Overcoming Insecurity

From the life of Moses we learn that: When God calls us into his service, our insecurities rise to the surface. His insecurities almost prevented him from stepping into his God-given destiny (to deliver the nation of Israel from their slavery in Egypt). Here's a sampling of insecurities that rose to the surface when God called Moses into his service...

Insecurity #1: I'm afraid (Exodus 3:4-6).

Insecurity #2: I can't do that (Exodus 3:7-10).

Insecurity #3: I'm nobody (Exodus 3:11).

Insecurity #4: I don't have all the answers (Exodus 3:13)

Insecurity #5: I lack the ability (Exodus 3:18, Exodus 4:1)

I can sympathize with Moses! When God called me to start New Day my insecurities rose to the surface. When God called Kristin to home educate our children, her insecurities did the same. You see: When God calls us into his service, our insecurities rise to the surface. And if we're not careful our insecurities can prevent us from stepping into God's plans for our lives.

So how did Moses overcome his insecurities? God told Moses in Exodus 3:12, “...I will be with you...” and in Exodus 4:12, “...I will help you...” Once Moses took to heart these two truths, he was willing to step into his God-given destiny. And how Moses overcame his insecurities is exactly how you and I overcome ours. When we realize that God is with us and that God will help us, we'll find the courage to say "yes" to God's plans for our lives.

We don't have to let fear stop us. We don't have to be somebody to be used by God. God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. We don't have to have all the answers to begin. As we move in the direction God is leading, further revelation will be given as needed. We don't need to worry about lacking the abilities needed to get the job done. God equips the called; He doesn't call the equipped. All we need to overcome our insecurities and step into God's plans for our lives is to remember that God is with us and God will help us! 

Do We Really Have Free Will?

As we're studying through the life of Moses, let me address a passage of Scripture I've received a number of questions about over the years.

God said concerning Pharaoh in Exodus 4:21, "...I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go." This has understandably caused some to question whether or not we as humans really have free will. The line of reasoning goes like this: If God caused Pharaoh's heart to be hard, Pharaoh didn't really have a choice in the matter, did he? This leads some to conclude they don't really have a choice either. That being the case, they toss all moral caution to the wind, concluding: God made me this way. Why fight against God?

Not wanting anyone to believe they don't really have free will and not wanting anyone to believe God has made them stubbornly sinful, I write this blogpost.

When the Bible says that God hardened Pharaoh's heart, it's speaking of the effect God had on Pharaoh's heart, not that God forced Pharaoh to be stubbornly sinful.

We know this because of the following verses...

• Exodus 7:14 says "Pharaoh's heart is stubborn; he refuses to let the people go." 

• Exodus 8:15, "But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen..." 

You see, the problem resided in Pharaoh, not in God. It was his stubborn nature that caused his heart to harden, not our Heavenly Father. Let me illustrate what's happening here...

As the sun in the sky shines down upon wax, the wax melts. As the very same sun in the sky shines down on clay, the clay hardens. The sun doesn't determine what happens to the objects it shines upon. The nature of the object is the determining factor. The nature of Moses' heart was as wax. As God gave Moses his commands, Moses' heart melted in obedience. The nature of Pharaoh's heart was as clay. As God gave Pharaoh his commands, Pharaoh's heart hardened in disobedience. God didn't determine what happened to Moses or Pharaoh. The nature of each person was the determining factor.

God has indeed given us free will. We can choose to obey or disobey. We can choose to melt in obedience or harden in rebellion. The choice is ours. So when we stand before God on judgment day He won't accept "But You made me this way!" as a valid excuse. 

Key to Writing

This past weekend I was at a convention in Worcester, MA and one of the keynote speakers said something I found insightful and true: The key to writing is re-writing. 

The context of her speech had absolutely nothing to do with writing a sermon, but the statement is so applicable nonetheless. What's the key to writing a good sermon? The key to writing is re-writing. When I initially print out my message each Thursday it's nice and clean, but after reviewing my message over and over prior to Sunday, it eventually looks like this (see picture below).

Rewriting isn't necessarily about changing the content, just discovering a clearer and better way to communicate it. Here's (basically) how this looks for me...

• First draft includes the basic message, but lots of superfluous material 
• In the second draft I start seeing what parts I could eliminate 
• In the third draft I start seeing better ways to communicate the content that made the cut 
• In the fourth draft I'm reviewing the core essence of the message 

Note: I don't personally re-type my message. As I read it over and over I cross stuff out and make lots of notes. It's in that sense that I re-write. 

Whether you're writing a letter to the editor or a sermon, the key to writing is re-writing. Re-writing brings clarity and focus and increases the chances your audience will understand what is is you're trying to communicate. 

Called or Invited?

I think a very important question worth taking some time to answer is: As Christians, are we called by God to serve or invited? Let me explain...

If God invites us to serve then "yes" or "no" are equally acceptable answers. But if God calls us to serve, if it's more a command than an invitation, then a "yes" equals obedience and "no" disobedience. Since so many Christians show by their actions they believe we're invited and not called, I think it's worth the time to answer this question biblically.

Let's first look at the passage I was originally reading that made me ask the question we're now trying to answer. In Exodus 3:10 God says to Moses, "So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." Notice the command "...go." This is not a suggestion. There's only one answer here that is pleasing to God. A "yes" or "no" are not equally acceptable responses. God called Moses to serve. He didn't invite him.

As I thought about this Old Testament example and it's implications ("no" equals disobedience) I wondered what I might find in a New Testament example, and who better to look to than Jesus. In John 13:14-15 he said, "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." Notice again the command. This is not a suggestion. There's only one answer here that is pleasing to God. A "yes" or "no" are not equally acceptable responses. Jesus calls us to serve, making how we respond a matter of obedience or disobedience. A "yes" is not the same as a "no".

I read just this morning, "George Gallup once took a survey and discovered that only ten percent of American church members are active in any kind of personal ministry. He also discovered that 50 percent of all church members have no interest in serving in any ministry. No matter how much a church promotes involvement in lay ministry, half of its members will remain spectators." Clearly there is great confusion in the body of Christ over whether serving is a command or a suggestion!

Listen up New Day...I'm your pastor and I love you so I need to tell you the truth...The Bible teaches if you're not serving, you're sinning. To not serve is to ignore the example set for us in Scripture and disobey a direct command of Jesus. To summarize: Saints serve, sinners don't.

We are in the midst of our bi-annual ministry fair where we've been showcasing the various ministries of our church, the needs we have and how you can get involved. Let me ask you...Have you responded as if Jesus invites us to serve, or have you responded as if Jesus calls us to serve? 

If you'd like to sign up to serve online, just click here.