One of the most common excuses that people seem to give for not doing something great for God (or at least trying something great) is that they don’t have BLANK, but if and when they get BLANK then they will do what God wants them to do.
However, if we are not faithful with what we have NOW then how in the world is He supposed to trust us with what He wants NEXT?
“But Perry,” you say, “I don’t have anything to offer. Our church doesn’t have what other churches have.”
I say bull!
This thought occurred to me the other day when I was reading through the book of Exodus and read through the exchange between God and Moses. God told Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the people of Israel go.
Moses freaked out, and understandably so…this was a BIG DEAL! How in the world could Moses do this? He had been on the backside of the desert for 40 years! He had actually murdered a man the last time he was in Egypt. He had never led anything other than a flock of sheep! This thing was way larger than anything he had ever participated in.
And so finally he asks God in Exodus 4:1 something like, “OK God, what if these people don’t believe me. After all, this whole burning bush thing is over the top…but I left my Iphone back at the house and cannot put this experience on instagram so that the people will see how incredible it is. They are not going to believe me!”
The Lord simply replied in Exodus 4:2, ”...what is that in your hand?”
Moses told him it was a staff (like God didn’t know) and then God proceeded to use the staff that Moses had in his hand to bring about an incredible miracle (you can read this for yourself in Exodus 4:1-8!)
The object of the miracle wasn’t something that Moses had to go out and find…he already had it in his hand. (Just like in John 2 where Jesus turned the water into wine the water jars that were used in the miraculous transformation were already in the house!!!)
And then just the other day I saw this Scripture in Exodus 23:15, ”...no one is to appear before me empty handed.”
Why in the world would God command people to not appear before Him empty handed if they needed something else with which to worship Him more effectively?
What I’m saying is that you already have in your hand what you need to take your next step in your walk with Christ.
Some are saying, “I don’t see how He can use what I feel like I have.”
I promise you…He can.
- Do you have confusion? He can use it to clarify truth about Himself and cause you to love Him more deeply.
- Do you have a shady past? He can use it to reach others who are currently in the same situation but feel as if there is no way they could ever get free of what they struggle with.
- Do you have pain? He can take pain and turn it into progress; in fact, He is the only one I know who can!
- Do you have just a few dollars to your name? He can take just a little and turn it into a whole bunch (remember the loaves and fish.)
- Do you have bitterness towards someone? He can take it, heal it and then use your situation to tell others that they can be free from the prison that unforgiveness puts us in.
- Do you have a special talent or ability? He can use it…and He knows how it needs to be used best because He loved you enough to give it to you in the first place.
He has blessed us all with the ability to do way more than we ever thought or imagined we could accomplish, but that process begins today, with what we have and with who we are. We just need to stop asking Him for the next best thing and start thanking Him for what we have in our hands! (AND…if we don’t know what it is that we have, then we should ask! James 1:5)