Gifted // The Lie of Not Enough // Matthew Davis

Exodus chapter 3. Exodus chapter 3. We're starting a brand new series today. Y'all feeling good today?

I believe God has a word. Um, I want to be very, very clear. It is not my intention to preach. I want to teach. I'm gonna try to stay calm to the best of my ability today because one thing I believe is that God is wanting to do heart surgery on many of us today. And I believe that my prayer for some of us is going to be the same thing that we see in the book of Acts with the Apostle Paul is that scales will fall from our eyes. Amen.

How many of us know that God still does miracles? Y'all believe that? Amen. And if your neighbor don't believe that, you can turn to them say, "You looking at one."

Exodus chapter 3 verse 10-12. And then I'm going to jump to Exodus 4 and read verse 10-12. Exodus 3:10-12. Then we'll flip over to the next chapter and read the exact same verses. Exodus 4 10:12. Exodus 12:es 10-12. If you got it, say, "I got it." If you're on the screen, say you're on the screen. Bless God. There we go.

This is what it says. "Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people out of Egypt." But Moses protested to God. Have anybody here ever protested to God? Y'all way more saved than me. I I have. He says, "Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?" God answered, "I will be with you." That will preach all by itself. and this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain."

Verse 11, he says, "Who am I?" Let's go to Exodus 4:10-12. Verse 10 says this once again, "But Moses pleaded with the Lord," "Oh Lord, I'm not very good with words. I never have been. and I'm not now. I ain't got no better even though you have spoken to me. He said, I get tongue tied and my words get tangled."

Then the Lord asked Moses, "Who makes a person's mouth?" He said, "You complain about something, but I made it." "Who decides whether people speak or do not speak? Whether they hear or do not hear, see or do not see. Is it not I, the Lord? Now go." Somebody shout go. Go. Say it like you mean it. Shout go. Go. Go. "I will be with you as you speak. And I will instruct you in what to say."

I'm going to conclude the reading of scripture there. And I'm going to title this message the lie of not enough. The lie of not enough. Let me pray for you. Father, in the mighty name of Jesus, we love you. We praise you. We honor you. We thank you. There's nobody like you. Thank you that our hearts are open, that our minds are clear, and that you're going to do a work in Jesus name. We all say, "Amen." And amen.

Touch three people and say, "It's a lie." Y'all did one and a half.

Listen, family. I want to start off listen by saying this is that um I'm typically not somebody who likes to assume and to speak on people's behalf, but I'm about to do it right now because I believe that we're all on the same page when I say this. I can tolerate a lot of things, but I can't stand a liar. Do I got a witness anywhere? Is is it I can deal with a lot of things. I can't deal with a lie. See See, because this is my this is my thought process. And I may be wrong on this, but I feel like if you lie to me, you'll steal from me. and I ain't got no business with a thief.

AND AND AND THE REALITY IS THIS. BUT WHAT IF I TOLD YOU IS THAT YOU'VE BEEN LIED TO? What if I told you is that you've been lied to? And I don't mean lied to casually. I mean lied to consistently. I mean lied to strategically. And not just once, but over and over and over again. And what makes this dangerous is this. I is that the lie didn't just come to you. For many of us, the lie got in you. And watch me. The most dangerous lies are not the ones you hear, but they're the lies that you believe. Let me say that again. The lie, the most dangerous ones are not just the ones that you hear. BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN SAY ANYTHING, but it's the ones that you believe.

And what's crazy is that this lie didn't come from culture first. It didn't come from your family. It didn't come from that cousin that you didn't like. It didn't come from your parents. It didn't even come from the people who doubted you. came from a very specific voice. A voice that learned how to sound like you. So watch me. And since the voice sounds like you, when it speaks, it does not sound like opposition. It feels like honesty. Because it has learned to sound like you. You don't feel the need to oppose it. You just feel the need to agree with it. And that voice says things like this. "I'm not enough. I'm not ready. I don't have what it takes. Watch this. I'm not like them. I don't think I can do these things. I don't think I really have anything special for some of you. I don't really think that I'm that gifted. I'm not a leader." Have you been there before? Because I have.

And because it sounds like, this is the thing, because it sounds like your thoughts, you stop questioning. You start agreeing with it. Now watch me. This is the danger. Because you agreed with a lie, you're now building your life around something that God did not say. Do you know how danger is dangerous it is to build your life on false information? To build a marriage on false information, to build a business on false information. To build an identity around false information.

You may be saying, "Well, Pastor Matt, I don't I don't know if that's me." Well, watch me. You've made decisions based on the on the lie. You've stepped back because of the lie. You've disqualified yourself because of it. You, some of you have sat out of rooms that you were supposed to sit in because you believed the lie. You stayed silent when you were supposed to speak. You downplayed what God put. Some of you haven't started the business because you believed the lie. Some of you left the job too early because you believed the lie. I'mma come down somebody roll at some point. Watch me. You settled for the wrong relationship too soon because you believed the lie. I knew I was going to get some help right there. So, you settled because you believed the lie.

And watch me. This is what I need to clarify this morning. That is not humility. That's not wisdom. That's not honesty. That is agreement. And it's not just agreement. It is agreement with a lie. And let me share something with you. You don't become what God said. You become what you agree with. Write it down. I got you, boo. You don't just become what God said. You become what you agree with.

You might be saying, "Well, pastor Matt, I don't know what you're saying." Is that GOD CAN SPEAK SO MANY THINGS OVER YOUR LIFE, BUT IF YOU WALK AROUND REJECTING IT, how can you become it? God can be speaking health over your life, wholeness over, you like, "I don't I don't receive that." Well, then you going to walk around rejecting it because you don't watch me. You will become a byproduct of the things that you practice and the things that you agree with. Are y'all following me?

And so the thing is is this. I want to make a very strong statement this morning is that God has never struggled to decide what gift or gifts to put in you. But many of us have been struggling to believe that he did. Pastor Matt, wh why are you talking about this? Well, this new series that we're in is titled Gifted. Somebody say gifted. And the premise of this is what can God do when you put your gift in his hands? Now, this is my prayer point for some of you in here that that that that pray with me throughout this series is that my prayer is this is that one is that we get awareness of the gifts that God has placed in us. Amen. Is that we get awareness, but two is that we are affirmed that if we put them in God's hands, everything is better. Are y'all with me?

And so, the thing is is that God never struggled to decide what gifts he put in you. But sometimes we struggle to believe that he did. And the enemy knows something that many of us keep forgetting. That if we really ever saw what God placed inside of us, he wouldn't be able to stop us. That if we watch me, that he would not be able to stop you from building God's kingdom. That he wouldn't be able to stop you from building the healthy marriage. That he would not be able to stop you from raising the children in the way that they should go and make and breaking the generational curses that affected us. Am I talking to anybody? THAT IF YOU REALLY DISCOVERED what God placed inside of you, everything would change.

So watch me. Since he since he knows he cannot take your gift, he tries to make you rename your gift. Let me press INTO THIS. HE CAN'T TAKE YOUR GIFT. Are we aware of that? The enemy CAN'T COME AND STEAL YOUR GIFT, BUT he can get you to pervert it. The enemy can't take your gift, Katie. But what he can do is he can get you to use your gift for somebody other than him. God can Oh my goodness. Some of y'all don't want to talk to me. He may not. THE ENEMY CANNOT TAKE YOUR GIFT. BUT IF HE CAN GET you to live for you and not for him, that he ain't got to take it because you took it away from God. Watch me.

And you know what? One of the most dangerous things is he don't have to take your gift if he can get you just to believe that is insignificant. Oh my goodness. I I wish I had time to to teach this is that one of the greatest epidemics in Christianity is the epidemic of insignificance. This idea that what I do does not really matter. Now watch me. It's it's it's it's incredibly irresponsible for two reasons. Because sometimes we have this idea that what we do doesn't really matter. Like it does not affect our destiny. And and that's irresponsible because everything you do, you're sowing a seed. Amen. And the Bible says that you will reap what you >> sow. So don't get mad when you reap a harvest of things that you did not want when you sow seeds you should not have. Bless God in the sanctuary. Amen.

Number two is this idea that what we do doesn't really matter. One, number one is that we think that it does not affect our future. But sometimes we don't think that our actions or our inability to walk in what God has calling us will affect other people's freedom. Amen. The reality is this. Everybody in this place, myself included, are a result of somebody else's obedience. Everybody in this place found God. You may not even found God. You going to raise your hand later on today, but you here because somebody invited you. YOU ARE STANDING. YOU ARE A RESULT OF SOMEBODY ELSE'S OBEDIENCE. IT'S JUST SOMEBODY SAID, "MY ACTIONS MATTER, so I have to follow through with it." But the epidemic of insignificance will make you feel like what you do don't matter. Will make you feel like you can't contribute anything. And when he gets you to make you to to rename your gift as insignificant, you'll be begin to feel like like your gift is average, normal, or not enough. Watch me. And if he can get you to believe that you will spend your whole life overlooking something that heaven intended to use. Can you imagine that? I'm going to do my best. Listen to this. You can spend your whole life overlooking something that heaven had a plan for. YOU COULD SPEND YOUR WHOLE LIFE WALKING THROUGH SEASONS and heaven had a plan for it. You could sit there and overlook something that God has ordained. You could downplay something that God has destined. Watch me. You could try. You could spend years trying to convince yourself of something that God has already confirmed and you will miss out on it simply because you believe that it or you were not enough.

See, see, let let me make it plain to you. You know, I don't like to tell y'all. I tell them myself. Easter of 2022, I got a call and I was at it was it was it was Easter. I was at my granny house and and I remember I got a call from Pastor Michael Pender at Fbrick Church who is uh like a second dad to me. Forg's one of the most incredible churches in Houston and great. And I remember Pastor Pender calls me. He not somebody who just call you out of nowhere. And so he calls me and I see the phone pop and I was like I ain't going to answer this. And I said I answered. I walked outside and I said, "Hey yo P, what's going on?" And he said, "Uh, Matthew, what's up?" I said, "You call me." And he was like, "Man, I" said, "I'm over at my granny house. It's Easter." And he was like, "Yeah." He said, "How's your Easter going?" And I knew something was up cuz he not a small talk person, right? And I said, "Easter going good. You know what's going on?" He said, "Yeah, man. I just want to go ahead and get to it, man. Can you come and preach for me next week?" I said, "To the youth?" Oh, now now this what you got to understand. This is what you got to understand. is is that Fber is a historical church. They got a 2500 seat auditorium. They're one of the most I rever them. I honor them. They're one of the reasons why we're here. And I'm thinking I'm like, and then he's like, "Yeah, you preach 8 and 11." Now, I had never preached twice in my life. Twice in one morning. I said, "Now, this is way bigger than me."

And he began to say this, and I'm not going to lie to you. I lied to him. I said, "Man, I think I'll be out of town. I'm going to call you back. All right. Bye." And I got off THE PHONE. BECAUSE LISTEN TO ME. Everything in my mind was telling me that I was not supposed to be there. Everything watched me. And because I had gotten so familiar with that voice, it sounded logical. And I started saying, you know, you're right. I ain't preach two times in one Sunday. I don't know if I'm in shape for that. And I don't know if I don't know if I I mean, I'm I'm young and and and a lot of them, they not as young as me. And I don't know if I'm be able to talk to them. and and and man that's a big 2500 seats two times that's 5,000 people I don't know if I said man I ain't even preached in front of a thousand before I don't know if I really and watch me all my mind and by the end of it I had fully intended on telling him I can't go >> but let me tell you about y this is why it's so important about who you marry because let me tell you about y >> she said come Come on. I'm with you. This is why it's so important BECAUSE I'M SITTING OUTSIDE AND I'M PACING AROUND AND Y'ALL PRECIOUS PEE FOUL WALK OUT THERE. She said, "Boy, what are you doing?" I said, and she I said, "Pastor Pender called me to preach." And uh yeah. And she said, "Okay." She's like, "When we going?" I said, "Nah, no. Uhuh." And watch me. And I begin to recite the lies to her that I had told to myself. But because she saw me how God was seeing me. I wish I had some people in this place today. THE LIES THAT I WAS SAYING, she did not agree with. And she looked at me. She said, "Boy, if you don't call him back, I'm going to call him myself."

Now, this is what YOU NEED TO HEAR AS I END UP GOING AND PREACHING. NOW, THIS IS WHAT THIS IS WHAT you cannot miss is because in my mind, it made sense. But this is the thing. If I would have skipped out on that, what you don't know is that that following Wednesday after I preached, Pastor Pender called me up to the office. I went to the office and he said, "Man, you did an incredible job, son. I'm so proud of you." I said, "Man, appreciate you, Pet." He says, "Hey, well, what do you want to do?" I was like, "What do you mean?" He said, "Do you want to plant a church?" And I said, "I feel called to, but I don't know how to do it." And he said, "From this day forward, I'm going to make sure that I do everything possible to help you plant a church." Now, HEAR ME. THAT'S A BLESSING. BUT IT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IF I WOULD HAVE SKIPPED OUT BECAUSE I LISTENED TO THE LIES.

Hear me. HEAR ME. AND THIS IS WHAT I RECOGNIZED looking back at the situation. It was never that I did not have what I needed. The issue was that I did not believe in what God had already given me. And if I can be honest, I do not think that I'm the only one in here who's ever felt like that. I don't think that I'm alone in this situation. Because some of us are in this room and you feel like, "I don't know if I can do what God has called me to do. I don't watch me. Let me push a little bit further. I don't know if I can be what God has called me to be." And you're sitting in this room and everything on the outside looks fine, but on the inside, you've been quietly disqualifying yourself. You've been shrinking back. You've been second-guessing. You've been trying to minimize what God has put on your life. And watch me. You've been negotiating with God about what you can't do and who you can't be. Wow. You've been debating with God the call with the calling of God on your life, on your marriage, on your disciplehip journey. Watch me. And it's not because you don't have anything. It's because you don't think that what you have is enough.

And that's exactly where we find Moses in our text today. I want you to write this down. God calls him, Bobby. God chooses him. And God sends him. Write those down. God calls him. God chooses him. And God sends him. I could preach a whole sermon on that alone. Chris Brown. God calls him. His name is Chris Brown. Y'all ain't know that. Some of y'all not saved. I ain't talking about that. Chris. It's the real Chris Brown. Y'all don't know that. God calls him. What a beautiful thing it is to be called by God. God chooses him. You do recognize the beauty of being chosen, don't you? The beauty of being chosen is that God could have chose anybody else to do what he caused you to do, but he didn't choose anybody else. He happened to choose you. God calls him. God chooses him. Watch me third. And then God sends him. Now watch me. I think we can all guess what the response should be. If the creator and the maker of heaven and earth called me, you think that we should be excited. If the one who said, "Let there be light and all of a sudden light." You would think that you'd be like, "Let's go." YOU WOULD THINK THAT IF GOD, the one who spoke and was and is and is to come, sent you, we would be excited. But watch what Moses's first response is. It's not excitement. It's insecurity. because he had believed the lie of not enough.

Let me teach this really quickly when we get to the first line in Exodus chapter 3. We see something the Bible says because to set the set the scene we know Exodus chapter 1 and Exodus chapter 2 that the Israelites are in Egypt and they're in bondage. Amen. Remember this is that they're in bondage that they're being oppressed. They're in slavery and then you know Moses is born and then he's shipped down the Nile like Amazon Prime and somebody you know y'all with me. Pharaoh's daughter happens to find him. Y'all know the Bible. But but what happens is in Exodus chapter 3 is the Bible says that Moses is tending to his father-in-law's flock and God appeared to him in a bush. If I had time, I would teach you something really quickly because it says that Moses is tending his father-in-law's flock, which implies that he don't have a flock of his own because God won't trust you with yours until he can trust you with somebody else's. Now, that don't make sense to some of us because you're like, "Well, of course God can trust me with mine." No, no. Cuz what God is trying to trust is your integrity and your stewardship. If you don't believe me, that's just an Old Testament example. But a New Testament example is Luke 16:12. He says, "If you are not faithful unto another man's property, why would God give you something of your own?" And and oh, DON'T WHAT I'M SAYING. MOSES IS DOING something natural and the supernatural shows up because sometimes all you need for God to appear is for you to just be obedient in the in the simple things. Moses is tending to his father-in-law's flock and all of a sudden a bush is on fire. And this what the Bible says is that it was engulfed but not consumed. I don't need to preach that. It was engulfed but not consumed. So God was on the bush, burning the bush but not destroying the bush. Which means that if something that could destroy you if God is in it can't destroy you. Let me keep going. It is engulfed but not consumed. Y'all with me? Now if you with if if y'all with me, there's a the there's a theological term for this. A theophony. A theophony is a tangible visible manifestation of God's presence. Y'all looking at me? Just a scholarly word. It's a theophony, right? And so God appears and then Moses says that bush on fire. And he begins to walk up to the bush. Come on now. And God says, "Stop. For where you're standing, take off your shoes. For where you're standing is holy ground." God is saying, "Don't bring that dirt from the last season into this place. Watch me. Treat this place with some respect." So he goes in. God begins to have this conversation with him. He says, "Listen, I have heard the cries of my people. So I have come down to rescue them." And then in verse 10, in chapter 3:10, he says, "Now you go and you going to lead them out of Egypt." And Moses say, "Who?" He said, "If you just came down, you can go yourself. And he begins to say, "Listen, I'm getting he I don't know if you if if it's supposed to be me." He says, "Who am I to do that?" Watch this. God speaks something over his life and Moses responds with insecurity. He says, "I can't do that." Now, imagine how crazy it sounds for the one who can make anybody do anything, tell him that you can't do it. You're telling the answer to every problem, your problem. And he begins to say, "Well, what if what if they don't believe me? What if they don't listen to me? What if they don't know me? What if they remember my past? What what if they see my deficiency?" And God tells him one thing, "No worries. I will be with you." Now, for some of us in here, we can shout about that alone. Because the reality is him saying that I will be with you implies if you were to go a little bit further. He says, "What shall I say? Who shall I say sent me? And he would say, you can tell them that I am that I am since you what you're saying that I'm everything. I'm all-encompassing. I'm all powerful. I'm all knowing. I can be whatever it is you need me to be at any point in time. So if you ever if you ever run into a situation that you can't handle, I am that I am is there. So you should know that as long as I am there, then everything will always be all right. Is anybody thankful for God's presence in their life? So he says, "WHO SHOULD I SAY?" He said, "I am that I am." And he was like, "Yeah, that sounds good."

But Exodus chapter 4, this is what he starts out by saying, "I get that you going to be with me, but what if they don't believe me?" He's saying, "God, don't worry about it. I believe you. What if they don't believe me?" If I had time, I would tell you in the context, that's really not a question. It's really projection. Cuz he really saying, "I don't believe in me, so why would they? Come on. Come on. He's saying, "WHAT IF THEY DON'T BELIEVE ME?" AND this is the thing right here because watch me because insecurity will make you assume rejection before it happens. I can't get no help in this Catholic church. Hear me. Insecurity will make you assume rejection before it ever happens. He's saying they not going to accept me. But watch me. God goes on to say, and he begins to perform all these miracles. I'm not going to walk through them, but he takes a staff, he throws on the ground, it becomes a snake. He says, "Pick it up." Picks it up, it becomes staff again. He says, "Put your hand in your cloak. Take it out. His hand becomes sick with leprosy." He said, "Put it back in your cloak." And he's beginning to show him, hey, all of these things, are you not seeing that I'm on your side? Watch me. He begins to show him all the miracles of how he's on his side. And then we get to verse 10 in Exodus chapter 4. Let me read this to you really quickly. Exodus 4:10. It says after God has shown him all these miracles, this is what he says. "But Moses pleaded with the Lord. I can't speak well. I'm not a good speaker. I'm not very good with words. I never have been and I'm not now. And even though you've spoken to me, I get tongue tied like this is not this is not my thing." And then the Lord speaks to him. He he's trying to redeem his mind. He's saying, "Who created your mouth?" He's saying, watch me. He's saying, "You're you're complaining to me about your deficiency, not knowing that I called to redeem it." And he begins to tell him all these things. Watch me. I want you to see this. God is calling Moses to his destiny. And Moses is stuck arguing with God about his perceived deficiencies because he believed the lie of not enough.

Let me turn this on to us really quickly. How many times have you walked away from God's instruction because you believe the lie of not enough? How many times have you felt a tug in your heart to take a step of faith, but you convinced yourself, "I can't because I'm not enough." That God, I I know you called me to these things, but I don't know if I can do that because I don't feel like I have enough. Let me really step on our some of our toes. Some of us in here have not fully devoted yourself to Jesus Christ simply because you don't feel like you have enough to be able to sustain the journey. God, what am I going to do when it gets a little What What's going to happen when they find out that I'm not perfect? Well, we just gonna find out that you like us, not perfect. And if you perfect, go find a perfect church. But listen to me. The reality that ain't one. Amen. Because the reality is this is that we believe the lie of not enough. Are you with me?

And the thing is is this is that that brings me to our big idea. I want you to write this down. This is the big idea of the day. is that the greatest tragedy is not being giftless. It's living like you don't have one. Listen to me. The greatest tragedy is not being giftless. It's living like you don't have one. Because this is the reality. Everybody has gifts. I'll prove this here in a moment. Everybody in here has a gift. Have gifts. The reality is the tragedy is not walking around without one. The tragedy is walking around with one, but living like you don't have one. The tragedy is TO LIVE YOUR ENTIRE LIFE, GET TO HEAVEN, and have unused gifts. To be walking around in environments where you should be the change agent, but you shrink back and it leaves unchanged because you could not change your mind. How? Oh my goodness. How sad would it be if you were the key to changing your family's trajectory? But you allow insecurity to stop you from moving forward. That you could be the one, watch me, that could break the generational curses in your family, but you believe I just don't think I have enough. You could be the one that could help change the culture of a church, change the trajectory of a place. YOU COULD BE THE ONE, BUT you believe the lie of not enough. The tragedy is that God has placed something rare on the inside of you. And you've been living life like you're regular. But I came here today to expose and to confront that lie that you're not empty. You're not lacking. Watch me. You're not empty. You're not lacking. You're not overlooked. You've just been lied to and you believed it. Watch me.

And as we become aware of our gifts, remember this is our series. We got five weeks of this. As we become aware of our gifts and we put them in God's hands, we have to know that there are some traps that we must avoid and some things that we must know. Write this down. Point number one, insecurity distorts identity. Insecurity distorts identity. If you look at Exodus 3:1 in Exodus 4:10, for those of us that are taking notes, you'll see something common. In Exodus 3:1, this is what it says. "But Moses protested to God. Who am I to appear before before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?" Moses having this conversation. He's saying, "Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?" Like like there there's no way that you can call me to do that. Exodus 4:10, he says, "But Moses pleaded with the Lord. God, I'm not good. I'm not a good speaker." Right? And this is what we have to recognize. If we look at the principle of this, Moses doesn't lack calling. He lacks clarity. God obviously, I think we can agree if we in the book, God calls Moses. Do we agree on that? God spoke something over his life. Do we agree on that? He says, "You're going to be the one to do this." Do we all agree? MOSES DON'T LACK A CALLING. He lacks clarity. He lacks clarity of his identity. He's saying, "Yeah, you asked me to do that, but that don't make sense to me because what I see, I don't see myself that way." So, we got a problem here. It's It's not that God ain't spoke it. He can't see it. And so, and so the thing is is that God is calling him a deliverer and he's telling him that he's disqualified. God is saying, "You going to be the one." He's saying, "I can't be the one." He said, "You going to be the one." He said, "Not me. I can't be the one." He said, "You going to be the one." He said, "I don't know if you know who I am, but I can't do what you need me to do." DO DO YOU KNOW HOW CRAZY it sounds to argue with the creator about his creation? DO YOU THINK THAT GOD DIDN'T KNOW that he had a speech impediment before he asked him to do it? Let's really think about who we talking about. He talking about God, right? He's saying, "I don't know if you know this." Hey, forget that you just put a bush on fire and then burn it. Forget that you done made a snake go to the ground. I mean, a staff go to the ground, become a snake, and then pick IT BACK UP. FORGET ALL OF THE THINGS THAT YOU SHOW ME. I don't know if you know, maybe you've been gone for a little bit. I'm not that great of a speaker. And I know that you've come to me, but my words get tangled up. A and I know that you've called me to do this, but I've always been this way. You got to watch out for believing things from your past. I've always been this way and I don't see it changing. And so, watch me. God didn't tell God did not tell him, "I'm going to teach you how to speak." He just said, "Who created a mouth?" He was trying to restore. I think that you got things mixed up, buddy. I'm trying to show you. Watch me. So, he's arguing about his identity. He's not lacking a calling. He's lacking clarity. God is speaking. I'm trying to point out this tension is because God is speaking from purpose. And Moses is responding from insecurity. Moses, he's saying, "You're called." He's saying, "I'm incapable. You're called. I'm not eloquent."

Let's contemporize it really quickly in our lives. God calls you and you say, "Yeah, but I'm not good enough." God calls you, you say, "I'm not comfortable. I'm not confident." God called you. This is my favorite. That's just not my personality. Let me tell you how dangerous that is. Because for some of us, we submit our we make our calling submit to our personality rather than your personality submit to your calling. And so some of you are walking around less than what God has spoken simply because you'd rather stay how you were. Am I making sense? This is the thing is that we negotiate with God and go back and forth. And this is what I'm trying to show me is that you keep bringing up what you lack and God keeps pointing out what he said. This is the thing. God didn't argue with Moses' weakness. He overrode it with his presence. He just said, "I will be with you."

Pastor Matt, why are you so passionate about this? Because many of us have had God speak something over our life. And the first thing we said was, "Can't be talking to me. Hey, listen. I've called you to do something bigger than you've ever talking to you. HEY, LISTEN. I'VE SPOKEN SOMETHING OVER YOUR LIFE THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE GENERATIONS. HE TALKING to you. Hey, no. No. Hey, I've called you. I've called you to bring freedom to your family. I've called you to be able to show the people in your family that you can live for Jesus and not be halfway in and halfway out. Because some of us have gotten so used to a culture of lukewarm Christianity that we think it's impossible to be all in for God. I'mma teach on that in July. Amen. Because we normalize lukewarm Christianity and we think that all in Christianity, true disciplehip and following Jesus, it don't take all that and then wonder why we bound. Let me keep going. The reality is this. God is speaking and we just be like, and I'm not telling you something I've heard. I'm telling you my life. I remember when people came to me and said, "Man, I see the calling of ministry on your life." I'm like, "You're drunk. There's no way who I'm like, you don't even know what I was doing yesterday. Leave me alone. But I'm TELLING YOU IS THAT WE CONTINUE. WE HEAR GOD SPEAK SOMETHING. WE'RE LIKE, IT CAN'T be God or he can't be talking to me. And this is what I'm trying to show you. Watch me. Is this it was only because I was insecure. And I need you to hear me on this. You have to understand that unchecked insecurity progresses. It never stays the same. So let me say that again. Unchecked insecurity progresses. Let me give you an example of it. There's three things right here. Is this the first step is I question myself. The second thing is I doubt my ability. But then the third thing is I go and avoid my assignment. Let me say it again. I question myself. Then I doubt my ability which in turn makes me avoid my assignment. Leave this up. If you don't believe me, let's look at scripture. Moses says, "Who am I?" "Tity crisis." Then we go on a chapter later and he says, "I'm not eloquent. Ability insecurity." He's doubting his ability. And then thirdly, we didn't read this, but in Exodus chapter 4, the very next verse, chapter 13, I mean verse 13, HE SAYS, "LORD, PLEASE SEND SOMEBODY ELSE. Get somebody else to do it. Whatever you going to do, hey, I appreciate that you try." And think about how selfish insecurity can be. Watch me. I KNOW YOU WANT THEM FREE, but don't let me do it in them. Wow. So, I would much RATHER THEM STAY IN bondage than me get outside of my my my my comfort zone. If you can't say amen, LISTEN TO THIS. HE'S saying s please send somebody else. Please. Because I don't believe in me. I don't believe in what you've given me. So now I just want to avoid my assignment. How many assignments do we avoid that started away insecurity? How many things have you told God no to that God spoke yes to because insecurity? Moses tried to skip out on his assignment because he was insecure. But this is the thing what we have to stay rooted in. God, if you said it, then I don't need to second guess it. God, if you said it, then I can take it to the bank. That I have to be secure. Somebody say secure.

Number two, write this down. Comparison kills clarity. Now, I need you to elbow somebody next to you and say, "Buckle up." Okay. Hear me and hear me well. All right. You will never walk confidently in your assignment while distracted by someone else's. Let me get to my camera. You will never walk confidently in your assignment while distracted by somebody else's. And this is why I got to say that cuz we got too many Christian pocket watchers. ALWAYS IN SOMEBODY ELSE BUSINESS. ALWAYS IN SOMEBODY else Instagram story. ALWAYS IN SOMEBODY ELSE GIFTING, their calling, their assignment. Watch me. AND YOU CAN'T DO YOURS CUZ YOU'RE TOO WORRIED ABOUT YOU CAN'T OPERATE OR ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR CALLING cuz you too concerned about theirs. Well, when did they get that? They got promoted. How did they get promoted? Stay in your business and and maybe you get promoted if you stop worrying about them and you develop what God has given you. This is the thing. Many of us can't operate or acknowledge our gifting because we're too busy comparing ours to somebody else. Comparison kills clarity. And do you know why people compare? Write this down. Because they don't value difference. People compare because they don't value difference. Let me teach you something. God intentionally created difference. Difference is not a result or an accident of happen stance or happen stance with God. But it was in given it was given intentionally. God didn't make you different because he took the day off. He was intentional. My Bible SAYS, "FOR YOU KNIT ME TOGETHER IN MY MOTHER'S WOMB. FOR I AM FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE." BUT EVEN BEFORE I WAS BORN, YOU KNEW ME AND YOU CALLED ME. GOD WAS INTENTIONAL. And one of the greatest strategies of the enemy, watch me. And one of the greatest strategies of of the enemy today is to get us to think that gifts were randomly given instead of sovereignly distributed. WOW. GIFTS AREN'T RANDOMLY GIVEN. GOD DIDN'T SIT BACK AND JUST BE LIKE preaching prophetic singer. HE DIDN'T JUST RANDOMLY GIVE OUT GIFTS. GOD WAS INTENTIONAL IN EVERYTHING THAT HE DID. He sovereignly distributed them. God was thinking about your calling. When he gave you a gift, watch me. I'm trying to show you that comparison is what happens when you misunderstand design. You compare when you don't understand design.

Now, let me show you and let me prove this to you so you think I'm just talking. Let's go to Romans 12:6 because we trust our uncle Paul. The Apostle Paul said this to the church in Roman in Romans 12:6. Now, watch me. I think that this is very, very, very interesting that he writes this in Romans chapter 12. 12:1 says, it says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." God is saying, "Hey, you think about things one way, but I'm trying to get you to think about it another way. I'm trying to get you to renew your mind." And JC, after he tells him to renew their mind, he then be gives him ways to think. And he talks about gifts. Now, that's interesting to me because he probably preceded the gift conversation with renewing your mind because many of us view gifts the wrong way. Is this making sense? So, Romans 12:6, this is where he says, "In his grace, God has given us different gifts." Uhoh. different different in his Okay, so that means you wouldn't it wasn't act in his we just talked about grace a couple weeks ago in his grace God has given given us different gifts and why why was Paul saying this Paul was saying hey I'm about to start talking about some gifts but I got to make sure that you know that God did this intentionally with love and with intentionality because if you don't you'll start looking at other people gifts and wondering why you ain't get theirs and if you're not careful you'll begin Val, watch me. You'll begin to value people's gifts by visibility because some of us in here think we're not gifted because we not up here. Come on now. I can't get no help. THAT WE THINK, WATCH ME. WE LIKE ATTRACTIVE GIFTS, but God is saying, "I just gave different." Somebody say, "Different." Different. Different gifts. And you have to know that because many of us I need to I need to call some of us out because many of us can't appreciate we can't appreciate our gifts. We can't appreciate our difference because it's not the one we desired. Elbow your neighbor and say, "Is that you?"

Now, this is the thing. What am I saying? Some of y'all can't complete your assignment because you wish you had theirs. Let me say that again. SOME OF US CAN'T COMPLETE OUR ASSIGNMENT because we subconsciously wish we had somebody else's and we sitting over there like why I ain't get that gift cuz he didn't say that. But but watch me. But when you say that, you are constantly repeating to yourself that their gift is better than yours. And when you walk around with the idea that their gift is more valuable, some of you have more respect for their gifts than you have for the gift he gave you. Hello Now, let me say this. Some of us don't want what somebody else has. But some of us are, watch me, we on social media so much that we're discouraged by what we do have. Wow. Because you're watching somebody highlight reel and you watching your process. Are you hearing me? It's dangerous. Comparison is dangerous. And comparison kills clarity. I want you to write these three things down really quickly because the body, watch me, the body needs your gifts. The body of Christ, your local church needs your gifts, your love. The body of Christ, let me say this again. The world needs your gifts. Your family needs your gifts. Your children needs your gifts. Your spouse or future spouse needs your gifts. The world needs your gifts. And some of you, some of us are robbing the world because we don't like our gifts. So there's a deficiency where there should be sufficiency because you don't believe in it. This is three things that comparison does. Number one is it blinds you to what you have. Number two is it burdens you with what you're not. And number three, it breaks you away from your assignment. It blinds you to what

You have. Some of us can't even see our gift because you're comparing it to other people. So watch me.

You don't think yours is a gift. It's just kind of there. No, that's a gift. That, that one, that's a gift. It's blinding you. Watch me. It's blinding you to what you have. You know, you say the grass ain't greener on the other side. It's greener where you water it.

Don't even let me get on this when it comes to relationships. Cuz some of y'all leave a good thing for a perceived great thing and you get over there and it's a bad thing and you mad that you left a good thing. So now you don't have no thing. That's why half our, half, half of these relationships people be spinning the block cuz you left the block and then you recognize the block ain't hot so you came back to this block. And y'all need to stop. Let y'all need to stop letting people leave the block and come back to the block cuz you said that this block wasn't for you. Amen.

It blinds you. She said stay over there. It blinds you to what you have. Number two is it burdens you for what you're not. You know, you know how dangerous it is to compare your seed season to somebody's harvest. It will start making you feel like I was having a conversation with, with, with, with a young man that I disciple and we were talking. He was just looking at me. He was like, "Man, P, like I just, I like when I'm looking at you, I feel like I'm failing." I said, "Why are you comparing you to me? Like we seven years apart. Like you, you're walking, you're walking and watch me, things that have harvested for me, but you in seed season." And I said, "It's dangerous." Cuz watch me, because one day you're going to be walking in a harvest, but if you don't change your mind, because this thing, you're always in a planting season in some area. When I go to my mentor and when I go to my pastors, I'll walk in there. I'm like, man, we ain't doing nothing. I walk in there. Man, I went to church one day. I said, man, I suck. I ain't, this is incredible, but the reality is that we're always planting. And if you get a comparison mindset, you'll always downplay what God is doing in your life. You with me?

And number three, it, you'll avoid your assignment. I, I promise you, you will. That it will break you away from your assignment. Hear me. Look, I want everybody look at me really quickly. You have an assignment. You have an assignment. You have an assignment. You have an assignment. You're not here randomly. God did not call you into the kingdom just to come to church and be a consumer. Are you, are, are you, are you hearing me? God called you to be a contributor. God called you to build something in this earth. And some of us are afraid to build because we think when you build, you got to build a church. Nobody's saying you got to plant a church. Nobody's saying you got to be a pastor. What you do got to be is a disciple. And a disciple follows Jesus and builds the kingdom. We can figure out the specificity of the after, but you can't be a disciple and not be a builder. Are you with me?

Last thing right here. This what I need you to know is that agreement unlocks activation. Agreement unlocks activation. My God. Agreement unlocks activation. Agreement. Agreement. How can two walk together unless they? If two or more come together as though touching and, okay, the Bible is consistent on the day when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all in one place on one accord. That means they were in agreement. Something happens when you begin to get in agreement. Something happens when you begin to say, "God, I believe you. Now, I don't know how, but I believe you." Agreement unlocks activation.

Look at the first two words of Exodus 4:12. Moses had just told God, "I'm not a good speaker. I'm not eloquent. I can't do all these things you think I can do, and I get tongue tied. And I think you got the wrong guy." And God says, "Who, who made the mouth? Who decides whether people can speak or not speak? Whether they can hear or not hear, see or not see?" He said, "I'm going to go with you." Watch this. "I'm going to go with you." Verse 12. "Now go." "Now go." Watch this. God answers every excuse, but still ends with a command. This is what I love about God. Hear me. He listened to every excuse that Moses had for a chapter and a half. I don't know, God. He heard every excuse. He listened to everything. But you know what he did not do? He did not enable them. He said, "You're scared. I'll be with you. You don't feel like you're gifted. I created that. You feel like you're deficient. Well, I designed your deficiency. I can make it better. And wherever you're not deficient, my grace is sufficient. Anything that you can't do, I can do. Anything that you don't have, I have. Any place that you can't go, I'll go. I'm with you. But we got to get in agreement. I need you. Watch me. I'm not going to allow your excuses to exempt you from movement. You got to move. You got to do it. You, you, you got to go somewhere."

And this is the thing I want to give you. These are three stages of walking in your gift. Because I want to make this very, very clear for you. God gives it. You agree with it. And then you act on it. This is the thing. God gives it. God gives it. His job. You agree with it. Your job. You act on it. Assignment. God gives it. That's grace. You agree with it. That's faith. You act on it. That's obedience.

Watch me. God gives it. That's grace. I don't know if you know this or maybe you've lost sight of this. You didn't earn your gift. You didn't earn that. There's some things that God put specifically in you before you were born. You didn't earn that. I get it. You're charismatic. You didn't earn that. God's grace gave it. You agree with it. Now, this is what I've learned as a pastor. Many of us are stuck between step one and step two. God already gave it. That's done. You struggling to believe it. And there's this tug-of-war on whether or not you're going to move forward. Can I share this with you? Nothing changes until you agree with what God said. So, let me tell you what agreement looks like. It means stepping before you feel ready, moving without full clarity, and trusting God over your feelings. This is the thing that I, that you have to recognize. Moses had to go before his confidence came. Often times we say, "Yeah, I'mma pray about it." No, you're procrastinating about it. Well, well, I know God is calling me to to to join the church or God is calling me to start serving and I'm going to pray about it. No, you're procrastinating about it. You're stuck in the middle. You're double dutching. And I think, I think when some of us for years, watch me, for years have been consuming what God has said and contributing nothing to it because we've just been believing the lie. God, I don't think I'm enough. I don't think I can do this. So, what am I saying? You don't need another sign. You don't need another word. You don't need another confirmation. You need to come into agreement with what God already said. And when you do, it'll activate everything that God has on your life.

Let me share this with you. This is what blesses me the most. Brother, you know, the Red Sea parted because Moses got in agreement. Water came from a rock twice because he got in agreement. He made bitter water sweet because he got into agreement. What does that mean? There are miracles that we saw that we might have missed if he did not get in agreement. My question to you is, what miracles are we missing because you're not in agreement? What will we see when you say, "God, I believe you even though I can't see it." I talked about earlier in our ministry moment that I'm just believing that God is going to help us hope again. That we'll have faith, big faith to believe for bigger. I'm believing it in Jesus name. But listen to me. We got to get in agreement so God can activate everything we have in our life. The enemy said you're not enough, but the enemy lied.

Let me pray for you. Father, in the mighty name of Jesus. Your name is a strong tower. The righteous run in and they're safe. The righteous run in and they're safe. You're so good. Um, God, I thank you for how you challenge us today. Thank you for the heart surgery that came. This is my prayer. Um, I'm just, I'm going to be very, very straightforward. If you're in this place right now, um, and you've been struggling with insecurity, you've been struggling with giving yourself completely to God or believing in what God has placed in you or or taking a step, nobody's looking around right now, but it shouldn't matter. But I want you to raise your hand cuz I want to pray over you. Our hands lifted all across this place. Okay? Father, this is my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus, we uproot every bit of insecurity in the mighty name of Jesus. God, thank you for the blood of Jesus that has purchased us and made us whole. God, so right now in the mighty, matchless name of Jesus Christ, I speak to every wicked or demonic voice that's trying to speak to your children to say what we can't be and who we can't be. The enemy is a liar. We shut his mouth in the name of Jesus. God, and we speak life and truth and peace over everybody who raises their hand and everybody who did not. God, thank you that you've called us to great things. God, your word says, "Greater works shall we do." And so, God, I'm thankful, God, that you brought us in this place, Father God. And for some of you, you don't even know that God specifically tailored this message to get to you. God, I pray, hey, thank you, Holy Spirit. This is my prayer that for some of us today is your burning bush and that something awakens inside of you that you could not ever imagine. We call it forth.

Now everybody repeat after me. Say, "Holy Spirit, what are you saying to me?" And if one of the things that God is saying to you, you can put your hands down. If one of the things that God is saying to you is that he wants you to give your life to him. If you've never So good, Chris. If you've never given your life to Jesus, or maybe you have given your life to Jesus, but at some point you feel like you walked away because you believe that you weren't enough, the devil is a liar. And so, I'm not going to be long on this, but if you want to give your life to Jesus for the first time or for the hundth time, nobody cares and nobody's going to judge you. We want to celebrate you, celebrate you and encourage you because the enemy has tried to take you out so many times, but he could not win. And the fact that you're standing here today is evidence that God has had his hand on you. If you want to give your life to Jesus for the first time and rededicate it, I want you to raise your hand on the count of three. We got a hand lifted already. One, two, three. Come on, y'all. Come on. Raise that hand high. Come on, Blueprint. I got a hand all the way in the back. I see y'all too back there, man. I see you, baby. We got hands up down here. We got hands. Come on, y'all. Let's give it up. This is the greatest decision that anybody could ever make. Come on. My God.

Listen. In the book of Romans chapter 10, Paul says something to us. He says, "If we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart that Jesus is Lord, then you shall be saved." And many of y'all saying like, "Hey, what do you mean? That's it's that easy. I just got to say the prayer." Well, Jesus did the hard part. He gave his life and for us because he died for us. After we say this prayer, we're just declaring to live for him. And so we're going to put our hope, faith, and trust in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. Repeat after me. Say, "Father, Father, I love you. I love you. I thank you. I thank you for Jesus. I believe I believe that he lived that he died. That he died and that he rose for my sins. Come into my heart. Be my Lord. Be my Lord. I am yours. I am Lord and you are mine. in Jesus name. Amen." Come on, let's give it up, y'all. Come on. Come on. Come on.