....but

So for whatever reason, I'm taking a journey through the book of Exodus...and for the moment, I'm bring y'all with me (lol). I read up on Moses' early days, and his reaction to God's call. I loved it, and honestly thought it was hilarious. Why? Well. To avoid excessively long intros, keep reading, and let's chat about it below....

Photo by: Steven Furtick

One of the main reasons I loved Moses' reaction to God's call is because it was so similar to mine, and he was so...honest. Next, I loved the fact that he was thorough. Moses had questions for DAYS....and God answered every single one of them (even when He got mad). Finally (this is what really made me giggle), after every question had been answered, Moses still says 'I realllllly think you should find somebody else' (L....O....L).

​So many times when God calls us, He calls us to do something out of our comfort zones. Even if we've been doing it all of our lives (like Moses), when God calls us to something, it's different. It's on a higher level. It's basically terrifying. It's something that we could never do without Him. So, like Moses, we have questions, concerns, and....the "...but"s of life. Moses' (and our) questions or fears stemmed from 3 areas, and those areas are the core of our conversation today. 

But I…..(Self-Doubt - Ex. 3:11-12)
     Isn't it funny how God calls us to do something for Him, and we get hung up on all the reasons we shouldn't be doing this (or believe we can’t)? It's not rare; it happened in the New Testament (remember the man at the pool?), and it's definitely happening today. God will call us to do something great...and we immediately do a self assessment and produce a report of 3,000+ reasons that we aren't fit for this. Most of the time, our insecurities center around the things that we don't have (and feel like we need in order to be qualified). We say things like 'I don't have the resources', 'I don't know the people', 'I'm not popular', 'I'm young', 'I'm old', 'I wasn't raised in church', etc., and attempt to change God's mind, when we're really just building a wall between ourselves & our destiny.
     Because God is an ultimate boss, He responds to our 'I's with an 'I' of His own: “I will certainly be with you." Moses asked 'who am I that I should go and deliver an entire group of people?!', and in the next verse (NEVER forget to go to next verse in your life), God flips it, & lets Moses know that he won't ever be alone. This is not about who you are; it's about who He is. God was aware of your inventory when He called you to this...and He still deemed you to be able through Him. If He thinks you can do it....why don't you? You trust Him....right?

But What if They Think…(Public Opinion - Ex 4:1-9)
     Any time you step out to do something for God, you face a chance of rejection. The people may not accept it, they may not respond how you hoped, etc. Like Moses, you may be wondering what you're supposed to do if the people God sends you to don't believe He sent you. What if they don't think I'm authentic? What if they think I'm too young? What if they think I'm not educated enough? What if I don't meet their standards? What if they think I'm too talkative or too quiet? 
     Well, I believe God's response to us similar to the response He gave Moses: “what's in your hand?” God used what Moses already had to confirm that He'd sent Moses to Egypt to deliver His people. Moses thought he just had a rod, but once he put it down, God turned it into a snake. Then, once Moses picked it back up, it became a rod again! Moral of the story: you're holding more than you think you are. You just need to place what you have in His power. Just as He confirmed Moses, He'll confirm us in front of His people. So not only is this not about you....it's not about what 'they' may think either...

But They Can Do….(Comparison - Ex 4:10-12)
     Moses' final area of insecurity resided in him comparing his abilities to those of his opposition. At this point, God has called Moses, gave him the plan, answered all of Moses' questions.....and Moses is still has a handful of ‘…but’s. He brings up the fact that God has told him to go to Pharaoh, and TELL him to let God's people go. 'That involves talking, right God? You do realize that I st-st-stutter of-often. Those people (magicians & advisors in Egypt) take pride in what they say & how they say it. I'm st….st….stut….stuttering RIGHT NOW…in front of YOU! And yo….you want me to go sp….sp…speak to PHARAOH?! I’m not even perfect in YOUR presence! How can I be chosen to do this?! 
     I think we've all got a stutter. Not literally, but we've all got something that completely contradicts what God is calling us to do. We've got something that (we think) holds us back, or something that doesn't measure up when we compare it to others in that field. However, once again, I believe that God's response to us is similar to the response He gave to Moses: I can fix that. God told Moses that He'd be his mouth & teach him what to say. Which, to me, is demonstrative of the fact that God works with us in stages. He doesn't expect us to jump from being a quiet person on the back row to speaking in front of stadiums in 24 hours. There are stages. He knows what you can handle, and what path to take. He's aware of your hindrances, and how to help you move past them. However, you won't get anywhere (within His will/promise) if you let your fear, other people's thoughts, or other people's capabilities keep you from saying yes.

Final Thoughts:
     THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU OR WHAT YOU DEEM TO BE YOUR CAPABILITIES! It's about what God can do through you. He'll handle the rest; He just needs you to say yes. New levels and assignments from God can be pretty scary, but He never asks us to do anything alone. He walks with us through every transition, every mountain, and every valley.
     I looked up the word 'ministry' one day, and one definition really stuck with me. It stated that ministry is "something that serves as an agency, instrument, or means." God isn't asking you to save anybody. You're right, you can't. He's asking you to be an instrument that leads them to salvation. He's asking you to the means that leads to His end. That's it. That's the purpose of your ministry, whatever it is. It's not about what you do or don't have. It's not about what the people may think. It's not about what others can do. It's about what He can do through you. So, He's calling you...the bush is burning.....what are you going to say?
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Background Music: Yes Lord - Mike Brown & Focus (Feat. Tasha Cobbs)

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