The God Who Speaks

By Genesis Garcia

I have grown up in the church for all my life. But this does not mean that my life has been easy. It does not mean that I have listened to God’s word over my life or followed what he has predestined for me. Jackie Hill Perry and her husband host a podcast called “With the Perrys.” There is one episode where Jackie says that she and other people like her who weren’t raised in church had their off season. Meaning, they had their experiences with the world and what it had to offer, so when they came to Christ, they knew God was giving them something better. But those raised in church have not had that same experience as them, so some live with the thought that the world offers something better and are tempted to leave Christ/the church and follow the world. This was what I went through growing up in the church. 

I was not living a life that pleased God. I was living one way in the world completely disregarding my spiritual life. As a result of this, I began to feel alone, misunderstood, and ignored, leading me into a deep depressive state. After some time, my parents led me to the true answer and friend I could rely on, which was and always will be God. I slowly started to understand that whenever I parted from God, my problems snowballed into bigger issues, so I decided to turn my life around and grow my relationship with God. God began speaking to my life in amazing ways, leading me to be baptized at 15. God then began speaking to me about being a teacher of his word and planted a seed in my heart. I trusted in God and listened to the plans He had for me and I was able to complete 3 years of institute and even become a helper in a class! 

I still continue to struggle with the ministry God put in my heart, but every time I think of how unqualified I think I am for this ministry, I remember the story of Moses. In Exodus chapter 4 we see how God showed many wondrous signs to Moses to reassure him that He was with Moses, but still Moses told God he couldn’t go further because of his speech. God then replied to Moses telling him that He made man’s mouth and that regardless of what Moses thought would deter him, God would be with him. 

Just how Moses couldn’t believe that God would use him to complete his word, I still can’t believe God is calling me to teach it. But, I know that whatever limitations I place on myself to not being able to achieve His plans, God will see me through it! I have been studying His word more now, reading books to further my knowledge on the Bible and His teachings, and I also am planning on being a teacher's helper for my church's institute!