10When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”
11One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?”
14The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.”
15When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.
(Exodus 2:10 – 15)
20“At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child. For three months he was cared for in his father’s house. 21When he was placed outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. 22Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.
23“When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his fellow Israelites. 24He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. 25Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. 26The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?’
27“But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? 28Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons. (Acts 7:20-29)
“For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. (Habakkuk 2:3a)
Set Some Goals in 2006
Your life in 2006 is a gift from God. To believe otherwise is to sell your soul to a future of mediocrity. But unless you set some goals the chances of achieving all God has for you is zero. The reason we set goals is because we want more from life in our performance, health, and our walk with God. The great miracle of goal setting is that it delivers improvements every time, regardless of age, intelligence, gender, or spirituality.
You are hard-wired to seek tangible accomplishments. Every day you look for benchmarks that measure your efforts, drive, and investments. Unfortunately, scales, trophies, “to do lists,” and mirrors are pitiful measuring tools for identifying success. It is our efforts to achieve that keep us alive, cause our pulse to spike, introduces us to new dreams, and gives us hope when confidence is shot.
Mark my words, this year you will run and chase after something. An African proverb says:
“Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest lion or it will not survive. Every morning a lion wakes and it knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn’t matter if you are the lion or the gazelle, when the sun comes up, you better be running.”1
Get moving friend. You have a limited number days left before the year is out. Before you know it the tulips will be blooming, Labor Day will send vacationers scurrying to campgrounds, and the leaves will be turning colors. Don’t get left behind. Life is short; making goals extends your success. No matter your age or condition, there are unmet goals living within your soul. They are screaming to be released. The only person worth emulating is the “do or die” person. Goals and concentration are the keys to success. Start today. Set some goals that are personal, practical, possible, and provable. I’ll be the one cheering you on as you strive to accomplish your goals.
Is there any goal more important in 2006 than doing God’s will? I think not! Scripture is clear about God’s will in many places. The Christian life is about learning to get on the same page with God and do His will His way. The problem comes when we try to do God’s will our way.
Moses offers us a ready illustration of mistakes to avoid when doing God’s will. Let’s visit the Legend of Egypt, The Deliverer of the Israelites. Moses was the most humble man on the planet. What Jesus is to deliverance in the New Testament, Moses was to the hour of freedom for the Old Testament.
It is these elements of discovering God’s will that will help us understand what the Spirit of God was doing in the life of Moses, God’s man of deliverance.
Don’t Make These Mistakes
1. Doing God’s will includes using your giftings, but they are not all of the equation. (Exodus 2:11-12; Acts 7:23)
Moses is now 40 years old (Acts 7:23). His life can be broken into three sections:
1st 40 years - Moses thought he was a somebody
2nd 40 years - Moses realized he was a nobody.
3rd 40 years - Moses found out what God can do through a nobody.
It is about this time in his life that God was dealing with Moses’ heart in a special way. Moses had been placed in the finest of academic settings; he attended the “Oxford of the East.” It was here that he learned about various sciences, mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, and medicine. His education continued in theology, philosophy, and knowledge of law. Moses was a great student for the text says, “He was man of power in words and deeds.”
(Acts 7: 22b)
Moses would become one of the great leaders of Egypt. He would conquer Ethiopia, as Josephus identifies. He was a respected warrior and an unbelievable student. His first-hand experience was unprecedented by the time he reached forty. His education was only surpassed by his strength. He fought off Egyptians and crossed a desert and beat up on some Midian shepherds. With all his qualifications, no person was more prepared to do God’s will in His strength.
But to God, being sharp, strong, and qualified is not enough. Scripture is filled with many who possessed such qualities yet became casualties of their own genius: Samson, Solomon, etc. Write down this truth: The most competent and anointed life is no guarantee of success.
If you want to do God’s will in 2006, skills and qualifications are only part of the equation. God gives them to you and needs you to use them, but they are only a part of accomplishing His divine plan.
2. Knowing God’s timing is as important as doing God’s Will. (Exodus 2:12)
One thing is for certain - Moses sensed from God that somehow he was a part of His plan to deliver the people. The scripture says that Moses had decided to visit his brethren (Acts 7:23). This must be identified as a unique and special encounter, for Moses had grown up with and been around Israelites all of his life. At this time there were probably 2 million Hebrews living in Goshen. Moses could have seen a Hebrew any time he wanted.
This visit must be understood and given more weight than just a casual attempt on Moses part to “hang out” with some friends. This encounter had a God-given purpose attached to it. God was preparing Moses for the hour of deliverance by encouraging his relationships with the Hebrews. In Moses’ attempt to connect with his people, his natural leadership skills were activated and he found himself attempting to help them with their differences and conflicts.
“On the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, “Men, you are brethren, why do you injure one another?” (Acts 7:26)
Why was Moses sticking his nose in other people’s business? The previous verse gives us a glimpse:
“And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand”(Acts 7:25).
One fact is sure - Moses knew that God had destined him as the Hebrews’ leader before he ever fled Egypt. From Genesis to Revelation God’s word reminds us of those who made this painful mistake.
a. David loved God and worship. He in such hurry to get the ark home, he forgot to read the instructions. It cost the life of young Uzzah (2 Samuel 6).
b. Peter did it in the garden. Malchus was earless and Peter was speechless. It was the healing of the Savior that corrected the mistake (Mark 14:47).
c. Abraham couldn’t take it any longer. The promise of son, an aging wife. Certainly we’ve waited long enough. God must want us to help the matter along. A pregnant maidservant, a disgusted wife. Sarah had no place to turn (Genesis 16).
Do you like desert experiences? If not, be alert to timing in God’s will. These stories clearly show us that just because we know God’s will, we must still wait for God’s timing. We can really mess things up if we are impatient with God working His will in His timing.
3. Prayer is vital to accomplishing the will of God. (Acts 7:25)
What happens next is a complete shock to Moses. The Hebrews reject his leadership! They should have been grateful for his guidance and backed his leadership. Instead, Moses reaps a bountiful harvest of confusion and frustration by sowing seeds of his will into God’s plan. Perhaps Moses thought that some type of act of deliverance would show his loyalty and rally the people. What it produced was disgust and contempt. When Moses realized that killing the Egyptian was going to work against him, his hour of deliverance turned into fear (Exodus 2:14). It resulted in Moses becoming a fugitive; Pharaoh put a price on Moses’ head.
If you want to move from the life of the flesh to life in the Spirit, expect to cross some deserts.
It is clear in our text that Moses failed to look to God for direction:
“…he looked this way, he looked that way…” Exodus 2:12 (The Message), but he failed to look up!
If you want to discover God’s will for your life in 2006, prayer has to play a vital role in discerning God’s will. Commit to spending regular time with God in prayer. Get a prayer journal. Join a prayer group. Touching God through prayer will direct your steps in the New Year.
In summary, let me suggest a couple of applications of today’s message. Applying the truths of this message is more important anything:
God’s Will in 2006
1. Use your gifts for God.
2. Take responsibility for sin.
3. Accept that success is preceded by failure. Don’t give up; grow up.
(Sing, This Is My Desire, Michael W. Smith)
If it is your desire to honor God with all your heart, to do His will in 2006, sing this Michael W. Smith song with us.
“With everything I have within me, I give you praise. Lord, I give you my heart. I give you my soul. I live for you alone. Every breath that I take, every moment I’m awake, Lord, have your way in me.”
You are in my prayers as you seek God’s Will, God’s Way for 2006. Set some goals. The difference between dreams and goals is that paper never forgets. Write them down. Tell someone about your goals. Surrender them to God!
Summary Thoughts
1. Unless you set some goals the chances of achieving all God has for you is zero. The reason we set goals is because we want more from life in our performance, health, and our walk with God. The great miracle of goal setting is that it delivers improvements every time, regardless of age, intelligence, gender, or spirituality.
2. Set some goals that are personal, practical, possible, and provable.
3. If you want to move from the life of the FLESH to life in the SPIRIT, expect to cross some deserts.
Surprising Thoughts
1. Mark my words, this year you will run and chase after something. An African proverb says:
“Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest lion or it will not survive. Every morning a lion wakes and it knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn’t matter if you are the lion or the gazelle, when the sun comes up, you better be running.”1
2. Write down this truth: The most competent and anointed life is no guarantee of success.
3. It is clear in our text that Moses failed to look to God for direction:
“…he looked this way, he looked that way…” Exodus 2:12 (The Message), but he failed to look up!
End Notes
1. Marty Jerome. The Complete Runners Day-By-Day Log and Calendar Random House: New York, 2006, pg.
