Humbled by a Burning Bush
“He answered, “I will certainly be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I am the one who sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain.”
Exodus 3:12 CSB
Hey sweet friend!
Over the last few weeks, we have been discussing the lessons God taught me through a burning bush about what it looks like and means to have an ignited walk with God. If you missed the original post, click here.
When God lovingly chose to divert my plans that day to teach me these lessons, honestly it was one of the most humbling days for me. Most of the lessons God teaches us will humble us when we actually see God for who He is and see ourselves for who we. When that happens, our agendas and schedules tend to fade away as we recognize our real purpose for living on planet Earth.
Just to recap..
Lesson #1: Be available for God’s kingdom moments, either teaching moments designed for us or mission moments designed for someone else, will not happen on our timeframe. These moments will result in a sacrifice of our schedule and our plans but are absolutely worth it.
Lesson #2: Be available with the correct postured heart attitude- Even though I had broken away from my “To-do list” and schedule, my heart wasn’t in the right place. To have an ignited walk with God that impacts those around us, we must be not only available for God’s kingdom moments, but also be available with the correct postured heart attitude. (Jeremiah 17:9-10)
Lesson #3: Detailed schedules and completed blueprints are not provided - God’s kingdom moments will not be spelled out in a detailed format to let us know exactly what is about to happen. Trusting and following God without the details are essential.
Lesson #4: Environment is everything – We can be deceived into thinking that we are already in the right environment because we attend church and are active in church activities. Without the proper environment on a daily basis, we might start out ignited but will end up in a parched, empty, defeated heap with our flame out, feeling guilty for falling short of the mark and wondering what went wrong. (Proverbs 90:12-14) How do we do this? We do it by being intentional. We begin by cultivating an environment with Jesus into our daily rhythms.
Lesson #5: Develop a love for God’s word – It is impossible to have an ignited walk without being in God’s word and allowing God’s word to get deep into us. The first step begins with a prayer, “Lord, give me such a hunger for you and your word. Ignite a flame in me and keep me hungry for you. Never let me go back to settling for less.”
Lesson #6: Surround yourself with others that are ignited –our flame will eventually burn out if we are not consistently surrounding ourselves with others that are experiencing a daily ignited walk with God. Proverbs 27:17 says “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” We are sharpened and ignited more when we surround ourselves with women that are striving for an ignited walk themselves.
As I’ve been meditating on these lessons from the fire, my mind drifts to Moses. I wonder what was going through his mind on the day when God interrupted his plans and spoke to him through the burning bush. Moses was just minding his own business tending sheep when he encountered Holy ground and a Holy God. We find the story in chapters 3 and 4 of Exodus. God sure did interrupt Moses’ plans in a big way and Moses wasn’t too happy about it. Moses gave excuse after excuse as to why God really needed to get someone else. The truth was out – Moses really didn’t want to change his plans to do what God wanted him to do. Hummm. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
God will never ask us to do something that He won’t be right with us. God always is with us to lead us, guide us, and help us in each and every step along the way just like our key verse says, “He answered, “I will certainly be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I am the one who sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain.” Exodus 3:12
Even though Moses was hesitant to do what God had called him to do, he ultimately was obedient. From that moment on, history would be changed through his obedience to follow God’s call on his life. The same could be said about us –changing history forever as we respond to God’s call to walk an ignited life that refuses to operate on auto-pilot, has a hunger for God & his word, and is actively igniting those around us with the gospel of Jesus Christ. What an incredible way to live and leave a legacy!
God, thank you for loving me enough to interrupt my plans, and for showing me what it takes to have an ignited walk with you. I never want to go back to the emptiness of auto-pilot that I once knew. Give me a heart like King David that hungers for you and your word, and help me to have the obedience of Moses to follow your call and impact your kingdom. Keep me ignited, focused on your plan and your will. In Jesus Name, Amen
Dig Deeper:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. “For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 CSB
Reflection:
Which one of the lessons that we have discussed do you struggle with?
What is God asking you to do? How are you going to be obedient to His call?