Promise 16 from Exodus 4:21a

Ex. 4:21a. - "The Lord said to Moses, 'When you go back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power [hands]'." the Lord is telling Moses "to use ALL that I have given you." I don't know about you, but I certainly am guilty of not checking my inventory list very often. What's the first sound that comes from people's mouths when you ask them what their gifts are? They say, "um...". God has given us and empowered us with so much stuff [Jn. 14:12]. I'm not talking just the gifts of teaching, preaching or hosting, I'm talking gifts of healing, of raising the dead, of speaking life into someone, declaring breakthroughs in people's lives, casting out demons, those types of things. He has put power in our hands, its the power of the Holy Spirit. These aren't gifts that are meant to lie dormant inside us, We need to be pulling out the power of God's love, His compassion and grace and all the other stuff mentioned already, and use them. Its for His glory, its to direct people's attention to Him.

Promise 15 from Exodus 4:16

Ex. 4:16 - "Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him." - God, himself, tells Moses that he will be as God to Aaron. It's one thing to "set a godly" example for others, as most of us has been taught in church, but to be "as God", with God's permission, is entirely different. This is a "live out Christ in you" proclamation from God even before Jesus came on the scene. God is totally giving us the first model of discipleship. Our disciples speak to others what we have taught them as God teaches us. Why do we make it so complicated? I think its because, for the most part, we don't take the time to sit, resting in God's presence enough to know how to be as God, so that we can be as Him to others. We strive to figure Him out on our own by reading, researching what others have said about Him and by watching what He does in other people's lives. The only way we can be as God to others is to "ask Him" what He is like, to encounter Him for ourselves and reveal Himself to us, through us. Then we can see if all the other stuff confirms His character as "you" know it. God longs to reveal Himself to us, so take the first step today. Stop and sit in His presence.

Promise 14 from Exodus 4:15

Ex. 4:15 - "You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I, even I, will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do.'" In the last verse we looked at God promises to each us what to say. In this verse He promises to teach us what to do. Again, God promises to be with Moses' mouth and then Aaron's too. There is such an intimacy of engagement here. You have to be quite close to someone to "be with their mouth." God, the One who loves His people told Moses that He personally will be with his mouth. He personally will be with him and be his private Tutor who will tell him what to do. God longs for that same relationship with us; to be with us and to teach us, but in order for Moses to be able to learn from God, he needs to listen to Him. He needs to listen for that instruction first before he can speak and do. In order to receive this promise from the Lord, we need to stop and listen, let Him get close to our mouths and allow Him to tell us what we should do.

Promise 13 from Exodus 4:11a-12

Ex. 4:11a-12 - "The Lord said to him, 'Who has made man's mouth?... Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.'" Lately (written Nov. 11) I've found myself having difficulties finding words that I want to say, especially while I'm on my clinical practical placement. When I have to verbalise the clinical reasoning for the choices I make, often times I feel daft when I can't express myself the way I want to. I'm sure this is what Moses felt; that he would appear daft because of his poor expressive skills. It's easy to be fearful at times when we need to present ourselves to people as a professional. I accept this promise, straight from God, for myself that He will teach me what I am to say. Because He is teaching me, as opposed to speaking for me, then what He gives me I can continue to use in each occasion where I find myself anxious about speaking. Thank you Lord!

Promise 12 from Exodus 4:8

Ex. 4:8 - "If they will not believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe the witness of the last sign." There is something very prophetic in this verse, even though this falls in the middle of God's conversation with Moses about the two signs; "staff to snake and back," and "one moment leprous hand the next moment back to normal." God is talking about the belief of His people, "If they don't get it the first time, maybe by the last sign they will believe." When Jesus walked on the earth, He performed many signs and wonders, many of the Israelites still did not believe that He is the Messiah, not after the first sign "When the dove descends on Him and God proclaims and introduces His son," not after all the other signs of healing people and casting out demons and not even after the last sign, when He ascended into heaven. The message for us here is "Don't give up trying." Jesus didn't give up His ministry and doing miracles when the people still didn't believe, the Holy Spirit gives us the power too to perform signs and wonders, through Him. "Jesus said, you will do what I do and even more because I will be with my Father in heaven." Jn. 14:12, and even though people may not believe after the first sign or even the second, we must continue to press in and believe that God will grab hold of His people as He empowers us to do His work. We need to hang onto the "maybe"; "If they don't believe you after the first sign then just maybe they will believe you after the second."

Promise 11 from Exodus 4:1,5

Ex. 4:1,5 - "Then Moses said, 'What if they will not believe me?...' but the Lord said to Moses.... that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Israel, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you'." Moses was fearful, and rightly so because the last time he saw his kinsmen in Egypt they wanted to kill him. His question to God revealed his fear. "What if they don't believe Me?" Our concern shouldn't be, "What if people don't believe US, but what if they don't believe God?" I'm not so sure that God's illustration of the staff turning to a snake and back again, and Moses' hand turning leprous and healed again was just equipping information for Moses, but I think it was God testing Moses to see if Moses believed Him and believe He will do what He said He will do. If Moses couldn't trust in God's word then how could he persuade the Israelites to trust in it? Likewise, if we can't trust that God is good for His word and we are more fearful that man wont believe us, then how can we possibly convince others that God's word is true and that He will fulfil His promises? Our faith in God frees us to go in confidence into "all the world" sharing with others what God has shared with us.

Promise 10 from Exodus 3:20-21

Ex. 3:20-21 - "So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it...; I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty handed." These verses are very specific to the events that will take place in Egypt, yet we can take some promises for ourselves from these, because they reveal the very heart and power of God. God can and will "strike" or amaze a place with His miracles. Look how full towns and cities were upturned when they saw the miracles through Jesus and the disciples. The same can and does happen today! He can and will grant His people, us, favor in the eyes of those to whom we are sent. We will go to them with hands full and leave full..... full of blessings. That is God's character and His power that is available to us just as it was made available to Moses and to many others. We don't need to be shy about going forward to set people free, God goes before us and He performs His miracles through us in the places where He calls us to. Thank you Lord!