Excusing Ourselves From Our Faith....

There nothing more a Christian can do to anger God more than to not trust Him and do what He commands us to do. Here in Exodus chapters 3 & 4, Moses pleads with God to send someone else to Pharaoh. He tries to make every excuse in the book for God to send someone else. God gets very angry at him because of this passive, yet willful disobedience. How often do we do the same thing? God prompts us to witness to someone and we don’t do it. Or God placed someone on our heart to pray for and we stop praying for them two days in to it. Or even if you know you should speak truth into someone’s life, and at the right moment, you stay silent. It’s all based on the same principle Moses uses here: willful disobedience. Regardless of the rationalization of the situation, be it fear, insecurity, lack of trust, or little faith, when you put your selfish desires first (only looking out for yourself), God gets angry. You can call it by whatever name you want, but when you take it at face value, it’s disobedience. Your heart may want to do it, but your flesh screams, “No way”!!! So what do we do about this dilemma? We must realize that if God is wanting us to do something, then He is going to provide the means, and the ability to accomplish it. God never expects us to try and fail at something He commands. Failure isn’t part of His will, unless of course your pride needs a little adjusting (like Peter). Yes you may fail at things, but God never fails. What He sets into motion, He sees it through to fruition. The problem with our disobedience is our lack of ability to trust the unknown. We allow our fears and insecurities to overshadow what we know to be true about God. Getting our focus off of ourselves and back onto God is the beginning of the solution to this problem. Trusting God involves doing now, with the understanding coming later. Your faith in Him is not based on your abilities, it’s based on God’s character. And His character is as stable as a mountain in a storm, it’s not going to move regardless of the weather. God would never ask us to do something, even if it seems impossible, unless He intends for it to happen. We have to learn that faith is trusting God, and not ourselves, even if we don’t see the outcome. It’s stepping across a line that is uncertain. In order for faith to grow it must take chances. It must be exercised. Selfish thoughts like, “I’m not good enough”, “I will fail”, “I’m scared”, or “I can’t” are only excuses to not try. God gets angry because He knows you are not adequate, but He knows He has the power to make you adequate. God never calls the equipped. He equips the called. His will, and His way is the only way. The only way that by living out our faith can bring all the rewards that the Bible tells us it brings.

10 But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though You have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”11 Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”13 But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.”14 Then the Lord became angry with Moses. “All right,” He said. “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you. 15 Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will instruct you both in what to do. 16 Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say. 17 And take your shepherd’s staff with you, and use it to perform the miraculous signs I have shown you.” Exodus 4:10-17