Look Again

Show kids Video of Moses

Exodus 3:1–4 NASB95

1 Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. 3 So Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

When God saw that Moses had looked again, God called him.

This is what God wants us to do today, look again.

Moses needed God to show His power through him. Moses walked through with Aaron then elders of Israel all of what God was going to do by showing them with the power of God first hand.

Bush is a Hebrew word called 5572 Canah sounds like senah

Bush = to prick

Acts 7:30 NASB95

30 “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush.

My story:

David had a ministry and he was experiencing a problem with a couple on his team. David asked me to meet with John and Carol to help bring peace and clarity. I told David I will be there for all of you equally so make sure that is what John and carol want too. At this time I was a pastor to all of them and John was serving at the church.

They all agreed to have me moderate their conflict with them. The story goes that John and Carol had brought a person into their home that David had issues with. David felt they they were taken in his enemy and did not feel safe with them because of this. David wanted them to get rid of this person from their home or leave the team of his ministry.

We are having our meeting in my office and they have all shared their sides of the story. Things are tense but peaceful. It finally comes down to David saying that he does not want them on his team for now until they remove this other person from their home and or until trust is built back up. Then David asks this couple to tell the team that they are stepping down from the ministry for now.

I step in at this point. I tell David that if you are making this choice for John and Carol and you feel faith about this choice then you need to tell the team you asked them to step down.

(If you are trying make someone else make your decision easier for you then you either dont have peace about this choice or you having a hard time trusting God.)

By the way John is in a lot of physical pain because he was in an accident the night before and had broken some bones. This shows his commitment to be there and he was barring through the meeting even though he was in a lot of pain.

John eventually pipes up and starts to turn the conversations to me. He says that I asked you permission to have this person in our home and you said we could do this.

I then speak up about the time I met with them before they brought this person in their home knowing full well this was going to be an issue in the future for David and them. I planned on asking them have they thought this through and considered what this might do to David? Before I could ask that question John told me a story of how he had listened to a pastor once and it was the biggest mistake he had made. Carol said it wasn't because it worked out because they listened.

I reminded John of that story he told me and how I never tried to address this issue to hard because of that. I had asked him if they had peace about this choice and they said yes. Carol said yes she remembers this. I also told John that it is not my house and i dont have any authority to tell you who can live in your home or not. If you have to ask your pastor for permission to do something, then you may not have peace about that choice. You have to feel the wait and consequences of that choice.

At this point John tells me he had a dream about me last night and in that dream I did not protect him or have his back and it was time to move on from serving ALife in the way he was.

Things settled and we prayed and made clear plans how things would move forward and how David was going to share with the team.

Before we left I wanted to pray for John to get healing. We prayed for John and he was instantly healed. We tested it out and what he could not do just before we prayed he could do after. It was amazing.

Ok I want to explain to you what this meant to me.

You see I had three people who called me pastor, but did not really see me as a pastor. None of them would except my input for what they should do before they did them. They came to me to justify what they thought they had already heard to help them come to peace. I knew this before this incident and walking that line best I could until this meeting. In this meeting I was clear and bold. In this meeting I was the leader I want to be and God backed it up with power.

I always thought that if the power of God flows from a leader that would help other see this and maybe be willing to receive wisdom and guidance from me then. I was so focused on trying help people and what I thought was needed to do that, I was missing what was really going on.

I had this belief that if I follow what God says to do I will suffer from it and this just proved that to be more true.

I followed the voice of Holy Spirit boldly and very well in this meeting and I was the one who lost a key volunteer. I now have to make up for this mess and it was not my mess to begin with. I have to find another person to fill in and in the mean time tell all these people that are left hanging that this person heard God to step aside for someone else to come fill in.

This incident took over a month of my attention, prayers, and emotions. I spent a lot of time trying to help. Not to mention all the work after words to fill in that whole now.

Until recently I looked back at this memory with pain in my heart. It hurts that I tried so hard and even with the power of God it did not change what will happen to me. None of these people are in my life anymore and I still miss them and what God showed me about them. I miss what God wanted to do with their lives here for this body. I also came to some conclusions that I am the problem.

Now I look at that memory with pride and something new. I thought I needed the power of God to flow through my life so people will receive the wisdom and guidance God gives me to help people get free. I now see that this story is about God and me. It is God showing me how much He loves me and loves my heart. This memory shows me the boldness and strength and wisdom He put in me for His children is tried and true. He does flow through my life with love and power. I don’t need people to have to see me a specific way to be what God wants me to be.

Bush is a Hebrew word called 5572 Canah sounds like senah

Bush = to prick

We all have memories or even topics in our life that feel like a thorn bush.

Those memories just mean pain to you.

Father is saying look again.

Father wants to show you how good he really is and has always been in your life.

It is all about what He is doing with you and Him.

The other thing I heard clearly is to look at what looks normal but there may be something more.

The bush was burning but not burning up.

Its very likely that a burning bush in the wilderness of Moses was common.

What was uncommon was that it did not burn up.

The burning bush in a desert would have been something normal you avoid.

What is normal in your life that you have been avoiding because it just is?

Look again at places in your life that seem normal but there may be something more.

God wants to speak to you through that so called normal or familiar pattern in your life.

God wants to change the story of your life.

God wants to change the story of who He is to you.

God even wants to change the story you tell yourself you have to have to get what you need in life.

Familiars places that prick:

No one listens to me

Women or Men reject me

My spouse does not see me

Friendships dont work.

Working out does not work.

I dont like working at my job.

I am not enough to do that.

Every time i get my hopes up.

Praying for people and nothing happens.

Addressing conflict.

What else do you need to look at that may be normal but if you look closer something supernatural is happening?

Closing:

God wants to take the places of pricking in your life and show you what He is doing in you.

God wants you to “Look Again’ at places that seem normal to see the supernatural behind that normal.

This weeks questions:

What do you feel Holy Spirit is prompting you to ‘Look Again’ at?

What is normal in your life that you have been avoiding because it just is?

Is it a memory?

Is it a type of relationship?

Is it leading others?

Is it stepping out if faith?

We are going to pray for some areas that God wants to heal today.

Other Resources:

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 5572 סְנֶה

5572 סְנֶה [cânah /sen·eh/] n m. From an unused root meaning to prick; TWOT 1520; GK 6174; Six occurrences; AV translates as “bush” six times. 1 a bush, thorny bush. 1A the burning bush of Moses. 1B perhaps a blackberry bush.