From the desk of Steve Shultz:
I appreciate how Al Thomas can share a serious message with a tone of humor inside of it. This is a great word that EVERYONE will be able to relate to. We've all failed or have felt like a failure at times, thinking we are unqualified...BUT HE doesn't see it that way....thank God!
Be encouraged as you read this word by Al and pass it along to those who need some encouragement as well.
Here are a couple of great prophetic resources too:
Al Thomas:
The Smartest Man in the Room Wants to See You
For some Christians, feeling like a failure has plagued them most of their life. For others, the thought may not overwhelm them daily, but hinders spiritual growth. You are not a failure. Here's the way of thinking that God intended for you and I…no exceptions.
The Smartest Man in the Room
Odds are you are sitting in a room somewhere. If not, you are, shall we say, in your own personal space—indoors, outdoors, whatever. If you are alone, good; if not, mentally if possible close yourself in with you and that Smart Person. The smartest person in the room or universe is Jesus (John 7:46). And, if you have accepted Christ, He is in you. You should feel smarter already. I used to feel insecure as a child in school when seemingly the same kid gave the right answer to the teacher every day…he was the whiz kid.
Earthly "gray matter" does not impress God; spiritual hunger and thirst does (Matthew 5:6). All of the high religious education and training Paul received meant nothing to him and God in the long run (Philippians 3:4-6). The key for him was (and is) personal disciple, holiness and the faith that not only do you believe in Him, but He believes in you. Then, the Smartest Man in the room is activated in you.
It's Not Just Mental or the Score of Your IQ
You are not a "Mental Case"—you are a spiritual being first. Get that in your head, Fred. You couldn't have been born again except it was spiritual: "…unless a man is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God" (John 3:5b). Think "spirit and think Holy Spirit" and soon you will begin to have it dawn on you (break forth upon you) that you are more than just a mere human being.
You can have more degrees than a compass and still think and act like a mule. Education is great, get all you can, but with the Smartest Man in the room, you'll never be wearing an invisible dunce cap. You will never put yourself in detention, calling yourself into the principal's office, thinking you deserve it…i.e. "I have no worth." The Bible says that you have "great worth" (Matthew 10:30-31; Romans 4:11). The Bible says you are "a child of God." The Bible says you are "greatly blessed."
Although God may use donkeys if He has to (Numbers 22:28), He doesn't save donkeys…He saves people like you. You may have never accomplished great accolades in school, but God can cause you to excel in the school of the Spirit. You, child of God, are no different than me or any other Believer. By the way, if you feel "the least" God calls that "the most important." You are important to God and always will be (because of what Jesus did).
The Smartest Man in the Room Wants to Download in You
What does He want to download into you? The truth is that it's not just your earthly success or accomplishments which advances the Kingdom of God, but your Godly character (1 Peter 1:5-7). The Smartest Man in the room wants to download into you: good things (Hebrews 6:5), wisdom (James 1:5) and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18), and the absolute or convincing of yourself that you can do or accomplish that which He has called you to do (Philippians 4:13).
It starts in your mind and heart. It takes both of them working together, not just one independent of the other: "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). It's not as a man thinks about God or analyzes God or as a man gets emotional or zealous for God. No. It's about Who is inside of you and what you do about it.
Your Graduation Day is Arriving, Put Your Gown On
Don't have one you say? Yes you do. It's in your spiritual closet, but you've looked at it countless times or simply didn't feel worthy. Most graduation attire (gown and hat) are black. Perhaps that's where you got confused. Yours is white (Revelation 19:14). All spiritual houses have rooms that are waiting to be opened or uncluttered by faith, and your closet is one of them.
As you approach the Smartest Man in the room you notice that this is no cheap "paper mill" or "pay for your degree by U.S. mail." You've prayed, cried out and paid your dues…don't fool yourself, you know what you've been through. The Smartest Man in the room has watched you. So, get up off the couch, head for the closet, take off your dunce cap, pick up the Bible, put on your graduation gown and hat, and turn the tassel to the left.
I had a vision of millions of invisible "Degrees" falling from Heaven. Do you see them? A B.A. here, a Ph.D. there. Better grab yours, they're falling fast.
…Many hearing Him were astonished, from whence hath this man these things? And what wisdom is this which is given unto Him?…—Mark 6:2
Al Thomas
Celebrating His Life Ministries
Email: a.thomas@myactv.net
