The Story
Imagine standing in a courtroom surrounded by the most powerful religious minds in Jerusalem. You are a fisherman. You smell of nets and salt water. You have no degree, no title, no institutional backing. And yet the room falls silent — not because of your eloquence, but because something undeniable is radiating from your life. That is exactly what happened to Peter and John in Acts 4. These ordinary people used by God became the most disruptive force the ancient world had ever seen — not because of what they had, but because of who they had been with.
The Biblical Truth
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13
The Sanhedrin were not small thinkers. These were trained scholars, seasoned in law and theology, accustomed to intellectual authority. When they encountered Peter and John, they searched for a rational explanation for what they were witnessing. They could not find one — except Jesus. The only credential that left the room speechless was proximity to Christ. Not a certificate. Not a platform. Not a polished biography. Simply this: these men had been with Jesus.
This is the consistent biblical pattern God has never abandoned. He chose Moses, a man with a speech impediment and a criminal record, to liberate a nation. He chose Gideon, the least member of the weakest clan, to defeat an army. He chose a teenage shepherd boy named David to carry the anointing of a king. God has always been drawn to obscurity, because obscurity leaves no room for human glory to compete with His. Your ordinary life is not a disqualification — it is precisely the kind of raw material the Holy Spirit specialises in.
Living It Out
The enemy’s most effective lie is not that God is weak. It is that you are not ready yet. He will convince you to wait until you have more knowledge, more confidence, more credibility, more time. But readiness, in the kingdom of God, is not a feeling you arrive at — it is a decision you make in response to His call. Peter did not feel ready in Gethsemane. He denied Christ three times. And yet Pentecost came, the Spirit fell, and that same broken fisherman preached a sermon that saw three thousand souls saved in a single day. Your past failures and your present limitations are not the final word.
What is already in your hand today? A conversation you could have with a neighbour. A message you could send to someone who is struggling. A story of what God has done in your life that someone desperately needs to hear. The fishermen did not wait to feel qualified — they showed up fully with what they had, soaked in the presence of Jesus, and let Him do the rest. That is the only strategy you need. Stop auditing your inadequacies and start stewarding your availability.
You Are Not Alone
You are not doing this in your own strength, and God has never asked you to. The same Spirit who rested on those Galilean fishermen and silenced the Sanhedrin lives inside you right now. He is not waiting for you to become someone else. He is inviting you — exactly as you are, in this season, with this story — to step forward. The world does not need more impressive people. It needs more people who have clearly been with Jesus. That is something you can offer today.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, forgive me for the times I have disqualified myself before You ever did. I bring You my ordinariness, my limitations, and my fear, and I ask You to do with them what only You can do. Fill me afresh with Your Spirit. Let it be unmistakably obvious to everyone I encounter that I have been with You. I am available. I am willing. Use me for Your glory, starting today. Amen.
If this post stirred something in you, take one minute right now to ask God: “What is already in my hand?” Then write down what He shows you — and take the first step.