Are You a Loser or a Victor ?

I often hear young people use a single word to describe someone who is defeated or “misplaced”. The word is “LOSER”. I thought recently of Moses who perhaps thought, at times, that he himself was a loser. My Pastor has been teaching on leadership from the life of Moses. When I think of leadership in any ministry position, I see some correlations from the life of Moses. The Lord chose Moses to lead His people out of Egypt and Moses tried his best to convince the Lord that he wasn’t the man for the job! He felt as though he was definitely “under-qualified!” (Have you ever felt that way?) Five times Moses refused to listen and argued with the Lord. Do you remember? Let me share with you how I think it may have gone:

MOSES:

“Lord, You don’t really know me or You wouldn’t have even thought about asking me! I’m a nobody. And that’s not all – I killed a man-I took a man’s life! Therefore, I’m a social outcast and a hated man. I have been for almost forty years-living out here in this wilderness-isolated-hiding-lonely-forgotten.

You say, “I will be with you,” but how do I know that You will stay with me? I could have at one time in my life said that I was a friend of Pharaoh. I lived in his palace and I was even looked upon as part of his family. I had “clout!” No more. Whose name can I use to impress these people to whom You are sending me?

And furthermore, how can I be sure the people will believe me? I’ve been humiliated deeply and enough is enough! I don’t want any more of that! They will reject me! They won’t listen to me! I’ve never done anything like this before. I was a valiant warrior when I was young. People respected me. I was a hero! But talk to people? I’ve never been a good speaker. That’s just not me, Lord.

No. I am Moses. A loser. I know who I am, Lord. Choose someone else.”

Ever felt that way? Ever felt that you are who you are and you cannot see how anyone, let alone God, would desire you to do “___(blank)_________”. Have you ever wondered what was inside of the mind of God?

GOD:

“I don’t remember asking you to do anything, Moses. I said that I would do it all for or through you. You are to be My spokesman. And Moses, you are not a loser! Yes (in your flesh) you were at one time, but I have touched your life! You’re different! The killer, the outcast, the humiliated man-that man is no more! Moses. I am now a part of you. The God of the universe is with you. I will lead you. I will empower you. I know you, Moses. I made you and created you for just this time. Moses, I AM that I AM. I AM GOD!” (Exodus 3-4)

I think most of us relate to Moses. Perhaps it is fear, insecurity, instability…it really doesn’t matter. God wanted Moses to KNOW who he was and to KNOW Who God was! He just as surely wants you and me to know who we are and Who He is!

We’re new! We’re different! We live IN Christ and He lives in us! He doesn’t ask us to do ANYTHING! He tells us over and over again, “I’ll do it all for you, dear one.” He desires for us to be strong in the strength of Someone else. That Someone else is the Holy Spirit Who indwells every Christian. We are not called Christians because of what we do, but because of what He does through us.

The Lord is alive and He is alive IN me and IN you. That makes me something very, very special. “I can’t do it, Lord,” should never pass our lips without this phrase added on – “but I know that You can!”

O how thankful I am for the scriptures that teach our need for total dependence upon Him. For we are not under the law, (man doing the work), but we are under grace, (God doing the work). We are not losers…no, we are victors IN HIM!