Send Someone Else

How often do we feel like we are ill equipped to do what the Lord calls us to do? We allow our own fear and doubt to prevent us from living the life God has for us. We forget that God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.

Exodus 4:10-13

10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” 13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” 

Often, when we think of Moses we think of the amazing man of God he was and he was. However, we tend to forget that he got off to a slow start. When Moses was called by the Lord to speak to Pharaoh and lead the people out of Egypt his response was one of hesitation. Moses immediately realized how ill equipped he was to do the job.

Moses allowed his fear and doubt of his own skills to prevent him from saying ‘yes’ to the Lord. How often do we do the same thing? We look at what we can do and the skills and talents we have and decide we fall short and cannot do what the Lord wants us to do.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The Lord was very clear with Paul that His grace was sufficient and His power was perfected in Paul’s weakness. The same is true for us today. When the Lord calls us to do something, He will equip us to do it. He doesn’t ask us to do things we can do on our own because He wants us to depend upon Him and His power working in and through us.

What has the Lord asked you to do? What is preventing you from moving forward? Don’t allow your fear and doubt to prevent you from following the Lord. His grace is sufficient for whatever you face and He works through our weaknesses. Don’t allow the Lord to send someone else to do what He wants you to do. Be obedient and receive the blessings He has for you today!

• Scripture from www.biblegateway.com

Hardened Hearts

Just as this stream froze as the temperatures dropped, our hearts can be slowly hardened as we refuse to listen and follow the way of the Lord.

Exodus 8:19

 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

Pharaoh refused to listen the his magicians who were pointing out to Him the activity of God in his midst. Pharaoh missed it because his heart was hardened. How often do we miss the activity of God because our hearts are hardened?

God is always actively involved in the lives of His people but when we chose to go our own way and do what we want to do rather than what He would have us do, our hearts, like the stream, begin to harden. If we turn away from the Lord and the wisdom of others who try to help us recognize what He is doing in our lives, our hearts will continue to harden until they are frozen solid.

Streams are meant to flow but if the temperature drops too low over an extended period of time the stream will freeze solid and the water will no longer be flowing.

John 7:38

38 “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

In order to prevent our hearts from hardening we need to keep the living water flowing by spending time with Christ each day. We need to have other believers in our life who can help point out God’s activity in our midst when we can’t see it for ourselves. Take some today to spend the Lord and ask Him to reveal any areas of your heart that are hardening. Ask the Lord to show you how He is working in your midst and to put people in your path that will point you to Him.

• Photo by Shelly Sorem
• Scripture from http://www.biblegateway.com