God called Moses out with a burning bush. Nope, I have never seen that one. But a carefully spoken word? Yes. Yes, I have experienced that. When the speaker’s voice is all I can hear, and the other listener’s fade away. And, suddenly, the message is tailored to me, Lisa Ostreim. Yes.
This week, I was called out during a message from Exodus 3 and 4. The burning bush story. But, also the staff turning into a snake story. This story has always resonated with me. Being a person that can completely relate to Moses’ slew of excuses. “Not me, God. You can’t possibly mean me, God! I can’t speak. I cannot do what you are asking of me. You chose the wrong person!”
But, read on! As it turns out God did not make a mistake in choosing Moses to lead the Israelites out of captivity. And, this week, I was reminded that God did not make a mistake in choosing me to step out into what He has called me to. And, dare I say, He has not made a mistake with you either?
God told Moses to throw down his staff. His staff. The thing he had held onto to guide him, support him, and protect him. It was an ordinary object. But, it was his comfort. And God said, throw it down! Moses obeyed.
What is God calling you to THROW DOWN? Not just let go of, but THROW DOWN. That is a whole new level of surrender.
God called me to throw down the cocoon that my health trials provided. My staff, my crutch. Now, I am not saying my kidney disease and ultimate kidney failure, were not real. They were and are very real. But, the crutch, the bubble my health provided for me, allowed me to stay safe. I was very, very sick for quite some time and I needed the rest and protection. But, there was a part of me that held too closely to the disease. So much I could say no to because of my disease.
A while back, God called me to “throw it down!” Not just let go of it, but, “THROW IT DOWN!”
For Moses, He no sooner threw down his staff, and God was transforming it, and instructing him to pick it back up. Only, now his staff was a snake. A SNAKE? No, thank you!
I threw down my identity as a sick person and God transformed it into a health coach! What? No, thank you? A health coach is consistently healthy and never has sick days. A health coach has always maintained good health. A health coach would never need to take a sick day to get an infusion of life-saving medication.
But, as it turns out, God knows what He is doing. And, when He transformed me into a health coach, He did not make a mistake.
It’s scary picking up this new identity. As scary as picking up a snake by the tail? Maybe. I mean, what if I fail? What if no one wants a health coach with a transplanted kidney and box of medication to go with it? What if health coaches go out of style? What if…
“This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers–the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob–has appeared to you.” Exodus 4:5
Only God can take a person sick with kidney disease for 20 years and mold them into a health coach.
Maybe your story is coming from a broken family and now you are holding on to the promise of an intact family. Only God!
A past life of addiction and now living in freedom. Only God.
A heart filled with anger and rage and now walking in peace. Only God.
THROW IT DOWN. Watch God transform it. And, then pick it back up and shout it to the world, “ONLY GOD!”
Lisa Louise 