Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_00 (00:09):
Welcome and thanks
for tuning in to Real People
Real Talk.
Relevant conversations that takeyou from surviving to thriving.
This is the podcast that goesthere.
My name is Paul Kalco, and I'myour host.
Now let's talk.
Well, hello, Thriver, andwelcome to Real People Real
(00:32):
Talk, the podcast ministry thatequips you to thrive
spiritually, relationally, andmentally.
Thank you so much for tuning intoday as we are going to explore
and unpack the life of a manknown as Moses, one of the
greatest prophets and one of themost iconic leaders in history,
not just biblical history, butin history.
We're going to see his journeyfrom a murderer and a slave to
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the liberator and leader of theIsraelites.
All right.
And this story, this account isrich with relevant lessons for
our lives.
So let's go to God's word aswe're going to see some lessons
in leadership and faith.
Exodus chapter 3, verses 9through 12.
And now the cry of theIsraelites has reached me.
I have seen the way theEgyptians are oppressing them.
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So now go, I am sending you toPharaoh to bring my people, the
Israelites, out of Egypt.
Moses said to God, Who am I thatI should go?
And Moses said to God, Who am Ithat I should go to Pharaoh and
bring the Israelites out ofEgypt?
And God said, I will be withyou.
So first we want to talk aboutthe call of Moses.
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God revealed himself to Mosesthrough a burning bush, a bush
that was on fire, but it wasn'tconsumed, a total miracle.
But Moses, as we see in thescripture, was a reluctant
leader at first.
His story begins in the contextof oppression.
The Israelites were enslaved tothe people of Egypt.
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And they began to cry out to theLord for deliverance, and God
heard their cry.
So God chooses Moses, a man thathad a complicated past that was
marked by fear and doubt.
And as the scripture, we see inthe scripture, insecurity and
inadequacy.
Have you ever been there whereyou will ask God, why did he
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choose you?
Why did he call you?
Maybe you could be dealing withsome imposter syndrome, if you
will.
Maybe you've been reluctant toanswer God's call on your life
because you've been feelinginadequate or insecure.
Well, you're not alone in thatdepartment.
When God calls Moses, Mosesresponds by questioning his own
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worthiness.
He says, Who am I?
And this question resonatesdeeply with many of us, if we're
being honest.
How often do we find ourselvesdoubting our capabilities when
faced with a daunting task?
Perhaps you step into a new roleat work, or maybe you've been
called to lead a ministry, ormaybe you know, God has called
you to step up and lead in otherways.
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It's easy to feel overwhelmedand underqualified.
But hear me out.
Whatever God has called you to,he has already placed the
necessary tools and gifts on theinside of you.
I remember a store back in theday, JC Penny's, and their
tagline was like, it's allinside.
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In other words, just get to thestore, it's all inside.
And that's what God is saying toyou.
Whatever he has called you to,like the gifts, the talents, the
qualifications, the skill, theanointing, it's all inside of
you.
Please remember 1 John 4, 4,where it says, You, dear
children, are from God and haveovercome them, because the one
who is in you is greater thanthe one who is in the world.
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You have the greater one livingon the inside of you, equipping
you and preparing you to do allthat he has called you to do.
Amen.
Consider this.
What does it mean to be chosenby God for a specific purpose?
It's not about our skills, it'snot about our degree, it's not
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about our experience, but ratherit's about our willingness to be
obedient to God.
God does not call the qualified,but he does qualify as the call.
I feel like preaching.
In other words, as you take thenecessary steps of faith and
obedience, God will equip youalong the way.
All right.
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You just got to walk by faithand God will work it all out.
So God, in his loving andgracious way, he reassures Moses
by saying, I will be with you.
And the same thing that Godspoke to Moses then, God is
speaking to you right now.
God that he is with you.
All right.
This promise is a powerfulreminder that our success in
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leadership, our success in allareas of our lives, are
dependent on God's presence andnot our perfection.
When God is with you, no devilin hell can stop you.
Before I go any further, I mustmention Moses' time in the
wilderness.
As he learned to be a shepherdand he learned how to navigate
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and survive the wilderness,which was definitely needed when
he eventually led the people ofIsrael out of Egypt and into the
wilderness on the way to thepromised land.
I brought that piece of contextand backstory up for this
reason, because I want you notto despise or try to rush
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through seasons of preparation.
God knows exactly what he'sdoing.
God used all of that time in thewilderness to prepare and equip
Moses for what was to come.
Now let's move forward.
So we see the call of Moses.
Now let's talk about hisstruggle with identity.
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As Moses continues to grappleand, you know, just wrestle with
his calling and this dauntingtask and this thing that God has
called him to do, he raisesanother objection, his speaking
abilities.
In Exodus 4, 10, it says, Pardonyour servant, Lord, I have never
been eloquent, neither in thepast, nor since you have spoken
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to your servant.
I am slow of speech and tongue.
Here Moses is open, he'stransparent, and he's just raw,
and as he just lays out, laysbare his insecurities.
He fears that he won't be ableto communicate effectively and
that he won't be takenseriously.
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But God responds by asking himthis: Who gave human beings
their mouths?
Who makes them deaf or mute?
Who gives them sight?
Who makes them blind?
Isn't that I, the Lord, as wesee in Exodus 4.11?
God was, in essence, saying,Moses, I know all about your
weaknesses, and yet I stillchoose you.
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And that should be good news foryou and I today.
That regardless of ourshortcomings, regardless of our
weaknesses, regardless of ourblind spot, God has still chosen
us to do great things.
We just have to courageouslystep out on faith and walk in
obedience.
Answer me this.
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How many times have you allowedyour insecurities or even your
past mistakes or your failuresto dictate your actions?
Whether it's a fear of publicspeaking or lack of experience
or the worry of being judged andcriticized, we often allow these
doubts to hold us back fromstepping into our God-given
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roles.
But I'm here to encourage youtoday to say yes to God.
I'm here to encourage you todayto step out into boldness.
Come on now.
I want you to know and I wantyou to remember that God is in
you, leading you to victory andcausing you to triumph.
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We see this in scripture, 1Corinthians 15, 57.
But thanks be to God who givesus the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ.
God will lead you to victory ifyou follow Him.
Amen.
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Now, homework time.
I want you to briefly reflect onyour own insecurities and write
down one area where you feelinadequate and pray for God's
strength to overcome it.
Remember that God often uses ourweaknesses to showcase his
strength.
Let me say that one more time.
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We must realize and recognizethat God often will use our
weaknesses to showcase hisstrength.
In other words, sometimes Godwill put us in a situation so he
can get the glory as he bringsus out with victory and success.
Scripture tells us in 2Corinthians chapter 12, verses 9
and 10, it's the NIV version,but he said to me, My grace is
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sufficient for you, for by mypower is made perfect in
weakness.
Therefore I will boast all themore gladly about my weaknesses,
so that Christ's power may reston me.
Once again, whatever God hascalled you to do, he has graced
you to do it.
In spite of your weaknesses, inspite of your insecurities, God
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is going to get the glory andyou're going to get the victory.
I like to say it like this thatno matter what we're going
through, God will make sure thateverything works out for your
good and it will work out forhis glory.
Amen.
So we saw the call of Moses.
We saw his struggle withidentity.
Now let's take a look at hiscourage to confront.
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So finally, Moses accepts hisrole and he confronts Pharaoh,
the most powerful man in Egypt.
And in Exodus 5:1, he boldlydeclares and says, This is what
the Lord God of Israel says.
Let my people go.
This moment is pivotal.
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It's a declaration of faith thatchallenges the status quo.
Imagine the tension as Mosesstands before Pharaoh, not as an
equal, but as a representativeof the oppressed.
His courage exemplifies the veryessence of true leadership, the
willingness to confrontinjustice head on.
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So what can we learn from this?
We need to be bold, we need tobe courageous as we fulfill the
purpose of God on our lives.
Not only did Moses exhibitcourage, but he also exhibited
faith and trust as he had totrust God in the unknown.
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As Moses leads the Israelitesout of Egypt, the path is
anything but smooth.
From the miraculous parting ofthe Red Sea to the daunting
wilderness, Moses and the peopleof God encounter numerous
challenges.
In Exodus chapter 14, when feargrips the Israelites as they see
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the approaching Egyptian army,Moses speaks and declares words
of assurance.
He says, Do not be afraid, standfirm, and you will see the
deliverance the Lord will bringyou today.
And what Moses declared to them,I now declare to you, no matter
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what season of life you findyourself in, no matter what the
name of this chapter of yourlife is right now, no matter
where you are, what you're goingthrough, I want to speak this
over you.
Do not be afraid.
Stand firm, and you will see thedeliverance the Lord will bring
you today.
Listen, my friend, we all facemoments of doubt and insecurity
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and uncertainty.
We face moments where we allowour fear and our doubt to try to
overwhelm us.
Whether it's a health crisis ora financial issue or a job loss
or a struggle in the family, wecan look to Moses as an example
of someone who trusted God'spromises despite the chaos
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around him.
There is so much more that canbe said about Moses, his call,
his leadership, his faith, howhe miraculously received the Ten
Commandments from God Himselfwhile he was on the mountain.
And from speaking to a rock andwater came out to hitting a rock
and water came out to Godraining down manna from heaven
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and so many miracles that Goddid through the life of Moses.
But I just want to give you asnapshot of the life of Moses on
today.
So I want to encourage you toread more about him and his
story as it begins in the bookof Exodus and it concludes in
the book of Deuteronomy.
Now, Moses' life is a powerfultestament to the transformative
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nature of faith-filledleadership.
As we reflect on Moses' journey,let's remember the following
lessons.
Number one, God equips the call.
I want to encourage you today toembrace your calling.
Even in the face of doubt, trustthat God's presence will empower
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you to fulfill his purposes.
I gotta say that again.
That's good.
Embrace your calling, and evenin the face of doubt, even in
the face of a mountain ofproblems, trust that God's
presence will empower you tofulfill his purposes.
Secondly, embrace yourlimitations.
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Acknowledge your weaknesses,acknowledge your shortcomings,
acknowledge your insecurities,and allow God to work through
your weaknesses.
Remember that your limitationscan be an opportunity for God to
shine his strength in your life,for God to let people know what
can be done through any vesselthat will say yes to him.
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So yes, God equips the call.
Yes, you should embrace yourlimitations, and thoroughly you
should trust God in theuncertainty.
Stand firm in your faith duringchallenging times.
Let God promise, let hispromises be your anger, guiding
you through the storms of life.
And fourthly, don'tunderestimate the impact that
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you can have when you say yes toGod.
Because Moses said yes to God,the people of Israel were
delivered out of slavery.
Because Moses said yes to God,the people of Israel were able
to see his miraculous handmoving in their lives.
As God literally rained downfood, he rained down bread from
heaven known as manna.
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God tangibly manifested hispresence to the people of Israel
as a cloud by day and a pillarof fire by night to lead his
people.
Because Moses said yes to God, anew leader and a deliverance
raised up in the person ofJoshua, who eventually led God's
people all the way to thepromised land.
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That should encourage you to sayyes to God, as your yes to God
can greatly impact others.
Well, amen and amen.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
As this month, we're celebratingour sixth-year podcast
anniversary.
Been doing the ministry for sixyears.
And man, I just want to say toGod be the glory.
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Thank you for coming on thisjourney with me.
Be sure to share this episodewith a few friends as we
continue to grow and get thismessage out there.
But until next time, go be allthat God has called you to be.