I don’t want to, but for You LORD…I’ll Try.
(Part 1)
July 10, 2016

All through the Written Word of GOD, that is, The Bible, there are people who GOD called upon for specific tasks but they didn’t want to do it.  Fear came and doubt came and they were apprehensive to obey GOD.  Fear and doubt are scary emotions and everyone on earth experiences these many times during life, but we serve a GOD who is all powerful and when HE calls upon us to do anything, HE will give us the grace and the means to succeed.  It’s all up to us whether or not we will step out on faith and trust HIM, or let fear rule over us.  Today we will look at some examples in the Bible of ordinary people that GOD used for greatness.  He has a plan for each of our lives and if we will trust, obey and walk in the paths HE has set before us, we can be used for greatness as well, for the Glory and Honor of GOD who rightly deserves all Praise.  GOD Bless you all :O)

Handout:  I Don’t Want To, but for You LORD, I’ll Try

You may be wondering where in the world I got the title for this lesson, I’ll tell you.
Last Sunday at our church, my dad, our pastor, called upon a young man who has been saved only a year or two to come to the front and take prayer requests.  It’s something we do every service so that people can ask for prayer and to share their hearts.  This young man is naturally VERY shy.  When my dad asked him if he would come up, I could see this young man get very nervous and he hesitated.  Then he replied in a low voice, well…I don’t want to…but I’ll try.  WOW!  That hit me, and blew me away!  He didn’t say it grudgingly or mean, you could hear the uncertainty in his voice as he worked out that he was nervous and apprehensive about doing it but that he would just try anyway for The LORD.  GOD began to speak to me about some things HE has been wanting me to do, that I really don’t want to do.  I thought, if this young man can face his fear when called upon, and be that honest, I don’t want to, but I’ll try, then surely I can do the same. 

I thought, wow, that shows so much character, that young man made up his mind to over come his fear and just do it afraid.  Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to, and we have to do them scared and nervous. I’ve said it before, courage is not about never feeling fear, courage is feeling fear but doing what you must do through the fear. 

The first person in the Bible that I thought of was Joshua.  He basically felt the same way when called upon by GOD to take the beloved Moses’ place to lead the Children of Israel into Canaan.  Let’s read.

Joshua 1:1-10

 1Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, 2Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 3Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
 4From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. 5There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. 6Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. 7Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.
 8This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 9Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.10Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 11Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it.


Several times, The LORD tells Joshua not to fear and not to be afraid, so in that we know that Joshua must have been feeling fear and apprehensive or GOD would not have kept repeating to him not to fear.  It was normal for him to feel afraid, think of the shoes he was having to fill.  Moses was a great man of GOD and the people respected and looked up to him and now he was gone.  Imagine how you would feel if you were in his shoes.  I would be terrified!  I can almost hear as we read on past verse 9 after GOD has told him not to be afraid, I can almost hear Joshua in his spirit say,  I don’t want to, but for You LORD…I’ll try.  Then in verse 10 we see him choose to trust GOD through the fear and trust and obey GOD.  We can see reading the rest of the book of Joshua how GOD made him very successful and used him for great things because he was obedient and trusted GOD. 
The next person that stood out to me in this context was a man called Gideon. 

Judges 6

 1And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. 2And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds. 3And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them; 4And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.
 5For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it. 6And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD. 7And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites,
 8That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; 9And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land; 10And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.
 11And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. 12And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.


I absolutely love that last verse!  The angel of The LORD says to Gideon, The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valour, or you hero!  He was speaking what had not yet happened by faith!  He was speaking over Gideon not what he was yet, but what GOD would raise him up to be.  When GOD speaks over the lives of HIS children, HE does not speak to us what we are, which is wretched, blind, poor…no HE speaks over us Sons and Daughters of The MOST HIGH because in Philippians 1:6 He promises us that HE will complete the work in us that HE has started…notice it’s not about our work or what we do, but HIS work!  Praise The LORD of HOSTS!


Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”


Let’s continue…


 13And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. 14And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? 15And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.


Ah…dear Gideon, isn’t he just like we are?  GOD has declared greatness over our lives through JESUS and we are still focused on our own weakness.  Gideon says, The LORD is with us?  If that is so then why are we oppressed by these Midianites?  Notice before it says the angel of The LORD came to Gideon, now after Gideon doesn’t believe, in verse 14 it says The LORD, looked upon HIM and said, Go, I have sent you.  GOD doesn’t strike him down, but He dialogues with Gideon.  He will talk to you and I as well when we need to talk things out.  He is a fair and wonderful Savior. 


Isaiah 1:18-19 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.  If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:”


Come let us reason together…The LORD says come talk to me, tell me your fears, I’ll listen and I’ll counsel you.  That doesn’t mean that we can argue with GOD and disobey HIM but it means that He is not on a power trip and HE will listen and help you get through your fear giving you strength so that you can go past your fear and obey what HE says so that you can bear fruit for HIM and reap blessing.  Let’s keep reading the conversation between  The LORD and Gideon.


 16And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. 17And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. 18Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.
 19And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it. 20And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.
 21Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. 22And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O LORD God! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.
 23And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
 24Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. 25And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it: 26And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.
 27Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.


Can’t you hear Gideon, between verses 26 and 27…I don’t want to…but for You LORD…I’ll try. 
If you read on in chapter 7 of Judges, you will see that The LORD fought the battle for Gideon and gave them victory.  The battle was not his, but The LORD’S… and it’s not ours…Still…it belongs to HIM!


Exodus 15:3 The LORD is a warrior, The LORD is HIS name!


We will stop here and continue this lesson next week but know that if GOD is calling you to do something, even though it may be so scary for you, if you will trust HIM and obey, HE will accomplish it through you for HIS glory.  There are things that happen in life, death of a loved one, illness, problems that we did NOT sign up for, and it would be so easy to just give up and quit, but we have to understand that GOD has brought us to these mountains for a reason and He will work it out for our good if we trust Him and keep moving forward past the hurt, past the fear, and past the hard struggle.  I am in a struggle myself now, climbing a mountain I don’t want to climb and all this week when I’ve been tempted to give up, and when I don’t want to continue I say to My GOD…My lovely Father…I don’t want to…but for You LORD…I’ll try.  GOD Bless you all. :O)


Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Dear Righteous, Holy and Lovely Father…
Thank You so much for Your written word!  Thank You for the examples You have given to us to help us with our lives and to show us how to live for You successfully.  LORD, today I pray for myself and for all Your children who are in a battle, climbing up a mountain and for those who have just plain quit!  LORD strengthen us and help us to keep moving forward understaning that there is not place to stop.  We have come to far to give up and turn back.  The victory is ours through YOU!  LORD, we want so much to please You and to bring the Honor and Glory to Your name that You deserve, help us to see past our fear and focus on You and step out by faith and do the things You call us to do.  It is in Your sweet, lovely name we ask…JESUS…Amen :O)


Cindygirl
July 10, 2016