They Never Believe You" and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves

Devotional

Day 1: The Staff in Your Hand: What Has God Already Given You?

Moses held a shepherd’s staff, a tool for guiding sheep, not overthrowing empires. Yet God transformed this ordinary object into a sign of divine authority. The same God who turned dead wood into a serpent asks His people to inventory their "staffs"—the relationships, skills, and experiences already in their possession. He doesn’t demand what we lack but empowers what we’ve overlooked. Confidence begins by recognizing the mundane gifts He’s placed within reach. What seems unremarkable becomes miraculous in His hands. [08:17]

“What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand. (Exodus 4:2–4, ESV)

Reflection: What “staff” have you dismissed as too ordinary for God’s use? How might He redefine its purpose if you surrendered it to Him today?

Day 2: Leprous Hands and the God Who Remakes

Leprosy meant exile, shame, and hopelessness—until God reversed it with a touch. Moses’ hand, once a symbol of decay, became proof of Yahweh’s power to judge and restore. The same God who strips broken systems can heal what culture declares incurable. He isn’t limited by human timelines or diagnoses. Whether a relationship, habit, or dream, He specializes in rewriting endings. [14:11]

“Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. (Exodus 4:6–7, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you accepted “leprosy” as permanent? What would it look like to invite God to restore what others—or you—have written off?

Day 3: Blood in the Nile: Disrupting False Economies

The Nile wasn’t just a river—it was Egypt’s lifeblood, a symbol of power and provision. By turning it to blood, God exposed the fragility of systems built without Him. Today’s “Niles” might be careers, ideologies, or comforts we idolize. Yet Christ still invades earthly kingdoms, proving no structure is beyond His reach. [15:44]

“Take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.” (Exodus 4:9, ESV)

Reflection: What “Nile” have you relied on for security? How might God be asking you to trust His provision over man-made systems?

Day 4: Aaron’s Arrival: God’s Kindness in Our Reluctance

Moses’ excuses didn’t cancel his calling—they revealed God’s patience. Aaron wasn’t a plan B but proof that Yahweh had prepared help before Moses even asked. Community isn’t a concession to weakness; it’s God’s design. The brother you resist might be the ally He ordained to amplify your obedience. [24:50]

“Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do.” (Exodus 4:14–16, ESV)

Reflection: Where has pride or fear kept you from accepting help? Who might God have already positioned to walk with you in your mission?

Day 5: From Fans to Followers: Praying Like the Kingdom Depends on It

Three student suicides. A city in spiritual crisis. A call to trade complacency for knees-on-the-ground intercession. Prayer isn’t a last resort—it’s the frontline of warfare. Fans spectate; followers engage. The same God who split seas still moves when ordinary people plead for miracles in their schools, workplaces, and homes. [41:46]

“Repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:47–48, ESV)

Reflection: What specific burden has God placed on your heart for your community? How will you shift from observing to obeying this week?

Sermon Summary

Exodus 4 shows Moses standing in front of a burning bush with a confidence problem, not a knowledge problem. God has already said, “I will be with you.” God has already given his name, Yahweh, “I am who I am.” But Moses still looks at the mission and says, “No one will ever believe me.” That is not just Moses’ problem. The call of God puts every follower of Christ into some real mission, whether in a home, a job, a school, a neighborhood, or a hard conversation. And fear starts talking early, saying, “No one would ever believe God sent this person.”

God answers Moses first by asking, “What is that in your hand?” The staff is not impressive. It is a shepherd’s tool, a dead stick from a man who used to live around Pharaoh’s power but now lives in the wilderness with sheep. Yet God takes what is already in Moses’ hand and turns it into a sign. The staff becomes a serpent, and Moses grabs it by the tail. Egypt’s cobra, the symbol of Pharaoh’s power and divine authority, becomes like a child’s toy in the hand of Yahweh. God is saying that no government, no power, no Pharaoh is beyond his reach.

The leprous hand says the same thing another way. God can wreck, and God can repair. God can bring judgment, and God can remove judgment. The Nile turned to blood shows that Egypt’s whole economy can be undone in a second. The river that feeds the land, the life source of Egypt, can become blood on the ground. The signs tell the elders of Israel that Yahweh has Egypt by the tail.

Moses still says he is not eloquent, and the irony is that he says it in one of the more eloquent Hebrew sentences in the Old Testament. God answers, “Who made man’s mouth?” Moses’ limitations do not surprise God. God made Moses, called Moses, and qualified Moses. Humility becomes dangerous when it stops trusting God and starts saying, “Please send someone else.”

God’s anger is kindled, but God’s kindness is still there. Aaron is already on the way. God has already been moving before Moses knew it. Exodus 4 points to Jesus because Moses becomes a messianic figure, an anointed one who carries a kind of divine presence before the people. Yahweh on earth, the preincarnate Christ, has been calling people into his mission for thousands of years. The question remains simple: “What is in your hand?”

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Key Takeaways

1. God starts with the staff God does not begin with what Moses wishes he had. God begins with the ordinary thing already in his hand, the shepherd’s staff that probably felt more like a reminder of loss than a tool for deliverance. The kingdom of God often moves through what looks unimpressive, familiar, and even tied to past failure. The question is not whether the staff is enough, but whether Yahweh is the one holding the mission. [08:17]
2. Yahweh has Egypt by the tail The serpent sign is not just a magic trick. The cobra was the symbol of Egypt’s power, and God turns that symbol into something Moses can grab by the tail. Pharaoh may look untouchable, but Yahweh can play with empires like a child’s toy. Fear shrinks when power is measured against God instead of against the person being sent. [12:12]
3. Humility can become refusal Moses’ claim about poor speech sounds humble, but God exposes something deeper. A low view of self becomes sinful when it overrules a clear word from God. God already knows every weakness he calls into the mission, because he made the mouth, the eyes, the ears, and the limits. The dangerous line comes when “I cannot” turns into “send someone else.” [19:10]
4. God is already moving Aaron is already on the way before Moses agrees. God’s provision is not waiting for Moses to feel brave enough to obey. The mission of God has background work, hidden timing, and help already in motion. Faith often discovers later that God was preparing the road, the people, and the next step long before obedience caught up. [24:20]
5. Followers cannot stay in the stands The call of Christ is not a call to be a fan of Jesus. The spiritual fight in schools, homes, workplaces, and cities requires people who pray, speak hope, and step into the places God has put them. A church can rob people when it assumes no one else will serve, pray, or carry the burden. God asks what is in the hand, then God does the miracle.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:22] - No One Will Ever Believe You
[03:11] - Every Follower Has a Mission
[05:50] - Moses Has a Confidence Problem
[06:40] - What Is in Your Hand?
[09:56] - The Staff Becomes a Serpent
[12:12] - Egypt’s Power in God’s Hand
[13:43] - The Leprous Hand Restored
[15:44] - The Nile Turns to Blood
[18:32] - Moses Says He Cannot Speak
[22:29] - Send Someone Else
[24:20] - Aaron Is Already Coming
[31:31] - Moses as a Messiah Figure
[36:29] - The Church Cannot Stay in the Stands
[40:22] - What Will God Do?

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Exodus 4:1-17
Then Moses answered, "But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, 'The LORD did not appear to you.'" The LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A staff." And he said, "Throw it on the ground." So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. But the LORD said to Moses, "Put out your hand and catch it by the tail"—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— "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." Again, the LORD said to him, "Put your hand inside your cloak." And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. Then God said, "Put your hand back inside your cloak." So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. "If they will not believe you," God said, "or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground." But Moses said to the LORD, "Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue." Then the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak." But he said, "Oh, my Lord, please send someone else." Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, "Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs." [06:40] [09:56] [12:12] [13:43] [15:44] [18:32] [19:10] [22:29] [24:20] [40:22]

Exodus 3:12
He said, "But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain." [05:56]

Exodus 3:14
God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" [06:01]

Luke 24:27
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. [31:31]

Observation questions

In Exodus 4:1-17, what reasons does Moses give for resisting the mission, and how does each reason develop as the conversation goes on? [22:29]
What are the three signs God gives Moses, and what does each sign involve Moses doing with his own hand? [09:56]
When God asks, “What is that in your hand?”, what ordinary object is Moses holding, and why might that detail matter in this passage? [08:17]
What does God say about Aaron before Moses ever meets up with him, and what does that show about what is already happening in the background? [24:20]

Interpretation questions

Exodus 3:12 and 3:14 already give Moses God’s presence and God’s name. Why does Moses still struggle in chapter 4? What does that suggest about the difference between a knowledge problem and a confidence problem? [05:50]
The staff becomes a serpent, the diseased hand is restored, and Nile water becomes blood. What do these signs reveal about God’s power over rulers, judgment, and the life of Egypt? [12:12]
Moses says he is not eloquent, and God answers by saying he made the human mouth. How should that shape the way a believer thinks about personal weakness, limitation, or lack of ability? [19:10]
Moses begins with hesitation, but eventually says, “Please send someone else.” When does humility stop being humility and become refusal to trust God? [24:01]

Application questions

God starts with what is already in the hand. What is already in this person’s hand right now—relationships, experience, skills, resources, past lessons, or opportunities—that could be used in service to God? [08:55]
Many people quietly assume, “No one would believe God would use me.” Where does that thought show up most often right now: at home, at work, at school, in friendships, or in some hard conversation that has been avoided? [05:12]
There is a point where “I can’t” becomes “send someone else.” Has there been a place where repeated hesitation has become flat refusal? What would honest repentance look like there? [22:29]
God already knows every limitation and still calls people anyway. What weakness has become the main excuse lately, and what would it look like to trust God in that exact weakness instead of waiting for it to disappear? [20:57]
God was already moving before Moses could see it, and Aaron was already on the way. Looking back, where can God’s quiet preparation already be seen in a situation that once felt impossible? [25:00]
Followers of Jesus cannot stay in the stands. In this season, what would stepping out of the stands and onto the field actually look like in a concrete way? Who needs prayer, encouragement, truth, or a faithful conversation? [37:20]
God asks what is in the hand, and then God does the miracle. What is one small act of obedience that can be offered this week without waiting to feel more confident first? [40:22]

Sermon Clips

38s

#GodQualified

“``And so God said, who makes people mute? Who who makes them deaf? And the God is not is not saying, hey. I'm choosing to do this. This isn't the statement he's making. The statement he's making is, listen, I know your limitations. I made every bit of you, and I made you with those limitations. So don't come to me and tell me you're not eloquent. Don't come to me and tell me, hey, I can't see you off. I can't do this. I'm not the guy because I'm calling you and I created you. Therefore, you have nothing that you can say that can disqualify you if I have qualified you.”

53s

#PrayForTheCity

“My hope is that there is a a point coming for this church in which we, every single week, even if you have no one that you have to pray for or your life isn't falling apart, that you are bent on your knees just crying out, god, keep this move of god. Cover this city. The spiritual fight that we are in, lord, there's a student I don't even know that is thinking about harming themselves or or or that is just in desperate need of you. Lord, reach out. Lord, somehow put someone in praying for these people. We cannot simply say, hey. This is about me. This is about a mission of god, and god put you as the person he wants. He's not waiting on you to do a miracle. He's asking what is in your hand, and he'll do the miracle.”

55s

#BringWhatYouHave

“There is nothing beyond my reach. The Israelite elders would have recognized these symbols. They would have recognized when he says, hey, this is this is water, but it's not just a cup of water. This is what god is gonna do to the economy of Egypt if he didn't let us go. And then to show, oh, wow. And then he he shows this is what God is gonna can do to to the the people of Egypt, the pharaoh of Egypt if he doesn't let us go. He can turn them leprous, be judged in a second. God has got Egypt by the tail, and this is what god wants to make sure Moses knows. Listen. You're not going in there as if you have nothing. All you gotta take is what you've got in your hand, and I will do the rest.”

47s

#SayYesToGod

“It's an amazing, amazing thing when we then begin to understand the kingdom of God is on the move. He is already on God is already moving in your life. He is already moving in this church. He is already moving in this community. And some of us just need to wake up and quit saying, God, I'm not the one. Hey, no one will believe that I'm I'm supposed to be a part of this. Some of us just need to say, hey, it is time for me to say yes to God. For me to say, God, if you want me to make a disciple where I live, work, play, tell me how, tell me where, just know or just promise me you'll be with me because he's already on the move. He is already doing these things.”

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They Never Believe You" and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves | Exodus 4:1-17