Every successful venture helps you know more about what it takes to succeed.

Every failed attempt gives you an education you never desired.

Either way, you gain vital knowledge with every life experience. This is true of life and faith.

You can learn by sitting in a classroom, reading a book, or listening to a wise teacher. Those are all good things to help you grow. I do each one of these as part of my job.

But I think we can all agree that if you were going to hire a new employee, we would want them to have some experience. A four-year degree would be excellent, but we would also like four years of experience rather than eight years in college. You can only learn some things by practically using your skills.

Whenever I encounter someone and ask them to help with a ministry, I often get the response of “I just don’t know enough.” Usually, what they need is not another book to read because they have all the head knowledge required. What would help them is some hands-on experience. Unfortunately, the very thing they need is the thing from which they are pushing away.

Often, the best place to grow your faith is by saying yes to ministry. Stepping up and trying to do something for God will always stretch and grow you. Whether you succeed or fail doesn’t matter because you will learn and become a stronger believer.