“You’ll never get that job, you didn’t even graduate high school!” “Forget about becoming a mom, you’re too old!” “You’ll never be successful in life, you’re blind!” “No one will ever find you attractive, you’re too fat!” “You’ll never get that promotion, you’re too inexperienced!”

Somewhere in the world, someone is either listening to or thinking about these exact words. These people, young and old, will spend all of their lives believing that their dreams will never come true. The sad part is that, as long as they’re listening to these negative comments, they’ll never amount to anything other than the words they’ve grown to accept as true.

These were the challenges Isaac Mkonyone had to face. During his childhood, Isaac developed speech problems, which threatened to kill his dreams and kept him from having a normal, successful life.

Isaac’s Story

“Growing up with a speech disorder, such as stuttering, was difficult. School tended to make things worse. Although I wasn’t afraid to speak in front of my class, it was difficult to pronounce words and complete sentences, causing me to easily give up. I often went home crying because my classmates would make fun of me and I couldn’t even give them a comeback. I couldn’t say a single word.

But every time I went home crying, my mother would wipe my tears and say, ‘My son, God loves you and He made you in His image. Don’t cry because of what others are saying about you. Remember Who created you.’ It was wonderful to grow up with God-fearing parents. They never allowed me to feel inferior or sorry for myself. Until today, I still remember my mother’s advice. Even God never allowed me to feel inferior to others. His words to Moses, assured me that he had a plan for me despite my ‘disability’.

‘Now go, I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.’ Exodus 4:12

This verse was always very dear to my heart and I matured because of it. I continued stuttering. The difference was that it no longer limited my life. The truth is, I no longer limited God.”

Today, Isaac speaks in front of hundreds of people on a daily basis. He’s the pastor of our UCKG in Cape Town, South Africa and has turned his ‘disability’ into an opportunity to be used by God. His message to all those who are facing similar life challenges is:

“God has no limits. He can and will use you, as long as you make yourself available to Him. If God used a donkey to speak, what could possibly be impossible for Him? Nothing! I am proof of that!”