Stop Making Excuses Series

Last week I said, that there are people who attend this church who are not living up to their potential. What I meant by that is everyone of us have gifts and talents but if we are not using them to build God’s kingdom they are wasting away.

Moses said to the LORD, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

Exodus 4:10 NIV

Moses wasn’t lying when he used this excuse. But I love the Lord’s reply to Moses.

11 The LORD said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

Exodus 4:11 NIV

When we are dealing with God the impossible becomes possible!

Our God is all powerful. There is nothing God cannot do and there is nothing God cannot use.

If God can use a burning bush or a donkey (Num. 22) then God can use you and me!

If God gives us a mission, and He has, then it can be done. All we have to do is use that which God has given us.

I cannot stress this enough, everyone has gifts and we are supposed to use them for the glory of God.

Excuse 5 Moses said, “But I don’t want to!”

But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” Exodus 4:13 NIV

When all is said and done any excuse is just a nice way of telling people no or is it?

Maybe an excuse is the way we deceive ourselves into not doing what we should do or a way to get us out of doing something we don’t want to do.

They are like the “get out of jail cards” on monopoly, a way to avoid something that might be unpleasant or might cost us some time or some money.

Moses was done with excuses and showed the real state of his heart. He would rather have God send someone else.

His problem wasn’t really a lack of ability; it was a lack of willingness.

Benjamin Franklin said, “It’s common for men to give pretended reasons instead of one real one.”

So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses.

God was not angry when Moses with Moses’ first but, nor was He angry with the second, third, or fourth but.

God was angry when Moses was just plain unwilling.

There may be a hundred understandable reasons why Moses was unwilling, some of them might even make a lot of sense.

Perhaps Moses really wanted to serve, but was unwilling because of past rejection. Nevertheless, the basic truth was that Moses was unwilling, not unable.

And it is not much different today.

Today it might cost us too much time or too much money or it might cost us in our reputation or it might cost us in our popularity.

This one is really simple, are we willing to serve the Lord or not? Are we willing to stop making excuses and do what He has called us to do?

God has given us everything we need to do everything He has called us to do. We are promised this by the words of Paul.