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Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you question who you are, your qualities, your gifts, and your existence in this world? Those moments when you just feel like no one gets you (aka simply misunderstood). The times when you feel like you are struggling to be seen, recognized, appreciated and loved by the people around you. I have personally (on many occasions) found myself there a couple of times. I know it is quite easy to stay there, blame the whole world and just let the bitterness and anger to breed in you, but I am here to tell you about someone who (just like you) was unappreciated, ridiculed, abandoned and mistreated. His name is Jesus.

In today’s blog, I chose a sermon that pastor Steven Furtick preached this past Sunday, “Built Different.” In this sermon, he explores having faith in Jesus Christ and various struggles of humanity such as; insecurities, being unseen, etc. According to pastor Steven, “the first step to getting ready is getting rid.” With help from the scriptures of 1 Peter 2:1-10 and Exodus 25:40, he encourages us not to fear rejection from people. He shares about accepting self and contends that following Jesus or making a decision to accept Him is not as hard as accepting yourself. I personally find it really hard to accept all my weaknesses. In many cases we choose to focus on the shortcomings in our lives and let them deter our progress in life. As a result, we find ourselves looking up to people who appear perfect in our eyes or copying and pasting the life choices of those around us without considering their own shortcomings. Correspondingly, pastor Steven warns, “Don’t judge your transformation by somebody else’s time-lapse.” He explains that in many cases, people will leave out certain details from their testimonies. These may be the times when they barely made it, or the things that they currently struggle with such as; stress, doubt, fear, addictions, etc. When you compare yourself to others, “you are trying to build what’s on somebody else’s box with your pieces,” he further warns.

God calls us or chooses us for certain tasks because he knows what we are capable of. The testimony of Peter used in this sermon should encourage us. Peter was an imperfect fisherman (when Jesus called him) and yet he ended up being the foundation of the church (see, Matthew 16:18-19). When he was called, Peter boldly asked Jesus to leave him alone because he felt like he didn’t deserve to be used by God (see Luke 5:8). I wonder whose blueprint Peter was using because it appears that he thought that he needed to be holy to be used by God. Unfortunately, this is how many of us feel like. However, pastor Steven tells us, “the kingdom of God is built on the coming together of imperfect people.” He further explains that what our challenge becomes in this imperfect situation is to accept God’s process with us. We have to remember that we are all created different for a reason. Therefore, instead of focusing on our differences, we need to focus on our mission in life. Your mission is not the same as mine, we all have different life experiences, and that is why pastor Steven calls upon you to “be open to what God wants to do through you.”

Peter in his letter tells us that we are chosen and that we belong to God. However, he encourages us to get rid of certain attitudes that may be holding us back. These include; malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander. Peter just like Jesus reminds us of the gradual process in God’s kingdom. While Jesus tells us that His kingdom is like a mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32), Peter tells us that in God’s kingdom, we have to be like babies and “crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you (we) may grow up in your (our) salvation” (1 Peter 2: 2). Therefore, come to God as you are but willing to be transformed. When in the transformation process, remember to run your race and not that of others. Pastor Steven illustrates this using the story of Moses who was asked to follow God’s instructions given on the mountain (see the Exodus scripture above). Pastor Steven says, “see to it that the pattern you build to isn’t according to the world, but the pattern that you see in God’s presence.” In other words, don’t conform to the standards of other people or the world. He further encourages us not to repudiate what makes us special.

God is working on you, He knows every little detail about your life and He accepts you as you are. Don’t waste your time chasing after other people’s acceptance. According to Peter, you may be rejected by humans, but you are chosen by God. If you know Peter’s story, you know that he knows what he is talking about. Furthermore, pastor Steven contends that we should not build our faith on people or on temporary things, he warns that these things will crush and you will be left in pieces. Put your faith in God, trust who he says you are and you will see that when storms come at you, you will not be shaken because you are built on a strong foundation. Instead of copy and paste, remember to “ask (God) for a new blueprint for how to conduct your life,” says pastor Steven. In God’s kingdom, we are built by grace. Therefore, don’t pretend to be someone else, be true to yourself and build a true and strong foundation with God, he doesn’t care about what is on the outside, all that matters is the inside. You are perfectly imperfect, don’t let anyone else make you feel otherwise. God’s version of you is different, embrace it! Only He can make you better.

I pray that you may follow the true path of righteousness. May you always be spiritually awake and able to recognize the blueprints that God has drawn up for your life. Amen.

With love and prayers,

Resty Kansiime

Here is the sermon from this past Sunday Built Different | Pastor Steven Furtick | Elevation Church – YouTube.