"Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful." I Corinthians 1:26-27 NLT

Perhaps one of the most effective tools our enemy uses to prevent us from completing God's plans is that of Discouragement. He whispers that we are ill-equipped and unsuited to the task, inadequate and bound to be unsuccessful. And well aware of our own shortcomings and failings, we suspect the truth of the matter and bow our heads in resignation.

We compare ourselves to those who seem to have it all together. They walk with heads held confidently, poised, always speaking the right words without hesitation or doubt. These are the people God calls to his service. Not people like me.

Then it hit me: God uses frail vessels because that's all he has at his disposal. Or more precisely, God uses frail vessels because he has chosen human beings for his service, and every last one of us are fragile jars of clay. Even those who appear to be fine pottery.

In II Corinthians 4:7, Paul states: "We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile jars of clay containing this great treasure." He admits that each of us are nothing more than fragil clay jars--bound to be flawed and inadequate. I Corinthians 6 explains that this is part of God's plan: that he chose to use weak and foolish human beings, despite our inabilities, in order to prove his own power.

So don't be discouraged. We don't need to be perfect to complete God's work; we only need to be obedient.