Turn TOWARD God. CHOOSE to focus on GOD. And AWAY from fear.
So that we will then have the power/ strength to …

2. RESIST the devil. FLEE FROM him. Literally run away! Don’t hang around…
Turn AWAY FROM what causes us to be weak and fearful, so that we will have the strength and power to turn away from the evil.

And T H E N … you and God are on the same side

and T H E N …

3. the devil will THEN flee from you.

So, we: Do what you can do and leave to God what only God can do.

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