God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” Exodus 3:14

I am a very insecure person. I have lots of areas where I feel inadequate. One that I deal with on a daily basis is worrying about what people think of me. Many times this has hindered me from saying or doing certain things that God has placed on my heart.

Here are some of the thoughts that often go through my head when I’m trying to write:

“What will others think about what you write? You are not a good writer. You are not smart enough or spiritual enough to do this. What if you offend someone? You blew it again. Your words hold no weight or value. Who do you think you are trying to share about God with all the things you’ve done?”

I struggle daily with insecurity.

I can relate to Moses in Exodus 3-4.

God called Moses from a burning bush in the desert. He told Moses to go to Egypt and speak to Pharaoh. God wanted Moses to help free the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.

Here was Moses’ response to God.

But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:11

I just love God’s response to Moses.

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14

See, Moses asked the wrong question.

God answered Moses’ question not by telling him not who he was. God responded by telling Moses who HE WAS! 

“I AM WHO I AM!”

The same is true for us. It’s not about who we are–but WHO GOD IS!

Moses needed a change of perspective. Moses was looking inward. He needed to look upward.

God created Moses. He knew that Moses had weaknesses.  Moses didn’t exactly have a perfect track record. In fact, did you know that Moses was a murderer? He killed an Egyptian for beating a Hebrew slave in Exodus 2:11-12. God chose to use Moses in spite of his weaknesses.

Isn’t it great that God allows us to see the good and the bad aspects of the characters in the Bible?  I just love it that God didn’t leave the bad parts out.  It makes it much easier for us to relate to them.  They were real people with real struggles.

The Lord has been teaching me so much about faithfulness with this little blog. So many times I have wanted to quit, throw in the towel and give up.  I mess up. I fall short. I get discouraged. I have given God every excuse in the book of why He can’t possibly use me. But the Lord seems to keep leading me back to this one word—obedience.

This is the little ministry that He has placed on my heart. No matter how good it is, what others think about it, whether they like it or not–none of that matters. God told me to do it. Plain and simple. Obedience. That’s the bottom line.

Just yesterday I was struggling with my insecurities once again, and this is what the Lord spoke to my heart.

“Rachel, your reverence for Me has to overshadow your insecurities of what you think others think about you.”

Ouch.

This message is heavy on my heart because I wonder if sometimes you feel like me.

What is it that God is asking you to do? Has God placed a calling or dream in your heart? Are you going for it? If not, what is holding you back? Are you feeling insecure like Moses and asking, “Who am I?” Are you listing all the reasons why you think God can’t use you?

If so, then please listen carefully.

God wants to use you. He wants to use you–weaknesses and all.

God created us with weaknesses. He did it on purpose. No one knows the creation like the Creator. Paul had a thorn in his flesh–a weakness that he asked God to remove three times. God didn’t.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  2 Corinthians 12:9

His power is made PERFECT in our weaknesses.  By giving our weaknesses to God, allows God to demonstrate His strength and power through them.

I’ve heard it said that our greatest ministries often come out of our greatest weaknesses.

Wow! Only God could do that!

Maybe today we need to change our perspective. Maybe we are asking the wrong question. We need to stop worrying about who we are, and instead concentrate on WHO GOD IS.

There is no limit to what God can do with a surrendered heart. He has given us everything we need to fulfill our destiny, including our weaknesses.

The enemy does NOT want us to fulfill our destiny. He will do everything he can to stop us. We will face challenges. There will be roadblocks. We will have relationship struggles. The enemy knows our weaknesses well.  He knows our Achilles heel. But when he tries to drag up our insecurities and asks us who we think we are. Let’s remind him. Remind him–not who we are–but who our God is.

The GREAT I AM!