Happy Sabbath friends! Have you ever had moments in your life where you didn’t feel good enough? Or maybe you’ve had moments where you’ve felt inadequate? Trust me when I say, I surely have had those same moments where I’ve felt the same way in my life. Today we are going to talk about Moses, who, is actually one of my favorite character’s in the Bible. I relate with Moses’ story as he struggles with a lot that I also have struggled with throughout my own life. Examples would be anger, speech impediment, inadequacy, etc.
When God appeared to Moses through a burning bush, he immediately was filled with the feeling of inadequacy. Moses did not feel good enough for Our Heavenly Father, yet, God saw a purpose within him. God already knew Moses’ life, and how it was going to pan out for him. God knew all this, and still appeared to Moses, met him where he was at, and spoke purpose upon him.
“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”” Exodus 3:1-12 NIV
Moses felt so inadequate to God that it was written that as soon as Moses found out it was God speaking to him, he “hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God”. We might be thinking “Moses, what are you doing? You should feel honored that Our Heavenly Father is speaking to you! I wish I could hear His voice so prominently in my life!”, but we need to humble ourselves and realize that we are humans. We are not perfect. It is a normal human reaction to feel inadequate, not good enough, etc. These feelings are not from God, but they are feelings that are brought upon us from the devil in hopes our feelings turn us away from Our Heavenly Father. God does not give up on Moses despite these negative feelings that were overwhelming him. Instead, God continued to speak love and purpose upon Moses. Moses continues to feel inadequate by stating “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”. I can admit that I have thought this same thought at certain times in my life. I remember when a Pastor asked me to preach a sermon to my church, and my immediate reaction was the same as Moses. The first thought that flooded my mind was “Who am I to go in front of my church family and preach the Word of God?”, and then my second thought was, “What if I don’t do it right? What if I let God down? What if I fail?”. I was filled with feelings of inadequacy, and self-doubt. I did not put my immediate trust that God would handle the rest if I just gave up full control and allow Him to lead. I am human, and I am not perfect. Neither is Moses. I love Moses’ story because it is so relatable. It reminds us that yes, we may be human. Yes, we may not be perfect, but God still sees a purpose within us and will equip us with the strength to carry out the plan He has for us by being with us every step of the way. God’s response back to Moses was “I will be with you”. God isn’t going to bless you with a calling, and then abandon you. Absolutely not! That goes entirely against His character as it is stated time and time again in the Word of God that He will be with you always. I will mention five verses that mention this to further prove my point:
“The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”” Judges 6:16 NIV
“Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”” Genesis 31:3 NIV
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” Isaiah 43:2 NIV
“If you do whatever I command you and walk in obedience to me and do what is right in my eyes by obeying my decrees and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you.” 1 Kings 11:38 NIV
“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Joshua 1:5 NIV
You may have moments in your life when you feel inadequate. You may have moments in your life when you ask God, “Who Am I?”. You want to know who you are? You are a Child of God. You are called. You are chosen. You have a purpose. If God woke you up this morning, you have a purpose. Open your hearts to God, and allow His voice to speak upon you, and your life. Allow Him to transform you, so He can equip you to carry out the specific calling that He has spoken upon you, and your life. Just as He equipped Moses during a time where Moses did not feel good enough to pursue the calling God called upon him, Our Heavenly Father will equip you and will be with you wherever you may go.
“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV
Let us delve into how God equipped Moses to bring the Israelites out of Egypt:
“Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. “This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.” Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow. “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh. Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.” Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”” Exodus 4:1-17 NIV
For every doubt that Moses presented to the Lord, the Lord equipped him with the necessary tools for him to have success with bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. The Lord equipped Moses with a staff that could turn into a snake, so it will establish credibility for Moses when speaking to the Israelites. The Lord instructed him to use his cloak, which would be used as a second sign in case the Israelites still did not believe that Moses was being used by Our Heavenly Father. If they still did not believe, the Lord then advised Moses to draw water from the Nile and pour it on the ground as it would turn to blood in front of the Israelites. Lastly, the Lord equipped him with Aaron due to Moses’ hesitancy with speaking due to his speech impediment. Keep in mind, all of these, Moses already possessed. He already had the staff, cloak, water from the Nile, and Aaron, but God brought to light how the things he already possessed could aid Moses in his walk with Jesus and being a witness to the Israelites. You may already possess the qualities that will bring you success in doing the will of our Lord Jesus. We just need to listen to God and allow Him to speak upon us to make known to us what those specific things are, and how we can use them for His good.
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” Romans 12:6-8 NIV
Just as God used Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, He has a purpose for you too. Moses felt inadequate to do the work of the Lord, but God still did not give up on him because He saw a purpose within him. In moments where you feel inadequate, open your Bible to the story of Moses as a reminder that you do have a purpose, and you can do great things if you just allow God to equip you, and take control. God already knows how your story ends. We just need to allow Him to lead us to that perfect ending He already has written on our hearts. You are good enough for the Lord, and you do have a purpose as you were created by Our Heavenly Father which makes you a Child of God. You are very much loved, and God wants to use you so you can make a difference in this world that is in need of a Savior.
“So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.” Galatians 4:7 NIV
“for you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.” Deuteronomy 14:2 NIV
Saved By His Grace 
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