FearlessSample

"RISE ABOVE YOUR FEARS - EXCUSES"

Fear is often fueled by our own excuses. When we rationalize disobedience by giving ourselves all the reasons we shouldn’t follow God, faith leaves us and fear remains. When we first meet up with Moses during his time in the wilderness, we see a timid, tongue-tied farmer that was ready to do anything except trust in God. God, however, was engineering a wonderful calling for this unsuspecting servant.

He wanted Moses to be His mouthpiece to speak to Pharaoh about letting His people go from their oppression and to come into their homeland. What ensues next is a conversation between Moses and God where Moses fearfully gives God one excuse after another about why he should not follow God's plan. The Lord patiently answered each excuse with His truth.

Let’s check out these five excuses of Moses so we can avoid repeating these mistakes:

Excuse 1- In Exodus 3:11 Moses was overwhelmed with God’s agenda for his life. He basically said, "This is too much for me.” God responded to that excuse in verse 12 by reminding him that His presence would be with him, no matter what.

Excuse 2- As the conversation continues in Exodus 3: 13, Moses in essence says, "I’m not sure that God will be sufficient for me.” God answers him by teaching him about His perfect character. God is the eternal, living God. He would be all Moses could ever need.

Excuse 3- As Moses started thinking about how everyone in Egypt would respond to his message, in Exodus 4: 1 he said, "Others will look down on me.” God came back and said essentially, "Submit your view of success to me."

Excuse 4- In Exodus 4: 10 Moses became obsessed with all the things he didn’t have. He said to God in essence, "I have too many weaknesses." God, in turn, said, "Move your focus from your frailty to My power."

Excuse 5- In Exodus 4:13, Moses shows his true colors. He gets to the heart of the matter and exposes his timidity. Moses looked to God and said, "Somebody else could do this better than me, God. Please ask someone else.” God graciously responded by moving Moses toward obedience and trust in Him no matter what.

Do not let self-centered excuses nurture unhealthy fears. Rise above your fears today by listening to God instead of fear!