Stop Making Excuses Series

PRAY

Lord God and Father,

open our eyes so we can see Your truth.

Open our ears so w can hear Your voice.

Open our mind so we can understand Your Word.

And open our heart so we may receive all that You want me to receive. AMEN

For the past two weeks, I have been speaking to you about being impact minded.

Remember, to impact something means to have an effect or to make an impression that would cause a change upon something. That change could be something that is positive or it could be something that is negative.

We have talked about the importance to multiply. We have talked about multiplication being more than making new Christians, it also includes discipling them as well.

Last week we discussed the need to be the salt and the light to the world. In being the salt and the light, I gave you five areas in which the church needs to focus on.

We need to focus on investing and inviting.

We need to focus on the Word of God and prayer.

We need to focus on meaningful relationships.

We need to focus on serving others.

We need to focus on praise and worship.

The fact is, PFC can make an impact in the Bismarck, Mandan, and Lincoln areas.

PFC can do the impossible in 2013, whatever that may be.

If we are focusing on these five ministry areas and if we are following the will of God, and if our eyes are on Him, we can be excited about what God is doing and what He is going to do.

If we are going to make an impact upon this area, in our neighborhoods, work places, and schools then we are going to need to buckle down and do it.

I say that because it is going to take commitment, dedication, sacrifice, and tenacity to get it done. It means that we are going to have to stop making excuses.

It seems all of us have all kinds of strong excuses not to do the things we ought to be doing.

Simply, the truth of the matter is... we all have Big Buts that get in the way of us consistently living a life that is sold-out for Jesus.

I know Joseph used this video a few months ago, but I am going to use it again.

I think you will all agree that it's time to "shrink the but" and start accomplishing great things for the Kingdom of God and for His glory.

SHOW VIDEO (Big But)

So basically today we are going to be talking about managing the buts so we can make an impact where we are.

If there was any one person in the Bible who came up with excuses not to do what God had called them to do it would have to be Moses.

He was saved from being killed as a toddler, raised in Pharaoh’s house, committed murder, ran away from Egypt, got married, had a family and then God called him to go back to Egypt to save the Israelites from slavery.

As many of us do, Moses had many excuses that he gave to God as to why he could not fulfill his calling to rescue the Israelites from slavery.

To be exact, Moses had five excuses that he used to not do what he was called to do.

Excuse 1 Moses said, “But I am not qualified.”

Moses is meeting with God at the burning bush and He tells Moses to go, God is sending him to bring the Israelites out of bondage.

Listen to Moses’ answer, But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:11 NIV

This was no small task that God was asking Moses to do. He was asking Him to go back to Egypt, a place that Moses had not been for 40 years.

Moses didn’t feel he was qualified to do what God had called him to do. All Moses could see was his own unworthiness.

To God there is no good excuse for not fulfilling the call that God has put on our lives.

When God calls us we can say, “I’m not ready; I’m not worthy; I can’t do it, and so on. But listen, not of the excuses matter to God. When He gives us a calling in our lives, He already has a plan for us to fulfill that calling.

The only thing that holds us back is us.

Moses’ response to God was “Who am I?”

Who am I is about the worst excuse anyone could give to God.

Why? Because it is never I that will fulfill the calling. It is God.

God is calling us to make an impact and God is going to provide the means to fulfill that calling.