time in the desert.....is something burning?

MOSES. never gave him a second thought, just like many other bible characters i have heard stories about, sadly. a man who directly heard the voice of GOD and had a conversation about what GOD wanted him to do.

this guy has one relative story though. its kinda like a tree ring with him...and us.
tree rings-- what if the rings on trees that reveal the age were like events or stories that revealed us. if we cut ourselves down like a tree, right down the middle, how many rings do you think we would see? what do you think they would each reveal?

ya know when you hold a ball down under water for as long as you can then it pops up...sometimes life does that too often life does that.
-- exodus 2:11-15
-basically moses had seen one of the slaves being beaten and treated unfairly and he rose up with anger then killing the egyptian gaurd who was being unjust to the slave. the next day moses went back to find two Hebrew men fighting. he spoke to the man who started it: "why are you hitting your neighbor. the man shot back: "Who do you think you are, telling us what to do? Are you going to kill me the way you killed that Egyptian?" naturally moses freaked thinking word got out that he MURDERED a man so he ran.

sounds like me.,..messed so bad it was almost irreversable so instead if facing it, RUN.
which goes back with the whole ball under water thing- tryna hide it hold it in and then BAM its pops up in your face and everyone sees it.

then we get to the part of his life where he spent some time in the desert- YUCK right?....we all have been there before and hate it, but so many times we miss seeing it as the opportunity. time in the desert allows you to HEAR GOD. hmmm yeah hearing GOD...LISTENING. a lot more can happen: maturity - it broadens, deepens yourself.

oh but then there is the I HAVE BEEN IN THE DESERT FOR TOO LONG YOU DONT KNOW HOW LONG IVE BEEN HERE! i was positive or i tried hearing God. MOSES WAS 80 when he heard from GOD. E I G H T Y! in exodus 3 GOD appears to moses in a BURNING BUSH. the CREATOR talking to the creatED.

so finally he hears from God 80 years later...he hears WORD FOR WORD STEP 1 -293727 what ever of EXACTLY WHAT GOD WANTS and this dude comes back at God with excuse after excuse after excuse. they are all the same exact excuses and questions we come back at GOD with.

5 EXCUSES:
1. WHO AM I ?
2. WHO ARE YOU?
3. WHAT IF THEY DON'T LISTEN?
4. I'M NOT GOOD ENOUGH!
5. SURELY THERE IS SOMEONE ELSE? - FIND SOMEONE ELSE!

GOD'S RESPONSE
1. I WILL BE WITH YOU!
2. I AM THE GREAT I AM I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD!
3. I HAVE PROVISION YOU KNOW NOT OF!
4. I MADE YOU. I MADE ALL CREATION. I HAVE CALLED YOU BECAUSE I KNOW YOU CAPABLE!
5. I WILL NEVER ALLOW YOU TO GO THROUGH ANYTHING YOU CAN NOT HANDLE!

**MAYBE our bush has ben burning all along BUT you've been too busy to see or know it**

THINGS that COULD HAPPEN if we made NO EXCUSES and JUST WENT!
- emotional investment/attachment to the work you are called to do.
- GOD AFFIRMS you through OTHERS
- GOD GIVES you MENTORS thoughout the entire journey that will build you up, ENCOURAGING you.
- GOD BUILDS on your STRENGTHS, EXPERIENCES, and BACKGROUND.
- GOD instills a VALUE of HARDWORK in YOU!
- GOD PROVIDES an army for you (friends, family)


STILL COMING UP WITH EXCUSES? HEAR THIS:

the Old Testament is filled with people who made mistakes - CRAZY, SIMILAR, SHAMEFUL PASTS - and GOD USED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. THE MADE A DIFFERENCE FOR GOD DESPITE THEIR CHOICES BECAUSE GOD WANTED THEM!
-- eve, rahab, david, peter, jacob, thomas, jospeh, matthew, noah, leah, and LAZARUZ WHO WAS DEAD AND GOD STILL USED HIM.

G O D C A N U S E U S !

* NOW slow down, put ALL the excuses aside and l . i . s . t . e . n
when was the last time you looked in the mirror and said SHHHHHHH!