The Myth That God Only Uses the Strong | Spiritual Formation with Brian Delamont (Ep. 222)
Transformed & Transformational
Release Date: 05/22/2026
Transformed & Transformational
Have you ever held back because you didn't feel ready enough for God to use you? In the Season 6 finale, hosts Keane Fine and Heather Brown talk with Brian Delamont, Executive Vice President of TeachBeyond, to close out the series on myths that shape how we live out our faith. Walking through Biblical characters from Moses and Gideon to Paul and the disciples, they trace the ways that God empowers His people. If you're waiting until you're prepared or strong enough to serve, this episode is for you. 1 Cor. 1:27 “He does choose things that we would not choose to accomplish His purposes.”...
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The adventure came after the surrender, not before. Noah is a Resident Assistant at Black Forest Academy in Germany, and his path there ran straight through a calling he really didn't want to say yes to. Noah traces the journey from an international upbringing through a defining study abroad experience to a moment of reluctant obedience, and what he found waiting on the other side. “Their parents can focus on ministry while having their kids receive a really good, quality education, and the dorm side for us is that we become partners, co-workers with the parents as we seek to guardian them...
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It’s our annual episode with practical suggestions and heartfelt encouragement for the end of the school year! You’ll hear themes of ending with intention, prioritizing rest, and keeping the gospel at the center. Listen in for words of wisdom from several Season 6 guests and TeachBeyond members. Dr. David I. Smith: “The way that we end things actually says a lot about our values.” Rio Handley: “All of us need to rest.” Paulo Jobim: “Keep doing as best that you can, and God is using you through this process.” Kristi Schliep: “Take the opportunity in a different rhythm of life...
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About three billion people — a third of everyone alive today — still don't have access to the gospel. Dr. Marvin Newell unpacks five Great Commission passages and how we can take the gospel to those who still haven't heard the good news. Listen in to learn about the 10/40 Window, the International Day for the Unreached, and more! “There are about 9.2 billion people in the world today, and of those, about a third of them have yet to have access to the gospel.” “A third of humanity has yet to have a clear presentation of the gospel.” Matthew 28:18-20 “The core of what we’re to...
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Does God want me to do things 'for' Him? In this Spiritual Formation conversation, Brian Delamont unpacks the myth that our service somehow benefits God or earns His approval. More than acts of service or obligation, it's about the heart. Brian offers a question to guide our reflection this month as we consider our motivations and perspectives of God. Isaiah 41:10 Deuteronomy 11:18-21 John 10:27 “When I’m doing something ‘for,’ do I picture that as I’m doing God a favor or I’m actually bringing something to God that maybe He can’t do without me?” Jeremiah 31:3 “The thought...
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What does it look like to fully embrace the local church and global missions -- not as competing callings, but as one? Duarte Casmarrinha, National Director of TeachBeyond Portugal and local church pastor, has spent his life finding out. In this conversation, Duarte shares how camps became a thread woven through his entire ministry life, why he sees education as the greatest open door for the gospel, and how his involvement with TeachBeyond has allowed him to extend his gifts in ways he never expected. “The brethren churches in Portugal were basically founded by British missionaries in the...
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Paulo Jobim returns to explore what neuroscience reveals about transformational education and why it affirms what Christian educators have always believed — from the way teachers' and students' brains synchronize during genuine connection, to the role of emotional intelligence and novelty in learning. This conversation will give teachers both a richer vocabulary for what they already practice and fresh encouragement that the work of Christian education is written into the way God made us. If you want to see your classroom through the lens of both Scripture and science, this is the episode...
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In this important conversation, David Durance shares what it means to reach the nations through education. He shares why this moment in history calls for fresh obedience, renewed imagination, and a deeper awareness of how God is already at work around the world. As more people than ever remain unreached, this episode explores why education is not secondary to mission, but one of the most powerful ways the gospel is being lived out and heard today. If you want to better understand the heart behind TeachBeyond’s calling, this episode is a great place to begin. “As we see different cultures...
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As Brian Delamont returns for the monthly Spiritual Formation episode, Heather introduces the colloquial term “main character energy” as a cultural myth to unpack. Brian, Heather, and Keane walk through Scripture from Jonah to Jesus to Peter, exploring the importance of keeping a Kingdom perspective. Jonah 4:9-11 “He gives us agency, and yet He also offers us a much better story.” Matthew 11:28-30 “Being the protagonist, being the main character, is exhausting because you have to fight the fight [...] and yet, God is saying, ‘I have a path for you that is lighter and easier than...
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Studying abroad and serving missionally can go hand in hand! From the vibrancy of Ecuadorian dancing to the incense of Buddhist temples, TeachBeyond members share how their study abroad experiences exposed them to missions and helped them discern a calling to pursue teaching overseas. Zeke and Abby studied abroad with Nichole student taught abroad with “It gave me ‘family’ in another culture and another location, and I think people are [...] what you hold onto the most with study abroad.” - Zeke “That’s the difference [from] if you are just going on vacation or if you do a...
info_outlineHave you ever held back because you didn't feel ready enough for God to use you? In the Season 6 finale, hosts Keane Fine and Heather Brown talk with Brian Delamont, Executive Vice President of TeachBeyond, to close out the series on myths that shape how we live out our faith. Walking through Biblical characters from Moses and Gideon to Paul and the disciples, they trace the ways that God empowers His people. If you're waiting until you're prepared or strong enough to serve, this episode is for you.
- 1 Cor. 1:27
- “He does choose things that we would not choose to accomplish His purposes.”
- Exodus 4:10-17
- Joshua 1:9
- Judges 6:14
- “We don’t have to be perfect or ideal; this unlimited strength is not a prerequisite to God using someone.”
- Psalm 27:13-14
- “The heart is being strengthened in the waiting.”
- Ephesians 6:10-17
- “God doesn’t use the strong [...] but God makes you strong.”
- “You know my strengths because they’re from You, and You know my failures because You’ve been graciously present in those, too.”
- Acts 7:58
- “This is why the myth is crippling: because it can lead me down the path of believing the lie that I’m not usable, that I’m deficient or that I have to be perfect for God to use me or to do something meaningful in my life.”
May Reflection: Do I believe the lie that God only uses the strong?
What’s changing our lives from the past season:
- Keane: Having guardianship of their youngest son and his brother’s Frontier Airlines pass
- Heather: Developing Go Beyond
- Brian: Meeting TeachBeyond leaders in their contexts
Weekly Spotlight: Master’s International School
We’d love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org
Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/