From Seat to Street

Foundations for Answered Prayer (Numbers 14)

• Season 6 • Episode 2

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Join Trey Overton, Mavric Herrera, and Drew Beauford as they reflect on Pastor Greg's Sunday sermon, continuing the Bible recap series. The church started reading the Bible chronologically together, and this sermon continued the series that dives deeper into the readings. During this episode, Trey, Mavric, and Drew shared some insight into their reading and reflected on Greg's sermon, where he pointed to the fact that Moses's prayer and plead to God provided a foundation for answered prayer. Trey, Mavric, and Drew discussed different points within the reading last week, along with recapping the sermon that Greg provided on the topic. Join in and reflect with us as we discuss the sermon from First Baptist Church in Fort Smith, AR. 

Mavric Herrera - mherrera@fsfbc.org

Trey Overton - toverton@fsfbc.org

SPEAKER_00

Psalm 119.11 says that Scripture is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. That means God gave us His Word to guide and equip us in practical ways as we walk through our everyday lives. Join us now for this episode of From State to Street, as our FBC staff and church members talk about how this week's Sunday morning message comes alive as we walk through the streets and moments of everyday life.

SPEAKER_01

Hey everyone, thanks for joining us. My name is Trey Overton, and I am your host today, along with my good friend Maverick Carrera. This week we have an extra, extra special guest, our good friend. Yeah no, super extra, extra. Don't tell her. She was here last week. Yeah. I'm getting nervous now. Yeah, you should be. This is this is our good friend Drew Buford. I guess. I had the pleasure of working alongside Drew on our mission trip to El Salvador. It was a pleasure. It was, it was. It was a lot of fun. Were you Maverick? Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_03

I have no, I figured I was like way too late. I'm like, oh, I need a passport. I forgot I leave the country. Like that's a big deal.

SPEAKER_01

That's kind of a thing. If you want to make it back, anyway. Exactly. So Drew has a he he has a great passion for ministry, works hard around here, works hard at everything he does. On top of that, like if you feel like you need to hone up some of your like survival skills and you know need to need to um hone some of those stuff, you know, with especially with the way the world's going, this is a guy that you want to go see. So um that's true, it's true. It's a thing. He can tell you how to he can tell you how to grow mushrooms on the side of dead trees and things like that. So absolutely. Um so Drew's also a part of our security team now here at the church, and I can't tell you how excited we are about that. Um, I know that they're enjoying them him over there at the base. And um, anyways, doing it. Happy to be on. Yeah, I'm very excited. So this past week, Greg used number numbers 14 to explain how God trains and leads us in our prayers with him. And in Moses' prayer with God, he we can see Moses' heart aligning with God's um and his desires follow that as well. Um so let's just start with some initial thoughts on the sermon. What what were your initial thoughts?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I mean, I loved the idea, and I love this story of uh he's talking about the story of when it seems like Moses' changed changes the minds of God and like convinces him. Right. It's such a like interesting take to be like, oh, my my always continuous, always faithful God, never changing looks like he changes his mind.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Absolutely but Greg elaborated that a lot in this sermon. I I really appreciated it because um, you know, he'll we'll talk about it later, but he was actually it could have been, you know, a test, and he could have been like kind of lobbing Moses something to see how he was gonna take it, how he was gonna react. Yeah. Um and so I thought it was really, really great, and I personally just love this story a ton because it just shows a lot about God's character, and he's just very he's just so like we can't understand him, you know. And so it was just one of those things that I just got to sit and absorb and it was it was really great.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. Yeah, you yeah, you're right when you say that. Uh it it seemed like a a lot of open windows there. You get an open window to uh God, you get an open window to the Israelites and uh Caleb and uh also as well as uh God, you know, uh and Moses. Uh what I really noticed was uh it came to me a lot of arguments and a lot of discussions when you're younger is like, well, the God of the Old Testament is not the same as the God of the New Testament. The God of the Old Testament is full of wrath, full of uh anger, and he's ready to punish, he's ready to show us judgment. But right here you see that no, he he is forgiving. He is uh a God of loving kindness, and uh he gave them another chance. I think I read this was like the tenth time the Israelites complained about wanting to go back to Egypt. So they've only been gone a year. So they've complained. Yeah, just written down, you know. I'm sure it was a lot more. So this is at least once a month that they're talking about even stoning Moses. You know, yeah. And God, you know, gives them another chance. He's like, all right, Moses, I I hear your uh I hear your prayer, I like your prayer, uh, I like where your heart is, and uh, you know, I you're right. I am not the God to bring these people out of Egypt and just destroy them. I I have a plan for them, and you're right. I'm gonna stick to that plan. And uh it's it's quite amazing how um you can see the uh the the human attribute, the human uh understanding of God. You know, he he understands us, he knows, you know, and he he uh he knew Moses had had that heart, had that um the different perspective, and uh brought that to him. And it's it's amazing.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Yeah, and and I I think I I I'll I'll piggyback off what you just said. Uh it's this is a great spot in in scripture to to see a glimpse not only of God's character, but also see kind of the the overarching reoccurring thing that we see with the Israelites, right? And we also see uh a glimpse of the sanctification process of Moses, right? Yes, and his relationship with God. So we get like a picture, a multi-picture here in his prayer, and we see a a glimpse into to God's character because God knows where Moses is in his relationship with God, and he knows that Moses' heart is aligning with his, right? Yes. And and so it's just um it's a great that was kind of when when he started using this passage, just going off initial thoughts. Um it it was great to see and and know that we have a God that knows where we are in our relationship, he is all aware of everything going on, and that includes me and where I am. Um, and so we saw that in his his relationship with Moses here. Um, I mean, I just love how Greg used this prayer to point out that that Moses' transformation, um, point to his transformation through through his relationship with God. And it's just um it was just an incredible thing. So so so Greg began this sermon by pointing to the fact that God was training Moses, right? So he said he said God is training Moses to be a leader to and and and he was training Moses to align his desires with the desires of God. And that was a big part of his leadership training. How does how does God train us to align our desires with him and and um to align our desires with his desires and and how does that impact us?

SPEAKER_03

Well, um I think it Well it goes back to that scripture that's talking about he will give you the desires of your heart when you ask in his name, you know. Um I think it's like it's interesting because when you read that for the first time, you can easily think, Oh, I can ask God for whatever I want and it's it's gonna be given to me because I ask for it in his name. But to for ask to ask for something in his name is to ask in accordance with his will. And so what God is doing here with Moses is trying to align his will with his desires. He's changing he's changing Moses' heart to fit into his will that he's accomplishing, and he's doing that through time spent with him. Moses would spend hours and hours and hours and sometimes days away with God, aligning and training and rehearsing, and um I mean I think about I I reread James the other day, um, or just thinking about the trials and tribulations that we go through, uh, because they're building us up and they're constructing us, and so God is constantly training us in in every way. If we're like if we're seeking him and we're we're chasing after him, he's using everything in our lives in some way to form us and to shape us and to mold us. But the point of that is not only just to just go through life aimlessly and think that you're just gonna grow, but it's to always be taking things to God and to be approaching him, to bringing these things to him, um, to bringing your struggles, bringing your tribulations, um, and re like trying to look at them from the eyes of God. I think he asked, uh, Greg asked, like, do we pray from the perspective of seeing God and acknowledging him? Like, do we pray trying to see these situations how he sees them and trying to acknowledge his character within them? Yeah. Like trying to see, okay, God, you are a you're a God of your love, your kindness, your goodness, but you also correct and you love the ones that you correct, you correct the ones you love, and God, you want to shape me, you want to form me. So, God, these this situation that I'm going through, this tribulation that I'm facing, I know is for my good, because you said that this is for my good, this is for my sanctification, this is to make me more like you. So, Lord, have your way in this, you know. Those are the kinds of prayers that we need to be praying and taking all of these situations, and so I think it's just time spent with the Lord, surrendering the things that you're facing in your life, whether they be good or bad. You know, this good situation. You can take it the same way. Um, so it's just taking everything to the Lord and trying to see these situations and how they align with his character.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. I agree. Yeah, I I definitely agree. Um you know, uh how how we're aligned with his uh his purposes and wills. There's a lot of obvious ones, you know, like uh of course reading the Bible, uh learning from scripture, uh praying, uh like uh Greg said, you know, um coming to the uh coming to him with with uh request of what he wants for us and not what we want. Uh I really liked how Greg said, you know, uh if if I was in Moses' place, the first thing I would have done is said, yeah, God, let's get rid of these guys, let's start over. That is no kidding, you know. We we we think we can manage and have God, you know, supervise us, manage, you know, but he is the manager. We should go to him and we should uh we should forget what we think would be best, and that's really hard to do. I think uh from my experiences, m most of my um um ways of being able to uh get in aligned with God is actually him breaking me. Yeah, him just it's usually when I least expect it because I'm in some good times or or I've turned away or I've uh been too distracted and then uh a trial or a tribulation or a uh a big decision comes along and and then I'm I'm just stuck, I'm just mortified, I'm just uh terrified. And and then I I I remember, you know, uh God's in control, you know. Uh these there's so much bigger things that have happened in in the in scripture uh and he's pulled them through. I think God is from the very beginning of using Moses and pulling them out of uh Egypt, it wasn't just a walk in a park on purpose. It wasn't like, hey, just right next door is the promised land. You know, he those trials and tribulations, um even though we see them murmuring and complaining and we see the um the anxiety that they're dealing with, but they're growing. They're they're they're uh as well as Moses and uh uh and Aaron and Caleb, but they're growing. They're uh they're going through these trials and tribulations, and they're uh they're learning how God's character is, and they're learning how God uses people, and how God um God's power is it's not just a power of uh turning the Nile into blood, but He's His power is able to uh forgive even these claims that they think God is bringing them out there to kill their own children. You know, even God is able to forgive that claim. He just brought them through all this, and and and they're saying, you know, God's trying to send our children to to war and to die. And and God is lets it go, you know. He gives it's incredible that um over and over the these uh examples in the Bible of these men who are faced with these tremendous challenges and and wanted to turn away and wanted to, no, I I I don't want to, God. I don't feel I I'm not able to. And and that's the way I've always been uh changed through God is He puts something in front of me and I immediately say, No, no, I I can't do that. I can't move there. I I can't handle it, I can't take that position. But somehow God even uses my nose and God even uses my um anxiety. And sometimes I even I've even chose something that was wrong. And I think we we don't give God credit enough that He's able to even use our wrongs, and able to use our mistakes, and able to use our murmuring and our and our anger or whatever to to to make his plan come f come forth.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. And only God can do that.

SPEAKER_01

That's right. Well, and I think both of y'all pointed to a big truth. Like it's it's all about our you know, our experiences. Yes, right. Yes. Uh let's let's you know, your example, Drew, is is I mean, let's look at the picture of Moses. What happened when God came to him originally in the in the burning bush when this all started, right? He was like, no. I'm not a guy. I'm not the guy, right? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03

This is a big mistake.

SPEAKER_01

Came up with a bunch of excuses like that. You know me?

SPEAKER_03

Like I always imagine that he would be like stuttering while he's talking to God.

SPEAKER_01

He's like, seriously though. But but you know, we go back to to where this kind of started, and and and Moses is like, dude, I'm not the guy. And then we're fast forwarding to now and we're looking. Take this same guy, this same guy that came up with a bunch of excuses uh before God to be used by him in this great thing, and and all of a sudden God's saying, I'm gonna choose you and I'm gonna start a new nation out of you, I'm gonna kill all these people, and Moses postures his heart to to align himself with God in this moment and and has this boldness with God to in his overarching plan. Like this is I mean, it was through all and I and I say all that to say it both of y'all pointed to it, but his experiences. When God chose he chose to use him and came to him in the burning bush, you know, he he his initial response was no. But then he goes to Egypt and he experiences God working through him and seeing the power of God in Egypt. Then they cross the Red Sea. God splits the Red Sea and they're able to cross some dry land and then kills them all behind him. They get to Mount Sinai, and then Moses, in this process, in this whole process, Moses is getting to spend genuine time, like genuine time. He gets there and he goes up on Mount Sinai for 30 days to be alone with God. Like he experiences all this, and every step of the way, even though he has to deal with this nonsense from the Israelites, like them coming and complaining time and time again, you know, Moses didn't even want this to begin with. Now look at this guy, and he's taking like this this posture and a line in him, and he's he's he's seeing the heart of God in every step of his experience, right? Everything that he's experienced, everything he's gone through. Um and that and you know, just how does that work for us today? Well, I mean, we go through the same experiences. Obviously, we're we haven't I haven't split split any red C's recently. Not at least not yeah, not today, anyways. But I but we still go through our own experiences. And you pointed you both pointed out, like we still go through things where we've seen God's hand work, right? And and for me, God, you know, I I know that God's called me to something. And uh, you know, Maverick, you know that God's called you to to music ministry, and that's what you're doing. And and whatever you're doing, if it doesn't fit in that plan and that overarching plan for you and your ministry and your you're advancing the gospel through music, if it doesn't fit in that, we have to stop and we have to second think, like, if if it doesn't fit into that, if it doesn't fit into scripture, obviously aligned with scripture, but I mean, number one, but it doesn't fit into that plan that you know that God set you on. Let's stop and take a second. I mean, maybe he's changing your path, but probably not, right? And so that's what Moses does here. He looks at his experiences, he knows that God's promised to take his people, put them into the plot promised land. He knows he knows that God chose these people, and through every experience that God's power has been shown, that he knows that the people across the river are trembling right now because of what God's already done. Yeah, yeah. And so crying. Right. And so through these experiences, he knows that God's plan is to use these people. And so, no matter what, I mean, it test or whatever, you know, when when when Moses is in this prayer with God, he knows that this overarching plan is going to be that these people are going to be in the promised land. So, God, let's let's let's stop. You need to be glorified through all of this. That's number one, and your plan is to put these people there, let's get them there. And that's amazing.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. Like, rule number one, God gets the glory. That's very rare for us to you know to focus that way.

SPEAKER_01

The selfishness is, yeah, I let's kill them all. They're about to stone me. I will be able to do that. It's not a good situation, get us out of here. Yeah, yeah. But don't throw the first stone even. Right, exactly. But no, you know, God's gonna get the glory, and his plan is gonna be um gonna be done, you know, and and and I think and to answer this question, God trains us the same way. I know that God has a plan for my life, he's moving me in this direction. And sometimes, sometimes, yes, he changes our path. Like that does happen. You know, like and just in our lives, there's things. Yeah, and and you know, I've take my life for example. I've been uh all over the country the last five years, you know, like been traveling everywhere, but at the end of the day, it was all in part of his plan to get me here, to to place me where I am, and and if I'm seeking him and his will and his purpose, not just his purpose in my life, like I mean, yeah, I mean, I'm always trying to figure out what he's trying to do with me, sure, but really in his purpose and his overarching purpose to advance the gospel. Like that's that's what our you know, Moses right there, his experience was to get the Israelites in the promised land. Ours is to advance the gospel and to to be used with the gifts that God gives us. And if I can look at that plan from God's perspective, how is can he use me in my gifts? Is this where he's leading me? We if we can take a step back and look at that and our experiences and and our relationship with him, it's that's how he trains us. Right, right. Um, at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_04

I think he has a short-term plan, and but he always has a long-term plan. Oh, 100%. If you look in numbers uh later on, I think it's verse 20 or 21, he says, and the glory of the Lord will fill the land. Not only is he saying, you know, I'm gonna bring you to the promised land, I'm gonna give you those resources, I'm gonna give you that land, and you're gonna be a uh a great people, but there's more than that. There's a bigger, bigger plan than all this. And I think God is able to uh to explain that to us well. What's not fair is Moses has got an exact plan. He's told, hey, you're gonna do this, this, this. With us, we we know there's a plan, we trust the plan, but that's it. We get we gotta just roll with it. We gotta just trust him, we gotta just uh um count on him and uh yeah piece by piece, plan by plan, and just uh trust him each way.

SPEAKER_01

So what do you think s prevents us from from doing it though? Like, you know, from seeing things from God's eyes, you know, because it's obviously you know the qu it's common, right? It's common for us to try to look at things from our own perspective, it's common for us to to look at things in in our own way, and and what do you think is the biggest cause of that? Fear, fear, fear. Yeah, I could see that for sure.

SPEAKER_04

Um the unknown is very scary. Uh new challenges, uh changes, um it can bring fear to you. Yeah, uh the the uh the unknown is a challenge. Yeah. Or uh with me, I'm sorry, uh a lot of it's been self-doubt, like Moses, you know. Uh I d I didn't get into security. I've been going to this church for a long time. And it hasn't been this last couple years that I've actually been getting involved, and uh that's been my own decisions. I know God has been wanting me and wanting all of us to uh to be part of his church and be involved and to uh help the church grow, not just be a uh spectator, listen to the sermon, and go home. So um it's it's our we're our own worst enemy, I believe, when it comes to uh trusting God and and stepping out in faith.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, no, I agree a hundred percent.

SPEAKER_03

I think it's also just like a lack of attentiveness to God in general. You know, just like if you're if you're r renewing your mind, like Romans twelve says, that you're constantly being transformed into the image of God, like you're going to be thinking the way God does. And so you can't help almost the more time you spend with God, you can't help the fact that you start thinking more like him. Yeah and you start thinking about how he does these things. And so I think it's honestly like it's it yeah, it's it's a hard truth, but I think it's just we struggle these days with just spending time with God. And you know, we have so many legalisms that go with that. I have to get a certain amount of time and I have to read the certain amount of verses. Like I was on like a Tuesday, it was it was either Tuesday or Wednesday that I just felt completely exhausted, burned out. uh spiritually and physically. And normally I d when I do my quiet time I'm d I'm taking notes and I'm I'm doing stuff like that. And I took a break from the scripture that I was reading to just read one of the smaller books of of the Bible. And um so and I was like, I'm just gonna sit read this whole thing in one in one sitting and just like see how what what's sticking out to me. Um and so like that time alone with the Lord just thinking of his character was so much more efficient than if I were to push myself to have to I have to take notes at this time I have to yeah to fit into this structure where I could have just like checked off a box. Yeah but I but by abandoning what I normally do just every once in a while just to break just to break tradition. You know, just to for the sake of breaking tradition and to getting out of the mundane just that was one of the most enriching times that I've had with the Lord in the past few weeks. You know because it was just me and him almost like having a conversation you know because we were just just talking about his character. And so that's what I'm saying. It's like it's just getting the time. Just get the time get the time in and God is going to naturally like I always say like the more you stand by a fire the warmer you get. Yeah. God is the same way. He is so holy he is so glorious he's so good and so loving that the same way you just stand by him just like Moses did and he came down his face was shining with God's glory because literally he just spent time with God. Right. And so the more time you just spend with God the more he's going to transform your life and the more that you seek him in all the little things in your life the more he's going to transform you.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. It's that simple huh it is it's that good.

SPEAKER_01

I mean really at the end of the day it does it is it is that simple. I mean the application on a million yeah yeah well my my issue sometimes with that like you're what you were talking about like breaking from the you know mundane or whatever uh is like I I'll have that experience and then like I want to recreate that every day.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah so today if I try and do that I'm probably gonna be like oh this kind of stinks yeah okay well now now I'll go back to what I'm doing.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah so like yeah no I agree but that's funny like kind of like going on a mission trip and you come back you still feel that and you want yeah yeah and you don't want to fade. Right. Well I think some of my problem you know is as far as like how things that stop me from seeing things from God's perspective or things it's anytime that I start thinking about myself um it's just selfishness. Yeah you know the thing the biggest thing is is selfishness. You talked about fear um I mean at the end of the day which is selfishness right it's thinking about myself. I get in these in my biggest um one of my biggest I say I probably have several um but like one of my biggest yeah bad tendencies I guess is like I I'm a momentum guy. When things are going good and when things are like going how I think they should then I'm all in and I'm like I'm I'm feeding off that and I'm everything's going but as soon as like things start going south as soon as soon as like things aren't going the way that I think they should I start second guessing everything. I start second guessing everything. Oh should I have done this? Oh should I have done that or should have you know um is this all wrong? Am I am I going about this all wrong? Like is is do I've got to just all of a sudden you know and all of a sudden I'm thinking I need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Like it's just or you should go back to Egypt. Yeah yeah it's just right exactly it's like I'm second guessing everything as soon as the momentum stops and and at the end of the day um that's selfish right um and and it kind of comes back to this thing with Moses he's sitting in there with his prayer with God and he's he's able to keep the perspective of God's overarching plan in mind despite the hiccup. Like despite him like about to you know these these guys are out here like with stones as soon as he leaves the tent he's he's like he's a dead man he's a dead man right um despite all of that he still has God's overarching plan in mind and if I could just get myself to stop and stop thinking about myself stop thinking about you know and just keep God's overarching plan in mind you know um understand and reflect on his power understand and reflect on on what he's already done like like if he if he's already done what you know like why would he do all this if if this is all for nothing right so like we're we're on a pace and we're going we're gonna hit some hiccups and that's okay. Like you just got to keep moving and you got to keep plugging and we've if this that that didn't work okay well let's try this like and always know that you have the intercessor and the mediator in your place.

SPEAKER_03

Like in the same way that Moses is interceding for his people in Egypt we have someone interceding for us right now. 100% absolutely going for us rooting for us and bringing the things like bringing all of the arguments for us to the Lord to the Father saying why we deserve more a better chance or why do we you know all that kind of stuff. Even though we may not deserve it you know but we've been given it we've been given this credit.

SPEAKER_01

Well and like you know I was thinking about this this morning you know I was thinking you know how cool would it have been as an Israelite to see like God's presence the cloud and it was there that day. Yeah fall upon the temple you know the tabernacle there like and just reside and like how cool and like how empowering would have been filled and then I'm like you know those same Israelites probably think the same thing about me like that dude gets the Holy Spirit like can you imagine like he gets the written word like there was only a few that were anointed with the Holy Spirit back then. They got to see his presence right there but we have the opportunity to be filled with the Holy Spirit like you know and and I'm reading this and I'm sitting there thinking oh that's awesome man that would have been such a cool experience to see that like and then I start thinking about how what I have now and you just kind of pointed that Maverick like we have an intercessor and we have somebody that's with us like all the time.

SPEAKER_03

And Ephesians says we have all of the fullness of God like what does that mean?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah you know what does that even mean how does that work yeah we just want even just a touch of it we're allowed to do that for you literally we literally just read where where Moses like when when God you know when he God anoints you know the uh the leaders there he he he takes a piece he said I took a piece of his spirit from Moses and engaged with these guys like you know and and it's like but we we have the fullness of like what does it even mean it's like he said like dude like it's crazy. Yeah it's not and and to think that I'm sitting here jealous of them seeing a cloud you know God's presence in a cloud over the tabernacle but like dude I have his presence with me all the time. Right. And and and I take advantage of that. Right. And I just all of a sudden things start going bad I'm like man maybe God chose the wrong person. Maybe I'm not the right person for this maybe I'm not maybe I'm not fit for this. Maybe they um maybe I have everybody fooled and and I'm really just a loser and it's funny you you're you're saying the maybe this, maybe this it's kind of like the same thing they came the report came back well they're like grasshoppers.

SPEAKER_04

Well we can't handle this. You know it's God didn't say that. They put that up in their own hand and you're putting that on like I was saying a selfish perspective.

SPEAKER_01

We all think we're a bunch of grasshoppers. That's right. Yeah and and and at the end of the day if we can just man perspective like yes who's God you know like he he is capable of so much right yeah like he he is capable of anything and we've seen it time and time again we could read all these examples in scripture I can look at all the examples in my life and your life and your life and like why am I sitting here second guessing myself who cares about myself and over again like I know I'm not capable of doing any of this yeah I'm right I can't do any of this dead on dead on I've got it figured out but guess what I know who can that's it and and but I think that that's what stops us man is just it's selfishness. At the end of the day um I think that's a big part of for me anyways um no you're right and not making God big enough. Yeah a hundred percent yeah right trying to put him in a box and trying to limit him to um and limit him to something you know but that's just our human perspective.

SPEAKER_04

On the second side of the coin like you're saying you were thinking this morning this morning I was thinking these Israelites like how did they just keep you know giving up and keep murmuring and keep like let's go back let's go back over and over and I was thinking you know what I would have been one of them too. You know I've pounded on the ground before and I'm like God why did I lose my job why you know a hundred percent yeah and I would have been right there with let's go back yeah you know and what's interesting is they they were willing to die in Egypt instead of die right there.

SPEAKER_01

What's so much better about dying in Egypt than dying it's like they were so yeah so upset that they couldn't even handle what the original plan was yeah yeah so so on to the next point Greg pointed out that this in this passage that Moses sought God's plan we kind of talked about this a little bit already but Moses sought God's plan and purpose um how exactly did Moses seek God's plan and purpose right and how do we use that in our example to use that example in our lives today yeah I think Greg talked about he was he was praying prayers that appealed to God's character and that would align like speaking the things that God has done and why like you were talking about earlier like God the number one goal in this conversation that we're about to have is that you be glorified.

SPEAKER_03

So with that in mind here's all the reasons why we should do this because you're a good God, you're a faithful God. It's gonna show people that you are to be worshipped, you are to be honored to be to you're to be gloried and the other side of that is that if you don't do this you may be seen as not a glorifying God and as as as a God that is quick to anger but you are slow to anger. You know and you're just a God like you're gonna be seen as a God of wrath, but you're also a God of love and you're a God of patience and forgiveness and so if you you know do all these things and you're going to be seen like this. You know um and so I think as we as we pray kind of like I gave the example earlier of what we should pray but we should be praying things that align with his character and align our hearts with his character because oftentimes he knows who he is, right? He doesn't need us to tell him who he is. Um but oftentimes we just need to hear it you know we need to hear ourselves say it in our in our own hearts and to to understand it ourselves so that we can start like I say understanding how God's character aligns with what we're going through and how God's character is being revealed to us through what we're going through.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah I agree I like how you said earlier too about getting alone and uh getting some quiet time to really uh pour over God's character and and uh for Moses you know God told him who he was God uh uh showed him who he was and God even written down or had him write down what he wants Israel to be so Moses wasn't just you know uh well I want to do the right thing for this this being this entity no he he knew God's heart he knew God's uh plan so he appealed to him that way he he knew God was powerful able to uh you know destroy the Egyptians able to perform all these miracles but he appealed to his power in a different way he appealed to his power in a uh a loving kindness way uh slow to anger and forgiveness way that God himself told Moses that he is that way so he he just it's almost in a weird way talking to him man to man you know like I know you you know me I'm nothing you're everything you know I I need you right now and uh he he he went to him in prayer uh he went to him in alone time uh Moses got alone with God a lot and um I think that's that's we don't do enough time like that you like you were saying earlier enough to and that's where we're really gonna learn who God is and when we're quiet and when we got no distractions and when we pour over his word and we we see what he told Moses we see what he told David we see what he told uh everyone and we okay I know how God is he he he he won't let me down or if he does he has a bigger plan or I mean not if he lets me down but if he chooses a different way he he has a plan he always has he and like you were saying earlier we have that benefit they didn't have we can s we have chapter after chapter verse after verse where God has been faithful.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah and I feel like we are looking it's like a broken record sometimes because we say the solution to everything is pray pray scripture worship pray scripture worship it's crazy how that worship pray scripture worship yeah but genuinely like it's that simple like you know and we're just we're just and remember we were given a helper too yeah we can always call for the helper absolutely yeah you know I kind of wonder sometimes though like reading this passage did Moses go straight into this response or did he like you know yeah did we take a step back and think hmm you know we don't see that you know we don't we don't see that you know like reading reading the response it looks like he goes like he fires right back and he says you know no guy you know but it's like could he have could he have been like could God have said that and him be like hmm you know he probably had to spend some time like meditating on it you do see him changing silent yeah he didn't throw anything this time yeah so there is a yeah he's growing so yeah but like yeah I mean I just always kind of wonder that did he did he take a second to pause because to me you know anytime that something happens and I I just say that to say like it's hard sometimes to understand what God's plan is. You know like sometimes sometimes yeah okay all the time no but it it it is and and you go through things there's so many times in my life that I've been presented multiple opportunities you know um you know when when we uh made the decision to to move to North Dakota when we made the decision to move to Louisiana when we made the decision and moved to Fort Smith every time there was a big those were like there was multiple choices on the table right and and we we had to sit back and we had to look at you know um what what would you know we have to look at the relia realities of what living there would be like how hard it would be the finances and those sorts of things um we have to look at lots of decisions right and and and there has to be there's a lot of factors that go into that um and a lot of prayer pointing back to prayer. And most of those you only get answers with. Right. Well I think we do and that's kind of sometimes later right well I can look back and like you know obviously exactly um but I I think in those moments we see this with with Moses here um he we've talked about this a little bit already but you know or Maverick did about the about him looking at God's character right yes he looked at God's character and and and what God was saying you know he he looked at God's character and what the outcome would be he looked at his plan and everything that aligns with all of those things and he's like no I think you know God we need to use these people so that you can be glorified right and and and and look at his love his mercy and all those things that also that go along with his character and a lot of times when when we're looking at different opportunities we can do the exact same thing uh we can sit down and we can look at okay what is my opportunity here to advance the gospel you know because you know at that moment where Moses was um that was the plan that he was looking towards right he was praying yes right he was looking towards God's plan to you know put the Israelites into the promised land um we have a plan right now that was given to us to make disciples of all nations right um we are giving a plan to to glorify God in all we do um and so when we're pla faced with multiple decisions is that decision going to hurt my relationship with God is that decision going to hinder my walk with him is that decision going to give me the opportunity to advance the gospel more is it going to present me with opportunities to reach the lost is it going to all those things that line up with scripture all those things that line up and as we filter through those things just like Moses filters through the character characteristics of God and and to his character and all those his plan and all those things we can do the same thing today when we make decisions um and so we know God's overarching plan to for us to make disciples of all nations for us for mankind to be in relationship with him like that's that's his plan. There we go. And and at the end of the day is the decision I'm making in a line with that right at the end of the day you know and obviously we get led by the Holy Spirit to make decisions we get led and you know there's more there's a there's a couple more factors to it than that and when that happens the decision's easier like sometimes I go through my day and I'm like I'm faced with a decision and the Holy Spirit's like hey you need to choose that one and that's easy. Okay I can do that. But sometimes we're like man I don't know I could it can go either way you know and and there's been I've had that happen multiple times in my life um and one of them was coming up here and and um I know I'm running short on time but I just when we were coming to to Fort deciding whether we were going to come to Fort Smith we had some other opportunities in front of us. You know I could have um I had an opportunity to to head pastor at church where we were I I you know I had that job offer still still on the table I had the job you know I had a um I had a call to go pastor at a church in South Arkansas um had a parsonage and all that stuff you know um and um but at the end of the day as I prayed through it the Lord led us up here and and and and through it took a lot of fasting and prayer but the Holy Spirit led me in a way that my mind said Trey you're in school at the time I was working on my master's degree you're in school you need to continue to learn and you need to continue to grow in in your walk and your ministry and I don't think you're ready for that yet. So that's what brought me to Fort Smith. I needed to come up here and I needed to work under a pastor and I need to you so I you know I took a job over there as a youth pastor at Calvary and that's what I did. And and but in saying that and all when all those decisions and I looked at the character of God and I looked at examples I looked at Paul and I looked at the examples in scripture and how he trained people Timothy up and how um I I just needed that still I still was in that process um and the Holy Spirit led me in that way. So as we're looking and I say all that to say um Moses was in this process himself right yeah we we he was in this transformational process where he started as this guy at a bush that said there's no way I'm the guy that you want right and then he spent all this time with God he God used him in mighty ways and next thing you know he's here with a decision to face do I let you know does does God kill all these people and just start over with me or do we continue and show God's character merciful loving character and his power to use the people that are still rejecting him and put them in the promised land and that they're ultimately going to glorify him. You know they will posture themselves towards him right and so at the end of the day when he was faced with that decision um he was able to align all of that and we can do that today. So you know and I'm gonna close that with just saying close this with just saying that like if you're going through something a day I want you I want you to remember two things. Number one God does have a purpose and a plan for you. Yes he does period he has a purpose and a plan and that and that is in and is is involved in in you sharing the gospel that is involved with you making disciples of all nations we're all called to that absolutely and you're a part of that plan. He has a purpose for you and and he also has a plan for your life and it's for your good Jeremiah 2911 tells us that right and and so you are a part of that plan. You're part of that purpose and my second thing I want to say in closing is that when you're faced with decisions in life for those that are listening if it doesn't line up with what God's word says if it doesn't line up with God's character if it doesn't line up with his overarching plan to advance the gospel it's not the decision for you. Period it's not it's never you're never going to do something that's gonna go against scripture. No period so line those things up pray we we've we're we're a broken record here and we're gonna continue to be a broken record. I don't care right prayer meditate fast do all those things spend time in the word because that ultimately is going to help you guide your decisions. It's gonna make those decisions way easier the more time you spend in the word the more time you see examples in scripture the more time that you can the the more that you have and the more tools you have to make those decisions and you won't spend weeks months bending over over the decisions you'll be able to make them pretty quickly just like Moses did here. I mean, whether he took a pause or not, right, we don't know. But he he he prayed he made a decision fairly quickly that no, this isn't the right thing, right? So at the end of the day, you can do that as well the more time that you spent with God, just like Moses did. So that's what I'm close with. I want to thank everybody for listening. I want to um encourage you if if uh you don't have a church home or haven't visited, come come down to us. We got some cool people like Drew out here. Um he uh you can come meet him and he can show you how to grow mushrooms on trees. Um if you don't have anything going on this weekend, we have the uh the amazing science show that's that's happening. Chemistry. Chemistry, sorry, you're right. Amazing chemistry show that's happening on Saturday. Um he's gonna be blowing things up and shooting rockets and doing cool things. So um if you've got kids, even if you don't come out, check us out. Uh we'd love to meet you um and see you and work with you on that. So uh we want to thank everybody for listening and we are out. Out.

SPEAKER_00

Thank you for joining us for this week's From Seat to Street Conversation. This podcast is a ministry of First Baptist Church, Fort Smith. As a reminder, you can always listen to each of the messages we discuss here on our chapter and first sermon podcast each week. Thank you for listening.