I don’t want to do that. I’m afraid of what I don’t know. I might have to spend money on it. I don’t like the paperwork. I don’t know how. I don’t know why. I have no idea what to do.
I was the queen of excuses!
How many excuses have you tried out on God?
I refused to start my own business for years. I simply refused to think about it. Oh, it bounced through my head from time to time as a fleeting thought. Once or twice over the years I made a hit or miss effort at it. Eventually, I asked God how He planned to pay for something He wanted me doing. Within 2 weeks, I knew I had to start my own business.
What I did not tell you is that prior to that I had a real fear of paperwork.
God knew exactly how to handle that.
For years I had unexpected paperwork. One time I accidentally created so much record keeping for myself that I nearly cried when I found out after the fact what I had done. Eventually, I came to a point of acceptance. My fears subsided.
I still, to this day, don’t like paperwork!
It took me a long time to learn that sometimes we must do the things we don’t want to do before God will bless us in a way that He wants to bless us.
Consider Moses. God said to him:
Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
Exodus 3:10
Moses had a lot of excuses:
And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
Exodus 3:11
And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.
Exodus 4:1
And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
Exodus 4:10
God replied to each of his excuses. God’s reply to the last excuse:
And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.
Exodus 4:11-12
Moses still wanted more, and God told him to take his brother Aaron with him.
God will always provide when He tells you to do something even when it is something that you are not capable of doing on your own.
LIFE APPLICATION
Key Focal Verse:
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
2 Corinthians 3:5-6
Today’s challenge is to set aside any excuses you have been giving God, and ask Him what He wants you to do. Be prepared to step out in faith if He asks you to do something that you do not feel that you can do!