7 REALITIES OF EXPERIENCING GOD

Aug 30, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Trading Shepherd Staffs for Divine Assignments

Moses left Midian’s familiar pastures clutching a new staff—a symbol of God’s call to confront Pharaoh. His “yes” to liberation meant leaving Jethro’s flocks, his hiding place, and forty years of routine. Like Peter abandoning nets or the Samaritan woman leaving her water jar, obedience requires releasing what feels safe. Every divine assignment begins with surrender, exchanging comfortable tools for unfamiliar ones charged with God’s power. What we cling to reveals what we trust. [24:42]

Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand. (Exodus 4:18–20, ESV)

Reflection: What “staff” have you been holding onto—a habit, identity, or comfort—that God is asking you to exchange for His assignment? How might releasing it create space for His power?

Day 2: Lengthening Tent Cords in Uncharted Seasons

Isaiah’s command to “enlarge your tent” mirrors Moses’ journey into unknown territory. Stakes must be driven deeper when storms threaten; curtains stretch thinner when more souls gather. Expansion demands discomfort—whether Uganda-bound missionaries or a church embracing “fall frenzy.” God’s work rarely fits within our existing margins. Like Israel’s wilderness camp, obedience means packing and moving when the cloud shifts, trusting the Provider over the blueprint. [28:07]

Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. (Isaiah 54:2, ESV)

Reflection: Where is God stretching your capacity beyond what feels reasonable? What practical “stake” (routine, resource, or relationship) needs strengthening to sustain this expansion?

Day 3: Sandstorms as Sanctification Pathways

Israel saw desert sand as rejection; God saw it as refining. Delays in divine timing aren’t about distance but formation. Forty years of manna and detours trained former slaves to depend on daily bread, not memories of Egyptian onions. Our Red Sea moments—job losses, health crises, strained relationships—aren’t punishments but classrooms. Like Moses interceding for complainers, our wilderness teaches us to seek the Mountain while standing in the storm. [34:48]

And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (Exodus 16:2–3, ESV)

Reflection: What current “sandstorm” feels like abandonment? How might God be using it to deepen your reliance on His daily provision rather than past comforts?

Day 4: Praying Backpacks into Battle

Missionaries like Joshua carry no weapons but prayer into Uganda’s unreached villages. The widow’s relentless petitions moved an unjust judge; our persistent prayers move heaven. Project 3000’s “superheroes” and seventy-year-old Italy-bound retirees prove prayer fuels both goers and senders. Changing Mascoutah starts not with programs but knees on floors—for prodigals, neighbors, and our own calloused hearts. Revival begins when “I’ll pray for you” becomes “Let’s pray now.” [47:08]

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14, ESV)

Reflection: What person or situation feels “impossible”? How can you shift from mentioning it in prayer to storming heaven with specific, daily petitions?

Day 5: Importunity Over Instant Answers

Jesus praised the widow’s annoying persistence, not her eloquence. Like the boy begging water despite a spanking, God honors bold, shameless asking. Moses’ forty-year prayer journey through plagues and rebellions mirrors our own—daily crosses, not one-time sacrifices. Fresh hope isn’t found in quick fixes but the marrow-deep confidence that the Judge hears, even when quail or manna delay. [55:27]

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” (Luke 18:1–5, ESV)

Reflection: What prayer have you stopped bringing to God because it feels unanswered? How can you approach Him today with both humility and holy stubbornness?

Sermon Summary

God speaks from Genesis to Revelation, and every time God speaks, He invites His people to know what He is doing and join Him in it. Moses could not stay a Midian shepherd after the burning bush. Moses had to make a major adjustment, because nobody can stay where they are and go with God at the same time.

Every yes to God requires a no to something else. Moses said yes to Egypt and no to the safety of Midian, Jethro’s sheep, and the staff that represented his old life. Peter said yes to becoming a fisher of men and no to the nets and family business. The woman at the well said yes to living water and no to the water jar, the noon-time hiding, the shame, and the identity built on five husbands.

Moses also shows that one yes comes with many adjustments. Moses said yes at the bush, then faced Pharaoh ten times, crossed the Red Sea, and led a complaining people for forty years. God’s call adjusts pace, control, identity, and people. God’s delays are rarely about distance, because God is not merely counting miles toward freedom. God is counting days until His people are formed into the image of Christ.

The wilderness exposes the difference between seeing the sand as rejection and seeing it as the pathway to the promised land. Israel needed one night to leave Egypt, but Israel needed years to learn how to walk with God. Salvation may come in a moment, but sanctification takes years. Jesus calls every disciple to deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Him. Yes is not a punishment, even when the line gets squiggly and life does not turn out happily ever after on this side of eternity.

Prayer becomes the way God’s people join Him in His work. The call to change the world, change Mascoutah, change a family, or see fresh hope is the same: pray. Second Chronicles 7:14 gives God’s promise to hear, forgive, and heal when His people pray. Persistent prayer does not mean changing God’s mind. Persistent prayer changes hearts, breaks pride, and keeps God’s people close to the One who can open seas, provide manna, and bring hope where human strength has run out.

Key Takeaways

1. Every yes requires a no [25:56] Every real yes to God closes the door on some old attachment. Moses could not go to Egypt while remaining settled in Midian, and Peter could not fish for men while holding onto the nets as his life. The no is not wasted loss when it makes room for God’s mission. The old staff may need to be laid down before God places a new assignment in the hand. [25:56]
2. God forms people in the delay [31:45] God’s delays are rarely about distance, but they are often about formation. Israel wanted freedom on a calendar, while God was shaping a people who could trust Him beyond Egypt. The wilderness reveals what still rules the heart when comfort, control, and quick answers disappear. Christlike character is often formed in the places that feel like progress has stopped. [31:45]
3. The wilderness can be a pathway [37:54] Israel saw the sand as proof that God had brought them out to die. God saw the wilderness as the road toward a new life and a promised land. Hard circumstances do not automatically mean God is punishing His people or has abandoned them. The same cloud that led out of Egypt also led through the wilderness. [37:54]
4. Prayer joins God’s work [45:06] Prayer is not a religious way to avoid action. Prayer is how God’s people get in line with what He is already doing, whether in a city, a family, or an unreached people group. Prayer brings burdens before the God who hears, forgives sin, and heals what is broken. Fresh hope cannot be shown clearly by people who refuse to seek it themselves. [45:06]
5. Persistence keeps hearts before God [57:00] Importunity means coming again and again with the same need before a faithful Father. Persistent prayer does not force God’s hand, but it refuses to let the heart drift into forgetfulness and self-reliance. The request that seems delayed may still be held by God long after human urgency has faded. Faith keeps knocking because God remains good, even when the answer has not yet come.

## [57:00]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[20:39] - God Speaks to His People
[22:50] - You Cannot Stay Where You Are
[23:23] - Every Yes Requires a No
[25:23] - Peter and the Woman at the Well
[27:05] - One Yes Brings Many Adjustments
[29:52] - God Adjusts Pace, Control, and Identity
[33:39] - Yes Is a Pathway, Not Punishment
[37:54] - One Night Out of Egypt, Years with God
[39:27] - Taking Up the Cross Daily
[41:37] - If You Want to Change the World, Pray
[47:36] - God Hears, Forgives, and Heals
[49:51] - Finding Fresh Hope Through Prayer
[54:18] - Praying with Importunity
[59:23] - A Prayer for Mascoutah

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

2 Chronicles 7:14
“if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” [47:33]

Luke 9:23
“And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” [39:27]

Exodus 4:18-20
“Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” And the LORD said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.” [24:00]

Observation questions

In Exodus 4:18–20, what practical changes did Moses make after God called him to return to Egypt, and what did he leave behind in Midian? [24:42]
What different “no” responses were connected to the “yes” responses of Moses, Peter, and the woman at the well?
According to Luke 9:23, how often is a disciple called to deny self, take up the cross, and follow Jesus? [39:38]
In 2 Chronicles 7:14, what actions are connected with God hearing, forgiving, and healing? [47:33]

Interpretation questions

Why does following God often require leaving behind something familiar, safe, or comfortable rather than simply adding God’s plans onto an unchanged life? [23:17]
Moses’ first yes at the burning bush was followed by many more difficult adjustments. What does this show about the difference between making one decision to follow God and continuing to follow Him over time? [27:05]
Israel viewed the wilderness as rejection, while God was leading them toward the promised land. How can hardship be part of God’s forming work without meaning that every hard circumstance is good or easy? [34:41]
Persistent prayer does not force God to change His mind. How can repeatedly bringing the same need to God change a believer’s heart, dependence, and willingness to trust God’s timing? [59:35]

Application questions

Is there a place where God may be calling you to say yes, but you have been holding onto something that makes that yes difficult—comfort, control, a habit, an identity, or another person’s approval? What might a faithful “no” look like this week? [23:17]
Where has your pace been frustrated lately? Rather than only counting the days until circumstances change, how might God be forming Christlike character in you during this season? [31:35]
What situation in your life currently feels like wilderness sand—confusing, delayed, or discouraging? What would it look like to view it as a possible pathway with God instead of immediate proof that He has abandoned you? [37:10]
Jesus calls His followers to take up their cross daily. What is one daily choice that would help you follow Christ more faithfully in your home, work, relationships, or private life? [39:55]
Think of one specific need in your family, church, community, or the world that has become easy to worry about but harder to pray about. How can you make prayer a real and consistent response to that need this week? [45:55]
Is there a prayer request you began with urgency but gradually stopped bringing before God? What would persistent, humble prayer for that person or situation look like in practical terms? [57:15]

Sermon Clips

32s

#SanctificationJourney

“You see, the children of Israel, they needed one night to leave Egypt, but they needed years to learn to walk with God. That's probably true in our Christian walk. We need one night to have that encounter. We need one service to have that that time where we call out to God, where we accept him as our savior. But we need years to go through the sanctification process.”

48s

#DailyCross

“Daily, we are called to take up our cross. Not once at the bush. Daily for forty years, Moses had to take up his cross, his staff. For us, it's not once at the altar, it's not once, when we bow our head to pray. Daily, we are called out by Jesus to take up our cross, to say yes. Daily, we say yes to Christ and we say no to the life that... Of comfort, to the life that we want to live. Why would he do this? Why wouldn't he just make it perfect for us? Because God knows what he's doing.”

45s

#FaithfulYes

“Every yes requires a no. And here's the thing about every one of those yeses. One yes comes with many adjustments. The first yes is not the last time that you'll have to change or adjust your life. When Moses said yes to the bush, he then had to say yes to confronting Pharaoh. Not once, but 10 times he confronted Pharaoh. Then as, they left Egypt, he had to say yes to the Red Sea. He had to say yes to God using him for forty years leading people that would rather be back in Egypt than to trust God for lunch.”

30s

#GodFormsUs

“And so while we are counting down the days to freedom, God is counting the days until we are formed in his image. Because that's what he's trying to do when he interacts with us, when he directs us, when he puts us in a position, when he puts us in a time out. God is trying to form us into a Christ like image. Another thing that has to be adjusted, is control.”

41s

#YesIsAPathway

“So we have to decide which story we are going to listen to. Are we gonna listen to the story of punishment that says, god is done with me? God is paying me back for the years where I didn't respond. Where where we are mad at God. We're mad at our circumstances. We're mad that we said yes. Or are we going to see the yes as a pathway? Are we going to see that yes that God is still working in our life? Are we going to see that yes as that we are moving in the direction? We have joined forces with what God is already doing.”

67s

#FreshHope

“I don't want anyone in this room to do is wait until the eighteenth to find fresh hope. I want us to find fresh hope today so that on the eighteenth, we get to share, we get to show that hope to our friends. We get to show that hope to our friends and family. We get to show that hope to our neighbors. We get to show that hope to our city. But if we don't have it, if we're not seeing the hope, if we haven't experienced God's hope in our own personal life, they're not going to see it through us. And so what should we do, church, between now and then? Pray. Pray. Get on our knees and pray. Set aside our pride and pray.”

44s

#FaithfulThroughTrials

“Sometimes it amazes me the most powerful Christians that I've ever encountered in my life have the most suffering in their life. The the people who do more for others, the people who who walk out, who look like Jesus Christ looked like when he was walking on this earth, it seems like their health fails. It seems like their finances aren't always there. It seems like everything goes wrong, and yet, they're faithful. And here's what's beautiful, is on the other side of eternity, we'll see the rest of that story.”

25s

#GodAnswersPrayer

“Have you... Has it... Has that happened to anyone else? That that you prayed for something fervently, and then you got... It wasn't so fervent, and then it just wasn't even in prayer. And yet, God was faithful. And six months or six years later, he answers the prayer. And when it happens, it's like a surprise on Christmas. Oh, I forgot I asked for that gift.”

34s

#TrustGodsTiming

“And here's one thing to think about when your pace has to get adjusted as you follow, as you answer the call that God has on your life, that God's delays are rarely about distance. God is not concerned how many miles you got covered today or this week or this year. God is not worried about what happened for the last twenty years. God's delays rarely are about the distance.”

45s

#SurrenderControl

“You can imagine Moses. He's got a million plus people that he's leading through the wilderness. The staff in his hand was the authority. They saw that staff do so many things. When he dropped it, he became a serpent. They saw the the works that that Moses did through the power of God. But when that cloud decided to move, guess what they did? They moved. And that that sense of control that probably Moses thought he had with the million people, Not so much. You see, we can't set our calendar when we're following God. We can't set our calendar when we are joining God in the work that he is doing.”

50s

#FaithOverComfort

“Yes is a pathway, not a punishment. I made the statement last week that when we follow Christ, life is not going to ever be happily ever after. That will happen on the other side of eternity. That's when we'll experience what happily ever after. In the books, it sounds wonderful when Prince Charming arrives. In life, when we follow Christ, there is no guarantee that the refrigerator stops breaking. There's no guarantee that the the brakes, don't stop breaking. There is no guarantee of all the things that are going on in our life that it's just gonna work out perfectly for us.”

34s

#JoinGod

“Us being scared, us being afraid, doesn't stop God from working. What stops God from working is when we don't join him. When we go on our own path and with our own agenda, and our own timetable, and our own calendar, that's what stops God from working. And it's not that he stopped working, it's just he's working in a different location, in a different direction than we chose to go.”

46s

#HealingPrayer

“I think that that's applied to us as individuals. That there's there's probably things in our life that that we need God's healing for. Maybe it's literally physical healing. Maybe it's spiritual healing. Maybe it's mental healing. I'll bet that there are things going on in your family where you could use the touch of God and and that his healing hand upon your family. I am confident that our city needs healing. And I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that our world needs the healing touch of our savior.”

44s

#PrayWithoutCeasing

“But for the next fourteen days, you need to pray more than you've ever prayed in your life. I don't know what God is going to do. I don't know what the boat overflowing with fish will look like here in Mascouta in 2026. But I know that if if we will get God's attention, it will happen. I know that if we'll follow his advice to his disciples and we will pray with importunity, where we will pray with insistence, where we will pray again and again and again.”

39s

#RedSeaMiracles

“Church, we don't have to transport back in time. In two weeks, we can see God open up the Red Sea. I don't know what your Red Sea looks like. It may look like a son or a daughter that hasn't come through the church doors in years or decades. Could you imagine what it was like for God to deliver food every morning when you woke up in the form of manna? And then when that wasn't good enough to get food straight from heaven, that he sends quail.”

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