Fear Factor: Validity

Then Moses answered, “What if they won’t believe me and will not obey me but say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”2 The Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?”“A staff,” he replied.3 Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses ran from it, 4 but the Lord told him, “Stretch out your hand and grab it by the tail.” So he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand. 5 “This will take place,” He continued, “so they will 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.”

Ex 4:1-5 (HCSB)

You, me and Moses probably have a lot in common. When God calls us it can shake us to our socks. We get weak in the knees and scared to death. Moses was afraid and so he made excuses. The first excuse was identity, the second was authority. The third fear is validity.

Moses questions his validity. He says to God, "They aren't going to believe me." Moses needed to be validated. He wants to be seen as authentic, legitimate and real. He needs to be respected. We usually want and need that too. We face fear in God's call because we are not sure we will be validated by others.

God's response is to give Moses some nifty miracles to prove he was sent from I AM. Now it is likely we don't have a stick that will turn into a snake. To be completely honest I don't think I want one. But get this, Moses' validity is not from himself it is what God will do through him. We don't have to prove ourselves to others. God will prove that He is at work in us in His time and His way for His glory.

The point is this. Most of the time we do not gain respect fro who we are but who God is and what He is doing in us. Don't try to become someone who others will respect and look up too. Just be obedient and God will make you authentic, legitimate and real.

God is our validation!