You Have Everything You Need

You Have Everything You Need

Exodus 4: Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ”

 

² So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”

 

He said, “A rod.”

 

³ And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. ⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), ⁵ “that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

 

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Moses, being unsure of himself, asked GOD “What if they don’t believe me?” GOD had just told Moses to go get HIS people out of Egypt. Moses needed some confirmation.

 

My Observations:

• Moses felt insignificant, inadequate and inferior to the Egyptians who had armies, wealth and power.
• GOD asked Moses a question that HE knew the answer to, but wanted Moses to self-discover what HE was about to do.
• GOD turned the rod into a serpent to convince Moses that HE can do anything and that serpents are under HIS authority.

 

“You have everything you need,” seems to be the message GOD was giving to Moses. “All you need is the stick you have in your hand and I will do the rest,” is what I’m getting from this demonstration of power. I believe you and I underestimate the true power of GOD.

 

When we try to steer GOD by telling HIM what we need, we miss the point that HE has already provided us with everything we need. GOD was about to use a rod to defeat the Egyptians who were mistreating other humans. When you have GOD you have all you need.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD remind Moses about the conversation HE had with him about the rod?
• Do you sometimes feel inadequate to take on large challenges GOD may want you to take on?
• Will you trust GOD and know you have everything you need to defeat the giant you are facing?

You ARE Special

You ARE Special

2 Corinthians 11: ⁵ I do not think that I am the least bit inferior to those very special so-called “apostles” of yours! ⁶ Perhaps I am an amateur in speaking, but certainly not in knowledge; we have made this clear to you at all times and in all conditions.

 

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Feeling inadequate had become the norm. I was ridiculed for every aspect of my being. From the clothes I wore, to my hair, to the size of my body to the color of my skin, someone had something negative to say. On the other hand, special people who crowds flocked to seemed to have it easy.

 

• I did not feel special.
• I felt quite unwanted.
• I doubted I could do or say anything right.

 

Paul focuses in on a mistake the people made when they accepted professional speakers who called themselves “apostles” but were preaching a different spirit. They may have drawn more attention to themselves versus JESUS. These people were eloquent speakers while Paul, on the other hand, had a direct encounter with JESUS. He was called to teach about JESUS.

 

My Observations

• JESUS is the only one who is worthy to be pointed to.
• GOD made me special to reach only a certain group of people HE sends me to or sent to me.
• GOD wants me to get out of HIS way by placing HIM in the spotlight.

 

Being special and feeling special seem like two very different things. I mean the world would say a common worker or a person without a home is not special. In fact, these people are often overlooked and even worse, looked down on. But they are special to GOD.

 

GOD sees those who devalue your abilities and tears down any tactic people make to attempt to make themselves “special” in human’s eyes. GOD made you and me special for HIS purpose. HE adores when HIS name is mentioned over our own. HE was excited when HE made each person and gave each a special gift. I am glad HE loves when I use the gifts HE gave me for HIS purpose.

 

Challenge

• What is the writer saying about inferiority?
• What gifts has GOD given you?
• Have you ever felt inferior or inadequate?
• Will you accept JESUS’ power and grace as being sufficient so you can fulfill the special purpose HE has for you today?

Superiority

 

Superiority

1 Corinthians 1: ²¹ For God in his wisdom made it impossible for people to know him by means of their own wisdom. Instead, by means of the so-called “foolish” message we preach, God decided to save those who believe. ²² Jews want miracles for proof, and Greeks look for wisdom. ²³ As for us, we proclaim the crucified Christ, a message that is offensive to the Jews and nonsense to the Gentiles; ²⁴ but for those whom God has called, both Jews and Gentiles, this message is Christ, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For what seems to be God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and what seems to be God's weakness is stronger than human strength.

 

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“Let me go and teach ‘those’ people about the Bible” was my thought. I had freshly taken another class at a well known Bible institute and I was headed on my first missions trip. When I arrived a man who walked 20 miles to hear me spoke about the Bible in ways I was unfamiliar. He ended up teaching me more than I taught anyone on that trip.

 

• There have been times when I thought “my” knowledge was superior.
• There have been times when I thought “I” had more wisdom than others.
• There have been times when I thought “If only a miracle would happen in front of people who do not believe, then ‘they’ would believe.”

 

Paul explains the false belief in human wisdom. He knew that some of the church leaders would scoff at the message of JESUS being the Messiah. He also knew that some scientific leaders would scoff at JESUS because of the popular belief in their knowledge. BUT GOD has something else to say.

 

• GOD wants me to believe in JESUS without question.
• GOD wants me to believe in JESUS without needing to prove HIS power.
• GOD wants me to believe in JESUS without thinking I am smarter than HIM or HIS humans HE created.

 

Superiority may come from insecurity. I mean, when I want to be heard, I may study something and try to be the ‘best’ at that subject to prove to other humans I am superior in ‘my’ industry. BUT GOD laughs at ‘my’ knowledge. When I think ‘I’ am superior, I never ask myself, “What if I am wrong?” or “What if I should not be heard because my heart is wrong?”

 

Superiority takes over and makes me not see JESUS in my life when I should. I may judge someone or label ‘that’ person incorrectly, never admitting that I am not GOD and cannot see what is in a person’s heart. Only GOD is wise. I am glad I am not superior and admit I need GOD.

 

• Are you trying to prove yourself to people?
• Do you feel inferior to some and superior to others?
• Will you drop your labels you place on others and look to GOD for HIS wisdom today?

Soul Matters

Mark 8: ³⁴ When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ³⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. ³⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? ³⁷ Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ³⁸ For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

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“What kind of job will I get?” was the only thing on my mind at the time. Seven jobs later I found myself with another question, “What is my purpose?”

• There were times when I thought life meant “How much money can I make?”
• There were times when I thought life was about the insurance carrier I could obtain.
• There were times when I thought life equated to houses, cars and gadgets.

“Now that’s living” were the words in my mind as I lusted after people with lavish lifestyles. BUT GOD broke things down differently.

• JESUS says to me “Take up your cross and follow me daily.”
• JESUS says to me “Your soul is more important to me than the lusts of this world.”
• JESUS says to me “Seek ME without being ashamed of me and I will remember you upon MY return.”

Telling a group that my life matters is noble, BUT GOD tells me “Souls Matter.” HE has a place made for me where the quality of life never diminishes. There is no anger, no guilt, and no shame. HE wants all souls which includes race, gender and other forms of discrimination. HE is excited when I follow HIM and wants others to do the same.

• Are you trying to gain more of the world?
• Do you feel bitter and rage when someone else gets ahead?
• Can you stop trying to become bigger in humans eyes and give your soul back to GOD who created you?

Breaking Barriers

Matthew 15: ²¹ Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

²³ Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

²⁵ The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

²⁶ He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

²⁷ “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

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Fear of another race came quite naturally for me. My neighborhood was full of people who looked like me and acted like me. Then high school came. I travelled out of my neighborhood to attend a school where the students were multi ethnic. All of my assumptions about “those” people were challenged.

• Fear of others who did not look like me was a barrier.
• Assumptions of others who did not look like me was a barrier.
• Wanting others to act like me was a barrier.

If I wanted “friends” I needed to change my thinking, quickly! How?

• GOD said to me “I came to save those who are lost.”
• GOD said to me “I came for all mankind.”
• GOD said to me “I came to show you how to love the world.”

JESUS could read the racial and gender barrier easily. HE could see into the hearts of those around the Canaanite woman and leveraged the situation to break down barriers with HIS words and actions. HE wants me to do the same. HE wants me to humbly serve those who do not look or act like me and serve those who do.

GOD wants me to take down barriers to HIM to enable many to follow HIS ways.

• Are you racially blind?
• Do you feel inferior or superior to another gender?
• Can you remove barriers to people coming to CHRIST today?