I want to encourage you to stop holding back on the purpose and call that God has spoken over your life. We all have one.

There aren’t special people that are called and others that are not. There are just people who choose to answer and others that choose not to.

Which are you?

For the longest, I held back, so I am not judging you if you find yourself in this place. I get it. What I am hoping to shine a light on is the reason why.

Why are you holding back?

When we look through Scripture there isn’t a better person to highlight this topic than uncle Mo’ (Moses).

Yes, I am aware that he isn’t technically our uncle, but I am also black and Mexican so everyone is an auntie or uncle once you come to know them long enough. (As Christians, we hear about Moses ALL the time so I thought he was worthy of the title.)

I truly believe that when looking at every excuse Moses gave God when He called him, if you find yourself holding back on stepping out on purpose, you will more than likely find yourself amongst at least one of these excuses.

Join me in the book of Exodus, chapter 3. (Okay let me give you the cliff notes version for the sake of time but I encourage you to go read Exodus for yourself of course)

So, God shows up to Moses in a burning bush and tells him that He has heard the cries of His people and He wants to deliver them from their slavery in Egypt. He tells Moses that He is sending him to Pharaoh to lead His people out of Egypt.

Excuse #1: I am not worthy. Who am I to do what God is calling me to do? 

“But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11)

See, God called Moses to be His vessel to go and set His people free but Moses hit God with an excuse, who am I that I should go?

In our lives, this may sound like this:

Who am I to start this youtube channel?
Who am I to start the blog?
Who am I to start the business?
Who am I to start the ministry?
Who am I to write the book?
Who am I to speak to them about Christ?

Does this sound familiar? The list is endless but you get the gist. Now check out God’s response to Moses and something we can stand on in our own journeys.

“But I will be with you…” (Exodus 3:12)

He will be with us in whatever He has called us to do. We must replace the excuses and lies with the TRUTH. We don’t go in our own strength, but we go with God, and if He is for us who can be against us?

Excuse #2: But what if I don’t have all the right answers?

“Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” (Exodus 3:13)

Like Moses, many of us get paralyzed because we feel like we need to know everything before stepping out in obedience. Be encouraged by how God responded to Moses when he found himself in this predicament.

God said to Moses, “I am who I am. ”And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14)

God will tell us what to say! God will inform us as we walk in obedience. If God has sent you, He will give you the wisdom, words, and answers to complete your assignment. You don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t have to know everything.

And guess what? God gets the most glory when we depend completely on Him!

Excuse #3: What if people don’t believe me or respond to me?

“Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.” (Exodus 4:1)

If we are honest, this is the biggest excuse we give ourselves and God when it comes to stepping out. We are worried that we will not be received or that people won’t believe in what we are doing. But can I tell you something? If God called you to it, there are people waiting to be set free through your obedience.

If you continue to read in the book of Exodus you will see that God asked Moses “what is in your hand”, Moses answered, “a staff” and God told him to throw it down; at that moment the staff became a serpent and when he picked it up again it became a staff again (Exodus 4:2-4)

And this is why:

“that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of. Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has appeared to you.”
(Exodus 4:5).

Friend, God will empower you!

People will see what He is doing through you and it will bare witness to the One who sent you. God used what was already in Moses’ hand to do something supernatural and He will do the same for you.

Listen, you don’t have to have it all together, know everything, or be super skilled and astute; You just need to be you. God called you as yourself and He plans to use you as yourself.

Can you get better at stuff, sure! But, God’s call on your life is not earned or attained through your own ability and strength alone. It’s through His’.

We are simply vessels.

It’s God that does the work, it’s our job to remain close to Him to receive direction and obey His instruction.

Imagine if Moses stayed stuck and abandoned his purpose. Imagine if he let those excuses paralyze him and hold him back.

There are people tied to our obedience. We simply can’t afford you not to be in your position and doing what God has called you to do.

Step out and trust God, even if you are scared. He is with you.