One of the greatest leaders in the Bible started out with the wrong attitude.
Moses had a confidence problem. When God came to him and asked him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses immediately made excuses: “I’m not good enough. The people won’t believe me. I’m not a good speaker. They won’t listen to me.” Even after God gave him the ability to do miraculous signs, he kept making excuses.
God’s response to Moses’ excuses was simple: “I AM.”
I am what? Moses probably thought. It almost seems like an incomplete thought. God left it that way on purpose. Moses had to fill in the blank: “I am … whatever you need. I am your peace if you need it. I am your strength if you need it. I am your provider if you need it.”
The same promise is still available to us today. For every step of faith I have ever taken there have been a dozen good excuses for not doing so.
Excuses are present in all of our lives. In fact, making excuses has become so common to everyday life that it’s almost routine.
When we experience trials in life—especially early in life—they begin to shape our mindsets. They start to set the tone for who we are and why we do what we do. Used rightly, we can grow through these hardships and use our story to help and inspire others. Used wrongly, we can turn our hardships into an excuse not to grow.
God did not give us His promises to put on our desks, our shirts, our car bumper, or the wall. He gave them to us to act on, to cash in, to prove. In fact, He doesn’t call us to do anything without sending His provision to do it. Where He guides, He provides.
If we’re ever going to experience real life change, we have to lose the excuses. When we honestly evaluate ourselves, we expose our vulnerability. It’s only by telling yourself the truth that you can discover what’s been keeping you from reaching your full potential. Excuses don’t strengthen your life—they weaken it.
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Extracted from BILL PURVIS‘ teaching on The Subtle Sin of Making Excuses.
Bill Purvis is the pastor of Cascade Hills Church in Columbus, GA. He is the author of Make a Break For It: Unleashing the Power of Personal and Spiritual Growth.
