“‘Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt? And He said, ‘Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you.” Exodus 3:10-12
One of the warning signs of a self-made man with a self-destructive sense of direction is his overuse of the letter “I” to tell his story. Moses was a man with “I” trouble and in danger of missing God. When He heard God’s new direction for his life, he evaluated his prospects based upon his past experiences, not God’s personal Presence.
The wise man is a humble man who understands that his story is actually a part of HIS story. He obeys God and gives the glory to Him for any and everything he accomplishes, without taking credit for any of it.
Moses was a broken man, when God called him to the greatest mission of his life. He responded with a question for God, not immediate obedience to Him. He revealed a heart filled with the fear of man and the fear of failure, not the fear of God.
“Who am I?” ~ Moses
Moses had been looking down on himself without looking up to God. Intimidated by past failures, Moses lost sight of God in the present tense, and counted himself worthless in the future tense. Suffering from “I” trouble, Moses focused on how little he had to bring to the table, not on God’s Presence at the table.
Instead of contradicting Moses, or bucking up his spirits, God offered Moses His Presence. He told him, “I will be with you.” The Presence of God is always the remedy for “I” trouble.
When contemporary preaching focuses on building up the self-esteem of selfish children rather than focusing the eyes of people on God, it is time for vision correction. Vision will not be restored, by examining the lint in your own navel
NOTE TO SELF: Lift up your eyes, and focus on God.
When “I” dominates your praying it becomes prideful posturing. When it is used in your preaching, you become the subject of the message. “I” focuses the message on the messenger not The Master. When you insert “I” in your parenting, it invites the proverbial “Eye” roll of your children. Prayer practices The Presence of The Father in the name of Jesus. Believe it when He tells you, “I will be with you.”
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!