Breaking Free from Excuses: Embrace God's Calling

0:00 Hello, beautiful people, and welcome back to the Diary of a Black Woman's Podcast. I'm your host, Connie Morris, and today we're diving into another episode in our series, The Games We Play with God. This episode is titled, The Game of Making Excuses. How often do we find ourselves saying, I can't do that, or this isn't the right time, God, When God calls us to step out in faith, making excuses may feel justified in the moment, but it can keep us from walking in the fullness of God's purpose in our lives.

0:41 We'll look at the study of Moses who had a list of excuses when God called him and explore how God's response shows his patience and provision for our weaknesses. If you ever felt unqualified or unprepared for what God is asking of you, this episode is for you. So let's begin with Exodus 3, verses 10-11, and we're also going to look at Exodus 4, 10-13. When God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses was full of excuses.

1:27 Exodus 3, verse 11 reads, But Moses said to God, Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? And then later Moses protested in verse 10, Exodus 4, 10, it says, pardon your servant, Lord, have I never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since I have spoken to your servant, I am slower of speech and tongue. So Moses, you know. And he was, remember, he was given to the Pharaoh daughter, given to Pharaoh daughter. And so he was raised in eloquence. So he had everything he needed to be able to speak to Pharaoh.

2:13 But at a point, he felt that he wasn't. He was in the wilderness for over 40 years. So he felt like he lost his confidence, right? And so Moses started to doubt his ability and even asked God to send somebody else. But God's response was clear in Exodus 4, verse 11 and 12. He said, who gave human beings their mouth? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go and I will make you speak and I will teach you what to say. We, think about this. Moses had the ability, why? Because God saw it in him.

2:57 God saw that I have chosen you for this particular time, this particular day, this particular event. Why do you think he chose Moses, right? God doesn't call the equipped. He equipped the call. And so we get it twisted. We think that we have to be this particular way They have this particular style, but God doesn't look at that. He looks at you. He looks at the heart. He looks at who he's equipped. He says, I've called you. The day you were born, he already had your mark. Your mark was that you were going to do this particular thing and do this particular way.

3:39 And there was no way out of it for you, right? You can ignore it and delay it and mess it up. But many times, we can't mess with what God already has for us. It's still a gift. It'll show up some kind of way in some kind of form and be like, dang, girl, you should have been this. And you know that in your heart. But we love that God looks at Moses and he says, Moses, I'm calling you out. And he says, Moses says, well, you know, Moses began to look at himself saying, you know, I can't look at this. I can't speak. I can't do this. I stutter. I do all this stuff. And then God says, who made your mouth?

4:24 And so what excuses are you keeping you from saying yes to God? What is your excuse? Excuses often come from fear, insecurity, or lack of trust in God's power. So let's break it down. Number one, fear of failure. 2 Corinthians 12, 9. We worry about falling short, forgetting that God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. Insecurity. Like Moses, we focus on our limitation instead of God's limited power. We can get out of God's way when we don't know. We're like, how am I going to say what I'm going to do? I remember when God called. He says, write these devotional.

5:06 You think it's a simple devotional. You write them like la, la, la. I read them from my mom about the first 40. And then I said okay Lord I'm 40 and done and he said oh he's still talking and I'm still writing and we're going like what are we going to do with these devotionals now, and he said I want you to make them into podcasts I started to make sound like Moses I don't like my voice I don't think I want to be speaking on the mic. I started making excuses and all kinds of stuff. And I was making up excuses, but at the same time, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep. And we know how we feel.

5:52 We know that God doesn't take no for an answer. He doesn't. But as you are saying no, you're still walking in obedience because you know that you know that you know that you're going to do what he has told you to do. And so you just keep prepping. You keep talking to yourself. You keep encouraging yourself. Because if you fail, fear of failure, if you fail, you can say, well, I guess that wasn't the Lord. Fear of failure. Number two, insecurity. Yeah, got those. Like Moses, we focus on our limitations instead of God's power. I was like, Lord, nobody want to hear my voice.

6:35 And he was like, Connie, just do it. I was like, Lord, you know. My 101,000 excuses, right? And number two, we distrust. We distrust. Oh, my gosh. Excuses reveal lack of faith in God's ability to equip and sustain us. So I started the podcast last July. I don't quite remember the date. I got to go pull it up. And I just said, I'm not just making excuses. I didn't really understand how the podcast system worked. I didn't really want to go quite live and have my face out quite yet because I don't have a lot of time. I'm working full-time. But once God released me of any full-time work, I'm probably going to, we'll be going live with, you know, Face Zero and then just having some fun with my audience and becoming that real person out there.

7:24 But when I made my 1,000 download, I was like, wow, Lord, I wasn't expecting 1,000 until, I'm at 1.1 now, wasn't expecting that until July. So I was like, I want to get it to 1,000. At least by July, you know. And I was excited. I'm like, wow, people are listening. And so we make excuses because we don't want to fail. But remember, who gave you the idea? God did. Does God ever fail? No, he doesn't. Whose insecurity is it? It's not God's. It's yours. It's your insecurity. And then who do you distrust?

8:07 We distrust God's faith and ability. So, like I said, I just started talking and podcasts do require a lot of planning. It's not an easy task, but at the end of the day, I do my part and then I just let God do his part. So, Philippians 4.13 reads, I can do all this through him who strengthens me. We know the story of Moses. We know Moses, he was successful. He got over himself. We know he started out using Aaron as his voice. And then pretty soon he began speaking on his own.

8:48 I remember it used to take me to do four or five podcasts. It would take me hours because I wanted it to sound perfect. I remember starting out trying to add music to it and make it sound fun and upbeat. But then after a while, it was like, I just want to just preach the word of God. I don't need all the sound effects. And then at the end of the day, it's just how it is. I just preach the word of God, make some devotionals available for you. Keep it simple. Keep it simple. And that's pretty much what I'm doing, trying to keep it simple. The whole goal is to get you to get interested in what God is saying, right?

9:30 And then making you successful. So you go do what God has called you to do. And so when it comes to fear, insecurity, or lack of trust in God's power, most of the time, most of the time, it's just us. We want to be we'll see the at least I did I looked at other podcasts there are 4 million and 3 million and I started out and I was happy I got one down mode and I got two down but remember do not despise the small beginnings. Everybody started small and so I still have another podcast it's slow rolling but we just doing something different with that one too do what God tells you to do Does he ever fail?

10:16 No. So trust him. And remember, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. What are the costs of excuses? Making excuses might feel harmless, but it comes with a cost. Number one, it's delayed obedience. Excuses delay God's plans. Not because he can't move forward without us, but because he wants us to grow through the process. So like I said, excuse me, delayed obedience is disobedience. but God chose you. He chose me. He wants you to grow. Connie, I want you to grow. I know there's going to be a lot of extra work, but it's something that you're going to learn.

10:57 And what I've learned through this process is that God speaks all the time. Wow. And he's interested not just in me, but he's interested in each and every one of my listeners. And so delayed obedience is disobedient, but it's not about you. It's about you and God's relationship. Number two is missed opportunities. When we say no to God, we miss the blessings and grace that comes with obedience. We miss what God is trying to do in us.

11:39 Our little fear and excuses, we miss what God is trying to do in us. Wow, I cannot tell you how much my relationship with God has grown since last July. It was growing already, but this is like committed time with God for real. It's just committed time because I get up at about 4, 4.15, and I'm praying. I'm not even praying for a devotional. I'm not. I'm not praying, Lord, what's the next devotional? I'm just praying because I like spending time with the Lord. Out of my learning comes a devotional.

12:20 Out of my learning and my connection with God comes a devotional. And it come with some powerful titles. Just that relationship births what God wants to do. So I'm not praying for a devotional. Out of whatever he's working through me comes something that's birth. Oh, that's so good. Intimacy gives birth to a devotional. Just got that down low, bam. See what happens? And then number three, strained relationship. And so when you don't do what God tells you to do, your excuses create a strained relationship that can affect others, especially when our obedience is tied to their breakthrough.

13:05 Oh, so think about this. The people who are downloading and listening to this podcast, I don't know your story. I wish you would just kind of put it on the comments because the obedience that people are learning and listening to the word, I don't know what your breakthrough is, but whatever God told me to do is connected to the thousand downloads that people have already listened to. Delayed obedience, dang, God can't move forward without us. Not that he can't move forward without me, but he wants me to grow. So he shows me, Connie Morris, that he wants to show me he want to grow me up.

13:47 Number two, missed opportunities. When I say no, I miss a chance to grow. Number three, look at how my life has blessed others one at a time, one person at a time. This podcast, it reaches all over the world. And so everyone gets a chance to first hear the voice that I really don't like my voice, but also that you get to hear how you can be a voice to others, too. It says, anyone who loves me would obey my teachings. My Father would love them, and he would come to them and make a home with them.

14:27 It says that if you obey God, he will come and live with you. He will abide with you. There's a song out there that says, I will manifest myself. God wants to manifest himself to you personally. Obedience deepens our relationship with God and brings his presence into our life. His presence, his manifested presence into our lives. How powerful is that? How many of you guys want to overcome excuses? So how do we start playing this game of making excuses? Here are three steps. Number one, acknowledge you're afraid. Be honest with God. Be honest with God about your insecurities and your doubts.

15:11 And I was like, Lord, here we go. Here we go. Telling you I used to play it, listen to my voice, try to do edit on it, editing it. And I was like, if I keep adding it, it'd just be one word. Hello. I saw that sounds perfect. Everything else sounded like I don't like the way I sound. So instead of me just trying to be the super editor, I didn't edit. I don't edit you get raw material maybe I should edit one day I'll get an editor but, I just want you to hear it. Like, this is what I do. I just speak what the Lord is saying. I make a mistake. It's all natural. You know, so number one, acknowledge your fears. I'm sorry. Acknowledge your fears.

15:55 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. So automatically, just be honest with God. Lord, I don't know where this is going to go, but 1 Peter 5, 7 says, hey, I'm going to cast that care on you. It was your idea. you work it out. Focus on God's strength. It says, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power has been perfect in your weakness. So now I have to worry about that. Shift your perspective from your limitation to God's power. So you've already cast your anxiety on God. Now you're shifting your perspective. Say, Lord, this is going to be in your power and your strength.

16:36 And number three, the hardest part here, it says take the first step. Obedience starts with a single step. Trust that God will provide as you move forward. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. I got to repeat these because these are so powerful. How do you overcome excuses? Any excuse that you make, many times we make excuses because we have these fears. We have this acknowledgement that we might fail, but we have to just somehow, some way, I was sharing with a friend the other day, when will you begin to trust God? When?

17:20 When? When would you begin to trust God? Like I shared with you in my other podcast, I was working a job just kind of as a holding point. I didn't know what I wanted to do, but this job became to be really hard, not because of the job itself, it's just the management style job. People. And I don't know what's going on out there in the real world because I usually can handle a lot of the pressures, but this job was really, really different. It was just a lot of pressure and strain for no reason. I mean, there was no reason. And I just went to God and I said, Lord, this is not working for me. Thank you for giving me this job. And just like you gave me all the other jobs, I'm quite sure there's other jobs out there.

18:04 I'm retired. I really don't have to work, But I want to work, but I don't want to work under this type of pressure. And he walked me through the process of getting rid of that, you know, resigning in a professional with integrity mode of, but still keeping, you know, keeping my mindset right, you know? And so was that a fearful way, but not knowing where I was going? So that's a trust, right? Work under this pressure pain and lose, like, this was unnecessary stuff. And I just said, Lord, I'm just going to trust you with this. And I did it. And then he, and I told you another devotional. He says, Connie, I have a ram in the bush for you.

18:45 Just because you trusted me. I have a reward you openly tucked away for you. Just because you just, you asked me, I told you what to do and you did it. And I'm like, wow. Once you do that first step in obeying God, the rest of the steps is easy. Because it reminds you of this exercise we used to do when we were kids. We would tell you to turn around and we asked you to fall back into our hands and we would catch you as a trust act. You know, and that shows that I trust you. And that's the thing we do with God.

19:25 God says, turn around. Now, let's close your eyes. Now, let me catch you. And that's what faith really is. I'm going to catch you. You're going to fall. It's going to feel like no one's there to catch you. You might almost hit the floor. But you know that you are going to be caught by God. And so how do you really get rid of your fears? You acknowledge I'm afraid, but you also acknowledge that, Lord, I know that you're going to catch me if I fall, right? And so I don't know why I keep sharing that story. Is this powerful? Because I've never done that before. And so you cast your anxiety on him. So you acknowledge it, I'm afraid, but I'm going to trust that you're going to catch me.

20:09 Number two, I'm going to focus my strength. I'm going to shift my perspective, not on my power, on my limited power. I'm going to trust that you said it, then you're going to make it successful. I'm ready to do it. Let's partner with the Lord, right? And then number three, the hardest part is take that first step. Just do it. Let's do these decrees. I went through that really quick because I get to preaching and I don't know why to stop. Okay, so I decree that I will trust God's timing knowing. I trust God timing, knowing he equips me for every task. So you know that he will equip you for the task. Yes, he will. And you will be surprised.

20:52 Sometimes now, now, now, now I listen to my voice. I go like, dang, that was good. I don't listen to the sound of my voice. I listen to the content. So that's the difference. I said, wow, that's a good word. So I decree that fear My insecurity will not hold me back from obedience. What's stronger in you? Is it that fear or is it that obedience? Let that obedience rule. And number four, number three, I'm sorry. I decree that I will walk in faith, take bold steps towards God's purpose for my life. I think I want to say these again because many times we are stopped by our excuses.

21:34 We are stopped because of our excuses. I decree that I will trust God's calling, knowing he acquits me for every task. I decree that fear and insecurities will not hold me back from obedience. And I decree that I will walk in faith, taking better steps towards God's purpose for my life. I want you to reflect this week or today, what is God calling me to do that I have been resisting? How can I take one step of obedience this week? What's my challenge? Write down one excuse that's been holding you back. Replace it with a truth from God. For example, if you said, I'm not qualified, replace it with, I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.

22:22 And so begin to talk yourself into what God has said. Remember, I just gave you an example that, you know, just believe that if you fall, God has you. So let's close this out in prayer. Heavenly Father, I thank you for your patience when we make excuses. Forgive us for doubting your power and focusing on our own limitations. Teach us to trust you fully and to walk in obedience, knowing that you equipped us for every task. ask. Help us to replace fear with faith and to take bold steps towards your purpose.

23:07 In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for joining me for this episode, excuse me, on the games we play with God. If today's message spoke to you, share it with someone who needs it. Subscribe so you don't miss any future episodes. Next episode is Games 14, the games of seeking approval from others. Until next time, stay faithful, stay bold, and take the first step at trusting God. No more excuses. Amen.