Did God Really Say?

When you’ve been stuck for a long time, you start to lose sight of the promise. The thing that God has spoken to you and over you for your life. The calling, the purpose, the plan for your future that He has created and prepared you for. It’s the thing that burns in your belly and raises your heart rate to talk about. You knew it was for you. You knew God had aligned your desires with His. You had never felt more in tune with Him and His Word than when He lit this fire in you. But, it’s been months, years, decades. Now you’re not sure.

It makes sense. So much time passes that you wonder if it will ever come to pass. It’s a natural thought process.

You’ve been told “________” but you’re in a season of waiting that doesn’t seem to have an end. Therefore, “________” isn’t happening. All we know is what’s in front of us — what we can see and touch. We start to question what we’ve heard. Maybe “________” wasn’t really for us, maybe we misheard God, or maybe something we’ve done has changed our course. There could be a million different reasons as to why “________” is no longer your promise.

This doesn’t happen overnight, and you may not even notice at first. It starts with insecurity. You thoughts sound like: “That will never happen for me,” “I’m not good enough to ever do that,” or “Someone else is already doing that.” Like Moses by the burning bush…

“But Moses said to God, ‘who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?’…But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’…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.’…But [Moses] said, ‘Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.’”

Exodus 3:11; 4:1, 10, 13 ESV

Is this not us? I know it’s me. What will people say? No one wants me doing this. I’m not prepared, educated, or talented. How can I do this? I’m nobody. I know there are better people out there than me for the job.

Now we’ve moved into doubt. Doubt comes when we accept our insecurities as fact. Moses was spewing his doubt all over the pages of Exodus. He was settling into his insecurity.

Next is acceptance, or I’d like to call it resignation. Your doubts are real to you. You’ve lost all confidence. That could be confidence in God or confidence in yourself, or both. God changed his mind. He didn’t mean it. I misheard what He said. I made it all up. I messed it all up. He can’t use me anymore.

This is a dark place. And it’s exactly where the enemy wants us.

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say…’”

Genesis 3:1 ESV

I know he has said this to me. “Did God really say ________?” And man, have I bought into it. I fell for his trap so easily. It’s literally the oldest trick in the Book. The first trick of humanity. And I have fallen for it.

I wish that the awareness that I have fallen for this lie would restore all of my confidence, but it doesn’t work like that. However, I believe it’s a start. Once we start with an awareness of the lies we’ve been believing, we can start asking ourselves some questions.

“But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’”

Genesis 3:9 ESV

So, where are you? Are you lost? Stuck in your head? Stuck in a funk? Are you adding to the lies you are believing? Are you throwing a pity party for your promise? I’ve been there. Let’s state where we are. Adam was hiding in fear because he was found to be naked and deceived.

“[God] said, ‘Who told you that?’”

Genesis 3:11 ESV

Let’s take inventory of where we are getting our facts. Is it from the enemy? Or is it from God? Ask yourself who told you that. And if you can’t find it in the Book, then I can guarantee you it wasn’t God.

Our minds can be a dangerous place for our promises.

What we once knew for certain we are ready to give up altogether. Don’t give up just yet.

We know the enemy is the father of lies. His main gig is to deceive us. What if, just what if, that’s exactly what he is doing in your life? If he can cause us to doubt God and His promise to us, then he can keep us sidelined and defeated. Have you ever considered that those the enemy attacks are the very ones who have a promise from God to fulfill? Why else would he be coming for you so hard? You must have an important calling on your life.

If you are ready to call it quits, let’s start asking some questions first. I know I’m going to.

I think it’s a good place to start.