E6-3: The key mindset that separates the successful believer from those who drop out of the race

Moshe said to YHVH, “Look, the people of Isra’el haven’t listened to me; so how will Pharaoh listen to me, poor speaker that I am?”-Exodus 6:1

What makes one believer 10x more fruitful than another?

What’s the key difference between the person who is so easily crushed by outside temptations and the person who seems to remain unfazed no matter how many disasters come his or her way? 

What does the seemingly invincible warrior of God have that the ordinary person doesn’t?

Is it because he or she comes from a loving and stable family background?

Maybe it’s his or her good looks?

Intelligence?

Or maybe it’s because they weight train every day.

Oh I got it!

It’s the Star of David tattoo prominently displayed on their upper arms.

Nah, it’s none of those reasons.

Strong and successful believers come from all walks of life and are of all shapes, sizes, temperaments and colors.

And the very same thing can be said of those who throw in the towel and drop out of the race.

The difference is simple.   

Those who are consistently strong in their faith THINK DIFFERENTLY THAN OTHERS.

We can learn a lot about what mindsets to adopt AND AVOID by studying how Moses interacted with Pharaoh and God.

When Moses presented himself to Pharaoh as a Prophet of God, Pharaoh pretty much just laughed Moses off of his royal court.

As a result, Moses was crushed.

And who could blame him.

Who was he as an inarticulate simple shepherd to face down this imposing man, possibly one of the most powerful people in the world at the time?

Feeling anxious and doubtful, Moses goes to God and says “Pharaoh isn’t going to listen to me because I am such a poor speaker.“

Actually, if we were to literally translate from the Hebrew, what Moses is really saying is that He is a man of “uncircumcised lips“.

This is a Hebrew idiom and basically means that his speaking ability is very poor or inadequate for the job at hand.

So here we encounter the key mindset we MUST AVOID if we are to be successful in accomplishing the work God has planned for us. 

Moses is basically telling God, “I can’t confront such a great man as pharaoh because my speaking ability is terrible.“

Here’s the problem.

Moses thinks it’s his own words and how eloquently he pronounces and phrases them that is important.

He is relying on his own ability.

Early on God tried to convince Moses that He didn’t have to worry about that and in order to console him provided Aaron his brother to serve as his mouthpiece.

But actually, that was never necessary.

Moses could have done the job alone if only he had TRUSTED and realized that accomplishing God’s work had nothing to do with his abilities or the external circumstances.

Folks this is key!

When God calls you to do something, it’s always going to be a stretch.

Your initial reaction is always going to be “how in the hell am I gonna accomplish that?!“

And then like Moses, you’ll start making excuses.

“I’m slow of speech!”

“I don’t have the money!”

“I don’t have the time!”

“I’m too old!”

“I’m too young!”

“I’m too short!”

“I’m too fat!”

“I’ve already committed too many sins in my life to be of use to God!”

“I eat too many cheeseburgers!”

“I’m not white!”

“I’m not Jewish!”

“I’m  single!”

“I have a family to take care of!”

“I live in Dannebrog, Nebraska!”

Blah, blah, blah.

Would you calm your noisy butt down please?!

Get out of your head and realize it’s not about you.

If God provides the plan, He’ll provide the means to achieve it.

Remember it’s HOW YOU THINK that will determine your success or failure in your walk with God.

I’m done.