Whose voice will you believe?
PASTOR SCOTT ACKLIN / Contributing Writer | Bonner County Daily Bee | UPDATED 3 months, 3 weeks AGO
Growing up, one of the hardest things I faced wasn't just a learning disability — it was the assumptions people made because of it.
My disability affects my speech and how I communicate verbally. Sometimes I know exactly what I want to say, but the words don't come out the way they exist in my mind. Because of that, people often underestimated what I was capable of.
I remember teachers questioning whether I had actually written my own assignments. Even when my parents assured them I had, some still doubted it.
Sadly, those questions haven't disappeared with age.
Even today, as an author and pastor, there are people who insist I couldn't possibly write my own books. Some even claim God revealed to them that someone else must be doing the writing.
But here's what I've learned: not every voice claiming to speak for God actually does. Scripture tells us to test everything and hold fast to what is true. God will never contradict the truth.
If I had accepted what others said about me, I might have believed my disability defined my future. I might have stopped writing altogether because it fit other people's expectations.
Instead, I chose to believe what God says.
Everything I write comes from years of studying His Word, walking through life's joys and struggles, and allowing Him to shape my heart. Writing has become one of the ways God's strength shines brightest through my weakness.
The Apostle Paul wrote, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9, KJV). That verse isn't just theology to me — it's been my experience.
People may define you by what they think you cannot do. God defines you by who He created you to become.
Don't allow the opinions of others to become the limits of your life. If God has called you, stay faithful to His voice. Keep growing, keep serving, and keep stepping forward in faith.
The loudest voices in your life should never be the critics.
They should always be the One who created you.
Pastor Scott Acklin ministers at New Fire Ministries.