It's all in how you finish.

I'm continuing on the "what is your level of dedication" study. When we hear the name Moses we instantly think of parting of the red sea and the great feats that he accomplished. BUT. (There is always a but) His first response was not as bold as his end results. God calls to Moses and tells him that he is to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let his people go. They had been in slavery for a long time, what God was asking Moses to do was not easy. Don't you know that when God is trying to do something big through you it's going to be uncomfortable.

The response of Moses, at first, was excuse after excuse. 5 times Moses had an excuse. That's seriously an issue. How many times has God asked you to do something but you have approached him with an excuse. Look at his responses.

Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh ad bring the Israelite's out of Egypt?

Exodus 3:11

How often do we do this? Who do you think I am? It's funny that we ask God that because he created us. He knows when we sit and when we stand. Asking God who he thinks we are is kind of a slap in the face. We all have purposes for our lives. Don't think that you are not good enough to do something that God wants you to do. 

Suppose I go to the Israelite's and say to them, 'The God of your father has sent me, to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?'

Exodus 3:13

Honestly, that's just a huge excuse. The big "What if" excuse. It seems that all he is trying to do is find every way out he possibly can. I don't understand why we do this in our own life. Well, what if I hadn't taken that course, what if I didn't date that guy, what if I didn't do this or that. What if I don't go to college. What if I don't get married by the time I'm 23. You know, I sat up last night playing this game with my finances. We went to bed at 10 and I was up until 11 stressing, what if I pay this, what if I pay that? God reminded me that we aren't promised tomorrow so I should stop overly stressing myself out about it. If we live in the 'what if' to much we will miss our 'right now' moments.

What if they don't believe me or listen to me and say, 'the Lord didn't not appear to you."

Exodus 4:1

Again, a what if. If you are called to do something, no one will be able to alter that destiny. Other than yourself. You can't rely on other people to carry you while you are trying to accomplish things. Not everyone is supposed to take the journey with you. If someone doesn't believe you, then that person doesn't need to be part of the journey. It might just be one person going with you or just you. You do not need another person with you to complete you destiny. It wasn't designed for once you got married. It was designed for YOU and YOU alone. If God calls you, GO! 

O Lord, I have never been eloquent in the past nor since you have spoke to your servant. I am slow to speech and tongue.

Exodus 4:10

If you have a physical, mental, or emotional disability.... it's not an excuse. I've been watching the television show Born this Way. It's about a group of people who have Downs Syndrome and their lives. It is filled with them overcoming obstacles. One girl has her own business and wrote this life changing speech that she ended with Don't Limit Me. One guy decided that he wanted to learn how to ride a bike. Despite the fact that people with Downs have a hard time balancing, he did it. One wanted to be a rapper. He was in Hollywood performing. There are people all over the world that overcome physical disability over and over and over. Your excuse is invalid.

O Lord, please send someone else to do it.

Exodus 4:13

Moses was accepting defeat before he even started. Oh I can't do that God. Just send someone else to do it. You have to be careful with this because if He gives you something to do with your life and you don't do it, He will move to someone else. Don't give up so quickly. There is a reason God has called you. Moses was using so many excuses to keep himself from going back to Egypt. He knew them. He grew up with them. He knew their ways. He knew their habits. He knew how they punished people. He probably feared what they would do to him. 

Or maybe God calls you to go back for people who you used to know. If you used to be really mean to them, you may fear judgement. What matters is NOT what people think of you, but what God thinks of you. We spend way to much time using excuses and producing fears in our own mind. We have to know when we are called, we have a purpose.