Dropping the 'Too': Jeremiah's Call to Yes

Jul 19, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Before the Womb, a Plan Unfolding

God’s call isn’t an afterthought—it’s etched into eternity. Before Jeremiah’s first breath, God knew him, sanctified him, and ordained him. This truth dismantles the lie that our purpose depends on our readiness. God’s approval isn’t earned through résumés or achievements; it’s written into our spiritual DNA. When we fixate on our flaws, we forget the One who shaped our story before time began. His knowing is intimate, His calling irrevocable. [41:33]

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
(Jeremiah 1:5, NKJV)

Reflection: What limitations or past mistakes make you question God’s purpose for you? How might embracing His eternal design shift your perspective today?

Day 2: Set Apart, Not Stuck

Sanctification isn’t a religious label—it’s a divine repositioning. Like dishes washed and set aside for sacred use, God pulls us from the grime of old patterns to make us vessels of honor. This separation isn’t about perfection but purpose. Jeremiah’s calling came amid national decay, proving God uses sanctified people in messy places. Our struggle isn’t staying spotless; it’s resisting the pull to crawl back into what He’s delivered us from. [45:28]

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
(1 Peter 2:9, NKJV)

Reflection: What habit, relationship, or mindset do you need to fully release to live as God’s “set apart” vessel this week?

Day 3: Dropping the “Too” From Your Vocabulary

“I’m too young” crumbled under God’s reply: “You’ll go where I send you.” Every “too” we wield—too broken, too tired, too unqualified—is a shield against obedience. Moses hid behind speech issues, Gideon behind insignificance, yet God used their cracks to funnel His power. Our excuses echo in eternity’s hallway until we trade “I can’t” for “He can.” [52:19]

Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent… I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth?… Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”
(Exodus 4:10–12, NKJV)

Reflection: What “too” have you been clinging to that God is asking you to release today? How might obedience rewrite your story?

Day 4: When God Touches Your Weakest Point

Jeremiah’s mouth—the very thing he feared would fail—became the conduit for God’s words. Divine calling always targets human inadequacy. Like Peter walking on water, our panic reveals where God wants to manifest His sufficiency. That stutter, that insecurity, that past failure? It’s not a disqualification—it’s the landing strip for grace. [01:02:13]

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.”
(Isaiah 6:6–7, NKJV)

Reflection: Where do you most need God to touch your “mouth” today—your words, your confidence, your willingness to speak His truth?

Day 5: Front-Side Tests, Back-Side Testimonies

Jeremiah’s tears watered both sides of his calling—sorrow on the front, joy on the back. Every assignment has its Red Sea moment, its Goliath, its Friday crucifixion. But resurrection always follows obedience. What looks like a dead end is God’s setup for a testimony. Your current struggle isn’t the finale; it’s the prelude to “He did it again.” [01:15:05]

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
(James 1:2–4, NKJV)

Reflection: What trial feels like a dead end today? How might trusting God’s track record transform your view of this season?

Sermon Summary

Jeremiah 1 sets a young prophet in a pressure cooker. Jeremiah comes from Anathoth, serves through unstable kings, and receives his call while the nation is spiritually decaying and heading toward captivity. God does not call him because the times are easy. God calls him because the times are desperate. The text shows that every real assignment has weight, and every excuse has to stand before the God who already knows the whole story.

God begins with sovereign selection. Before Jeremiah has a human history, God already has him in his plan. “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you” means more than information. God knows Jeremiah with intimacy. God knows the weakness, the fear, the mouth, the limitation, and still loves him. God sanctifies him, sets him apart, and ordains him, putting his hand on him before anybody else gets the chance to approve or reject him. The call rests on God’s design and destiny, not Jeremiah’s confidence.

Jeremiah answers with self-limiting submission. “I cannot speak. I am a youth.” His excuse is the same old “too.” Too young. Too old. Too broken. Too broke. Too tired. Too depressed. That little word becomes a spiritual hall pass to stay comfortable. But God does not call Jeremiah to look back or look within. God calls him to look up. The issue is not whether Jeremiah has enough in himself. The issue is whether God has enough in his hand.

God gives Jeremiah a supreme safeguard. “Do not say, I am a youth.” God stops the negative confession before it becomes a settled identity. Jeremiah’s mouth is the place of his struggle, and that is exactly where God touches him. The Lord puts his words in Jeremiah’s mouth, proving that the power is not in human eloquence but in divine authority.

Jeremiah’s assignment is not just talk. God sets him over nations to root out, pull down, destroy, throw down, build, and plant. Change is not easy. Some old stuff has to move so God can be seen again. God’s people cannot stay stuck in the past and still chase what God is calling them to become. The God who kept Noah in the storm, provided for Abraham on the mountain, opened the Red Sea for Moses, healed the woman with the issue of blood, fed the multitude, and raised Jesus from the grave still knows what he is doing. God only asks for the yes, and God has provision on the other side of it.

Key Takeaways

1. God knew the whole story [41:12] God’s call does not begin with a person’s résumé. God knew Jeremiah before the womb, and that means God knew the fear, the weakness, the mouth, and the limitation before the assignment ever came. Divine love is not surprised by human frailty. God’s knowledge is not cold inspection, but covenant intimacy that still says, “I chose you.” [41:12]
2. Sanctified means set aside [43:41] Sanctification is not just old church language or white clothes on Friday night. God sets his people apart the way clean dishes are pulled out of dirty water and made useful. The danger is running back into what God already brought a soul out of. Grace does not only rescue, it separates for purpose. [43:41]
3. Stop speaking against the call [59:43] God tells Jeremiah, “Do not say, I am a youth,” because words can turn fear into identity. The loudest enemy is not always outside the person. Sometimes the most dangerous voice is the one rehearsing everything that could go wrong. Faith starts walking while God starts working. [59:43]
4. God touches the struggle [01:02:13] Jeremiah says the problem is his mouth, and God touches his mouth. The Lord does not ignore the place of weakness. God places his hand exactly where shame says usefulness is impossible. The struggle becomes the meeting place where divine help is felt most clearly. [62:13]
5. God knows what he is doing [01:10:12] Jeremiah’s future would hold tests, tears, resistance, and hard obedience. Yet every front side test can become a backside testimony when God carries his servant through it. Noah, Abraham, Moses, the sick woman, the hungry crowd, and Calvary all bear witness to the same truth. God’s track record is stronger than present confusion. [70:12]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[31:48] - Series Recap: Get Over Yourself
[32:33] - Honoring Faithful Encouragers
[34:09] - Jeremiah’s Call and Excuse
[36:33] - Dropping the Too
[37:01] - Called Into a Pressure Cooker
[41:12] - Sovereign Selection Before the Womb
[43:41] - Sanctified and Set Apart
[49:00] - Approved by God
[51:59] - Self Limiting Submission
[59:43] - Stop Speaking Negative
[62:13] - God Touches the Struggle
[66:44] - Root Out, Build, and Plant
[70:12] - God Always Knows What He Is Doing
[76:36] - Giving God a Yes

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Jeremiah 1:4-10
“Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.’ Then said I: ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.’ But the Lord said to me: ‘Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,’ says the Lord. Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: ‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.’” [34:27]

Galatians 6:9
“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” [57:39]

Philippians 4:13
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” [54:42]

1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” [55:03]

Observation questions

In Jeremiah 1:4-10, what are the specific things God says he did for Jeremiah before Jeremiah ever responded to the call? [41:12]
What exact excuse does Jeremiah give, and how does God answer that excuse in the passage?
In the text, what part of Jeremiah does God touch, and what does God say he puts there? [01:02:13]
What six action words describe Jeremiah’s assignment in verse 10, and how do those words show that his calling was bigger than simply giving speeches? [01:06:44]

Interpretation questions

God says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” What does that suggest about how God’s call relates to a person’s weakness, fear, or limitation? [41:53]
God tells Jeremiah, “Do not say, I am a youth.” Why does God address Jeremiah’s words so directly? How can repeated negative words become a settled identity? [59:43]
God touches the very place Jeremiah says is the problem. What does that reveal about how God often works in the areas where people feel most ashamed or least useful? [01:16:16]
Jeremiah is told to root out, pull down, destroy, throw down, build, and plant. Why might real spiritual change require both tearing something down and building something new in its place? [01:07:42]

Application questions

What “too” has been most active lately: too young, too old, too tired, too broke, too broken, too afraid, or something else? How has that excuse been shaping recent decisions? [38:45]
Many people spend years chasing approval they already have in God. Where is the pressure to be approved showing up right now: family, work, church, friendships, or somewhere else? How might remembering God’s approval change that? [49:32]
God told Jeremiah to stop saying something about himself. What is one sentence that needs to stop coming out of the mouth this week? What would a more faith-filled sentence sound like instead? [01:01:06]
God does not ignore the struggle; he touches it. Where is the deepest sense of weakness right now: speech, confidence, habits, thoughts, or something else? What would it look like to bring that area before God honestly instead of hiding it? [01:02:13]
Some things have to be rooted out and pulled down before new growth can happen. What old pattern, old hurt, or old way of thinking may need to move so that God can build and plant something new? [01:09:25]
God’s people can get stuck looking back instead of moving forward. What has been pulling the heart backward lately? How has that been affecting relationships, obedience, or peace in the present? [01:09:44]
God asked Jeremiah for a yes and promised his presence and provision on the other side. What would giving God a fresh yes look like in one specific area this week? [01:18:03]

Sermon Clips

39s

#WalkByFaithNotFear

“As I preach this sermon, what excuse is god telling you? Put that away and walk by faith. What is the worst thing that can happen? Uh-huh. I gotta catch you. You fail? Yeah. If you fail, he's just gonna do what he been doing. He gonna catch you. It ain't gonna be the first time you fail. Failure can't be the biggest fear because you fall all the time. But now unto him who's able to keep us from falling. God, what's gonna happen?”

62s

#BreakthroughFromLittle

“Let me say it again. Somebody can testify. Sometime the water will rise, but he won't let you drown. That's what what is it? What what is it? You don't you don't think you have enough in your hand? Enough in your account? Yes. Come here, two fish and five loaves. In his hand, it was two fish and five loaves. In God's hand, he left with more than what he came with. Well, what what is it you're telling God, God, too, I I would, but I'm too too too too too low. I'm too tired. I'm too depressed. I'm in church smiling, but I wanna break down. And God said, you can't break down because I'm leading you to a breakthrough.”

55s

#ReleaseThePast

“Hold on. Jeremiah, you cannot allow my people to stay stuck in the past. Somebody here this morning, you sow in love with who you've been that you can't chase after who god wants you to be. And before you know it, I'll help you, bad patterns show up in the present because we hadn't gotten over the past. And other people have to suffer in front of you because you hadn't let go of what's behind”

63s

#SanctificationJourney

“Ain't nobody in here graduated in a sanctification That there's still some words in our vocabulary that don't align with amazing grace. How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. There's still some appetites, some drinks that don't align with communion. But he who begun a good work in me shall complete it at the coming day of Jesus Christ. I'm trying to help somebody that your neighbor ain't your problem. Sometimes you need to say, God work on me. Help me with my mouth. Help me with my mind. Help me with my hands. Help me with my steps. Every day I wouldn't make it without the help of the lord and god tells Jeremiah, you're not going to be alone if I send you, I'm going with you.”

78s

#ApprovedByGod

“And then that's what it means to be ordained. Watch this. Watch it. It means, watch this. Let me help somebody else. Ordained means god approved. Yeah. Hold on. Jeremiah, I'm calling you. Everybody ain't going to prove you. But if you remember, I already approve you, you can get over whoever don't approve you. I preach pastor Terry Brown. Make this book tall. Let me say it again. It means approved by god. So, Jeremiah, I'm calling you to something. Everybody ain't gonna approve you but when they don't approve you, don't forget I already approve you. Who am I preaching to this morning? I'm trying to help you understand that if god before you, he's more than the whole world will be against you. How did God approve me? One Friday night on a hill called Calvary. They stretched him wide. They hung him high. He died. But early on the third day morning, he rose with all power. Look at your neighbor and say, god approves you. God died for you. God bled for you. But early on the third day morning, god raised him up.”

49s

#TouchedInMyStruggle

“He touches him. Wanna help you? Wanna help somebody there? He touches him in the area of his struggle. anybody say, pastor, I got some struggles. The the only reason you still here is because god will touch you in the area of your struggle. And he will use Jeremiah the way Jeremiah never thought he could use him. Yeah. Jeremiah had to do one thing. Say, yes, lord.”

50s

#AsYouWalkGodWorks

“you gotta stay out your own head. God has already told you he gonna bless you, and you keep thinking of the 99 things that could go bad. God says if you start walking, I'll start working. And as you walk, I'm working. As you walk, I'm working. That's why we come to church. We come to church to worship God in his house trusting that he's working at our house while I'm telling him thank you in the sanctuary. He's fixing some stuff on my job. While I show him that I'm grateful for what's on my table, he's preparing another table and somehow, someway, we get to a point where we forget to tell, God, thank you every day. And God reminds Jeremiah, stop speaking so negative over your own circumstances.”

82s

#FromTestToTestimony

“Jeremiah will have plenty test. On the backside of every test, he would have testimonies. The front side, there were tears. On the backside, there were tears. On the front side, tears of sorrow. On the backside, tears of joy. On the front side, there's a mountain. On the backside, there's no mountain he can't get me over. On the front side, there's a valley. On the back side, he walks with me. His rod and his staff, they comfort me. the front side, there's enemies. On the back side, he prepares a table before you in the presence of your enemies. He anoints your head with oil. Your cup runs over. God always gives us a testimony, but there is no testimony without front side test.”

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