PART 24 I AM AN OVERCOMER

Why Should We Declare God’s Word Before Others?

24 

Speaking God’s Word Before Others

 

Is God wanting to use you in some capacity, but a shortcoming from your former unconverted life is preventing you from going forward in His plan?

And so it was with me. After responding to the gospel of Christ, I began attending a non-denominational, Spirit-filled church. I couldn’t get enough of worship, Bible study, soul witnessing, etc. After a year, the head pastor started searching for a facility to purchase that had a place for assembling to worship and rooms for rent for those believers who desired to live there. Eventually, a property that contained two houses, being formerly owned by the Catholic church for use by nuns, became available.

In the meantime, I was working at a factory making valves for the Alaska Pipeline. During one of the worship services, he approached me and asked if I’d consider going on staff as an outreach coordinator if the bank approved the purchase of the real estate. To which I replied, yes. The transaction was made official; I quit my job and accepted a position of which I knew nothing about.

    

Over time, it was made clear to me that the designation had many responsibilities:

�-�Visit new attendees

�-�Coordinate implementing accredited Bible classes from an affiliated college

�-�Work with the newly hired assistant pastor

�-�Sit up front on a staging area next to leadership during worship services

When I heard the last condition, something welled inside of me. Any idea what I’m talking about? Here’s an article highlighting what I was going through at that moment.

 

THE CRIPPLING EFFECTS OF FEAR

One of the greatest hindrances to advancement and progress is fear. It will stop you from walking into greater things and will paralyze those who want to try something new or better.

Many nations are ruled [by] fear. The rulers set up systems to intimidate the people and manipulate them into going the route the rulers [choose for them - not necessarily a path that the people desired] to walk. Communism is the most obvious example that would come to mind. However, it is not the only system where this takes place; it also happens within a democracy. Freedom of speech, for example, seems quite [democratic] but can also be enforced to intimidate and shut down another’s viewpoint or expression.

Fear is the biggest enemy [of our faith, as it diminishes our] trust in God. It hinders us from stepping out into the [deep] and causes us to focus on the giants or obstacles standing before [us] rather than allowing us to focus on the God who has the [solutions] and who can change any situation in an instant.

 

Facing doubt

Fear always brings [doubt and unbelief] and prevents us from seeing the manifestation of our goals. For example, many times, people have dreams that are so big it looks impossible. But the most important thing is to take that first step towards [realizing] them. Fear will show you every possible obstacle and tell you how illogical, [ridiculous,] or even how stupid and unattainable your visions are and always shows you the easy way out. Fear will show you all your limitations - age, height, size, academic qualifications (or lack thereof) and tends to show you a false picture of yourself. It shows [you as] a grasshopper, while it displays your enemies or competitors as giants that you cannot conquer.

Fear distorts your vision and always tells [you] you are not good enough! Fear robs you of your inheritance and hinders you from taking your rightful place in society. Through fear comes failure, discouragement, negative thinking, complaining, debt, [and] death, and it causes you to disobey the voice of God. There are many people in the different facets of our society that can make positive, significant change(s). They also know and see a [lot] but they go silent because of fear.

Some say, ‘If I tell the truth, I am going to lose my job!’ Fear causes you to give your enemies too much credit. Fear causes you to discern matters incorrectly and overshadows positive reports with negativity, [discouragement,] and doubt.

 

... Fight fear with faith

However, the opposite of fear - which is faith - says, ‘We are able to overcome the mountain that stands before us! We have the power and the capacity to change, succeed and prevail.’

How do you know that you are not qualified for something, or that others are stronger than you, or that you are not able to do [something] if you don’t even try? Many are afraid to go back to school, to start over or start something new simply because they are fearful. Fear always has you comparing yourself with [others and tells you that you are not qualified enough,] and so you put yourself in the minority as a result of the low self-esteem that it brings. What about faith, [grace, and favor]?

There are people who are afraid to embrace certain relationships because they don’t think they are worthy of such associations. They are also convinced that this is how they are seen, and so they settle for less in all things. There are many times [when] people are in their season of change and promotion, but because of fear, they hinder the manifestation from taking place. So much so that if they are given an instruction to do something by a particular time, they don’t proceed, so they miss a blessing.

Fear divides and causes people to distrust their leaders and those who have the capacity to help them. It brings a person into self-pity and also directs them to follow the wrong leadership. It also blinds a person from seeing the [good] and the goodness of God in a situation - even when God sends a deliverer to take them out [of] their situation. As you advance in your promise, then fear causes obstacles to come, which increases your desire to go back to where you are coming from - back into the oppression and depression.

When the children of Israel advanced towards the Promised Land, they encountered obstacles, but fear told them it would be better to go back to the place of bondage and die there than to die on the journey to a better place. The journey to better may have obstacles, but you have the capacity to overcome [them].¹⁷⁴

Like the children of Israel, the last thing I wanted was to go to the Promised Land of the pulpit and having to speak before the congregation. Every so often, I was called up to give a five-minute message. Eventually, I was put in charge of a Bible study. I’m not going to say I was comfortable when speaking in front of others. But every time I stood up to communicate, God was faithful in supplying my mind with His presence and Spirit-directed thoughts.

What I’d like us to take a look at next is the story about someone in the Old Testament who was called by God to go before a very powerful person and declare to him God’s intentions. However, he had reservations about expressing God’s message because of his shortcoming, a speech impediment, that he used to substantiate his fear of failing. Please turn in your Bible to the Book of Exodus, and we’ll find out who this person is and how God used him despite his insistence that his handicap disqualified him.

   

Suggested Reading: Exodus 3:1-4:12                                                                                                              

13-14 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

While Moses was keeping his father-in-law’s sheep, an angel of the Lord appeared to him out of a burning bush. The angel told him that he would be the one to bring the children of Israel out from their captivity in Egypt. Initially, he was to go before the children of Israel and tell them that their God, I AM, had sent him.

Exodus 4:10, 14-15 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. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.

Instead of accepting God’s call, Moses began to make excuses as to why He shouldn’t use him in this regard. He said that he wasn’t a good speaker because he was not only slow in finding words, but he also stammered. God reassured him that He would take care of these issues. Moses reply was that he had a brother who was a great speaker and that the Lord should use him. The Lord’s response was that He’d use both of them.

When God calls us, He doesn’t look at our abilities to accomplish the divine commission but desires that we’ll entirely depend on Him to provide what we need to accomplish His will. It can be straightforward for us to look at ourselves and, because of the inadequacies of our past, think that we cannot be used by God. It’s natural to believe in our minds that there’s got to be someone else more capable in the body of Christ who can carry out God’s directives. If we think like this, then we’ll need to find encouragement in God’s Word that will cause us to focus on His assessment of us.

Exodus 4:12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

Eventually, Moses, with his brother Aaron by his side, fulfilled God’s request to go before Pharaoh of Egypt and share with him His thoughts about delivering His people. What resonated with me were the words God conveyed to Moses that gave him assurance that at the time allotted, He would express to him what He wanted made known, which, in turn Moses would reciprocate to Aaron. So, if I’m asked to teach the Word, I’ll roll this verse around in my mind, giving me confidence that God is with me.

I’d like to leave you with a couple more verses that you can reflect upon when fear tries to pry you in its grip.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear (cowardness); but of power (spiritual strength that enables Christians to be victorious over adverse circumstances and to remain faithful to their Lord¹⁷⁵), and of love (the love of Christ and of a dying world¹⁷⁶), and of a sound mind (the bringing of our own passions under control).                       

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love (divine love produced in the heart of the yielded saint) casteth (drives) out fear: because fear hath torment (is self-punishing). He that feareth is not made perfect in love.    

What we’ll look at in the following chapter is what precipitates God’s love becoming operational in our lives.