Devotion
Let my people go!
David Jacobs
What is your greatest fear? In surveys, many people claim that they fear public speaking more than they fear even death! I shared this fear as a child, constantly feeling anxiety in front of crowds and embarrassed by even the smallest speech mistake that I made in front of people. This changed when I performed a scripture reading as a teenager in front of a large crowd at my church on Christmas. I had practiced reading these verses aloud and was well prepared. I read the verses and could see the looks on the crowds' faces, happy to see a young boy reading such important words. From that point on I relished performing in front of crowds because I knew how much people would appreciate it if I did a good job.
Moses shared this fear of public speaking and felt inadequate for the mission that God had asked of him. "Why me?" he asked God. God replies with the famous verse: "I AM THAT I AM...I AM hath sent me unto you." (Exodus 3:14)
In the verses of this devotion, Moses is still unsure of his mission. God makes the objectives of his mission more clear: Moses will go to Egypt and tell the Pharaoh to free the Israelites or else God will kill every first-born. Poor Moses must have felt the pressure! God had even performed several miracles to show Moses his miraculous power, but Moses was still unsure. Like me, a shy boy in front of a big Christmas congregation, it took Moses being in that moment, being on that stage, before he realized that he could do it. We must place our trust in God. He will not ask of us something that we cannot handle. Remain faithful and good. Leave everything else to God.
Prayer
Are there aspects of your life that make you feel inadequate? Go to God and ask Him for strength. Trust in God and face your fears as Moses did. Each time you do, the fear will be slowly transformed into strength.
Night Prayer
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Inspiration
We despise the thought of a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. The outside is easy to clean; it's the caked-up residue on the inside that's so difficult to remove. Jesus compares the scribes and Pharisees with dishes that have been wiped clean on the outside while dirty inside. The Pharisees took exceptional care of their outward appearance and neglected their inward spirits. We are guilty of allowing our hearts to be left filthy as well. We look and act as we should while our souls are full of darkness. We must continue to converse with the Holy Spirit daily and trust His guidance to cleanse our sinful nature.
Prayer
Dear God, Please forgive our sinful nature. We yearn for cleansing from within, so we are genuine witnesses to Your name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
