Do you find it hard to hope for a good future because all you can see is the failings and mistakes of your past? 

Did you used to have a dream of your life’s purpose but now it feels like it is gone or it’s too late?

You are not alone. 

Unfortunately, one of the side effects of being human is that we fail.  But Jesus specializes in taking people who have failed in the past and giving them a future that is brighter than anything they could ever have imagined.

All we have to do is trust Him. 

When you look at Hebrews 11 in the Bible, it lists person after person, who is considered a
‘hero of faith’.

We look at them and all we see is their greatness and their accomplishments, but the truth is, many of them failed too.  They were human beings just as we are.

This should give us great hope.  Jesus takes our faults and our failings and turns them into a testimony to His glory.

Today, we are looking at lessons from the life of Moses, one of the ‘all time greats’ in the Bible’s Hall of Fame, listed in Hebrews 11.

I don’t know if you know the story of Moses, but He is known as the person who rescued God’s people from Egypt, where they were slaves and brought them to the border of the Promised Land.

Moses is one of the most revered heroes of faith from the Bible.  Moses ended up being the leader of several million people.  The Bible says he talked to God ‘as one talks to their friend’.  He partnered with God to perform some of the biggest miracles in the Bible such as the parting of the Red Sea and bringing water out of a rock, he wrote several chapters of the Bible and so much more.

But looking at the story of Moses before all his great achievements, he failed over and over.

Let’s look at what happened.

1. Moses had a criminal background

If you’ve been on the wrong side of the law in your past, God can still use you.

Moses committed murder!  Read about this in Exodus 2: 11-12.

He saw one the Egyptians beating one of the Israelites and he killed the Egyptian and buried his body.

It is quite probable that in his youth, Moses felt the beginning of a calling from God to help his people.

He had been raised in the Egyptian palace as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter
(Exodus 2: 1-10), but in his heart, he knew he was really an Israelite and he saw that his people were slaves to the Egyptians and he wanted to help them.

Unfortunately, Moses didn’t wait for God to tell him what to do.  In his humanity, he just lashed out in anger at the Egyptian and killed him.

2. Moses ran from the consequences of his actions

When Moses realised that people knew he had murdered the Egyptian and that he was in big trouble, he ran for his life instead of facing up to the consequences of his actions
(Exodus 2: 13-15).

Maybe, you have made some terrible mistakes in your past and you feel that God couldn’t possibly use you.

Perhaps you, too, ran from the consequences of your actions.

Take heart, God loves you just as much as he loved Moses.  If God can use Moses after committing murder, He can forgive anything you have done and use you too.

3. Moses tried to step into his destiny before he was ready.

Instead of waiting on God to lead him the right way, he let his emotions get in the way and lashed out in anger, killing someone in the process.

All through our lives, in good times and bad, God is working in us, bringing us to maturity of character and faith, leading us right to His unique destiny for us.

God knows when you are ready.  At just the right time, He will begin to move you towards the purpose he created you for.

4. After failure, Moses ran away as far as he could get

After failing at the beginning and creating a huge mess, killing the Egyptian, Moses ran away as far as he could get.  He settled in Midian, on the other side of the desert (Exodus 2: 15-25).

No matter how far away you have run from where God originally called you,
when the time is right, He knows just where to find you.

5. Moses had been away for a very long time.

Moses lived in Midian for 40 years. 

He was 80 years old when God called him to begin fulfilling his destiny (Exodus 7:7).

It doesn’t matter how long it has been since God first called you.
You can never be too old or gone too long, for Him to be able to use you.

6. He married someone from another race and had children to her.

Moses settled down in Midian and found a wife and had children (Exodus 2: 21-22).

We know that later on, Moses’ family complain to Moses about his foreign wife.

But that didn’t matter to God.

It doesn’t matter where life has taken you or what you have done while you have been away from God.

God understands the pain and loneliness that you have suffered.  He knows that you have done whatever you felt necessary to cope with life.

God knows you and your family completely and loves you just as you are.

7. Moses looked at his own lack of qualifications

The first thing Moses does is question God about his lack of qualofications to do what God asked (Exodus 3:11).  Moses says ‘but who am I to bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’

He knew he was an imperfect man who had made many mistakes.  How could God possibly use him after all the bad things he had done and after all this time?

We all often fall into this temptation.  Instead of looking at our great God who has called us, we look at our own failings.

God doesn’t need ability.  He just needs willingness; someone who will say ‘yes Lord’.

God’s answer to Moses question was “I will be with you”.

This is all any of us need to fulfil our destiny and our purpose – a humble, willing and obedient heart.  The only thing we need is “God with us”.

8. Moses started to make excuse after excuse.

Moses was terrified about what God was asking him to do.  He wanted to get out of it any way he could.

First Moses says ‘but what if they don’t believe that you have sent me?’ (Exodus 4: 1-9)

God then gives Moses two miraculous signs that he could do in front of the people to help them believe him.

Then God promises that if Moses does these two signs and they still don’t believe him, He gives him one more miraculous sign to do.

That’s three miraculous signs!

Even the miraculous signs still did not convince Moses to do what God asked him to do.

Moses says ‘but I don’t speak well’ (Exodus 4: 10-12).

It is widely understood that Moses may have had a serious stutter or something else like this.  What is clear is that he didn’t have any confidence to have to speak in public.

Moses still doesn’t get it.  God is not looking to Moses ability, courage or strength.  God would provide those things.  All he wanted was for Moses was to say, ‘yes Lord, I am willing and I trust you’.

9. Moses pleads with God to send someone else.

Despite all the miraculous signs and help that God had offered, Moses said ‘please God, send someone else (Exodus 4:13).

Have you ever felt that God wanted you to do something for Him, but it terrified you and you pleaded with God to send someone else?

Remember that God won’t ask you to do anything without equipping you fully
to carry it out.

10. God sends someone to help him and partner with him.

It doesn’t matter what insecurities we have or what disabilities we have, God knows about them all.

God knew that Moses was not a good speaker, but He knew that Moses’ brother Aaron was a good speaker.

God had anticipated this issue and had already told Aaron to go and meet Moses in the desert and that he and Moses would go to Pharaoh together (Exodus 4:27-28).

In Exodus 4:14-17 God tells Moses that he would be the ‘go between’ between God and Aaron and he would tell Aaron what to say to Pharaoh and the Israelites.

God already knows your limitations and
He has made provision for them. 

You will have challenges on the way, but God is with you

Moses finally agrees to do what God has asked.  He meets his brother Aaron in the desert and they go to Egypt.

When they tell the Israelites that God was concerned about their misery and had come to rescue them and they did the signs from God, the people believed Moses and Aaron and rejoiced that God hadn’t forgotten them.

Even after Moses finally set off to fulfil his God-given destiny, it wasn’t easy.  There were many, many challenges along the way.

But Moses just had to remember God’s promise that “I am with you”.

God is bigger than any challenges you will face.

You plus God can achieve more than you ever dreamed possible.