God doesn’t enable us before He can trust us — faithfulness is what God empowers and advances.
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.”
— 1 Timothy 1:12
Let me share a truth God has used over the years to be a real blessing in my own life. It stirs my heart every time I come back to it. Writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul reflects on his own calling and makes something very clear — enablement came after faithfulness.
Paul says that God counted him faithful and then enabled him and put him into the ministry. That order matters. Paul didn’t force his way in. He didn’t politic, manipulate, or manufacture an opportunity. He simply served God where he was. In the small things. In the shadows. In whatever God placed in front of him. And God took note.
God did not empower Paul first and then see how he would do. He watched Paul’s faithfulness, and then He enabled him. That’s still how God works. If a person wants to serve God, if they desire a place in ministry, the path forward is not self-promotion — it is simple obedience. Serve God right where you are. Be content with the assignment God has already given you.
Little things build into big things. The backstage prepares you for the spotlight. Faithfulness in obscurity is often God’s training ground for usefulness in public. And when God decides the time is right, He knows how to move a person forward.
In the end, it’s not about me — and it’s not about you. It’s about God working through yielded lives. So pray for the power of the Holy Spirit. Walk in obedience. And above all, be faithful. God will take care of the rest.
