I Quit Living In Fear

What fears did you have growing up?  It might have been a rational fear - or it might have been completely irrational.  I was afraid of thunderstorms.  I didn’t mind the thunder, noises can’t hurt you, but lightning can and I didn’t like lightning.  I was convinced that lightning was going to strike our house so my bed was along an inside wall growing up and if it was a particularly bad storm I might move to the end of the bed which was even farther from an outside wall.  

I also had this weird fear of drowning in the car if the car went over the railing on a bridge.  If I was sitting next to the door I would have my hand on the door handle so I could open the door as the car was going over so I would be able to escape into the water.  I have no idea if that would even work, but it made sense to me.  We lived between two major rivers in CT so we were often going over bridges and I remember trying to make sure I could sit on the outside of the back seat and not in the middle if we were going to go over a bridge. 

I know I have also shared that I have a fear of bats.  I don’t remember this at all growing up, I just remember being at the Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend IN and looking at a display in the nocturnal animal exhibit.  It was just a blank wall, but then I realized the wall was moving, and then I realized it was a wall of bats.  My skin went clammy and I started to back up and soon found myself outside of the exhibit.  I still don’t like bats.  

I read this week that we are born with only two fears.  Studies have shown that babies fear falling and they fear loud noises, which means that all other fears we have are learned.  So God is not the one who created us to be afraid of the dark, or bats, or lightning, or spiders, or snakes, or public speaking, or monsters under the bed and killers behind the shower curtain - those fears are not from God.  In fact, no fear is from God because the Bible says clearly God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  2 Timothy 1:7 (from Young’s Literal Translation - public domain)

In fact, not living in fear is so important to God that over 300 times in the Bible God tells us to Fear Not, or do not be afraid.  Living free of fear is important to God because fear limits our experience.  Fear keeps us from stepping out to pursue our goals and dreams, fear keeps us from being who God created us to be.  So to reach our full potential in life, in love, and in faith we need to wave the white flag and say, I Quit Living In Fear.  

While some fears can be comical to look at, there are 4 common fears that impact all of us.  They can consume our hearts and mind, and rob us of peace.  These are important fears for us to overcome.  

1. Fear of Loss.  For many of us, the fear of losing someone we love can consume us.  Whether it is our children, spouses, parents, or friends, the fear of losing those we love is powerful because the bonds of love and relationship are powerful.  We can’t imagine our lives without our family and friends in it so the fear of losing someone close to us can truly debilitate us.  It can bind us up inside and destroy any sense of peace or well-being.    

The fear of loss isn’t just connected to the death of those we love, however, there are many things we might fear losing.  With the economy right now, many people fear losing their job, or losing their financial security.  With covid, some people fear losing their health or going through an extended period of sickness.  Or how about losing control in any area of life.  Anyone experience that kind of fear?  When we begin to lose control at work, at home, or even physically, it is scary.  

2. Fear of Failure.  This isn’t just a fear we have when we are young and afraid of failing in school, or in sports. or in other activities.  This is a fear that can follow us throughout our lives.  Many people fear failing at work so they don’t take on new challenges or step out into new opportunities.  Many people live with the fear that one day everyone is going to realize that they're not as good at their job as everyone thinks they are and that they really are a failure in life.  Fear of failure is a big reason why more of us don’t follow our dreams or step out in some new way to serve God with our gifts.  We settle for less because we are too afraid to try and fail.  

3. Fear of Rejection.  This fear can keep people isolated and alone because we are afraid of being rejected by others.  It keeps us from developing supportive friendships, maybe dating or even getting married.  Even in marriage people can live in fear of saying or doing something that might cause their spouse to reject them.  If you are a people pleaser and always want everyone around you to like you, it could simply be a fear of rejection.    

The fear of rejection is one reason why social media can be so toxic.  We share images of ourselves that will get likes and positive comments because we are afraid of being rejected and ridiculed by others if we were to show our true selves.  We create pictures of our lives that we think people will like, and we wear masks to try to be people we are not because we don’t want to be rejected.  This is a real fear that is shaping our hearts and lives in many negative ways.

4. Fear of the Unknown.  OK, if none of the first three really spoke to you, the fear of the unknown impacts all of us.  Right now we are living with the fear of the unknown both with covid and with politics.  We don’t know what the future will bring with the virus.  Will we be able to plan anything for 2021?  Will we get sick?  Will our family get sick?  What if I do get the virus?  Will I recover? What if schools shut down again?  What will my business or my job look like if the impact of covid lingers for another 6 months?  Or 12 months?  

And politically we are being told right now by both the right and the left to fear the election.  No matter who wins, we are being told that the end of our nation will come.  If this is the most consequential election ever and if our freedom, or our constitution, or our economy, or our health care, or our planet all hang in the balance… no matter what happens there will be a lot of people afraid after the election, and until then, we are all afraid.  

All 4 of these fears have a common thread running through them, they all feed off the question, what if?  What if I lose my job?  What if someone I love dies?  What if I try something and fail?  What if I am rejected by people around me?  What if the virus doesn’t go away quickly?  What if the “other guy” wins?  All these “what if” questions feed our fear and while the fears are real and common, we need to remember that none of them are from God because, once again, God has not given us a spirit of fear.  

When we focus on the what if, we are giving room in our hearts for fear to reign, but what if we focused on a different question?  What if we spent our time focused on the question who is?

When I’m facing loss or failure or rejection or the unknown, who is still with me?  When I am afraid of losing my health or my job or my financial security, who is going to strengthen me?  When the election is over, who is still going to be ruling over this world?  The answer to all of those questions is God!  The question, who is? helps us focus on God and reminds us to place our faith and trust in God and not in the what ifs.  

So let’s quit living in fear and one specific action we can take is to sit down and Acknowledge the Fear.  What is the fear that is limiting us?  What is the fear that is consuming us?  Whatever it is, we need to name it.  If it is the fear of losing a loved one, or our job - we need to name it.  If it is the fear of failure and rejection at work or at school - we need to name it.  If the fear of the unknown is consuming us - we need to name it.  Acknowledge the fear and then in the midst of that fear Trust God.  

When I am afraid of being alone, I need to trust that God is with me.  When I am afraid of not being able to care for my family, I need to trust that God is going to provide for us.  When I am afraid of failing and looking foolish, I need to trust that God is for me and God is the one who will lead me in all of life.  

Acknowledge the fear and trust God , this is what David did to quit living in fear.  Before he became king, David was being pursued by just about everyone.  He was running for his life and often hiding in caves to stay alive.  He had a real fear of being captured and killed and in Psalm 56:1-4 David named his fear and then trusted God.  

Be merciful to me, my God, for my enemies are in hot pursuit;

all day long they press their attack.  

My adversaries pursue me all day long; 

in their pride many are attacking me.  

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.  

In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid.

David acknowledges his fear - all his enemies are pursuing him.  They are hunting him down on all sides and he is running for his life.  David acknowledged his fear and then in the midst of being afraid he intentionally told himself that he will trust God.  When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.  And it is that trust in the God who is with him and helping him and protecting him that removed the fear.  It can remove ours as well.  

One clear way we can turn and trust God is to Seek God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength.  Trusting God means leaning on his promises, which means first knowing those promises.  Trusting God comes when we seek God through his word, through worship, through intentional times of prayer, and even through service to God and others.  The only way to truly trust God is to seek God with all that we have and all that we are and lean into all that we find in Him.  

When we seek God, we will find that God has promised to always be with us, so no matter where the what if questions lead us, we can say, but God is with me, and if God is with me, what can stand against me.  When we seek God, we find that God has promised to provide and care for us, so when we fear loss or failure we can say, but God is going to provide all my needs according to his purpose and plan.  When we seek God, we will find that God is the creator of the ends of the earth, and that all days, past, present and future, are in God’s hands.  So when the fear of an uncertain future weighs heavy on our hearts, we can say, but God is sovereign and still sits on the throne.  

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, said, Whenever I feel fearful emotions overtaking me, I just close my eyes and thank God that He is still on the throne reigning over everything and I take comfort in His control over the affairs of my life.

When he felt fear creep in, Wesley sought God, he closed his eyes and could see that God is. God is still on the throne.  God is still in control and God is still with me and loves me.  It was this knowledge that gave John Wesley peace.  It was this practice of seeking God that allowed him to say, I have never known more than 15 minutes of anxiety or fear.  

When we are afraid - and fear will come - we can quit living in it and overcome it by acknowledging the fear and trusting God in it, and by seeking God until the fear is God.  Once again, this is what David tells us in Psalm 34:4, I sought the Lord, and he answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.  Seeking a deeper relationship with God helps us trust God more, and when we can trust God more we can quit living in fear.  

Fear is not from God.  God did not give us a spirit of fear but a spirit of power, and love, and of a sound mind.  God does not want us to live in fear and we can quit living this way if we will acknowledge our fear and trust God in it, and if we will seek God until all fear is gone.   

Next Steps

I Quit Living In Fear

What are some of the things you were afraid of growing up?  How have you overcome some of those fears?  What fears do you still have today?

Four Common fears we all face.

● Fear of Loss

● Fear of Failure

● Fear of Rejection

● Fear of the Unknown

n what ways do these fears impact your heart and life?

How do these fears lead you to ask “what if” questions?

Where are you asking those questions today?

How can, who is, begin to confront the what if’s?

To quit living in fear:

1. Acknowledge the fear and trust God.  

Read Psalm 56:1-4 and fill in this blank

I am afraid of ______________________________________

(Answer honestly and share with God in prayer)

2. Seek God until all fear is gone. 

Read Psalm 34:4

What ways are you currently seeking God?  

What new way can seek God this week?

For more study: look up some of the 300+ fear not passages found in the Bible.  Some suggestions: 

Joshua 1:9, Psalm 23, Psalm 27, Psalm 118:6, Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 43:1, John 14:27, 2 Timothy 1:7

I Quit Complaining

 

Ok, let’s be honest.  We all complain and there is a part of us that likes to complain.  Right now it is easy to complain about wearing masks, or other people not wearing masks.  It’s easy to complain about social distancing, or those people who do not honor social distancing and stand a little too close to us.  It’s easy to complain about not being able to do all those things we want to do but can’t because of covid 19, but if we weren’t complaining about covid 19 we would be complaining about something else.  

We complain about our jobs, our schools, and yes, at times, we even complain about our church.  We complain about the weather, the service we get in the store or online or in a restaurant, and we are quick to complain about other drivers.  People also complain about their spouses, their children, and at different times in our lives we all complain about our parents (sorry mom and dad).  And right now, it is very easy to get ramped up complaining about politics.  Whatever the other side is doing is wrong and can’t be tolerated and so we complain.  

Social media, and our ability to comment about everything we see or read online makes it easy to complain and be negative, so we might think that complaining is getting worse.  Whether it is or not, I don’t know, but I do know that complaining has been around forever.  The Bible is full of complainers, in fact, we can trace complaining all the way back to the Garden of Eden.  When God confronted Adam and Eve about eating from the tree of knowledge, the first thing Adam did was complain to God for giving him his wife in the first place.  The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”  Genesis 3:12

Complaining has truly been around forever, but the group of people known for complaining in the Bible were the people of Israel.  When the people were slaves in Egypt, they cried out to God to deliver them, and God did.  God miraculously set them free by parting the Red Sea and allowing all the people of Israel to cross over on dry ground and then closing in the water on their enemy. Just three days after this miraculous rescue, the people started to complain to Moses and God about not having water to drink.  Instead of trusting the God who just performed a miracle with water, to provide them with water, they just complain about it.  God heard their complaint and in His mercy, He gave them water.  

It wasn’t much longer, however, when the people started to complain again, this time about not having enough food.  In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”  Exodus 16:2-3 

The people had seen God rescue them, and provide water for them from a rock, but instead of trusting God and asking Him for food, they whined and complained and actually said that they would have been better off staying as slaves in Egypt.  God’s patience and grace was evident again and it was from this moment on that God provided the people with food.  Every morning, for the next 40 years, a type of bread appeared on the ground - it was called manna.  

But soon that wasn’t enough.  The people got tired of manna and complained again to Moses and God saying, If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”  Numbers 11:4-6

Once again, the people were not grateful for their freedom and all the ways God had provided for them on their journey, instead they complained because they wanted more.  While God was patient with His people, we need to understand that our complaining does impact our relationship with God.  Complaining offends the heart of God.  Numbers 11:1 says, Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. 

Our constant complaining offends the heart of God, and if you are a parent, I think you can understand why.  As a parent, it doesn’t seem to matter what you do for your children or how much you provide for them, they often complain because it is not enough or not what they want.  Has anyone ever heard their children ask, what’s for dinner and then immediately hear a complaint?  But I don’t like meatloaf.  I don’t want fish.  I don’t like brussel sprouts (and I don’t by the way).  As a parent you feel a little offended that all your hard work and care isn’t appreciated at all.  God feels the same.  Our complaining can offend the heart of God who, in love, has given us so much and yet at times it never seems to be enough for us, or we don’t think it is good enough.  

Complaining not only offends the heart of God it also carries consequences.  The more we complain, the more we will be surrounded by complainers, and have more to complain about. People who like to complain are good at finding other people who like to complain, and once they get together they find all kinds of new things to complain about.  Complaining feeds on itself and grows.  And those who constantly complain just aren’t fun to be around, so pleasant and kind people slowly keep their distance.  Constant complaining will lead you to be surrounded by other negative people who love to complain until that is all you hear.  It is a vicious, never ending cycle.  

So let’s get to the heart of the matter - why do we complain?  At the heart of complaining is us.  It’s pride.  It’s ego.  It’s the idea of entitlement that says we deserve to get what we want and when we want it.  It’s a self-centered attitude that makes us the main character in the story who everyone else is there to serve.  So when we don’t get what we want, and when we want it, our heart cries out with complaints.  

Complaining truly is a heart issue.  It happens when we put ourselves at the center of our lives, and as long as we are the center and we are the focus, we cannot be centered or focused on God.  In many ways, this was the original sin of Adam and Eve.  It wasn’t that they disobeyed God, it’s that they had a heart that said, I want what I want and I deserve to have it.  The more we complain, the more we are living for ourselves, and the less we are living for God and for others.  The more we complain, the farther we move from God, and the more we alienate those around us.  It is time for us to say I Quit Complaining.  

The Bible tells us clearly that this is what we should do. 

Do everything without grumbling or arguing.  Philippians 2:14.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  Ephesians 4:29,

Complaining is grumbling and arguing, and it is not helpful, it does not build others up, and it does not benefit those who listen.  I’m not talking about constructive criticism and helpful suggestions that, given with grace, can benefit people.  I’m talking about whining and complaining because things aren’t going our way and we aren’t getting what we want.  We need to quit complaining so that we can be more like Jesus.  

When Paul tells us not to complain, he gives us a clear and compelling reason why.  Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.  Philippians 2:14-15.

The reason we aren’t to complain is so that we can be blameless and pure children of God.  The reason we aren’t to complain is so that we can be more like Jesus and truly experience a deeper and more life-giving relationship with God.  

It’s interesting that Paul didn’t say that we shouldn’t lie, cheat, or steal to be more like Jesus.  He didn’t say we should give more money to the poor, pray more often, or read the Bible to be more like Jesus, he said specifically that we need to stop complaining.

When we complain we are only thinking about ourselves and to be like Jesus we have to stop thinking of ourselves and start thinking about God and others.  This is how Paul told us to live, Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.  Philippians 2:3-4.  

So we need to quit complaining, and while we can discipline our words and watch what we say (and we should), we need to take it one step further and reshape our heart.  Since complaining really is a heart issue, coming from a heart that is only focused on us, to really quit complaining we need to align our heart with the heart of God.  The single best thing we can do to reshape our heart and realign our attitude is to choose joy.  

No matter what might be going on in our lives, we can choose joy.  No matter what the day brings we need to find one thing to rejoice over.  Find one thing to give thanks for.  When Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians, things were not going well for him.  Paul had been arrested and he was sitting in prison in Rome.  Paul had everything in the world to complain about.  Paul knew that his death was coming soon - perhaps any day - and he could have complained about that, but instead of complaining he chose joy.  Even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.  So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.  Philippians 2:17-18

When Paul talks about being poured out as an offering, he is talking about his coming death and he said, even if I am going to die, I am going to be glad and rejoice.  Later Paul says, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Philippians 4:4.  

If Paul commands us to rejoice always, joy has to be a choice we can make regardless of the circumstances around us.  Joy can be an attitude of our heart at all times and the more we choose joy, the more our hearts will beat like the heart of God.  

It’s easy to complain about everything right now, but maybe right now is the time to wave the white flag and say I Quit Complaining.  Maybe today is the day to not only silence our words and watch what we say but to start reshaping our heart so our primary focus will always be to love God and live for him.  We need to quit complaining and start choosing joy.  Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again.  Rejoice.   

 

Next Steps

I Quit Complaining

For Personal Reflection:

● What are the things you complain about the most?

● What do you think causes you to complain?  

● How do these complaints reflect your heart?  

● What has complaining cost you in life?

Read about the complaining of Israel in Exodus 15:22-17:7.

● What did Israel complain about?

● Why do you think the people complained as much as they did?

● How did their complaining impact their relationship with God?

● How did their complaining lengthen their journey in the wilderness?

What are the consequences of complaining?  

Andy said: The more we complain, the more we will be surrounded by complainers, and the more we will find to complain about.

● How have you seen complaining feed on itself and grow?

● How does complaining impact your relationship with family?  Friends?  God?  

● What other consequences have you seen to complaining?  

This week, before you complain, try to speak a positive word first.  Ask God to guide your thoughts and words. 

To align your heart with the heart of God and quit complaining - Choose Joy.  

1. Each day this week find 3 things that bring you joy.  

2. Share these things with others to spread joy.  

3. Thank God for these 3 things - and more.

I Quit! Making Excuses

 

How many times during the past six months have you thought to yourself - I Quit.  Seriously, how many times have you just thought I’m done with all this?  I don’t want to zoom another meeting, I don’t want to figure out how far six feet is for social distancing, I’m tired of wearing a mask, I’m tired of all my plans having to be changed, I’m tired of hearing about politics, division, and all the problems of the world.  I Quit.  

I’ll be honest… I’ve thought about it a time or two (or 3 or 4).  Not that I want to quit being a pastor - or your pastor - I love what I do and I’m blessed by it every day, but I just want to quit the world and all that we are dealing with.  I want to quit and go live in the woods or on an island where there is no virus, no politics, no social media negativity, no constantly changing guidelines to try and live by to keep safe.  I just want to quit.  

Today we are beginning a series called I Quit and if you are thinking that I am going to give direction on how we can quit all that is going on around us, I have some really bad news for you - that’s not what we’re going to talk about at all.  That kind of quitting is the easy way and not God’s way.  What we want to talk about this month are the things we need to quit so that we can make it through this season of life with greater physical, emotional, and spiritual health, as well as a stronger and more dynamic faith.  We want to talk about how to quit making excuses, quit complaining, quit living in fear, and quit comparing ourselves with others.  We want to learn how to quit all these things so that we can start living the life God has for us. 

Today we are going to start waving the white flag and say, I Quit Making Excuses.  While January 1 is often the day we make resolutions to change how we live, the truth is that many of us want to make changes to our lives every day.  We want to get in shape, we want to get our debt under control, we want to have a better marriage, we want to be better parents, we want to do better in school, we want to grow deeper in our faith, we want to be a blessing to others… every day we can probably look at our lives and find something that we would like to change or improve and as soon as we identify what we want to change we find a dozen excuses why we can’t do it.  

I want to get in shape but I don’t have time, I’m too tired, and the last time I tried to diet and exercise it didn’t work so I’m not going to set myself up for failure yet again.

I want to get out of debt but it is just too overwhelming and I don’t even know where to start.

I want to have a better marriage but my spouse will never work with me.  I want to be a better parent but things are too stressful right now to even try and address the issues

I want to do better in school but I don’t learn well online.  I want to grow in my faith but there aren’t opportunities through the church right now.  I want to grow closer to God but my sin and problems are just too big to overcome.  I want to be more disciplined in life but I am too weak, too tired, and too overwhelmed.  

We can come up with 101 excuses for why now is not the time for us to change, improve, or grow deeper in our faith, but maybe what we need to tell ourselves is that now is exactly the time we need to quit making excuses and start trusting God.  

Jesus told a story about a man who gave a great dinner and invited many people to attend.  To be invited to a banquet or a wedding feast was a huge honor in Jesus’ day and yet people began to make excuses for why they would not come.  As soon as the invitation arrived one man said, I just bought a piece of land and I have to go and see it.  Another man said he just bought some oxen and he had to go try them out.  They turned down a great honor with a flimsy excuse.  How often do we turn down a great opportunity to grow into the person God wants us to be with a flimsy excuse?  

or us to truly quit making excuses we need to stop asking ourselves, What do I want to be different in my life?  And start asking ourselves What does God want to be different in my life? 

If we are focused on what we want and try to make changes in our strength, we will fail.  But if we can identify what God wants and begin to see that if God wants it then God will help us, then we begin to draw on God’s strength and that change of focus can make all the difference.  

In Jesus' parable, the invitation to the banquet was an invitation to experience something truly wonderful and we can look at it as the invitation given to us by God to step into the life that God has for us.  When we shift the focus away from what we want or need to change and start thinking about what God invites us to experience, the whole situation is different.  So for a few moments, I want to invite you to reflect on this question, 

What new life is God inviting you to step into?  

What does God want to be different in your life?  

Does God want you to experience patience?  Does God want you to bless more people?  Does God want to extend kindness through your words?  Pass on gentleness to your spouse?  Does God want you to experience the beauty of prayer and maybe prayer walk your block?  Or your place of work?  Does God want to deepen your faith by reading the Bible?  Serve in some capacity in the church or community so that you can be filled?  What is the invitation that God has extended to you recently that you have made some excuse to set aside or reject it.  

Again, what does God want to be different in your life?  Now ask yourself this question, Why does God want this to be different?  Why does God want your life to be different?  Why does God want you to be more generous or patient or kind?  Why does God want you to be more faithful in spiritual disciplines or service?  Why does God want you to be different and when you answer this question make sure you begin the answer with these words: So that I can…

God doesn’t want us to change because we are bad, God wants us to change so that I can experience more.  God might want us to get physically and emotionally healthy so that I can live and love longer.  God might want us to get out of debt so that I can experience freedom and be generous and bless others.  God might want us to do the prayer walk this week so that I can be blessed and be a blessing and God might want us to engage in more spiritual disciplines so that I can be more like Jesus.  When we answer the why question with the words, so that I can… we begin to see the better life God has for us and the world around us.  Many times our flimsy and lame excuses disappear in the light of God’s purpose, desire, and plan for our lives.  

This was exactly the situation with Moses.  Moses was called by God to lead the people of Israel out of slavery and bondage in Egypt.  This was Moses' invitation to the great banquet.  Think about it, Moses was being asked to be a leader that would set thousands of people free and yet as soon as the call or invitation was given, Moses found excuses to say no. He said, look God, I’m a nobody.  I don’t have the power to do this, no one is going to listen to me, and then he said this.  I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant.  I am slow of speech and tongue. Exodus 4:10

Now on the surface this might seem like a good excuse.  Moses was being asked to be a leader and his excuse was that he was not a good public speaker and communicator and this was probably needed if he was going to lead the people out of Egypt.  A good excuse right?  Well, listen to God’s response.  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.  Exodus 4:11-12

Moses' excuse was, I’m not a good speaker.  God’s reply was, I made your mouth.  I give you the ability to speak and I give people the ability to hear what it said.  Moses, if I want this done and I want to use you, there is no excuse you can give me that should hold you back.  In light of God’s purpose and God’s power and God’s plan there was no valid excuse that Moses could give.  IN light of God’s desire for our lives, in light of God’s purpose and plan for our lives there is no valid excuse we can give God so we need to quit making excuses.    

What God does with Moses shows us what we need to do when God wants to make some changes in our lives.  Instead of making an excuse to say no we need to go.  We need to take the next faithful step and allow God to work in us and through us.  We need to 

Go and do what I can do and then 

Trust God to do what I can not do.  

Moses had to go back to Egypt.  He had to go and see Pharaoh, and then he had to allow God to speak through him.  He had to go and do what he could do and then trust God to do all he could not do.  

When God wants to make a change in our lives, when we want to live into the fullness that God has for us, we have to stop saying no and simply go and do what we can do.  We need to take the next faithful step and allow God to do what we can not do.  If God is asking you to get out of debt - what is the next faithful step you can do.  Get help?  Cut up a credit card?  Talk to your bank or spouse or friend who can assist?  Go and do what you can do and trust God to do what you can’t do.  

If God is asking you to go deeper in your faith, to set spiritual disciplines, to become more like Jesus, go and do what you can do.  Set your alarm tomorrow 30 minutes earlier to give you time to read and pray.  Set aside 30 minutes in the evening to walk your neighborhood and pray.  If God is asking you to be a better spouse or parent, go and talk to your spouse or your kids.  Have that difficult conversation and allow God to speak in you and through you.  If God is inviting you to use your gifts to bless others, just identify one way you can do that this week and make the call to get involved.  

When we quit making excuses and start doing what we can do and trusting God to do what God can do - our lives will change and yes we will begin to experience the great feast that has been prepared for us.  So let’s quit making excuses and start living life to the fullest.  

Next Steps

I Quit - Making Excuses

What are the most common excuses you are making today?

Read Luke 14:15-24. 

● What were the people being offered?

● What excuses were they giving?

Read Exodus 3:1-4:17

● What was Moses being invited to do?

● What excuses did he offer to God?

● What was God’s response?

What does God want to change in your life?

What invitation to new life is God offering you today?

Why does God want to see this change?  

Begin your response with: So that I may…

What would change in your life if you stopped making excuses?  

What is holding you back from experiencing all God has for you?

To become the person God created you to be, what do you need to start doing?  What do you need to stop doing?  Where do you need to trust God?  

Ask God to help you:

● Quit making excuses.  

● Start doing what is necessary for change.  

● Commit to trusting God in all things.  

● Rely on God’s strength for new life.