Scripture Text: Exodus 4:1-5, 10-12
Exodus 4:1-5, 10-12
4 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.
2 And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses fled from before it.
4 And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:
5 That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.
10 And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
11 And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? Or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord?
12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.
The Title of Today’s Message is Imposter Syndrome
Introduction
This morning, I would like to speak to the champion in you. This past week, I had a lot of time to pray, reflect, and talk with God about our ministry, and what returned to me consistently throughout those conversations is that we are part of a fellowship that raises champions. This is important to remember because if you are not careful, you will fall into the trap of looking around you and wondering how much of a champion you are based on what you see happening. But we are living in a season where we must know that we know that we know that God has a plan for us and that there is nothing that can stop that plan, not even ourselves. I want to start this message today by showing you a very short video clip of a young lady named Jessica. Without telling you too much about the clip initially, I want you to listen not only to what she has to say but also to the way she says it. I also want you to pay attention to who she is saying it to. Sound room, if you could play that clip for me now, I would greatly appreciate it.
In this video clip, Jessica is practicing what we call “positive self-talk.” This is the intentional choice to speak positive affirmations over yourself and to live what you speak. And this is important because God shared with me that the devil is trying to depress God’s people by convincing them that they cannot do what God has called them to do. Can you help me out this morning by turning to your praise partner and saying, “Praise partner… I believe in you!” There is something special about knowing that someone in your life believes in you. There is something special about waking up in the morning and knowing that someone, somewhere, is rooting for you. But there is one more statement I need for you to say to your praise partner before we move on from this, so turn to that same person and say, “One more thing, neighbor– I believe in you, but I need you to believe in yourself!”
Connection to the Introduction
I declare that the Holy Ghost is binding up the spirit of self-sabotage in this place. This is necessary because it doesn’t matter how many sermons you hear from this sacred desk if you do not believe that God has called you, and because He has called you, He has also equipped you for the call. None of this matters. When I began teaching with Portsmouth Public Schools over ten years ago, I found myself in front of teenagers who did not realize how smart they were. They would look at me teaching in the front of the classroom and think they could never retain the information. They would literally say to me, “Mr. Wilson, you are just too smart… I don’t think I could ever remember all of this.” It wasn’t that they didn’t want to learn the material or even that they weren’t trying to understand the material. Still, they were defeated from the start because they didn’t believe they were capable of learning the material. I got to a place where I asked myself, “Is what I expect of my students too much?” I was finding ways to simplify what I was teaching. In a lot of cases, I was doing my students a disservice because while their confidence went up when I made things easier on them, I knew that they would not be prepared for the test that was coming their way at the end of the year that would demonstrate what they learned.
God told me to share with you this morning that He is not in the business of turning down the heat in our lives because this gives us a false sense of security that doesn’t prepare us for the test that is to come. Instead, God wants to reestablish within you the memory of who He has called you to be. For my students, God helped me to develop a statement of affirmation that reminded them that they had all they needed within them to accept the challenge that was before them. I still remember that affirmation to this day– it went like this:
I am what I say I am
I am not an afterthought; I am part of the original plan
My destiny is success, so I must do my best
And by the end of the year, I will pass this SOL test
My mission is clear: I will learn without fear
I will make those who love me proud and stand out amongst the crowd
I was born for this, aiming high so I won’t miss
Mr. Wilson has my back, and that’s a fact
We’ve got this!
This morning, I’ve come to remind you that you are who God says you are.
Deuteronomy 28 declares that those who hearken diligently unto the voice of God and observe and do his commandments shall be set on high above all nations of the earth. That blessings shall come on thee and overtake thee; that you shall be blessed in the city and blessed in the field; that blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle; that blessed shall be thy basket and thy store; that blessed shall you be when you come into a place and blessed shall you be when you go out of a place; that your enemies that rise up against you shall come in one way and flee out seven ways; that the Lord shall command a blessing upon thee in thy storehouses and that all you set your had to shall prosper.
You are not an afterthought; you are a part of God’s original plan.
Ephesians 1:11 reminds us that we have obtained an inheritance in Him, being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things. When you are predestined, you cannot be an afterthought.
And as I prophetically declare over you this morning, let me prophetically declare over this church as the angel of this house.
Endtime’s destiny is success, so we will do our best. And we will pass every test!
Church, don’t turn your head to the left or the right. Do like the Bible says in Philippians 3:14– “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Don’t look at the numbers of the church to determine whether or not we are successful. At the same time, don’t take who God has planted here for granted. Don’t accept labels on our church from those who have not committed themselves to its success. Be careful what foolishness you lend your ear to. We are a church on the move. We are a church that not only says we love you but will demonstrate it, but we will also not allow that love to be manipulated or prostituted. More importantly than all, we are a church that will follow the voice of God. We were born for this; we will aim high and not miss. God’s got our back, and that’s a fact… turn to a neighbor one more time and say, “Neighbor– we’ve got this!”
Contextual Evidence
It is important to spend a little time reestablishing this because we tend to talk ourselves out of what we are called to do when things begin to look difficult or impossible. We will sometimes RSVP for pity parties and pull a no-show for praise parties. We often ignore what God has settled in the heavens by hyperfocusing on what we see in the natural. I call this the imposter syndrome, which the American Psychological Association defines as “an ongoing fear that you will be found out or unmasked as being incompetent or unable to replicate past success.” It is why someone can be delivered from something and find themselves right back doing the same thing they were just delivered from. It is why someone can compliment you, and you think, “They cannot be talking to me.” It is why God can give you a gift or a calling to be used in the Kingdom of God, and you sit on it because it doesn’t look like everyone else’s gift. Those who suffer from imposter syndrome can summarize their feelings about themselves in just five words: “I am not good enough.”
The Spirit of the Lord takes us to this text in Exodus today to show us imposter syndrome at work through Moses. However, he also shows us through this text that His thoughts towards us are more powerful than the negative self-talk we sometimes engage in. Moses begins chapter 4 of Exodus by telling God that he didn’t want to go to the people because he didn’t think they would believe him, listen to him, or obey his voice.
- Take a look at Exodus 3:10 - 18. Discuss how God makes provision for every assignment He gives you.
Even after God proves to Moses that he is the man for the job, Moses still endeavors to excuse himself from the work (Exodus 4:10).
- I don’t speak well, Lord– I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue
- Who made man’s mouth? Who makes a man so that he can speak or not speak, see or not see, hear or not hear?
- Lord, please send someone else!
- God responds angrily and sends Aaron but keeps the responsibility on Moses
Conclusion
God is about to invite you to take a seat at tables where you were once not invited. I need you to remember that if He gave you the invitation, you belong at the table and that you have a great deal to offer. Don’t begin counting up your inadequacies, and talk yourself out of where God has planted you. You are not a fraud or an imposter. Remember who you are and remind yourself of what is true. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says it like this:
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”