Main Scriptures: Romans 7:15-25, 2 Corinthians 12:9, 1 John 1:8-9
Introduction
How many of us have ever felt unqualified to speak about God because of our own shortcomings? We preach grace, but we struggle to give it—especially to those closest to us. We talk about love, but some days, it takes everything in us just to hold back our anger. We encourage others to walk in faith, but we ourselves wrestle with doubt, impatience, or even judgmental thoughts.
If you’ve ever felt like a fraud because of these struggles, you’re not alone. In fact, the Bible is filled with men and women who wrestled with the same feelings. Today, I’m going to talk about why our struggles don’t disqualify us, but actually point to the very grace we preach.
1: The Struggle Is Real—Even for the Righteous
Let’s start with Romans 7:15-25, where Paul openly confesses his battle with sin:
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”
Paul, one of the greatest evangelists in history, struggled just like we do. He wanted to do good, yet sin was always present. If Paul wrestled with this, why do we assume that our struggles make us failures?
The difference between a hypocrite and a believer is not whether they struggle with sin—it’s what they do with it. A hypocrite hides it. A believer brings it to God.
Imagine a patient who knows they have an illness but refuses to go to the doctor. They pretend everything is fine while getting sicker. That’s the hypocrite. But the believer? They go to the Great Physician, knowing that healing comes from Him alone.
Instead of letting our struggles make us feel unworthy, we should let them remind us how much we need God.
2: Our Weakness Doesn’t Disqualify Us—It Highlights God’s Strength
2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
God never asked us to be strong in ourselves. He asks us to lean on Him. In fact, when we feel the weakest—when we feel like failures—that’s when His power is most evident.
Look at Peter. He denied Jesus three times. Yet Jesus still called him to be a leader in the early church. Why? Because Peter learned that his strength wasn’t in himself, but in Christ.
If God only used perfect people, who would be left to serve Him? No one. Instead, He uses the broken, the weak, the struggling—to show the world that His grace is enough.
When you feel unqualified to represent God, don’t hide from Him. Bring your struggles to Him. Instead of saying, “I’m too weak,” say, “God, show Your strength through me.”
3: Sin Is a Battle, Not a Defeat
Many of us feel like hypocrites because we still sin. We think, “How can I speak against sin when I still fall into it?” But 1 John 1:8-9 reminds us:
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Sin is not something we outgrow. It’s something we fight daily. The fact that you feel convicted about sin is proof that the Holy Spirit is working in you. Conviction is not condemnation. It is God calling you back to Him.
Take a soldier in a battle. Just because they get wounded doesn’t mean they’re defeated. They get back up, receive healing, and continue the fight. That’s us in the battle against sin.
God doesn’t call the sinless—He calls the repentant. He calls those willing to keep fighting. If you’re still in the battle, you’re still in His grace.
4: You Preach Because You Need It Too
Have you ever felt like you have no right to preach grace because you still need it so badly? That’s exactly why you should preach it.
Think about a doctor. Who is more qualified to talk about healing—the person who has never been sick or the one who has battled illness and come through it?
Your struggles don’t make you a fraud. They make you relatable. They make your message authentic.
David. He was a man after God’s own heart, yet he sinned greatly. He committed adultery and murder. But when he repented, God still used him. His psalms are filled with raw, honest struggles—and yet, they continue to bring people closer to God.
You don’t preach because you’ve mastered grace. You preach because you’ve received it.
When you feel unworthy to speak about God, remember—your story of struggle is exactly what someone else needs to hear.
5: Love Is a Choice, Not Just a Feeling
Some days, love doesn’t come naturally. Some days, we don’t feel like showing grace. Some days, we want to hold onto anger, resentment, or judgment.
But Jesus said in Matthew 5:44, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Love isn’t about how we feel—it’s about how we choose to act.
If you are a parent, remember if not, try to Imagine you are a parent caring for your sick child at 3 AM. You are exhausted. You don’t feel like getting up again, but you do it anyway. Why? Because love is an action, not just an emotion.
Some days, choosing to love is an act of faith. Some days, forgiveness takes effort. But we don’t love because we FEEL like it—we love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).
When you struggle to love, ask God to love through you. The more you rely on His love, the less you have to depend on your own.
Conclusion: Grace for Others Begins with Grace for Yourself
If God still loves you despite your failures, why do you struggle to love yourself? If God still chooses to use you despite your imperfections, why do you disqualify yourself?
Your struggles don’t make you unworthy. They make you a testimony of grace.
So keep preaching. Keep pointing to Jesus. Keep extending the same grace to yourself that He has already given.
Take a moment to reflect. Where do you need to extend grace today? To yourself? To your family? To someone who has hurt you?
Pray and ask God to help you walk in grace—not as a perfect preacher, but as a fellow traveler in need of mercy.
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