Get out of the desert

Moses!! What a basket case! Okay seriously, what an amazing story to read in the scriptures. The parting of the Red Sea aside, God did some incredible things through him. Leading the people through the desert, the Ten Commandments, the list goes on forever. But that's the end of the story, the beginning isn't so wonderful.

In the middle verses of Exodus Chapter 2 we see Moses all grown up and the scripture says he was watching over his people the Israelites. He catches sight of an Egyptian abusing a Hebrew. He gets really angry and intervenes, unfortunately killing the Egyptian. The next day Moses sees two Hebrews fighting amongst themselves. He tries to stop them and finds out that what he did is public knowledge, so he flees to the land of Midian.

Moses spends 20 years there in Midian. He gets married, has kids and lives a normal life. One day something unexpected happens. He is tending his flock beside the Mountain of God he sees a bush that has caught fire. Now for Moses seeing a bush aflame in the middle of the desert probably was a normal thing. I mean....it's the desert...it's hot...really hot....like things spontaneously catch on fire hot. But this bush wasn't being consumed by the fire, that wasn't normal. Then Moses hears a voice that changes his life forever, the voice of God. The LORD tells Moses that He has seen the suffering of His people and Moses was the guy to go into Egypt and free them.

Now notice Moses' response when God tells him his mission. It's the classic, "Here I am LORD, send someone else!" So my question is, why did God choose Moses if he didn't want to go? Moses makes every excuse in the book and still God tells him to go.

Why?!? Why didn't God pick someone else, someone who wanted to go? Someone who would say "You got it LORD whatever you say I will do!!" What is God doing here? Look back at the beginning of the story, what was the whole reason that Moses was in the desert tending sheep in the first place?

He killed an Egyptian.

But why did he kill the Egyptian?

His passion drove him to do it.

What do I mean?

As I pointed out earlier, scripture says that Moses went out and watched his own people at their labor. Moses knew he was not Egyptian; he was a Hebrew so he would watch his people as they worked. It must have torn him up inside to see the affliction they were going through. So much so that when he saw the slave master singling out the Hebrew and beating him, Moses just snapped. That is why God chose him.

Moses used every excuse in the book but in the end God knew that Moses had a burning passion to see his people liberated and that qualified him to be God's man in Egypt.

So the question now is, what are you passionate about? More importantly have you been making excuses why God can't use you in this area? When I was a senior in High School I wanted to be in Youth Ministry but after I found out how much Youth Ministry pays, I got scared and selfish. I made every excuse why I shouldn't do it but in then God knew I have a passion to see young people come to a relationship with Christ and Here I am!! I cannot get away from it and neither can you.

God wants to use you but He's not going to force you. God is the perfect gentleman, He will wait on you. He accommodated all of Moses excuses until he was satisfied and gave in, God did not force him. He put a passion in you to use for His glory and the advancement of His kingdom. Get out of the desert and let God use you and the passion He put inside you. Stop being like Moses in the early years and be like Moses in the later years. Whatever fires you up God put that in you and until you let Him utilize and unleash it for His glory you won't be satisfied, believe me I am speaking for experience. No matter what I did it wasn't good enough. Only when I finally gave into God's calling and started a Youth Bible study which lead to a job as a Youth Pastor was God able to make use of my passion. Through that He has shown me other areas that I'm passionate about and directed me into them.

I'm not saying the work of God won't get done without you, God doesn't have to us but he wants to. I'm saying the work God wants to do in you won't happen until you get out of your own way.

So......what are you passionate about? Don't hold it back, don't make excuses. Let God send you into Egypt, let Him use you and your passion. He will do amazing things in and through you.

May our LORD be with you!