The Moses Before

Posted on: 2022.11.28 

Written by: Thomas Kilian, Program Manager & Chaplain

Regardless of age, we all find ourselves in familiar feelings. We have doubts, insecurities, confusion in life, and worries that we face daily. We try to be relatable to our peers while trying to display our true selves in Christ. Often this struggle is more of a war than we care to admit. Looking at Moses' life during his challenging times is encouraging.

Envision the great leader of Israel, Moses. He is strong, bold, and fearless. The Moses we often think of is the opposite of "the Moses" at the start of God's story. Unlike the many "gods" he knew of in Egypt, Moses first encountered the One True God as a real being. 

Moses' conversation with God in Exodus 3 reveals his deep insecurities:

1. "Who am I?"
2. "Who is God?"
3. "What if they do not accept me?"
4. "I have never been a good speaker."
5. "I am not good enough."

God's Response:

1. "You are mine; I am with you."
2. "I am your everything."
3. "I am all that you need."
4. "Who gave you your mouth? It is I." 
5. "I will provide."

Put on Moses' shoes. Can you relate? The God we serve today is the same God of Moses' time. God's response is the same too. When we rely on God's grace and power, we realize that we do not have to be perfect to be loved and used by God. We need to take one step at a time without worrying about the next. 

"Trust" is what Christ wants us to have in Him. If we do not trust Him, we cannot be used by Him. God does not need us, but He chooses to use us. 

Moses turned into a great leader, and so can you.

 Main thought: "Spiritual leadership is God-appointed, not self-assumed."

Let me suggest three of the most common mistakes among us who are candidates for God's leadership:

1. We Run Before We Are Sent. A younger, more confident, more headstrong Moses had done that forty years before his "God encounter" at the burning bush. It was when he tried to free an enslaved Israelite from a heartless slave driver. Intensity (our self-motivated strength) caused this problem in the early life of Moses. "Intensity" (also known as unrestrained passion) causes us to run before we are sent.
2. We Retreat After We Have Failed. Having "ran" before being "sent," we hide in the wilderness in shame. Insecurity prompts this problem; we cannot stand the thought of failure, and our service to others begins to fade out. "Insecurity" causes us to retreat when we have not met our standards. And that brings us to a third mistake... 
3. We Rest When We Are Called. The feeling of "inferiority" keeps us from being available and vulnerable for God's use. Idleness is the "discipline" (or lack thereof) of those who work in Satan's workshop. Adam, our forefather, committed this sin when he allowed his wife to pick from the very tree commanded God instructed him not to eat of. Instead of providing loving instruction to his wife, Adam was idle. It is important that once we have been set apart by God and His Church as Christian leaders, we carry out thoroughly the instructions given to us without holding back.

- AMEN