 Well, I certainly don't believe that it is by accident you are watching this teaching. I pray today that this teaching would empower you to pursue the call of God upon your life. We're continuing my series, God's Anointed, on talking about different biblical characters and gleaning from their lives truths that we can apply to help us fulfill the call of God upon our lives. Now, on this edition of Spirit Church, I'll be talking about Moses, and I believe that this is going to be both encouraging and challenging, as well as sobering. So you're not going to want to miss this installment on my series, God's Anointed. Stephen Moctezuma is here with me as usual. He's going to lead you in worship. And then we're going to get right into this lesson here is Stephen Moctezuma. I need you more, more than yesterday, I need you more. Words can say I need you more, but before, more than yesterday, I need you more. More than words can say I need you more than the song, or than the next heartbeat. But as time goes by, I will be by your side, because I never want to go back to my more than the song I see, more than the next heartbeat. Time goes by, I will be by your side, because I never want to go back to my... Moses was called by God to deliver the people of Israel out of the oppression and slavery of Egypt. And just as Moses was called by God to be a deliverer of a people, so you are called by God to be a deliverer of people. You have been given the message of the gospel. You have been called, proclaimed in one way or another, the message of truth that sets the captives free. Your life, when it is surrendered to the use of God's hand, becomes an agent of deliverance, becomes an agent of liberation. You have been called to set a people free. Now, of course, we know that Christ himself is the source of all freedom. However, he has chosen to use you as his instrument, as his minister of that freedom to people. Now, whether or not you're called to be a prophet or pastor or evangelist or teacher, it doesn't matter. God wants to use your life. He wants to use the gifts he has placed upon you. You have time. You have talent. You have resources. You have influence. Whatever God has given to you, he expects you to use it toward the cause. And the cause is souls. The cause is the spreading of the gospel. Not everyone is called to go and pastor a church. Not everyone is called to go and be a prophet to the nations. But every believer is called in one way or another to contribute to the overall cause of the liberation of lost souls. And we are called the minister of the gospel that sets them free from the bondage of sin. And you have been called as a Moses, a deliverer to a people. So let's look at the call of Moses and pull truth from his life and from it learn how we ourselves can be empowered to fulfill the call of God upon our own lives. Now Exodus chapter 3, go there. Exodus chapter 3 beginning at verse number 1. One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There, the angel of the Lord appeared to him on a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn't burn up. This is amazing, Moses said to himself. Why isn't that bush burning up? I must go see it. When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, Moses, Moses. Here I am, Moses replied. Now Moses' response is interesting because it's very similar to Isaiah the prophet's response to the Lord that we just read about in Isaiah chapter 6 on the last edition of Spirit Church. So there is something to be said of volunteering and surrendering that God requires of us. But the first point I want to make that's unique to Moses is the fact that we see him working here. He's tending to the flock of his father-in-law Jethro. He's being productive. So number one, the called must not be lazy. God cannot, God will not use a lazy person. Those who are lazy and those who live out a lifestyle of laziness will never obtain their full potential in the call of God. Now people try to spiritualize things. They say, well it's not my effort, it's the Lord's effort. And that's true but you have to realize that ministry, all ministry, is a partnership between God and man. Now of course God could do things on his own but because of how he looks at free will, in some ways we don't understand this, but because of how he looks at free will, he requires the participation of the human race in his agenda, especially as it applies to here on earth because he originally gave the dominion of the earth to man. So God respecting the dominion of man, respecting the free will of man as he set those parameters chooses to use human vessels to reach mankind. And so in this sense we see that there is a partnership. God will do the impossible if man will do the difficult. God requires that we do the difficult and he from there says I will do the impossible. I will take on the tasks that are not possible for you to do if you will do what I require of you. We worship, he manifests his presence. We have faith, he gives us a miracle. We preach the gospel, he produces transformed hearts. We lay hands on the sick, he heals them and so on and so forth. God partners with us in the ministry but God will not partner himself with someone who is lazy. He will not in other words bless a mess. God will not anoint a life and fill it with power if the one who is living that life is lazy. God will not use lazy people. Now I know some ministers who they're stuck in their call right now and I won't name any names and I'm not trying to be mean but the truth is I know many who are not going anywhere in their ministry because all they are trying to do is get rid of as much work as possible. They expect the ministry to be easy. I don't know how many times people my age have approached me and said how do you do what you do? And in one conversation they expect me to lay out a whole plan for them, give them all the so-called secrets that I've learned and they want to take that and go and see a result, at least the results I've seen that took me 15 years to see. They want to see it in months. Why? Because of laziness. And so laziness will actually bring you to a place where you have no production going on, where you see no fruit. But number one, God will not use the lazy. So the called must not be lazy. You have to be someone who works. You have to be someone who's productive. This is not to say that nobody is called the full-time ministry. But if the only reason you want to be in ministry is to avoid work then you're in the wrong thing. The call of God requires a lot of work. In fact probably more so if you do it right than a regular 40-hour-a-week job. It requires everything of you. It requires that you're persistent. It requires that you're proactive. It requires that you look for ways to improve upon what God has given you. But He will not use a lazy person. Now this does not mean He doesn't want to use you. It's just not possible to use someone who will do nothing. How is God supposed to work through a life when that individual is just saying, Lord you do it and I'll just sit here and reap all the benefits? That's not spirituality. And it's part of it too, I'll be honest with you, part of it too is entitlement. It's just this sense of I'm so special I shouldn't have to do any work. I'm so special I should just be the one who secluded in prayer and the Word and everyone else around me does all the work for me. I tell you something, there's a point where that may come because we saw that in the book of Acts where the apostles, though they were working, they said look we can't wait on the widows and distribute the food. We need to devote ourselves to prayer and the Word. So let's pick someone to pick up that work for us. Now they had grown to that point, but that's not what was given to them right away and that's not why they joined the ministry. But I know some people who, that's their goal. They want to get to the place where they don't have to ever do anything again. And if that's what you're using ministry for, then leave the ministry because that's not what it's for. God has called you to make impact in people's lives. Now number two we're going to find in verses 7 through 10. This is what the Scripture says. Then the Lord told him, I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey, the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Parasites, Hivites and Jebusites now live. Look, the cry of the people of Israel has reached me and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people, Israel, out of Egypt. Now here's the thing. Number two, the called liberate God's people. Now, what I'm telling you is very important because you may start with pure intentions in the ministry, but I have seen so many begin the ministry with pure intentions. Their goal is souls, their goal is to win the loss, and it so quickly becomes about popularity and power and prosperity. But we have to remain focused on the goal. The end goal is not so that I can be blessed, though blessings do come with ministry. The goal is that I would win those lost souls, that we would snatch people who are on their way to eternal destruction from the clutches of darkness and bring them to the place where they can see the light. That is what you've been called to do, but so often ministers lose focus. So instead of looking to liberate God's people, they end up using God's people. Pastors, they're God's people, not yours. The people belong to God, not to you. God has not called you to control them. God has not called you to lord over them. God has not called them to fulfill your dream of ministry. That's not what it's about. Now, of course, I believe in spiritual covering. Of course, I believe in spiritual authority. Of course, I believe in contributing to the vision of the house. That's all biblical. But I'm talking to those ministers who use their God-given authority as power over people for selfish gain. We must not lose sight of souls. Otherwise, Moses will become Pharaoh. I wrote this down. The difference between Pharaoh and Moses is this. Pharaoh thought the people were his. Moses knew they belonged to God. We in the ministry need to decide from what perspective we will lead. We can either be a liberator or an oppressor, one who empowers or one who controls. When you become focused on the power, on the prosperity, on the popularity, it becomes about you. And you start to manipulate people around you. Instead of bringing them to liberty, you bring them to subjection under your empire instead of bringing them into the freedom of God's kingdom. The scripture says this, and I love the way the message Bible words it. This is found in Matthew chapter 7, verse number 21. And this is verses actually 21 through 23. And this is from the message Bible. This is Jesus talking. Knowing the correct password, saying master, master, for instance, isn't going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience, doing what my father wills. You can see it now at the final judgment, thousands strutting up to me and saying, master, we preached a message and we bashed the demons. Our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking. And do you know what I'm going to say? You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don't impress me one bit. You're out of here. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. Is that what the ministry has become to some? They use it just so they become important. They use it for their influence. They use it so that they feel special. We cannot lose focus. The minister is not a celebrity. The minister is a servant. The minister is one who is focused on the people and bringing them to a place of freedom and helping them get to a place with the Lord where they themselves can go and fulfill the call of God upon their lives. Now that is the focus. And I know many wonderful pastors who do that. In fact, I believe more pastors do what I'm describing in a positive way than the negative. But for those who are beginning this journey, I want to give you this warning because it's very easy that it becomes you. The one who thinks he stands, he should take heed lest he fall. Now, let's cut this at the very beginning. Let's say within ourselves, Lord, don't ever let me go down that road. Keep me focused on the big picture. I'm not a public speaker. I'm not a public figure. I am a minister of the gospel. This is about life and death, eternal life and death. Not about building something. Not about a project. It's not about an organization. It's not about accomplishing dreams or doing great exploits. Those are not the final product of what we do. Those are simply mechanisms that we put in place so that we can reach the one true goal, which is to win souls for the sake of Christ. And that's it. So number one, the called must not be lazy. Moses worked with his father in law, Jethro with the flock. Number two, the called liberate God's people. Moses was called by God as an agent of deliverance to bring them out of slavery. Now number three, I'm going to give you in a moment, but first I want to read another context. Actually, for the sake of time, go and you'll have to read this on your own. Exodus chapter four, verses one through 20. And in these verses, we find Moses protesting with the Lord. Back and forth, God keeps repeating himself. This is what I called you to do. This is what I've called you to do. And Moses keeps saying, but Lord, but Lord, what do I say? Who do I tell and who sent me? How do I know that, or how are they supposed to believe that you sent me? And he pours out all of these excuses because of fear. So number three, the called, let's actually look at the verses. I'm going to show you the verses. That's the whole chapter I just described, but let's look at verses, chapter four, verses one through three. The scripture says this, but Moses protested again. What if they don't believe me or listen to me? What if they say the Lord never appeared to you? Then the Lord asked him, what is that in your hand? A shepherd staff, Moses replied. Throw it down on the ground, the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff and it turned into a snake. Moses jumped back. And as we all know, or most of us know, and if you don't know, Moses would later use this staff to work many miracles that would eventually lead to the deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt. So that staff in Moses' hand is what God used. Now the question the Lord asked Moses is powerful. He asked him, what is in your hand? So Moses is throwing out his excuses and saying, how will they know that you sent me? And so forth and so on. And the Lord says, what's in your hand? Number three, the called must use what they have. Now this one will save you a lot of time because what most people do is wait for the ideal situation to present itself before they begin fulfilling what God has called them to do. Let me tell you something. The call of God is progressive. He's not just going to give you everything you need for the rest of your life, otherwise it's not the walk of faith. When I first started doing media ministry, which I know the Lord called me to do, I had one little $250 camera. And that thing used these tapes that came out looking almost like VHS compared to what's available now. What I did is I took that little camera and I used it to its fullest capacity. And that little $250 camera eventually became tens of thousands of dollars worth of television equipment that we now use to reach people all around the world. But the point is, I used what I had. He said, what's in your hand? He had a staff. God wants to use what you have right now. You may be asking, where's the first step? What should I do right now? How do I get to the place where God is using my life? I don't even know where to begin. Well, it begins with what you have. What influence do you have and over who? Where do you go? What do you do? Using that influence, using those resources that you have now, let God use you. The truth is that excellence is not having the best of everything, but doing the best with everything that you have. So number three, the called must use what they have, what's in your hand. Number four, let's read verse number 13 of chapter four. The scripture says this, but Moses again pleaded, Lord, please send anyone else. And let's actually read verse 14 as well. Then the Lord became angry with Moses. All right, he said, What about your brother Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well, and look, he is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you. Talk to him and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will instruct you both in what to do. So God still used Moses as the deliverer of the people of Israel, but he allowed Moses to have Aaron by his side. Now, though that wasn't necessarily what God was directly asking of him, the Lord addressed the excuses of Moses. Each excuse that Moses gave to God, God either gave him a resource, or he just told him to trust him. When he said, Lord, who am I going to say, who will I say sent me? He said, tell them I am has sent you. In other words, all that you ever need, it's me. I'm not was or is I am. I am all inclusive. Everything that you would require to accomplish the job is within me. I am what you need. I am your reward. I am the power that will deliver the people. And so Moses, when the Lord told him that, understood what God was saying. But still, in other cases, God would give to Moses a resource, such as the staff, or in this case it was Aaron. But the point still remains that God addressed Moses point by point. In other words, the called must lay aside excuses. So number one, the called must not be lazy. Number two, the called liberate God's people. Number three, the called must use what they have. Number four, the called must lay aside excuses. We hide behind our responsibilities. We hide behind our families. We hide behind what we've been given as tasks. And we know when we're doing this, sometimes we will let fear disguise itself as wisdom. And instead of walking in faith, we walk by sight and we deny the voice of God in our lives by saying, Lord, I'm not going to walk as you told me to walk because I don't see it. I can't understand it. Therefore, I'm going to do what I want to do instead. But that's not what God has called you to do. He's called you to lay aside your excuses. Stop saying it's not the right time. Stop saying I don't have the right resource. Stop telling yourself, I don't want to start that church unless I have the right building. Or I don't want to start teaching the word until I have a good crowd. Listen, it's a catch-22. You're not going to get those things that you see as ideal until you stop making excuses, step out and just do something. Listen, people every single day are dying and going to hell. People every single day are slipping into eternity. Many of them without knowing Christ and we're standing here with our excuses. Well, the whole world is dying and going to hell. Lay aside the excuse and say, Lord, I'll do what you want me to do right here, right now. Number five, let's look at verse 18. Chapter four verse 18, the scripture says this. So Moses went back home to Jethro, his father-in-law. Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt, Moses said. I don't even know if they are still alive. Go in peace, Jethro replied. Now, this is interesting because even though Moses had heard directly from God, he still checked with his leader. Now, this is a very powerful truth because I want to balance what I said earlier when I talked about people in ministry who are very controlling over the people of God. That's ungodly. But you know what is just as ungodly as a controlling pastor? A rebellious church member. That is just as wicked. And the truth is God has placed spiritual headship over our lives. And so Moses, instead of just going straight to Egypt as God has instructed him, he went and talked to Jethro. So number five, the call must be released. The apostles were sent. They did not just go. We've been sent by Christ. Yes, but there is a structure. There was an order to the church. Now, I know some of you don't like this, but this is the truth. Look, I'm dedicated to bringing you the truth. And the truth is that God's authority in the earth is the church of the living God. It's the structure. He's the one who gave some to be pastors, some to be prophets, some to evangelists, some to be teachers, and some to be apostles. Read Ephesians 4-11. In fact, read all of Ephesians. Read the Epistles of Paul where he talks about church authority and church discipline and church structure and the requirements of being in ministry. Read all of those things. That is the truth. Now, I'm not saying that man should run our lives, but I am saying that we have guidance in our lives. We must have the wisdom of a spiritual headship over our lives. That's just the truth. I have it. There's a pastor that I have. I've talked about it on many occasions. And he's a good pastor. If I'm not preaching somewhere on a Sunday morning, I'm in church serving. If I'm not preaching somewhere on a Wednesday night, I'm in church serving. If I'm not ministering somewhere around the world on a Friday night, guess where I am? I'm in the Young Adults' Ministry at my church serving. I don't care what you do for the Lord. You need to be submitted to some sort of headship. And I know this is not something you want to hear. And here's why people don't like to hear it, because so many abuse their spiritual authority. But I'm telling you, there is a legitimate way to do this. Don't fall prey to either extreme. Don't reject a good thing in your life because some people have abused that power. Let God humble you. Be humble. You talk about humility. Live it. Find a place to plug in, well, I've been heard or I'm tired of the church and systems and control. Look, that's God's church. Wasn't man that put the church in place? It was Jesus. And so we must lay aside our pride and our ego. Yes, it's wrong that pastors sometimes are too controlling over their people, but it's also wrong that people live without any spiritual authority. That's not the way God called you. Let me tell you something. Sin is at your door if that's how you're living. It's the truth. We thrive with accountability. We thrive with fellowship and relationships and spiritual connections. That's the way God designed it. In my life, I have my headship. Those are my pastors. There's my father. There's Eddie Vargas. There's Pastor Omar Lopez. And there are several of those. Those are my three spiritual mentors, leaders I will submit if they see something out of order in my life. Why? Because I trust them because they're not controlling. So it's healthy. And I've seen nothing but growth as a result of it. And then I have those who I'm discipling and those who seek my guidance. And then I have my peers who I have friendships with and who keep me accountable at a peer level, at a personal level. And all of those relationships in my life are what keep me going. I know for a fact that if I didn't have those, I wouldn't be where I am today in ministry. And it's a blessed place. I want to challenge you. You're called by God. Don't fight what God has put in place. That's number four. And number five, the called must be released. Find a spiritual authority. All legitimate ministries are tied to the local church. And finally, number six, and I'm going to have to go through this one very quickly. Exodus chapter two, verses 11 to 15 say this, Many years later when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. And this is before he was called by God. Moses was called by God. This is before he went to go live with his father-in-law, Jethro. Verse 12, after looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand. The next day, when Moses went out to visit his people again, he saw two Hebrew men fighting. Why are you beating up your friend, Moses, to the one who had started the fight? The man replied, Who appointed you to be our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday? Then Moses was afraid, thinking everyone knows what I did. And finally, verse 15, And sure enough, Pharaoh heard what had happened and he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian, which is where he eventually married and came under the leadership of his father-in-law, Jethro. Now, maybe this is why Moses was so afraid to go back to Egypt because there was a body buried in the sand. But number six, the called must leave the past behind. I know people who are afraid to do things for God, who are afraid to stand out because they think that once they get into the spotlight again, once people start examining their lives, that their past will come back to destroy them. But I pray in the name of Jesus that you would be liberated from your past and even from the memory of it. The scripture says in Philippians 3, verse 13, No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing. For getting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, Moses had a bad past, perhaps again, this is why he didn't want to go back to Egypt. Was he afraid that his past would disrupt what God was wanting to do through him? Was he afraid that he would face the punishment for killing that Egyptian? Was he afraid that everyone would know he was a murderer? It didn't matter. God chose him. God called him. Nowadays, people would have cried out, put him in jail, don't let God use him. That's a very deep thought if you really think about it, but we'll save that for another time. People cry out for punishment, and then when it comes to themselves, cry out for mercy. But Moses laid aside his past and decided to just do what God called him to do. You need to lay down your past. There are some pastors, some preachers, some anointed men and women of God who will never go into ministry again because of something they feel disqualifies them. From their past. Can I tell you something? The grace of God covers even those who should have known better. The grace of God covers even those who knew better. Perhaps you've left the ministry or you're saying within yourself, I'm not qualified because of something from my past. The devil is a liar. In the name of Jesus, be set free from that spirit of condemnation. That is a religious spirit that comes and breeds fear within the heart. God wants to set you free from that. It's time to be liberated from your past. In fact, let's pray now. I know there were many points made and many for you to consider, but let's pray now that you would be set free from the memory of the past, that you would be set free from that shame, and that you would move forward. This is a new day. God's mercies are new every morning. This is a new day. He wants to set you free. Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray for that one receiving this prayer right now. And Father, I break the chains of bondage that bind them. And I pray in the name of Jesus that the spirit of heaviness and condemnation would be lifted right now. Father, I rebuke the enemy who lies and who accuses. And I pray, Father, for grace and mercy to shine through. I speak liberty and freedom in the name of Jesus. If you agree that I want you to say it with me, say amen. Now go and do what God has called you to do. That is it for the lesson. I want to get to the comments now, and then I'm going to make a little announcement. I'll stick around to the end of the video here. These are the comments from last week's teaching, the first commenter writes, I was reading the book of Isaiah and fell asleep. In my dreams, I saw Brother David visiting my country and I was so excited. Then this video showed up on my notifications. I just needed to see it. Thank you, Brother David. I am truly inspired and encouraged by your teachings. You are a true blessing from God. I will continue to pray for you. God bless you. Sylvia writes, thank you for the teaching. I feel blessed by the message. I watched stepping into the call of God and it was still about Isaiah. There is so much to learn from this prophet. Thank you again for listening to the Holy Spirit. Phil writes, that was an extra powerful sermon. Thank you, Pastor David, and God bless everyone at Spirit Church. Joel Gray writes, I found this channel for a great purpose. I know there was a call on my life and I'll just continue to lift up the name of Jesus, great teachings. Birthday wishes writes, the minute I turned this on I felt the presence of God. He flows through you, Stephen, and your ministry in such a powerful way. Thank you for another great teaching. Well, I definitely can agree with you on him flowing through Stephen Moctezuma and if you haven't done so yet, make sure to check out his worship playlist, Anointed, my favorite worship leader. There's another commenter who writes, wonderful message, Brother David. The prophetic word of letting go of the things of the flesh and laying down my life to Jesus so he can use me. And the final commenter writes, Thank you, Brother. The Lord has been giving me this very message several times this week so I know it's important for my current situation. This message has blessed me and confirmed what the Holy Spirit has shown and called me for him. Blessings. Well, before I get to the little announcement I wanted to make, I forgot, and I know my director's probably going to kill me here, but I forgot to welcome the new members of Spirit Church. There you are up on the screen. We love you. We are praying for you. I always say that because I always mean it. Remember, if you want to join Spirit Church, it's absolutely free. You receive a free, weekly teaching from me and you can also reply to that email to get prayer support. If you would like to join the Spirit family, as we affectionately call it, go to davidhernandezministries.com slash Spirit Church. Now I want to make an announcement, we're coming a long way on our ministry fundraising campaign. Take a look at where we are. We needed a thousand new $30 a month partners and look where we are. Now we are almost there. Remember, our number one goal, we want to win souls, and secondly, we want to build believers. Why? Because building believers ultimately results in winning souls. Now, when we reach this new level of support, and this is monthly support, by the way, these are monthly partners, we needed a thousand new $30 a month givers. Now, when we reach this new level of support, we'll be able to get into our new facility. We're going to do regular meetings on a weekly basis. We're going to do live broadcasts. We'll do studio tapings. We'll be able to bring you in as studio audiences and we'll be doing them so often that if you're ever in the Southern California area, you can just pick a time and come down. I'll be bringing in special guests. We're going to have a 24-7 prayer room. We're going to be able to do more events, more often in more locations. We're talking about all the states. We're talking about as many countries as we can go to, and we'll eventually get there if you become a partner and help us do more of these events to win souls. So become a partner today for $30 a month, and I will send you a signed copy of either Carriers of the Glory or 25 Trues about demons and spiritual warfare. That's when you sign up to become a $30 a month partner. Do that today. Help us get to our goal, and this way we can go right back to the regular fundraising where I can just talk about becoming a monthly partner. And we're almost done with that one. So help us get there. Help us get into this new facility. Help us get to this new level of expansion so that we can win more souls together. It's going to be big and you get to be a part of it. Well, that is it for this edition of Spirit Church. Until next time, remember, nothing is impossible with God. Make a one-time donation or become a monthly supporter by clicking on the donate link now.