Show Me How

But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.” Then the Lord became angry with Moses. “All right,” he said. “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well."  Exodus 4:13-14 (NLT)

God called Moses to lead his people out of Egypt. WOW! Can you imagine how overwhelming that thought might be?  I think anytime God calls us to do anything, it would make us draw back and think about it. His plans are, well, God-sized which is magnificently bigger than ours.

Moses was overwhelmed. It seemed impossible. So he asked for an out. "I can't", he said.  God said, "You can, I will be with you." "I don't have the right skills," Moses said.  God said, "I will give you the skills you need." "Please, send someone else anyway." God said, "Alright, I'll let Aaron help you."

Moses didn't see, maybe couldn't see, what God saw. God saw in Moses a history and experience that would help him. God saw in Moses leadership qualities.  And finally, there was the relationship between them which counts for more than all of the above.  Aaron didn't have those same qualities.  As a matter of fact, under Aaron's leadership Israel built the golden calf to worship at the base of Mt Sinai. 

God grew Moses to be the leader he needed to be. He walked him every step of the way. The man who said "I can't" ended up being one of the pivotal people in our history.

Is God calling you to something? It may not be as high profile as Moses' task. It may be something that seems rather small but to you it is overwhelming. Keep talking to him. Maybe instead of saying "God, I can't" we can say "God, show me how."

A Word To The Wise

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.  James 1:5-6 (NLT)

There was something wrong with the calculations I did for a project at work.  I could feel it. Something wasn't sitting right.  It kept nagging at me but I didn't know where to look.  Finally, I prayed about it and through a set of circumstances that unfolded (that's another Thought), I felt like I should look into this one area.

So, I put it off. You'd think that I would have immediately gone to that spot, to the very place that was revealed to me and fix the problem, right? But I didn't.  You know why? Because I would have had to admit that I made the mistake and well, that was embarrassing.

I was trying to put my faith in my abilities and not rely on God's wisdom. After a few days, I took a deep breath and faced it. I had a missing value in a spreadsheet that was throwing things off. After I figured that out, I took out all the spreadsheets and redid all the calculations to see where we stood. And then, I shared my findings with the team.

I've heard today's text over and over again. If you need wisdom ask God but it wasn't until very recently that I noticed the next verse. But when you ask him, be sure your faith is in God alone. I was asking for wisdom but I was trying to put my faith in my capabilities instead of in where God was directing me.

What if I'd buried my head in the sand and not looked?  What if I never got the courage to face my mistake? Lesson Learned?  Ask for wisdom because you'll get the answer. When you get the answer, dive into it and put your faith where it needs to be.  In God alone..

A Minute In It - How Long Will I Trust You Lord?

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Read through the Bible text and answer the questions at the bottom of the post.

Exodus 14:5-25 (NLT)
5 When word reached the king of Egypt that the Israelites had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds. “What have we done, letting all those Israelite slaves get away?” they asked. 6 So Pharaoh harnessed his chariot and called up his troops. 7 He took with him 600 of Egypt’s best chariots, along with the rest of the chariots of Egypt, each with its commander. 8 The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so he chased after the people of Israel, who had left with fists raised in defiance. 9 The Egyptians chased after them with all the forces in Pharaoh’s army—all his horses and chariots, his charioteers, and his troops. The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-zephon.

10 As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, 11 and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? 12 Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”
13 But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. 14 The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! 16 Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will charge in after the Israelites. My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots, and his charioteers. 18 When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the Lord!”

19 Then the angel of God, who had been leading the people of Israel, moved to the rear of the camp. The pillar of cloud also moved from the front and stood behind them. 20 The cloud settled between the Egyptian and Israelite camps. As darkness fell, the cloud turned to fire, lighting up the night. But the Egyptians and Israelites did not approach each other all night.
21 Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. 22 So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side.

Imagine what it would be like. Thousands of people trying to move quickly to a safe place but there is no safe place in sight.

What would you be feeling?
What would be your first inclinations?
If your leader were telling you to just stay calm (v14), what would be your response?
When you saw the mighty waters of the Red Sea part, what would be your first reaction?
What would be your next reaction?
If you saw God work on your behalf in this mighty way, would you ever have trouble trusting him again?

Are You Talking Too Much?

And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. Revelation 12:11 (NLT)

The "him" that was defeated in this text is Satan. WOOOHOOO! He is defeated for all times by the blood of the Lamb! But notice what else is used to defeat him?  Our testimonies.  What is a testimony? A testimony is another word for our story.

Each of us has a story. Each of us has events in our lives that are unique to only us and that no one else can tell.  What's really amazing is that God uses these all the time! He wants you to share who you are with other people so they can see him shine through.

Have you made a mistake where you've had to live through the consequences?  That's your story. Have you seen God show up in those failures and consequences?  That's your story. Have you listened to his voice even when it didn't seem sane and watched him do only what God can do and work it all out?  That's your story! What I find so mind blowing is that God uses our upside-down, messy stories for his glory.

How do you share your story? 

1. Pray.
2. Keep your ears and eyes open. If you pray and ask God to send someone for you to share with, he will. 
3. If you sense that you are to share, pray again. Ask God what he wants you to share.  Sometimes, you aren't supposed to share anything but only listen and let them know you understand.
4. Ask questions. Until you understand where the person is coming from, you don't have a clue what to share. Listen. No agenda. And then pray some more. God has a reason for this encounter. Let him lead.

One final thought. Remember, your only job is to pray, listen and share IF God says. The outcome of that encounter is in the Holy Spirit's hands, not yours. Get out of the way. Let God be God.

Don't Pick Me!

But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.”  Exodus 4:13 (NLT)

God had called Moses to go back to Egypt. He wanted him to help free the Israelites. God just finished showing Moses miracles to back up the claim that he would be with him and still Moses said, "Send someone else."

I imagine it sounding a little like this. "Puuuullllleeeeessseee, don't make me do it." I can imagine that because sometimes I don't want to do what I know God is telling me to do.  Why?

If I pretend I am Moses for a minute, here are the top five excuses that would pop into my head.

1. The people you want me to share this with don't know you. They say they do but they don't and they aren't going to listen.
2. These people don't know me. Who am I to them? I have no influence. I'm going to look foolish.
3. They don't like me. Did you hear the last thing they said to me?
4. I do not have experience in _____________________. Way above my pay grade. I am a nothing here.
5. This is way bigger than I can handle. I can see all the stuff going wrong. How do you expect me to figure all that out?

Don't we say things like this to God every day? And these are real concerns.  Here is where we get messed up.  God knows the answer to every single one of these excuses. He's already got it planned or he wouldn't send you. We mess it up when we think it's about us. We get side-tracked when we think we have to have all the answers. We don't. God has the answers. We just have to be willing.

God knows that your story, your background, your experience is the perfect portrayal of what needs to be said in that precise moment. The mistake Moses wanted to make is the same mistake we want to make all the time. He wanted someone else to tell his perfect story. God gives us the story for a reason. He wants to use it. Stop running the other way.  Instead of saying "Send someone else," we should be saying "Here I am. Send me."

I Want To Be In Charge

So come, let us worship: bow before him,
    on your knees before God, who made us!
Oh yes, he’s our God,
    and we’re the people he pastures, the flock he feeds.
Drop everything and listen, listen as he speaks.
Psalm 95:6-7 (MSG)

Recently, I've been pondering something. In the story of the Exodus in the Bible, it says over and over again that Pharaoh dug in. He stubbornly refused to listen to God's direction. See Pharaoh was taught and believed that he himself was a God. So to give in and submit would mean that he was a lesser God than Moses' God.  He couldn't do that. So he dug in and eventually lost that battle.

Lots of thoughts crowd my mind as I wonder about this. Things like "It sure took him long enough." and "How much do you have to walk through before you figure out you aren't the one in control?" And then, I get to "Do I do this?" Do I think that what I want is a better plan than what God wants for me? Who exactly is God in my life?

God never walked away from this confrontation with Pharaoh. He never said "Let's just let him die in one of the plagues and move on." He never pulled rank and flicked him off the face of the earth. But he didn't give up either. He kept being God and working toward his end goal which was to free Israel.

Maybe he does the same with us? When we are being stubborn and digging into what we want in life and trying to make our plan work, is it possible that we are fighting against a God who knows there is something better? Could that be why it seems so hard sometimes? And the ultimate question that we have to ask ourselves is this. Am I OK relinquishing being in control to God and submitting to what he knows is best? Do I love God enough to trust him with everything? Can I get myself out of the way?

A Minute In It - Bring On The Prasie!

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Read through the Bible text and finish the thoughts at the bottom of the post.

1 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
    Your glory is higher than the heavens.
2 You have taught children and infants
    to tell of your strength,
silencing your enemies
    and all who oppose you.

3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
    the moon and the stars you set in place—
4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
    human beings that you should care for them?
5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You gave them charge of everything you made,
    putting all things under their authority—
7 the flocks and the herds
    and all the wild animals,
8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
    and everything that swims the ocean currents.

9 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Psalm 8 (NLT)

O Lord, our Lord, how ______________ is your name!
When I look at ______________________________, I praise you!
I wonder at the _______________________________ that you have put in my life.
You have given me _____________________________ that brings me great pleasure!
I want to praise you for ____________________________________________.
O Lord, my Lord, how I _____________________________ your name.

Feeling Stuck Today?

While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time: “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’  Jeremiah 33:1-3 (NIV)

Jeremiah was locked up in prison. He was put there because he was prophesying for God.  Do you ever feel like you are in prison?  Maybe your circumstances are hemming you in and you feel stuck? 

Interestingly, God shows up even in prison. King Zedekiah was trying to keep Jeremiah quiet. He was trying to isolate him. But no matter where you go or what you are doing, God is always there. The message God spoke to Jeremiah is a message that we all need to remember.

First, he reminds Jeremiah who he is.  "I made everything!" he says. "I put it all here. I put you here and the king too. There is nothing that is happening that I am not aware of." And then he reminds Jeremiah about their relationship.  "Call to me! I will answer you!"

In this text the word call means to cry out. In other words God is saying to Jeremiah "Shout out to me. Reach for me. Holler! I'm here Jeremiah. I will answer you and I will show you so many infinitely wonderful things. Things you've never dreamed of before."

God is saying the same thing to us every day.  He says, "No matter where you are. No matter how you feel hemmed in or stuck. Cry out to me.  Call on my name and I will show up. I will respond to you and you will know you are loved."