Moses saw the oppression of his people and felt certain that he was the one to deliver them, and in the righteous indignation of his own spirit he started to right their wrongs. After he launched his first strike for God and for what was right, God allowed Moses to be driven into empty discouragement, sending him into the desert to feed sheep for forty years. At the end of that time, God appeared to Moses and said to him, ” ’. . . bring My people . . . out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ’Who am I that I should go . . . ?’ ” (Exodus 3:10-11). In the beginning Moses had realized that he was the one to deliver the people, but he had to be trained and disciplined by God first. He was right in his individual perspective, but he was not the person for the work until he had learned true fellowship and oneness with God.We may have the vision of God and a very clear understanding of what God wants, and yet when we start to do it, there comes to us something equivalent to Moses’ forty years in the wilderness. It’s as if God had ignored the entire thing, and when we are thoroughly discouraged, God comes back and revives His call to us. And then we begin to tremble and say, “Who am I that I should go . . . ?” We must learn that God’s great stride is summed up in these words— “I AM WHO I AM . . . has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). We must also learn that our individual effort for God shows nothing but disrespect for Him— our individuality is to be rendered radiant through a personal relationship with God, so that He may be “well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). We are focused on the right individual perspective of things; we have the vision and can say, “I know this is what God wants me to do.” But we have not yet learned to get into God’s stride. If you are going through a time of discouragement, there is a time of great personal growth ahead.

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Journal Entry for Today

October 13, 2014

Lord, this is a good lesson for discovering the difference for knowing what must be done, and having the power….the power of the Holy Spirit to take action. In my life, I have often heard the calling very clearly and then I start out on my own power only to miss the intended mark. You have been teaching us to wait until we not only know what needs to be done, but to wait until we are full of Your power…AND to let You do the work, let You take the action. Even, or especially, when we know what it is we are to do, we are to wait on You Lord.

And God says…”Even when you know the next steps, even when you know exactly what must be accomplished, you must wait on My Spirit. Set your sights on the goal and leave the “how” to Me. Acknowledge Me in all your ways and do not rely on your own ways and understanding and I will bring it to fruition. Delight yourself in the Lord and I will give you the desires of your heart. Your responsibility is to simply be connected to Me, remain curious about how and when I will deal with the circumstance for you or on your behalf. Expect Me to act and then be obedient to Me when I do.  And if you cannot do these things, trust that I will do them for you. Believe, and know that I will help you in your unbelief.”