When Moses was called by God to lead God's people out of Egypt, Moses was doubtful. He was not sure if he was able to persuade and command the people. Imagine trying to teach and bring up a child. How easy is that? The child will cry, rebel, commit the same mistakes again and again, and worst still, not appreciating everything that you are doing for him. Therefore, I do not blame Moses for having doubts when he was called by God to lead and command THOUSANDS of people; not just ONE small child but MANY BIG BABIES!
God, who is omniscient, knew about Moses' doubt and fears, encouraged and affirmed Moses that He, who is omnipotent, would be there for him, to guide him and to teach him as he leads His people out of Egypt. Wow! Isn't God great? God did not throw work onto Moses but He asked Moses for his hand. God wanted to work WITH Moses, so that Moses could walk intimately with God that he too, could grow stronger in wisdom and knowledge WITH God and not independent of Him. God promised Moses that He will be with his mouth and teach him what he should say (Ex. 4:12). Wow!!! Isn't that just wonderful?
Many of us, including myself, have difficulties or even no confidence that we will speak eloquently to a small group, let alone a multitude of people. But nowadays, I will tell myself that God will do what He did for Moses; God will teach my mouth how to speak and when to speak; He will circumcise my tongue, disciplining the part of my body where life and death resists in.
Having said so much for the introduction, what I really want to share is the God arranged appointment I had with my uncle when he, my uncle, asked me to go over to his house to help him fix up some problems in his computer. I have always dreaded going over to his place as he will line me up against the stained wall, like a P.OW., take out the bulky and rusty machine gun which he has carried with him for years, one that does not shoot out bullets but spiritual vulgarities. Please don't get me wrong, the vulgarities here are not the ones you hear of everyday; they are just words from the Bible which are being used without proper understanding of the whole context or with the purpose of challenging another Christian in an absence of love.
I just want to make thing clear. My uncle is a GREAT man! I have always respected him because he cares a lot for us, his niece and nephews, and he is always so patient and humble. However, the fact on why he will bring out his “machine gun” is that he does not want us to go to a wrong church, one that does not adhere to the Word of God. Time and time again, I would explain to him why I am attending the church, the one he does not really like, reassuring him that the presence of God is so strong in that church, how the leaders teach and watch over us, only wanting the good for our lives and how powerfully the Holy Spirit flowed in that place. Many times, that conversation of ours does not really end with any agreeable conclusion and it would just fizzle and then the taboo topic will not be brought up again until the next faithful time we meet. Therefore, I can really see where he is coming from and I really appreciate him and thank God for bringing people who care and love us to us, so that there will be people whom we can be accountable to.
However, on Wednesday, during that God arranged appointment, when I was there to fix up his computer; the topic of my church was brought up again! At first, I reckoned that it was going to be another fruitless talk, one where I will just be watching him hurling his spiritual vulgarities at me. But I was wrong! God, being God, had other plans! The Spirit of God was upon me and revelations started to overwhelm me! I was so glad to know that this time round, I would not be the only listening to my uncle but the Holy Spirit was going to listen to him too! Man! At that moment, I knew that it was going to get exciting! Just like before, he asked if I really believe that my church is doctrinally correct, etc. I listened… to him and to the Holy Spirit. I was desperate. I had used my wisdom and knowledge which I had acquired in the School of Theology to answer him in the past but to no avail. This time round, it just felt different, while he was rattling away, I was lost in the forest of revelations which the Holy Spirit was revealing to me.
Praise God for the Promise of the Father! This promise made the Holy Spirit available to us. Now that He is dwelling in us, it gives me no reason not to communicate and have a close friendship with Him. The catch here is although He is in us, He does not force His will onto ours. That is why Bible makes it clear that when WE draw near, He will draw near.
Back to my story, when my uncle finished speaking, I started to share with him what the Holy Spirit had impressed upon my heart. As I began to speak, my eyebrows lifted in sheer amazement. Whatever I shared to my uncle were new revelations which the Holy Spirit had just revealed to me.
One example will be that when we were first born, we do not know what is right or wrong. As we are growing up, we perceive right or wrong according to our own knowledge. Therefore, what is right or what is wrong is being taught to us by others. We by our own knowledge may not have the right set of what is right and what is wrong. That explains the existence of discipline masters, teachers, parents, etc. There are here to guide us and to teach us on such things. Then there are the pastors in church. They are like spiritual parents to us. They are responsible to teach you and to guide you according to how God wants us to live. Thus, if we are stubborn or simply too arrogant to accept corrections, we will always stay as a child… not wanting to learn on what are the TRUE rights and what are the TRUE wrongs. It is only through learning from different people that we will grow on the whole. Life is a journey… one that is filled with lessons. That explains why you fall. When you fall, you will know that there is a bump or a pot0hole on that particular spot of the ground and thus, you will never walk into it again. People who have went through these “pot-holes” will then be able to help and advise on those who have yet to travel down the same path. Therefore, we cannot be so closed up to the point where whatever everyone said is wrong, only you yourself is right. If that happens, that will only show how mature you are.
For example, in the earlier days, when Holy Spirit was not openly preached, no one knew about speaking in tongues, let alone working of miracles in the name of the Lord. But as time progressing, people started to learn from the leaders, who in turn learnt from the Holy Spirit. Say, if they were not willing to learn or to change, do you think that there will be great healing miracles now? There may not even be a Benny Hinn.
To the extent you are willing to open up your mind, is the extent your strength or power will be.
If you can think big and not be limited by your own puny, little mind, then you will be able to grow exponentially. But when you close yourself up, not willing to learn or hear from others, you may miss on the important lessons in life. Worst still, you may even miss out on God’s plan for you in your life!
I really had a long talk with my uncle and words really describe how wonderful the whole session was. For once, the Word of God cut into him and he was lost for words too. It made him realized that it is not how much we think we know about the Bible but it is how open our heart is to the Word of God. The more our hearts are open, the more revelations will be revealed to us through the Holy Spirit. I have other revelations too but I think I will share them again… as it is getting late. Remember to drink from the Holy Spirit daily.
Let’s continue to fight the fight of FAITH; never stop running the race of FAITH.
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