God Prepares Moses

Conrad Hilario

Exodus 4:29-7:6

In the process of preparing Moses for the great he would eventually do, God had to teach him some lessons on failure. Moses needed to learn to not be careless with the words of God, to say exactly what God said. Moses needed to learn to follow God despite rejection, whether from Pharaoh or his own people. Moses learned that fear of failure is opposed to faith, but he can go to God when he does fail. Moses discovered El Shaddai is the God who is sufficient for our personal inadequacies.

The God Who Uses Our Failures

James Rochford

Exodus 4:21-7:6

We often think like Moses did that God's ability to use us in His plans is limited by our shortcomings, but God doesn't need us or our pitiful capabilities to accomplish His work. Moses learned through failure that he must follow God before he can teach others how to follow God. Moses learned not to improve upon God's words. He learned to to follow God despite rejection by Pharaoh and even his own people. Moses learned to follow God in spite of all his problems and limitations.

The Plagues

Dennis McCallum

Exodus 7-10

The series of plagues that God inflicted upon Pharaoh and his people were designed to demonstrate how impotent the Egyptian gods were and how powerful the true God is. Each of the plagues was designed to expose the worthlessness of a particular Egyptian god, culminating in Pharaoh, a self-proclaimed god, unable to save his first-born son from death. This demonstration of God's power was part of a bigger plan of rescue.

The God Who Chooses Failures

James Rochford

Exodus 2:11-4:20

The story of God calling Moses from the burning bush teaches us that God doesn't choose people based on their abilities and in fact He chooses people who are failures by the world's standards. In spite of all of Moses' doubts, fears, past failures and present shortcomings, God had a plan for Moses that was not hindered by his issues. At eighty years of age, Moses' story wasn't over yet, and neither is yours!

Who Built the Wall?

Patrice McCormac

Nehemiah 3

Nehemiah, who led the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, took pains to list the names of ordinary people who worked side by side each other to repair the ruined walls in a record 52 days. This illustrates three spiritual principles. One, God often works through ordinary people doing ordinary tasks, two, they are dependent upon each other, and three, together they can accomplish something extraordinary.

Leadership Lessons from King Saul

Scott Risley

1 Samuel 9-15

In the Bible's account of King Saul, we see a negative example of a leader, as he exhibits qualities that undermine his ability to lead and to serve as God's representative. As God tries to work with him and develop him, God shows that he is trying to teach him 3 important concepts: ?I love you;? ?these people are mine;? and ?listen to me, and I will supply all your needs.? If we cling to these truths as we try to lead for God, we will enjoy God's leadership and shepherding, much as we see in the positive example of King David.\r\n

Choosing Who You Fear

Mike Sullivan

1 Peter 3:13-22

All people will suffer in this world, but Christians are called to endure suffer, even for doing what is right. We can choose to be fearful of the things of this world or we can trust in Jesus and remember , even when things look bad, God is still in control.

Can We Really Find Freedom from Fear?

James Rochford

2 Timothy 1:1-7

The key to gaining freedom from fear is to get the focus off of oneself and onto others. We need a transcendent anchor for our soul in order to do this. We need security, affirmation and love from outside of ourselves. We need Jesus Christ!

Responding to Our Fears

Gary DeLashmutt

2 Chronicles 20:1-27

When King Jehoshaphat heard a great multitude was bearing down on Judah, His first response was fear but his second response was to turn to the Lord in prayer. His prayer focused on God's sovereignty and faithfulness. He acknowledged their utter helplessness and awaited God's direction. God responded with fortification and direction. Jehoshaphat responded in obedience to God's direction even though it it was a very scary step of faith. God spectacularly delivered them from their fears by defeating the armies arrayed against them as all of Judah stood by and watched.