Bible reading: Exodus 4,5,6.
“And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.” – Exodus 4:2 (KJV)
Moses had been standing there on the mountain arguing with God for quite a while, giving the Lord one seemingly logical reason after another why God’s plan just would not work. By Moses’ human reasoning, God didn’t know what He was getting into or what He was asking Moses to do. But for every objection Moses made, God had an answer. Seeing that arguing about Pharaoh and the Israelite’s reactions was not getting him anywhere, Moses tried another tactic … he began to make excuses about his own inadequacy. He was a lousy public speaker! Something with which most preachers can identify.
God took that stick, that weak, powerless, dead, dry stick and used it in a mighty way, simply because Moses yielded it to the Lord.
Right where you are now, what do you hold in your hand today? Please know this: If what you hold in your hand is not yielded to the Lord, it is a hindrance in your life! It holds you back from being everything you could be for the Lord. Not only does it hold you back, but it also affects everyone around you! It affects your family. It affects your church. It affects everything you touch in your life and everything that touches you.
That stick identified him. That stick controlled his life. That stick said, “All you will ever be is a shepherd keeping another man’s sheep”. That stick was a problem for Moses and he didn’t even realize it. He believed that it was an indispensible part of his life and work. Moses never knew, until he yielded that stick to God, that the stick he held in his hand was the key to God’s power in his life.
Moses yielded the stick he carried that day to the Lord. When he did, he was released from its power. When he did, it ceased to define him. When he did, it became the power of God in his life.
“What is that in thine hand?” what do you carry today? What defines you? What are you holding on to that holds you back and keeps you from being everything God saved you to be?
Is there some sin that needs to be laid down? Is there some event from your past, some hurt, some sorrow, some bitterness, that hinders you today? Is there some area of life where you feel like you have arrived? Is there some talent or ability that fills you with pride? Is there something in your life that holds you back? This is an opportunity for you to be free from its pull and from its influence. Throw it down and let God have it. When you hold it, it is a liability. When you give it to Him, it becomes a spiritual asset!
Life is either about a dead stick or a powerful Saviour. What is true in your life and mine will be determined by how much we are willing to place into His hands. Bring what you hold in your hands and cast it down before Him. Let Him take that liability and turn it into an asset for His glory.
Prayer: Father, let every hindrances in my hand, in my heart that will not allow me yield completely to your service be broken and taken away in the name of Jesus, Amen.
Pastor Chido Iroham