Stuttering But Not Stopping: Called by the Great I AM

Sep 13, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Stuttering But Not Stopping: When Weakness Meets Purpose

Moses stood before God listing reasons he couldn’t speak for Israel, unaware his perceived flaw would become the very place God’s power would shine. Every hesitation becomes holy ground when surrendered. What we call limitations, God calls launchpads. The same mouth that protested inadequacy would later command miracles. Your stutter—whether insecurity, past failure, or fear—isn’t your full story. Heaven waits to amplify surrendered weakness. [01:02:30]

“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.’”
(Exodus 4:10–12, ESV)

Reflection: What “stutter” have you used as an excuse to hold back from God’s call? How might surrendering it shift your focus from your ability to His?

Day 2: Closed Captions on Your Inner Dialogue

We replay 6,200 thoughts daily—many recycled self-criticism. Subtitling our inner monologue would expose how we gossip about ourselves more harshly than any enemy. Moses wrote “Moses was the most humble” not as arrogance, but as agreement with God’s perspective. Every “I’m broken” or “I’ll never change” is a courtroom verdict we weren’t meant to declare. [55:55]

“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
(Matthew 12:37, ESV)

Reflection: What phrase do you repeat about yourself that contradicts God’s truth? What Scripture could you speak aloud to replace it today?

Day 3: The Great I Am Signs Your Blank Check

Moses fixated on “I am slow”—God countered with “I AM enough.” Every human “I am” finds its answer in the divine “I AM.” His name isn’t just a title—it’s a blank check for every need. When we stop arguing our inadequacy and start agreeing with His sufficiency, impossible assignments become testimonies. [01:08:15]

“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.”’”
(Exodus 3:14, ESV)

Reflection: Where are you relying on your “I am” instead of His “I AM”? How would walking in His sufficiency change your next step?

Day 4: Hesitation Is an Invitation to Obedience

Moses’ stutter became an altar where God’s “Go” drowned out human “Can’t.” Obedience isn’t the absence of fear but the defiance of it. Faith fluency comes through fumbling attempts, not perfect speeches. Every “strike the rock” moment—acting in old patterns instead of God’s new instruction—stems from resisting His voice over our habits. [01:21:48]

“Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”
(Exodus 4:12, ESV)

Reflection: What step have you delayed because you’re waiting to “feel ready”? How might imperfect obedience today become tomorrow’s breakthrough?

Day 5: Your Mouth Was Made By the Maker

God didn’t fix Moses’ speech—He owned it. The mouth that stuttered “Who am I?” later declared “Let my people go.” Our words aren’t evaluated by eloquence but alignment. When we speak His promises over our limitations, we don’t just describe reality—we declare destiny. [01:10:53]

“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?’”
(Exodus 4:11, ESV)

Reflection: What God-given “mouth” (influence, role, platform) have you undervalued? How can you speak life into it this week despite feeling unqualified?

Sermon Summary

God declares Himself “awesome in glory, working wonders” and “the Lord who heals,” so healing, freedom from sickness, depression, anxiety, discouragement, and lies are brought before Jesus. Christ meets people in the room, lifts bowed heads, and speaks value over lives the enemy has called failures.

Exodus 4:10-12 puts Moses face to face with his own excuse: “I am slow of speech and tongue.” Moses carries a real weakness, but God refuses to let that weakness become Moses’ identity or his final destination. The phrase “I am” becomes a warning, because a person can describe a hard moment without letting that moment define an entire life. “I feel like I failed” is not the same as “I am a failure.”

Moses’ stutter becomes a picture of every hesitation that rises when God says, “I’m sending you.” A past, a divorce, addiction, fear, personality, insecurity, or what somebody did can all become reasons to stop. God answers those excuses by revealing His own name: “I AM WHO I AM.” The Great I Am has what Moses lacks. God does not call people because they are enough; God calls people while knowing every crack, every fear, every failure, and every weakness.

Exodus shows that God does not give Moses a self-help speech. God asks, “Who gave human beings their mouths?” and then says, “Now go. I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” Moses does not need to inform the One who formed him. Acts 7 calls Moses powerful in speech and action, even though Moses once saw himself as slow of speech. God knows who He chose, and no filtered version of a life can catfish God.

Faith grows through going, not merely sitting. A child learns language by hearing, babbling, and trying again; in the same way, believers become fluent in faith by hearing the Word, living the Word, praying, serving, joining others, and stepping out before feeling ready. Moses eventually speaks before Pharaoh, leads Israel, writes, obeys, and sees God show up in power.

Numbers 20 gives the needed warning. Moses’ stutter did not stop him, but stubbornness did. God works with weakness, but He will not bless willful resistance. The call remains simple: watch the “I am,” remember the Great I Am, stop arguing with God, and say, “Here I am, Lord. Use me.”

Key Takeaways

1. Watch what follows “I am.” Identity language can turn a temporary struggle into a permanent sentence. Failure, weakness, fear, and lack may describe a season, but they do not have authority to name a person God has called. God’s words must become louder than self-condemnation. [63:57]
2. Remember who called and formed you. God knew Moses’ mouth before He gave Moses the assignment. God also knows every unfiltered detail, including the mistakes, insecurities, and wounds people try to hide. Calling rests on God’s knowledge and grace, not on human self-confidence. [72:26]
3. The Great I Am supplies lack. Moses’ “I am not enough” meets God’s “I AM WHO I AM.” God’s presence does not deny human limitation, but it refuses to let limitation have the final word. Every assignment must be faced in the strength of the One who is wise, strong, present, and able. [67:50]
4. Go before feeling completely ready. Faith becomes fluent through obedience, just as language becomes fluent through practice. God teaches people as they go, speak, serve, invite, forgive, and take the next step. Readiness often comes after obedience has already begun. [81:48]
5. Weakness differs from stubborn resistance. Moses’ weakness did not keep God from using him, but Moses’ refusal to obey God’s exact instruction brought serious consequence. God works through cracks and stutters, yet stubbornness digs in its heels against His leading. Obedience says, “I may not be eloquent, but I will be obedient.”

## [91:53]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[46:39] - The Lord Who Heals
[48:51] - Reading Exodus 4
[52:48] - Put Closed Captions on Your Thoughts
[56:07] - Words Can Condemn or Give Life
[57:05] - Stuttering but Not Stopping
[63:28] - Watch Your “I Am”
[66:57] - Remember Who Called You
[70:24] - God Will Help You Speak
[77:45] - Working With the Stutter
[81:22] - Go Before You Feel Ready
[86:37] - Obedience Brings God’s Power
[90:27] - When Stubbornness Stops the Journey
[94:17] - Who Is Your One More?
[101:37] - Surrendering Life to Jesus

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Exodus 4:10-12
“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.’”
[00:49:31] [00:49:43] [00:49:47] [00:50:10]

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.”’”
[01:07:05] [01:07:26]

Numbers 20:7-12
“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.’ And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he commanded him. Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, ‘Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?’ And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.’”
[01:30:38] [01:31:32]

Acts 7:22
“And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.”
[01:12:17] [01:12:24]

Observation questions

What reason does Moses give for not wanting to go, and what does God say He will do for Moses’ mouth? [01:10:42]
What is the difference between saying, “I feel like I failed,” and saying, “I am a failure”? [01:04:05]
According to Exodus 3:14, what name does God give Himself, and how does that answer Moses’ focus on what he lacks? [01:08:11]
In Numbers 20, what exact instruction did God give Moses, what did Moses actually do, and what consequence followed? [01:31:17]

Interpretation questions

Why does God respond to Moses’ weakness by pointing to Himself as the One who made Moses’ mouth, rather than simply telling Moses to become more confident? [01:11:32]
Acts 7:22 calls Moses mighty in words, while Exodus 4 records Moses saying he is slow of speech. What does this contrast show about the difference between a person’s self-view and God’s view? [01:12:26]
God’s name, “I AM WHO I AM,” reminds believers that God has what they lack. How can a believer rely on God’s strength without pretending that weakness, fear, or insecurity is not real? [01:09:24]
Numbers 20 shows that Moses’ weakness did not stop God from using him, but his refusal to follow God’s instruction brought consequence. How can a believer tell the difference between being unable and being unwilling? [01:32:31]

Application questions

What words usually follow “I am” in your own thoughts? Are any of those words turning a hard season, mistake, or weakness into an identity that God has not given you? [01:03:53]
Is there a “stutter”—a fear, past failure, insecurity, addiction, personality trait, or wound—that you have been using as a reason not to take a step God is putting in front of you? What might it look like to keep going even while that struggle is still present? [01:02:52]
Where have you been waiting to feel fully ready before serving, speaking up, forgiving, leading, praying with someone, or sharing your faith? What is one small step of obedience you could take this week? [01:21:40]
God promises, “I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” Is there a conversation, invitation, apology, or testimony you have been avoiding because you do not know what to say? How could you prepare in prayer and then take the next step? [01:34:17]
Moses became fluent in faith by obeying God over time. What practice would help you move from only hearing God’s Word to living it—reading Scripture, praying with others, joining a group, serving, or encouraging someone? [01:23:26]
Is there an area where your hesitation has become stubborn resistance—such as forgiving someone, admitting a mistake, apologizing, getting back up after failure, or obeying a clear prompting from God? What would surrender look like in that situation? [01:32:43]
Who is one person God may be placing on your heart to pray for, invite, encourage, or tell about what Jesus has done in your life? What could a simple and genuine next step toward that person be? [01:35:02]

Sermon Clips

35s

#StutteringNotStopping

“Maybe some of you prayed, God, take away my insecurity. Maybe he will, or maybe he's gonna teach you how to lead while you're still dealing with that insecurity. Maybe some of you have been praying, god, take away this fear. Well, maybe god is going to teach you with the power of the holy spirit how to step out while your legs are still shaken, while you're still stuttering. And but so you declare, I may be stuttering, but I'm not stopping.”

41s

#WordsShapeDestiny

“You gotta be careful what you put after those two words because what you put after I am can try to define who you are. And I want us to understand, church, that there's a difference in saying, I feel like I failed versus saying I'm a failure. One may describe the moment, the other will try to define your identity, and your identity shapes your destiny. We will live in the direction of our confession.”

44s

#LeanOnTheGreatIAm

“Tell your neighbor, God is the great I am. He is. Everything you need, he's got. So stop listening so much to your I am and start listening to the great I am. Let me say it nicer. Get your eyes off of you, boo, and get them back on Jesus, who he is and what he is saying. Whatever you're facing today, you don't have to face it in your own strength. Go in the strength of the great I am.”

49s

#GodKnowsYou

“So my question you do, Shiloh, where's the lie? Stephen says he was powerful in speech. Moses says he was weak in speech. See, you do not need to inform the one that formed you. You may be surprised by your weakness, but God is not. God knows who he chose. God says to Moses, I know everything about you. I saw you in the basket. I brought you out of the river. I saw what happened in Egypt. I know your anger issues and how you killed somebody. I know your fears. I know your insecurities. I made your mouth. None of it surprises me. God knows who he chose.”

39s

#DontLetThePastDefineYou

“Don't let what happened to you become the headline over you. Don't let one season of your life become the sentence over your whole life. You may think you're just describing where you are, but you may be defining where you're going. And Moses says, who am I? I'm slow to speak. In other words, god, you can't use me. I've got a weakness. I gotta stutter. Shiloh, what's your stutter?”

39s

#GoBeforeYouFeelReady

“The reality is, though, church, we're never gonna feel ready. We're never gonna be feel like more than enough. It's part of our human condition, which is why number three, our last point, you gotta go before you feel ready. Tell your neighbor, go before you feel ready. Shiloh, we've gotta agree with God in order to experience God's best for our life. God says, if you'll get going, I'm gonna show you how to speak. I'm gonna teach you what to say.”

36s

#SpeakFaithAnyway

“And God is saying, I'm gonna teach you how to speak. I'm gonna show you what faith sounds like. That's what prayer is. We get into the presence of God, and we listen to God, and we hear what he's saying. And then there's a point that we gotta get out of that prayer closet and speak. And even though you may be stuttering, you cannot stop because the more you speak faith, the more fluid in faith you become.”

40s

#SettleWhoseIAm

“This is so important because when God calls us, we tend to focus on ourselves, on our stutter. But the longer you focus on you, the more you're gonna find things that are wrong with you. That's why God told Moses, go. Don't overthink it. Go. It's not about you, boo. Go. Tell them I who I am is. So today, before you settle who I am, we've got to settle whose I am.”

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