WHEN YOUR QUEST BECOMES YOUR QUESTION!

As ministers and leaders in the Body of Christ, we should all be able to identify with the heart
of Isaiah when he said to the Lord, “Here am I; Send me.” Isaiah 6:8. As we pursue ourBishop Ronald Chipp various calls, visions and assignments from God, there invariably comes a time (or times) in our ministry or assignments when we may find ourselves questioning the validity of our pursuit. It’s not long before the realities of completing an assignment from God begins to set-in! The very vision/assignment from God that we once herald as the purpose and inspiration of our ministries/businesses becomes the very thing that we question in life. In other words, YOUR QUEST BECOMES YOUR QUESTION! Something happens and your vision or assignment from God becomes an unsettled issue! You begin to question your assignment and interrogate God. What started out as a great adventure becomes a great adversity; Your Quest Becomes Your Question! We see this dynamic in the life of Moses.

In Exodus, Chapter three, we read about Moses encounter with God through the burning bush. Unlike Isaiah, But like many of us, there is often an ellipsis (…) between Moses’,“Here am I,” and “Send me.” During this ellipsis period, God has to deal with our insecurities, excuses, and doubts!

And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, HERE AM I .[my emphasis]. -Exodus 3:4  And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had SENT HIM [my emphasis], and all the signs which he had commanded him. -Exodus 4:28

Like Moses, in the beginning of our quest (assignment), we are confident of our future success, and that God has SENT US! Initially the people (Christians, friends, family, etc.) accept our call or assignment from God. People will acknowledge your call, celebrate your anointing, and believe in your vision/assignment.

And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. And THE PEOPLE BELIEVED [my emphasis]: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped. -Exodus 4:30-31!

Again, like Moses, people will believe in your quest, recognize your anointing, and worship God. However, the Devil (Pharaoh) decides he is not going to cooperate with you or your God! In fact, sometimes the devil will kick-up so much mess that you you will began to experience opposition from within the ranks of God’s own people! Besides the persecution from without (the devil and his crowd). Pharaoh refused to obey Moses’ God, and decided to make things even more difficult for God’s people. Consequently, the people began to turn on Moses and Aaron. How discouraging it can be, when your own people turn on you because of the pressure from the devil, or the unrighteous!

And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go. -Exodus 5:2  And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us. -Exodus 5:20-21

It’s about this time, like Moses, that Your Quest Becomes Your Question!  Moses began to question, or interrogate God! Moses asked God, “Why did you send me?” He told God every since he accepted his assignment (embarked on his quest) the devil (pharaoh) has only made things worse. Moses told God, that in addition to all the trouble he was facing, God had not done anything! Have you ever felt like you are not making the kind of progress you should in ministry or business, and God does not appear to be doing much about it?

And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all. – Exodus 5:22-23

Even after some successes, your quest can become your question! After Moses delivered God’s people out of Egypt, and traveled into the wilderness, they began to complain and murmur about the manna God gave them for food. At this point, Moses no longer felt affirmed, but afflicted! To paraphrase, he asked God, “Why have you afflicted me with this assignment?” Further more, Moses asked the following questions:

  • I thought I had favor with you. Where is it?
  • Do you think I can handle all these people by myself?
  • LORD, am I the one who gave birth to these people?
  • Am I the one that made them the promise?
  • LORD, where am I suppose to get the provision (money, food, clothes, building, equipment, etc.) to meet the needs of the people?

And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers? Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat. – Numbers 11:11-13

This is Moses questioning God after he and God’s people had experienced the ten plaques, and God’s miraculous delivering power. Moses Had already experienced a great degree of success in ministry, yet again, his quest had become his question! Moses was feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, but God provided for him. God provided Moses with wisdom, and told him to choose seventy leaders; and God would take the same spirit upon Moses and place it upon the leaders to help him with his assignment.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone. -Numbers 11:16-17

When your quest becomes your question, one of the primary things you need to do is get a fresh(or new) revelation of God’s character and purpose in your life. That’s right, you need to focus on the character of God. When your quest becomes your question, don’t turn to gimmicks or schemes. When Moses quest became his question, God revealed Himself to Moses in a new way! God told Moses He had revealed Himself to the patriots as God Almighty (El-Shaddai). However, now, He is revealing Himself to Moses as JEHOVAH! A promise-keeper, or covenant-keeper! The God who never changes, and whose promise never fail. God is “arranging circumstances” for your deliverance [victory, success]. When God says He remembers something [like His covenant], He has, or is making arrangements for your victory!

Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them. And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. -Exodus 6:1-5

SENT OR SOLD:The Dreamer's DilemmaWhen your quest becomes your question, you will began to question why God sent you. Sometimes the enemy of our souls will stir-up so much mess, that you are no longer sure if you are sent, just went, bent, or full of dents! But getting a fresh revelation of God’s character, and purpose in your life will lead to the manifestation of a “SENT ATTITUDE” in your life, ministry, and business. I humbly submit my recent book, “SENT OR SOLD: The Dreamer’s Dilemma,” as a tool to strengthen and encourage your heart towards a “sent attitude.” Especially if you are presently in a place where your quest is become your question.

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