Live the Word Bible Studies

Purpose Study Bible 70: Early to Rise

As the account of the plagues continues in Exodus, there is one verse that caught my attention: "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Get up early in the morning'" (Exodus 9:13a). If you are going to be purposeful and express your creativity, you must figure out when to rest and when to work and it seems that the Bible makes a solid case for rising early to get some things done. In this verse, the Lord directed Moses to get to Pharaoh before he got into his day to give him an entire day to think about God's latest ultimatum.

Prior to this instance, we passed over many other early morning references in this study:

• "Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord" (Genesis 19:27).
• "Early the next morning Abimelek summoned all his officials, and when he told them all that had happened, they were very much afraid" (Genesis 20:8).
• "Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar" (Genesis 21:14).
• "Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey" (Genesis 22:3).
• "Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other" (Genesis 26:31).
• "Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it" (Genesis 28:18).
• "Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them" (Genesis 31:55).
  

The psalmists wrote "Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early" (Psalm 57:8 KJV) and "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee" (Psalm 63:1 KJV). Finally, we have an important reference in Mark 1:35: "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." All this does not constitute a mandate from heaven that you must get up early, but it does indicate a pattern of how some people who were mightily used by God approached their day—including the Lord Himself.

How do you structure your days for maximum productivity? Do you rise early or stay up late? When is your most productive time? Your most creative time? Do you use sleep to replenish or to hide from responsibility? Are you in a rhythm as to when you go to bed and when you arise? If you are not a "good" early riser, at least consider the verses presented in this study and then prayerfully consider where you need to make some changes for your own creative good.

Purpose Study Bible 69: Hardhearted

Throughout the account of the plagues, the status of Pharaoh's heart is regularly mentioned. We read in Exodus 8:15, "But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart, and didn’t listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken." This was not the first or the last time that Pharaoh would harden his heart in this narrative. It is mentioned that Pharaoh's heart was hard or unyielding nine times (see Exodus 7:13, 14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 34, 35). What was the result of this hardening? Eventually it led to the devastation of Egypt but before that occurred, the Lord stepped in and sealed Pharaoh's heart condition he had exhibited in his dealings with Moses: "Yahweh hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he didn’t listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken to Moses" (Exodus 9:12).

This issue of hardening of one's heart also emerged as a common condition among the Jews but it was referred to as their being a "stiff-necked" people 18 times in the Old Testament. Later in this study we will look at Exodus 17 at which the psalmist looked back and wrote, "Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness" (Psalm 95:8, emphasis added). Still later, the believing Jews were warned by the writer of Hebrews who also referred to Psalm 95:

As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion." Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief (Hebrews 3:15-19).

What's the lesson here for us? It's that we can just as easily harden our hearts as Pharaoh, the Jews, and the early believers did. That does not mean you necessarily turn your back on the Lord. It simply means you ignore something He has instructed you to do over a period of time, stiffening your neck and hardening your heart. He has prompted you to teach, preach, learn, create, travel, give, move on, or lead, but you consistently refuse, politely and gently and with logical, convincing reasons—but you refuse nonetheless. The lesson we learn from all those who hardened their hearts is that when we do that repeatedly, we forfeit our ability to enter into a blessing God has for us. We still worship and love Him, but we lose something along the way. Perhaps it is what Jesus said to the Ephesian church: "You have forsaken the love you had at first" (Revelation 2:4).

Are you being stiff-necked or hardhearted in any area of life? Don't answer too quickly, but ask the Lord to reveal if you are and specifically look at areas of purpose and creativity to see if you are avoiding playing to the full stature of your gift or calling. If God shows you an area where you may be hardened, then quickly repent and get started on the journey of obedience, leaving your stiff and hard ways behind.

Purpose Study Bible 68: A Transcendent Economy

Let's revisit a concept we touched on in the last entry and that is how God began treating His people differently than He did the Egyptians:

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, so that they may worship me.” If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, the hand of the Lord will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys and camels and on your cattle, sheep and goats. But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’” The Lord set a time and said, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this in the land.” And the next day the Lord did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. Pharaoh investigated and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go (Exodus 9:1-7).

God is able, if He so chooses, to set His people apart not physically but spiritually from those who do not serve Him. His people don't have to separate themselves or live in a special place. He can do it without making any special designation or distinction. This is actually the message of Revelation, which has been misinterpreted to mean that those who don't know Him will have to wear a mark of the beast. God needs no external marking to know those who are His and those who aren't, and He promises to give special attention to His people who put their trust in Him.

This has important implications for you if you are looking to be purposeful and creative. God can provide for you in ways that are not directly connected to your work so you can continue to do what He has assigned. That means you can create and be purposeful without charging for your services and He can promise to provide (supernaturally if need be) regardless of the economic condition of the culture in which you live. In other words, you can count on God's economy that transcends the secular economy on which the world depends to take care of you.

Where are you not creating because you assume that artists must always "starve"? Are you holding on to a job you hate as if it is the last job in the world? Are you holding back from starting your business or ministry because it's not the right time economically? It's time that you made the transition in your mind from what the world system has taught you about economics to what God has to say. That shift is enough to allow you to live under the benefits and protection of God's transcendent economy no matter what work He has given you to do.

Purpose Study Bible 67: Purpose Prayers

The plagues began in Egypt with the Nile being turned to blood. Then there was a swarm of frogs throughout the land, but the Egyptian magicians were able to replicate what Moses had initiated. Then there was a plague of gnats and it was the first plague the magicians could not match and they told Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God" (Exodus 8:19). Then there was the fourth plague which also brought a major shift in how the plagues were experienced:

“‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow'" (Exodus 8:22-23).

The first three plagues also affected God's people living in Goshen, but with the flies, God set them apart from the Egyptians to prove that His favor was upon them. You can always count on this being true that you live in a different world than those who don't know the Lord. He can preserve and protect you while there is famine and lack all around you. That means you can fulfill your purpose and express your creativity no matter the external conditions in which you must function.

That is not all that was different about this fourth plague:

Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord, and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his people. Only let Pharaoh be sure that he does not act deceitfully again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord." Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord, and the Lord did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained (Exodus 8:29-31).

The Lord left it up to Moses as to when this plague would end. Moses prayed and God answered his prayer and stopped the plague. Because Moses was flowing in his purpose, God was listening, as Jesus had promised would happen:

"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:12-14).

Jesus did not make this promise so you could get whatever you want at any time. He made it so that you can do greater works than He did, which you will do when you are in your purpose and expressing your creativity. That is where you can ask, like Moses did, and God hears and responds. What do you need to fulfill your purpose? Ask for it! What do you need to express your creativity? Ask for it! What fruit has God anointed and empowered you to bear? Ask for it in abundance! What wisdom do you need for the work God has assigned you? Ask for it and don't doubt!

Just like He did with Moses, God is waiting to hear from you as a partner in the work He has for you. Don't trivialize or waste this precious connection to the Creator of the universe who has promised to provide whatever you need in order to do His will, but speak bold purpose prayers and see God act on your behalf again and again.

Purpose Study Bible 66: Your Snake

After Pharaoh refused to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt, God initiated a series of plagues but first He gave Pharaoh one last chance to avoid the carnage that was to come to his land:

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said (Exodus 7:10-13).

The magicians could imitate this first manifestation of God's power, only to have God's snake swallow up their snakes while Moses' snake returned to its original state as Moses' staff. The staff was the symbol of Moses' authority and had no power in and of itself. Its only significance was that God had sent Moses to do a job and he would wield his staff to focus everyone's attention on what he was doing.

As you move out into your purpose and creativity, you will confront the world system that is better financed and positioned than you are. If you are going to create videos, you will be up against Hollywood or social media, where professionals develop the highest quality work. If you are going to write, you will enter an arena where there are not only exceptional modern writers but where there are libraries filled with superb authors of days gone by. If you are going to paint, you will do what some of the world's greats have done. It will seem that no matter what creative staff you throw down, there will be those who can match and excel what you do.

You should be encouraged, however, that Moses' rod ate up those of Egypt. If God has given you your creative gifts and purpose (which of course He has), then you do not venture out alone or in your own power. You go in the authority of the gift and purpose God has assigned. He will create an audience for you. He will be your agent and promoter. He will carve out a niche where you will be Steven Spielberg or Ernest Hemingway or Michelangelo to your audience. Your creativity will swallow up that of others who have gone in their own power and sometimes resorted to darker powers to find success.

Have you been holding back what you can do because it seems that others' snakes are swallowing up your work? Are you hesitant to create because you are underfunded or underappreciated? If so, then hold back no more. Throw down what God has put in your hand to do and then watch Him gobble up your critics and overcome those who are more powerful but less connected to Him than you are. In the end, your success is not based on having a bigger staff and snake. It is based on who gave you your staff and who turned it into a snake and God's power is always superior to the finest most sophisticated snakes Egypt has to offer.

Purpose Study Bible 65: He Knows Your Name

The responses of Pharaoh and Israel were not what Moses expected when he made his pronouncement to "let My people go." When the king oppressed the people and the people expressed their resentment, Moses told the Lord,

“If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?” (Exodus 6:12).

Then in case the Lord was hard of hearing, Moses reiterated his complaint in Exodus 6:28-30,

Now when the Lord spoke to Moses in Egypt, he said to him, “I am the Lord. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you.” But Moses said to the Lord, “Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?”

Even though they had had this discussion as reported in Exodus 4 about Moses' inadequacy to complete the task, Moses still harped on the reasons why he was not the one for the job. This is not the focus of this study however, but instead let's look at what the Lord inserted between verses 12 and 28. Here is an excerpt:

Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. These were the heads of their families: The sons of Reuben the firstborn son of Israel were Hanok and Pallu, Hezron and Karmi. These were the clans of Reuben . . . (Exodus 6:13-14).

It's almost as if the Lord ignored Moses' protests and instead conducted His own census of the tribes and clans who were in Egypt. He was saying, "I know exactly what I am asking you to do, Moses. I have more information than you so I don't need you to lecture me. I have a complete count of all those who are present in Egypt and I know them by name and family heritage. What's more, I know all about you and your family" and then shared Moses' family tree just so he would know that He had made no mistake—Moses was His man! It is interesting that Moses wrote this account and was essentially telling a story on himself that did not portray him in a positive light. Moses told us, "Look how I resisted the Lord yet He was sufficient to get the job done. This story isn't about me, it's about Him."

Do you continue to pour out your litany of excuses to the Lord like He needs to be informed? Do you still not comprehend that He is able and capable to make you able and capable? Do you see He is intimately acquainted with you and your family history and has still assigned you a purpose and distributed creative gifts? It's time to put the excuses away and step up to serve the One who knows more about you than you know about yourself. He does indeed know your name.

Purpose Study Bible 64: Pharaoh

When Moses and Aaron arrived in Egypt and ordered Pharaoh to let their people go, he refused and instead made their work more difficult to drive a wedge between Moses and the people he was sent to deliver:

Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.’” So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, “Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.” And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed, demanding, “Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before? (Exodus 5:10-15).

Studies show that at least 70% of the working public in the U.S. has a job they either don't like or on which they do not get a chance to express what they do best. The percent is even higher in every other country of the world. Why is that? It is because many believe that is the only option they have. In a sense, they work for Pharaoh and if Pharaoh thinks they are not producing the way they should, he (or she) will make their conditions less pleasant—not more. Perhaps you are in that situation, working a job you don't like. Even if you work for Pharaoh and he treats you well, you are still in bondage to a system that at the end of the day is using you in return for often meager returns.

The Israelites had no choice but to submit to Pharaoh's harshness, but you probably have some options. They may not seem like good ones, but you have them. You can look for a new job or start your own business, just to name two. Whichever you choose, it is important to keep one thing in mind: God can use a company to provide for you but He doesn't need one. He can take care of you by His own means, which is the testimony of many who had to make a job transition only to find the Lord provided in miraculous ways to take care of them.

Do you feel stuck in a job you hate? Are you working for a Pharaoh who changes your wages and working conditions as he or she sees fit without your best interests at heart? Is your thinking preventing you from even identifying your purpose, for the thought of how your purpose will provide for you keeps you from even considering what it may be? God set His people free in Exodus 5 and He will do the same for you, but only if you trust that He is able to do so. If not, then you will keep going back to a situation that is dull at best and abusive at worst, convinced it is the best you can do when God has something much better in mind—if you trust Him to take care of your needs as you make the transition.

Purpose Study Bible 63: "Don't Put Me In, Coach"

This week, we finish up with Moses' excuses after the Lord directed him to go back to Egypt to set the people free. The intent is not to diminish Moses' standing as a great leader, but to show how his struggle to fulfill God's purpose for his life may have some similarities to your own struggles. The hope is that you will learn to overcome your hesitation, which usually appears as a list of reasonable excuses of why you cannot be the one to do what is before you. As we look this week at Moses’ final comment at the burning bush, we see that Moses, having stated five excuses, simply refused to go to Egypt:

“But Moses said, ‘O Lord, please send someone else to do it’” (Exodus 4:13).

In essence, Moses said “no” to God! It would be like a coach sending a player into the game only to have the player say, "I'm not going. Don't put me in, coach." What was God’s response? “Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses” (Exodus 4:14). Up to this point in the story, God was patient and gracious with Moses, responding to all his objections. At this point, however, God was angry. May no reader ever make God that angry, but this story proves it can happen. God is patient but there are limitations to His patience and we are never quite sure when we will reach that limit.

You can receive the grace of God’s purpose in vain, choosing to ignore or do nothing with it. You can sit on your gifts, remaining in the comfort zone of life rather than experiencing the discomfort of new faith experiences. You can also be so afraid of doing the wrong thing that you choose to do nothing. God had answered and addressed each of Moses’ questions and concerns so that the real reason for Moses’ reluctance could be revealed: Moses just didn’t want to do it.

Are you testing God’s patience through delay and excuses? Have you talked yourself into believing the excuses you offer, accepting them as ironclad facts? Has God The good news is that after Moses said this, God assigned Aaron to go with Moses and then sent them both on their way to Egypt. If you confess that you don’t want to fulfill your purpose because you’re scared, lazy, or lack confidence, then the Lord will still help you. God is with you, even if you are hesitant. All you have to do is acknowledge where you are and ask God’s help. He will do the rest. Let this be the day when you face reality and still move on to do great things for God, just like Moses.

Purpose Study Bible 62: The Need is Your Call

We are almost finished with our study of Moses’ comments during his encounter with the burning bush. We now come to Moses’ fifth excuse, which was:

“Moses said to the Lord, 'O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue'” (Exodus 4:10).

With this fifth excuse, Moses had moved from honest questioning to procrastination. He was laboring to come up with some excuse, any excuse, so he wouldn’t have to go to Egypt. If we look hard enough, we are confident we can always find a reason to exempt us from fulfilling our purpose. Some of these reasons are: “I’m too young; I’m too old; I don’t have the education; I don’t like to speak in front of people; I don’t have the money; My spouse/pastor/leader/supervisor/children/siblings/neighbor doesn’t feel good about me doing that or going there; I’m not sure it’s God’s will; I’m waiting on the Lord’s timing.”

Consider the last excuse: “I’m waiting on the Lord’s timing.” A leader once said, “The need that you see is your call; once you see it, you must move to meet that need.” He meant that seeing an existing need is often the only “call” from God you are going to receive. While you may assume everyone sees what you see if they just pay attention, in most cases they cannot see what you see. Who God made you to be and your values qualify you to see certain things that no one else can see like you do, no matter how obvious you think it is.

The good news is that God, who has given you the ability to see the need, will also equip you to address the need. The Lord responded to Moses: “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” (Exodus 4:11-12). God is saying the same thing to you as He told Moses and that is to “go” and do. As you go, He will help you speak or accomplish whatever it is He wants you to do. Stop procrastinating and finding excuses to justify your delay.

If you have passed on your "call" in the past, it's not too late to do something now. The God of your purpose is extending to you another opportunity to do His will as only you can do it. Don’t disappoint Him or make Him find someone else. If you see it, you can do it. What’s more, you must do it if you are to be a person of purpose. The good news is that you don't have to do it alone; He goes with you wherever you go—even to the ends of the earth.

Purpose Study Bible 60: Fear Not Trying

In the last several studies, we have considered the fact that Moses was less than enthusiastic when the Lord ordered him to Egypt during their encounter at the burning bush. His first objection was that he wasn't capable; the second was he didn't have enough information to respond to the people's questions. Let's read about his third excuse in this study. Moses' third excuse was,

"What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The Lord did not appear to you?'" (Exodus 4:1).

Moses was asking, "What if I fail? What if I'm obedient but the people don't respond? What if they don't believe me or accuse me of being a fraud?" Fear of failure is a common stumbling block for people trying to be more purposeful and productive. They can be so afraid of doing the wrong thing that they end up doing nothing, missing potentially significant opportunities.

Are you afraid of failure? Is that what stands between you and any attempt to fulfill your purpose or achieve your goal? As you think of your answer, consider what former American President Theodore Roosevelt had to say about failure:

It is not the critic who counts. Not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood. Who strives valiantly. Who errs, and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming. But who does actually strive to do the deeds. Who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions. Who spends himself in a worthy cause. Who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worse, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

If what Roosevelt said is true, then you should fear not trying even if you fail. It is better to fail trying to do something great than to succeed at doing nothing, for the latter isn't really success at all. Don't be reckless but when it involves your purpose or creativity, calculated risks that will benefit many people are where your faith can win the day and change lives.

Are you ready to face your fear of failure? Are you ready to replace it with a fear of not failing? Are you offering God and others the same excuse that Moses offered? Are you asking, "But what if things don't work out?" The way to avoid even answering the last question is never to take action. Stop allowing fear to paralyze you and then act. Be more concerned with the consequences of being purposeless than the consequences of trying and failing.

In the last several studies, we have considered the fact that Moses was less than enthusiastic when the Lord ordered him to Egypt during their encounter at the burning bush. His first objection was that he wasn't capable; the second was he didn't have enough information to respond to the people's questions. Let's read about his third excuse in this study. Moses' third excuse was,

"What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The Lord did not appear to you?'" (Exodus 4:1).

Moses was asking, "What if I fail? What if I'm obedient but the people don't respond? What if they don't believe me or accuse me of being a fraud?" Fear of failure is a common stumbling block for people trying to be more purposeful and productive. They can be so afraid of doing the wrong thing that they end up doing nothing, missing potentially significant opportunities.

Are you afraid of failure? Is that what stands between you and any attempt to fulfill your purpose or achieve your goal? As you think of your answer, consider what former American President Theodore Roosevelt had to say about failure:

It is not the critic who counts. Not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood. Who strives valiantly. Who errs, and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming. But who does actually strive to do the deeds. Who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions. Who spends himself in a worthy cause. Who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worse, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

If what Roosevelt said is true, then you should fear not trying even if you fail. It is better to fail trying to do something great than to succeed at doing nothing, for the latter isn't really success at all. Don't be reckless but when it involves your purpose or creativity, calculated risks that will benefit many people are where your faith can win the day and change lives.

Are you ready to face your fear of failure? Are you ready to replace it with a fear of not failing? Are you offering God and others the same excuse that Moses offered? Are you asking, "But what if things don't work out?" The way to avoid even answering the last question is never to take action. Stop allowing fear to paralyze you and then act. Be more concerned with the consequences of being purposeless than the consequences of trying and failing.