WEBVTT - What Are You Dragging Behind? -Part 1 0:00:00.440 --> 0:00:03.830 Today on bold steps, Mark Jobe asks the question, what 0:00:03.830 --> 0:00:05.779 are you dragging behind you? 0:00:06.200 --> 0:00:09.680 The moment that you get serious about your walk with God, 0:00:09.680 --> 0:00:16.490 then your delayed obedience, your unfinished business becomes a priority 0:00:16.489 --> 0:00:19.040 because he's saying, If I'm going to use you, then 0:00:19.040 --> 0:00:21.799 you have to deal with the issues that have been 0:00:21.829 --> 0:00:24.620 asking you to deal with for a long time. 0:00:36.770 --> 0:00:39.830 This is bold steps with Mark Jobe. Mark is the 0:00:39.830 --> 0:00:42.500 senior pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago and 0:00:42.500 --> 0:00:46.190 president of Moody Bible Institute. I'm Wayne Shepherd. Mark, you 0:00:46.190 --> 0:00:48.110 have a burden for men, helping them know who they 0:00:48.110 --> 0:00:50.600 are in Jesus and their identity in him. And you 0:00:50.600 --> 0:00:52.699 had a chance to speak at a conference last spring 0:00:52.700 --> 0:00:55.940 called Walk Worthy. So over the next couple of days, 0:00:55.940 --> 0:00:58.130 we're going to hear one of these messages you gave 0:00:58.160 --> 0:01:01.440 last year called What Are You Dragging Behind? It's true 0:01:01.440 --> 0:01:04.230 that if we are carrying baggage and unfinished business, we 0:01:04.230 --> 0:01:06.390 will have a very hard time moving forward with purpose 0:01:06.390 --> 0:01:07.320 and calling. 0:01:07.350 --> 0:01:11.160 Yes. And Wayne, let me just say, I do have 0:01:11.160 --> 0:01:15.090 a strong burden to see men live out their calling. 0:01:15.090 --> 0:01:18.360 Walk in God and in the city of Chicago. I 0:01:18.390 --> 0:01:23.400 discovered years ago that there's so many broken men, so 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:26.970 many passive men, so many men that really don't understand 0:01:26.970 --> 0:01:28.830 their identity and what it means to be a man 0:01:28.830 --> 0:01:31.350 of God. So that's a real passion of mine, to 0:01:31.380 --> 0:01:36.120 restore men to godliness. And so I was speaking at 0:01:36.120 --> 0:01:39.990 an event in canton, Ohio. Probably about a thousand men 0:01:40.020 --> 0:01:43.679 were there. We had a phenomenal time. And if you've 0:01:43.680 --> 0:01:46.350 never checked out a walk worthy conference, we do it 0:01:46.350 --> 0:01:49.230 every year up in that area. And so I would 0:01:49.230 --> 0:01:51.630 encourage you to check it out. But that's where this 0:01:51.630 --> 0:01:52.980 message was preached. 0:01:52.980 --> 0:01:55.020 I hear such great reports from it. All right. Let's 0:01:55.020 --> 0:01:59.040 jump into the message. It's titled, what are you dragging behind? 0:02:00.090 --> 0:02:02.240 Today I want to talk to you about. What are 0:02:02.240 --> 0:02:10.460 you dragging behind? What are you dragging behind? You know, 0:02:10.490 --> 0:02:14.360 I live in the city of Chicago, and, um, you know, 0:02:14.389 --> 0:02:18.019 we'll probably. It's like Ohio a bit. I'm assuming that 0:02:18.020 --> 0:02:23.330 right after the cold winter months and ice and snow. Uh, 0:02:23.330 --> 0:02:31.370 we have these jolting, awakening spots on our highways that 0:02:31.370 --> 0:02:37.280 we call potholes. I'm pretty sure we've lost a few 0:02:37.280 --> 0:02:39.770 people there for a few weeks in the potholes that 0:02:39.770 --> 0:02:44.630 we have in Chicago. I mean, they're huge sometimes, and 0:02:44.630 --> 0:02:50.269 you have to kind of drive avoiding those potholes. Well, um, 0:02:50.270 --> 0:02:56.300 I hit a pothole, uh, just a few months ago. And, uh, 0:02:56.300 --> 0:02:58.850 you have to know this about my car. My wife 0:02:58.850 --> 0:03:02.549 keeps telling me, why are you driving that car? And 0:03:02.550 --> 0:03:08.730 I say, because it works. It's got 205,000 miles on it. 0:03:09.750 --> 0:03:12.810 And she says to me, aren't you embarrassed to drive 0:03:12.810 --> 0:03:15.690 that car? I say, no, it's hijack proof in Chicago. 0:03:17.070 --> 0:03:21.030 No one wants to hijack it. I mean, it's hijack proof. Seriously. 0:03:22.290 --> 0:03:25.590 But I was driving my my nice, reliable car, and 0:03:25.590 --> 0:03:30.150 I hit a pothole and on the expressway on I-55. 0:03:30.150 --> 0:03:33.269 And then right after I hit the pothole, I started 0:03:33.270 --> 0:03:38.850 hearing this, uh, screeching noise under my vehicle like I 0:03:38.850 --> 0:03:43.560 was dragging something, and it sounded like I was dragging metal. 0:03:43.560 --> 0:03:48.420 And so I pulled off after driving for a while, 0:03:48.420 --> 0:03:51.630 thinking I would release it. Or maybe I ran over something. 0:03:51.630 --> 0:03:53.790 I didn't know what it was. I pulled off to 0:03:53.820 --> 0:03:55.830 the side of the road and sure enough, I don't 0:03:55.860 --> 0:03:57.810 know what it was. Under my car, a big piece 0:03:57.810 --> 0:04:02.840 of metal had come down and I was dragging something 0:04:02.840 --> 0:04:05.480 that caused me to slow down, that caused me to 0:04:05.510 --> 0:04:08.210 have to get off this highway that had that caused 0:04:08.210 --> 0:04:11.000 me to have to stop. And then I got under, 0:04:11.030 --> 0:04:13.340 and I'm tugging at this piece of metal that's there. 0:04:13.370 --> 0:04:15.680 And finally I pulled it off. I don't know what 0:04:15.680 --> 0:04:17.810 it is, what it what it does. So I put 0:04:17.810 --> 0:04:19.279 it in the trunk of the car just in case 0:04:19.279 --> 0:04:24.290 I have to use it later. Um, and that gave 0:04:24.290 --> 0:04:26.750 my wife a little bit more ammunition. Why are you 0:04:26.779 --> 0:04:30.680 driving that junk? But. But I was dragging something that 0:04:30.680 --> 0:04:35.089 slowed me down. That made me stop. Because anytime that 0:04:35.089 --> 0:04:40.370 we drag something, anytime that we drag something for a 0:04:40.400 --> 0:04:46.850 long period of time, it tends to slow us. It 0:04:46.850 --> 0:04:56.450 tends to eventually stop us in our journey. And that's 0:04:56.450 --> 0:04:57.950 what I want to talk to you about, because I 0:04:57.950 --> 0:05:01.620 believe that as I talk to men across this nation. 0:05:01.860 --> 0:05:05.490 I run into many men that are dragging things behind, 0:05:06.210 --> 0:05:10.020 that they have unfinished business, that they have baggage that 0:05:10.020 --> 0:05:15.120 they're dragging. I run into men all over this country 0:05:15.150 --> 0:05:19.619 that are neutralized, that are not living out their call. 0:05:19.650 --> 0:05:23.070 They have the Spirit of God inside of them. They've 0:05:23.100 --> 0:05:27.390 yielded themselves to God. They said yes to the lordship 0:05:27.390 --> 0:05:30.420 of Jesus. But when I talked to them about their 0:05:30.420 --> 0:05:33.840 life and what they're doing and how they're living, oftentimes 0:05:33.839 --> 0:05:40.200 I get this sense that they are not living their 0:05:40.200 --> 0:05:43.890 call out as they were designed to live their call out. 0:05:44.610 --> 0:05:50.400 They're not living in the fullness of what Jesus has 0:05:50.400 --> 0:05:54.870 called them to. In fact, oftentimes feeling like I'm kind 0:05:54.900 --> 0:06:03.230 of missing it, I'm neutralized. I'm not engaged in significant purpose. 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:09.890 I know God is God. I've heard that God has 0:06:09.890 --> 0:06:13.460 a purpose for my life, but I don't feel like 0:06:13.460 --> 0:06:17.359 I'm really living it out. And if I were to 0:06:17.390 --> 0:06:21.409 have those of you that feel like that today, raise 0:06:21.410 --> 0:06:23.390 your hand. I believe that we'd have a lot of 0:06:23.390 --> 0:06:30.109 hands go up in this auditorium today. In Exodus chapter three, 0:06:30.710 --> 0:06:35.180 you know the story. We have the story of a 0:06:35.180 --> 0:06:40.970 burning bush experience. God is calling Moses at the age 0:06:40.970 --> 0:06:48.290 of 80, by the way, to make a major shift 0:06:48.290 --> 0:06:52.880 in his direction. And you remember the story when he 0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:57.410 was young and full of fire. He tried to pursue 0:06:57.410 --> 0:07:02.550 the calling of God on his Life in a fleshly way. 0:07:02.610 --> 0:07:05.130 When he started to awaken to the fact that God 0:07:05.130 --> 0:07:07.860 was calling him to be a liberator in the power 0:07:07.860 --> 0:07:09.240 of the flesh, and how many of you know we 0:07:09.240 --> 0:07:10.920 can try to do the work of God and the 0:07:10.920 --> 0:07:16.590 power of the flesh? So he if you remember the story, 0:07:16.620 --> 0:07:22.530 he killed an Egyptian. And why? Because the the heart 0:07:22.530 --> 0:07:26.220 was right. Set my people free. But the way he 0:07:26.220 --> 0:07:28.890 was doing it was wrong. It was in anger and 0:07:28.890 --> 0:07:32.640 in the flesh. And God used his mistake. And how 0:07:32.640 --> 0:07:35.520 many of you know that God uses our mistakes? And 0:07:35.520 --> 0:07:39.330 God used the mess up, actually, to drive him out 0:07:39.330 --> 0:07:45.330 of Egypt into the land of Midian? And so later 0:07:45.330 --> 0:07:48.300 on we will discover that God was actually used his 0:07:48.300 --> 0:07:52.380 mess up to take him into the middle of his calling. 0:07:52.500 --> 0:07:56.700 And he finds himself now in Midian. And you know 0:07:56.700 --> 0:07:59.070 the story. To make a long story short, short, he 0:07:59.070 --> 0:08:04.190 becomes a shepherd. and long have gone these ideas of 0:08:04.190 --> 0:08:07.040 I will be a liberator. God is going to use me. 0:08:07.040 --> 0:08:11.120 I'm going to be someone that sets my people free, 0:08:11.120 --> 0:08:13.310 and the power of God is going to be upon me. 0:08:13.310 --> 0:08:17.390 He's left those ideas now. He's embraced the life of 0:08:17.390 --> 0:08:23.030 a shepherd. He's comfortable with sheep. He likes the ordinary. 0:08:23.060 --> 0:08:25.670 He's got two kids, he's got a wife, and he's 0:08:25.670 --> 0:08:31.400 got a job that is pretty passive. So he's out there. 0:08:31.430 --> 0:08:34.939 The Bible tells us in Exodus chapter three that he's 0:08:34.940 --> 0:08:38.180 out in the mountains. He's feeding the sheep, and at 0:08:38.179 --> 0:08:45.709 a distance he sees this sight that attracts his attention. 0:08:46.460 --> 0:08:48.890 And can I tell you that often times that God 0:08:48.890 --> 0:08:55.040 will invade the ordinary with the extraordinary and unexpected moments? 0:08:57.020 --> 0:09:01.439 Some of you came to this conference just not expecting 0:09:01.440 --> 0:09:08.550 very much. Maybe because someone pressured you. Maybe because a 0:09:08.550 --> 0:09:12.750 friend was going. Maybe because you just had a Saturday off. 0:09:12.750 --> 0:09:14.970 Maybe because I don't know why you came here, but 0:09:14.970 --> 0:09:18.689 can I just say that sometimes in our ordinary, God 0:09:18.690 --> 0:09:23.670 can interrupt the ordinary with extraordinary when his presence is there, 0:09:24.450 --> 0:09:28.890 and suddenly Moses becomes aware that there's a bush not 0:09:28.890 --> 0:09:32.100 too far away. And so he draws closer to that sight. 0:09:32.100 --> 0:09:34.590 And then God speaks to him out of the bush. 0:09:34.590 --> 0:09:37.260 And this is a bush that's not consumed, the Almighty 0:09:37.290 --> 0:09:40.679 God of the universe, the powerful. I am the Alpha, 0:09:40.710 --> 0:09:43.050 the Omega, the God that has no beginning, the God 0:09:43.050 --> 0:09:46.260 that has no end, the God that the God that 0:09:46.260 --> 0:09:50.910 spoke and launched the stars into the universe and created 0:09:50.910 --> 0:09:54.840 the orbit of the sun and the world. This God, 0:09:54.900 --> 0:09:58.200 this God that is never learned because he's always known. 0:09:58.200 --> 0:10:01.490 The God that's immutable and never changes because you cannot 0:10:01.490 --> 0:10:07.310 improve upon perfection. The God that's always present. He's omnipresent. 0:10:07.309 --> 0:10:11.300 The God that's omniscient. The God that has all power. Omnipotent. 0:10:11.300 --> 0:10:14.630 The God that's sovereign. So he controls the order of 0:10:14.630 --> 0:10:21.380 the universe. This God, he shows up in a burning bush. 0:10:22.340 --> 0:10:29.120 It seems a little trite that this extraordinary God would 0:10:29.420 --> 0:10:33.650 meddle with the bush. But there's something about this bush. 0:10:33.650 --> 0:10:39.590 The bush is not consumed. It burns, but it doesn't consume. 0:10:39.650 --> 0:10:42.949 It burns, but it doesn't seem to crackle. It burns, 0:10:42.950 --> 0:10:46.250 but there's no smoke because it's not consumed. And it 0:10:46.250 --> 0:10:52.280 keeps burning and it's bright. It's the extraordinary working in 0:10:52.280 --> 0:10:57.230 the ordinary. And as Moses begins to approach this book, 0:10:57.230 --> 0:10:59.689 then the the sound and voice of God comes from 0:10:59.690 --> 0:11:03.660 this bush and says, Moses, take off your shoes. Listen, 0:11:03.690 --> 0:11:07.079 he's in a place that he's walked in many times. 0:11:07.080 --> 0:11:10.500 He's in the pasture lands of. He's not on Mount Sinai, 0:11:10.530 --> 0:11:15.390 he's in Midian, he's in a pagan territory. And God 0:11:15.390 --> 0:11:18.929 says to Moses, take off your sandals because you're on 0:11:18.929 --> 0:11:27.900 holy ground. It's the extraordinary invading the ordinary. Listen. Look 0:11:27.900 --> 0:11:29.849 up at me right now, man. I want to tell 0:11:29.850 --> 0:11:33.180 you something. The God of the universe is present right now. 0:11:35.429 --> 0:11:37.740 The God that has the power to transform your life. He's. 0:11:37.770 --> 0:11:44.939 He's here in this moment, in the ordinary place, with 0:11:44.940 --> 0:11:51.660 his extraordinary presence. And he does what God does. He 0:11:51.660 --> 0:12:00.199 challenges Moses. He reroutes Moses life. He says, Moses, I'm 0:12:00.200 --> 0:12:04.010 going to use you. I'm calling you. Moses has this 0:12:04.010 --> 0:12:06.560 battle with God, like we always do in a calling. 0:12:06.559 --> 0:12:10.610 There is no calling without battle. There is no calling 0:12:10.610 --> 0:12:15.290 without a struggle. Do I fit in? Can I do it? 0:12:15.320 --> 0:12:17.780 Is it really me? Do I have the power? Do 0:12:17.780 --> 0:12:24.230 I have the ability? And finally, Moses capitulates to the 0:12:24.230 --> 0:12:27.650 call of God upon his life. And the very first 0:12:27.650 --> 0:12:30.350 thing that he does is he goes and, well, he's 0:12:30.350 --> 0:12:32.120 got to talk to his father in law because his 0:12:32.120 --> 0:12:37.520 father in law owns the business. And he basically tells 0:12:37.520 --> 0:12:40.550 his father in law, hey, um, he makes up a story. 0:12:40.550 --> 0:12:42.590 He doesn't tell him I'm going to set people free. 0:12:42.620 --> 0:12:44.929 He basically says, I'm going to go visit family. Will 0:12:44.929 --> 0:12:48.800 you release me to take your daughter Zafira, and your 0:12:49.040 --> 0:12:53.329 two grand boys back to, uh, back to the land 0:12:53.330 --> 0:12:56.750 of Egypt? And that's where we pick up the story. 0:13:02.670 --> 0:13:05.550 You're listening to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Today's message 0:13:05.550 --> 0:13:08.700 is titled what are you dragging behind? Mark, before we 0:13:08.700 --> 0:13:10.980 return to the message, I want to encourage our listeners 0:13:10.980 --> 0:13:13.829 to reach out to us with their testimonies and comments, 0:13:13.830 --> 0:13:16.319 Bible questions even. We love getting to hear what's on 0:13:16.320 --> 0:13:18.780 your mind, and sometimes we even read what you've sent 0:13:18.780 --> 0:13:20.910 us on the radio. And I want to share a 0:13:20.910 --> 0:13:23.460 bit of a heavy note we received Mark. I think 0:13:23.460 --> 0:13:25.890 it touches on some of the themes of today's message. 0:13:25.890 --> 0:13:28.439 It's a letter from a listener named Gary who says, 0:13:28.440 --> 0:13:31.050 I listened to the teachings on Joseph on an earlier 0:13:31.050 --> 0:13:34.050 broadcast called Dare to Dream Again, and for a short 0:13:34.080 --> 0:13:36.540 time I was encouraged. But then I remembered how, even 0:13:36.540 --> 0:13:39.929 as a servant and in prison, God blessed everything Joseph 0:13:39.929 --> 0:13:43.230 put his hand to do. He says Joseph walked upright, 0:13:43.260 --> 0:13:45.900 made all the right choices. And then he goes on 0:13:45.900 --> 0:13:47.640 with a very personal note, doesn't he? 0:13:47.670 --> 0:13:49.710 Yeah. He goes on to tell us that he was 0:13:49.710 --> 0:13:53.099 saved 50 years ago when he was 17, and as 0:13:53.130 --> 0:13:57.210 a young boy he was molested, which led to some 0:13:57.210 --> 0:14:01.580 of his own struggle with sexual Addictions and thought he 0:14:01.580 --> 0:14:05.870 was going to die two years ago. But God started 0:14:05.870 --> 0:14:08.750 to work in his life, and he spent a lot 0:14:08.780 --> 0:14:14.570 of sleepless nights weeping for his own soul and realized 0:14:14.570 --> 0:14:17.990 that after 50 years, he had been a rebellious and 0:14:17.990 --> 0:14:21.650 carnal Christian. But Gary goes on to say, you know, 0:14:21.680 --> 0:14:25.490 he thought that there was room for revival in his heart, 0:14:25.490 --> 0:14:28.760 that God was going to change him around. And he 0:14:28.760 --> 0:14:31.280 heard the story of Joseph and he thought, yes, God, 0:14:31.280 --> 0:14:33.620 maybe you can do that in my life. But he says, 0:14:33.620 --> 0:14:36.590 but then I realized that Joseph had been faithful to 0:14:36.620 --> 0:14:40.940 God and done everything right, but I had not. Instead 0:14:40.940 --> 0:14:43.820 of God's blessing, I feel like God is against me 0:14:43.820 --> 0:14:46.370 to frustrate my life. Thank you for listening. 0:14:46.400 --> 0:14:47.330 Very honest, isn't he? 0:14:47.360 --> 0:14:49.970 Yeah, that was honest. So, Gary, let me just say this. 0:14:49.970 --> 0:14:54.260 Thank you for being honest. And I believe that God 0:14:54.290 --> 0:14:58.940 has done an awakening of sorts. After 50 years. You've 0:14:58.940 --> 0:15:03.400 come to the realization, hey, I've been living rebellious and carnal, 0:15:03.460 --> 0:15:07.690 and I want you to know, Gary, you're not alone. 0:15:07.720 --> 0:15:12.370 Sometimes we come to Christ, but we allow our own 0:15:12.370 --> 0:15:16.510 will our own way. And God has to. We wrestle 0:15:16.510 --> 0:15:19.990 with God. But here's what I want to remind you about, Gary. 0:15:20.140 --> 0:15:24.070 God is not against you. God is for you. You 0:15:24.070 --> 0:15:28.240 may be reaping the consequences of your rebellion. You've lived 0:15:28.240 --> 0:15:31.210 for many, many years sowing seeds, and so you're reaping 0:15:31.210 --> 0:15:33.670 a bad harvest. But I believe that God can turn 0:15:33.670 --> 0:15:36.610 that around. I believe that God can take our mess 0:15:36.610 --> 0:15:40.660 and turn it into a message for others. And I know, 0:15:40.660 --> 0:15:43.540 without a shadow of a doubt, that when you turn 0:15:43.540 --> 0:15:45.790 to God, Gary, that God is for you. In fact, 0:15:45.790 --> 0:15:48.430 I know that God wants to restore your soul. Amen. 0:15:48.460 --> 0:15:51.190 That God wants to start to rebuild you. And I 0:15:51.190 --> 0:15:53.890 believe that God, just as he used Joseph, wants to 0:15:53.920 --> 0:15:55.000 use you as well. 0:15:55.000 --> 0:15:57.430 That doesn't mean that everything in your life is going 0:15:57.460 --> 0:16:00.530 to be smooth, that the problems are going to go away. 0:16:00.530 --> 0:16:03.080 It just means that, you know, the presence of God 0:16:03.080 --> 0:16:04.970 is in the midst of it. So I want to 0:16:05.000 --> 0:16:09.590 encourage you, Joseph, to rebuke those lies the accuser tells 0:16:09.590 --> 0:16:12.470 you you're no good. God is against you. Look at 0:16:12.470 --> 0:16:14.810 what you've done. How could you expect God to love you? 0:16:14.810 --> 0:16:18.380 That is straight from the pit of hell. The Bible 0:16:18.410 --> 0:16:21.020 tells us if we confess our sins, he is faithful 0:16:21.020 --> 0:16:23.840 and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse 0:16:23.840 --> 0:16:27.710 us from all unrighteousness, and that there is no condemnation, 0:16:27.710 --> 0:16:32.090 no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus. And 0:16:32.090 --> 0:16:35.359 so I want to pray for you right now, Gary. 0:16:35.360 --> 0:16:38.989 But I do believe, I do believe that God can 0:16:38.990 --> 0:16:44.150 use even our years of rebellion to become a story 0:16:44.150 --> 0:16:47.360 that inspires and touches other people as well. So, father, 0:16:47.360 --> 0:16:51.770 I pray for Gary. You know how he feels like 0:16:51.770 --> 0:16:55.820 so much in his life is going wrong. And father, 0:16:55.820 --> 0:17:00.450 I'm sure that he's reaping years of bad seed sowing 0:17:00.450 --> 0:17:03.300 and he's reaping the harvest. But I pray in a 0:17:03.300 --> 0:17:07.530 special way that you would step into Gary's moment of darkness. 0:17:07.530 --> 0:17:11.490 I pray that he would feel the presence of your love. 0:17:11.490 --> 0:17:14.490 I pray God that you would wipe away the confusion 0:17:14.490 --> 0:17:19.110 about his future. I pray that you would dispel condemnation 0:17:19.109 --> 0:17:22.830 and guilt coming from himself and from the accusation of 0:17:22.830 --> 0:17:25.889 the enemy. And I pray God that today he would 0:17:25.890 --> 0:17:28.770 sense in a fresh new way hope for his life 0:17:28.770 --> 0:17:31.260 God and Father. I pray that he would begin to 0:17:31.290 --> 0:17:34.140 walk in his calling, not in a life that's free 0:17:34.140 --> 0:17:36.840 from problems, but in a life that has your presence 0:17:36.840 --> 0:17:39.180 in him. I pray that you would use Gary beyond 0:17:39.180 --> 0:17:43.260 what he could ever have imagined or fathomed, and I 0:17:43.260 --> 0:17:45.810 pray this in Jesus name. Amen. 0:17:45.840 --> 0:17:49.890 Amen. That's powerful encouragement, Mark. Thank you and you have 0:17:49.890 --> 0:17:52.350 your own story to tell. We'd love to hear it. 0:17:52.350 --> 0:17:53.850 And if you'd like to get in touch with us, 0:17:53.850 --> 0:17:56.969 just use our website Bold Steps. Org or give us 0:17:56.970 --> 0:17:59.840 a call and leave your message on a recorded line 0:17:59.840 --> 0:18:06.590 by dialling 312329 2011. 312329 2011. We listen to all 0:18:06.619 --> 0:18:08.240 of them. We read all of them. Some of them 0:18:08.240 --> 0:18:10.220 we get to talk about on the air. But we 0:18:10.220 --> 0:18:13.310 really would appreciate you contacting us. All right. Now back 0:18:13.310 --> 0:18:15.860 to our message for today. It's titled, what are you 0:18:15.890 --> 0:18:17.810 dragging behind? Here's Mark. 0:18:22.850 --> 0:18:25.490 And the Bible tells us in Exodus chapter four that 0:18:25.490 --> 0:18:28.609 Moses says, okay, I'm listening to God. I'm going to 0:18:28.609 --> 0:18:31.100 do what God has called me to do. I'm on 0:18:31.100 --> 0:18:34.430 my way to Egypt. God is going to use me 0:18:34.430 --> 0:18:37.699 in this powerful way. And so I've said yes to 0:18:37.730 --> 0:18:41.989 the call. I've picked up my family, I'm leaving my security. 0:18:41.990 --> 0:18:45.680 I'm taking my wife. I'm taking my kids. I'm on 0:18:45.680 --> 0:18:49.879 a journey in faith to say, God, I'm saying yes 0:18:49.880 --> 0:18:54.740 to you. I'm reengaging in my call. And the Bible 0:18:54.740 --> 0:18:57.500 says in verse 18, Then Moses went back to Jethro. 0:18:57.500 --> 0:18:59.590 His father in law said to him, let me return 0:18:59.590 --> 0:19:01.840 to my own people in Egypt to see if any 0:19:01.840 --> 0:19:04.750 of them are still alive, Jethro said. Go. I wish 0:19:04.750 --> 0:19:10.540 you well. And the Bible goes on to tell us 0:19:10.540 --> 0:19:13.570 that Moses gathered his stuff. He started to go on 0:19:13.570 --> 0:19:16.449 to Israel, and in verse 24 it says, at a 0:19:16.450 --> 0:19:19.540 lodging place on the way the Lord met Moses and 0:19:19.540 --> 0:19:24.159 was about to kill him. But Zafira took a knife, 0:19:24.190 --> 0:19:28.810 a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin, touched Moses 0:19:28.810 --> 0:19:32.050 feet with it, and said, surely you are a bridegroom 0:19:32.050 --> 0:19:35.320 of blood to me. And she said, so the Lord 0:19:35.320 --> 0:19:38.860 let him go. At that time she said, you are 0:19:38.859 --> 0:19:42.909 a bridegroom of blood. If you're taking notes, I want 0:19:42.910 --> 0:19:45.520 you to write this down. If you're dragging baggage behind 0:19:45.550 --> 0:19:50.950 number one, write this down. Your baggage or unfinished business 0:19:50.950 --> 0:19:56.380 will hold you back on the way to your higher 0:19:56.380 --> 0:20:03.650 calling or on the way to you re-engaged calling. It 0:20:03.650 --> 0:20:07.939 just seems wrong to me that after Moses says yes 0:20:07.940 --> 0:20:12.109 to God, that when he's on his journey of faith, 0:20:12.109 --> 0:20:16.970 that when he's starting to follow God, that he stops 0:20:16.970 --> 0:20:21.710 at this cheap motel on the way and the Bible 0:20:21.710 --> 0:20:27.020 says at the lodging place, the Lord met Moses and 0:20:27.020 --> 0:20:34.459 was about to kill him. And I think to myself, God, 0:20:35.630 --> 0:20:38.450 why are you so angry at Moses, who just said 0:20:38.450 --> 0:20:44.030 yes to you? Why is it that you are about 0:20:44.030 --> 0:20:46.970 to take out the life of the vessel that had 0:20:46.970 --> 0:20:51.860 just said, I surrender, I'm rerouting my life. I'm going 0:20:51.890 --> 0:20:57.260 to follow you. Are you have to dig a little 0:20:57.290 --> 0:21:01.139 bit to understand this, But it becomes very apparent in 0:21:01.140 --> 0:21:11.970 this scripture that Moses had baggage. Unfinished business. Listen. Delayed obedience. 0:21:12.150 --> 0:21:20.370 Procrastinated action that God had spoken to him and spoken 0:21:20.369 --> 0:21:24.540 to him, and confirmed in his word and spoken clearly 0:21:24.540 --> 0:21:28.350 in his word, and convicted him. And they had dialogued it. 0:21:28.350 --> 0:21:31.230 It becomes evident they had dialogued about it with his 0:21:31.230 --> 0:21:35.909 wife before, but they had failed to take action on 0:21:35.940 --> 0:21:42.540 that which God had been clear about. And you know 0:21:42.540 --> 0:21:51.540 what happens. Is that sometimes our future destiny can be 0:21:51.540 --> 0:21:59.690 sabotaged by baggage of unfinished business that we refuse to 0:21:59.720 --> 0:22:03.080 deal with before God when he's been asking us to 0:22:03.109 --> 0:22:14.300 deal with it. What was the problem? Well, it becomes 0:22:14.300 --> 0:22:21.649 clear in this passage that Moses has a father. Moses 0:22:21.650 --> 0:22:25.580 has a Jew. Moses has part of the called out 0:22:25.580 --> 0:22:31.399 people that it was clear back in Genesis, through Abraham, 0:22:31.700 --> 0:22:34.970 that it was very clear that when a boy male 0:22:34.970 --> 0:22:39.980 was born that they needed to be circumcised. Moses knew it. 0:22:40.160 --> 0:22:44.780 We don't know exactly why Moses didn't circumcise his sons, 0:22:45.440 --> 0:22:49.700 but he had refused to circumcise his male child. And 0:22:49.700 --> 0:22:53.570 it wasn't a problem. It wasn't a problem when he 0:22:53.570 --> 0:22:57.050 was just leading sheep. It wasn't a problem when he 0:22:57.050 --> 0:23:00.450 was not engaged in a higher call. but as soon 0:23:00.450 --> 0:23:04.200 as he was called to his higher call, then suddenly 0:23:04.200 --> 0:23:08.190 his delayed obedience became a big issue to God. 0:23:14.340 --> 0:23:17.340 You're listening to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, the start 0:23:17.340 --> 0:23:20.550 of a lesson titled what are You Dragging Behind? We'll 0:23:20.550 --> 0:23:23.160 continue with the second part at this time tomorrow, so 0:23:23.160 --> 0:23:26.129 be listening then. And if you ever have trouble joining 0:23:26.130 --> 0:23:28.230 us for these daily messages, there are plenty of ways 0:23:28.230 --> 0:23:30.270 for you to catch up on your own time. Wherever 0:23:30.270 --> 0:23:32.940 you are with your phone or smart device, you can 0:23:32.940 --> 0:23:36.149 download the Bold Steps app or subscribe to the Bold 0:23:36.150 --> 0:23:39.030 Steps podcast to listen on the go. You can even 0:23:39.030 --> 0:23:43.379 hear Mark's program directly from our website. Bold steps.org. And 0:23:43.380 --> 0:23:45.630 while you're online, you'll also have a chance to request 0:23:45.630 --> 0:23:48.689 our latest bold step gift. This month, we're featuring a 0:23:48.690 --> 0:23:51.600 book that will equip you to navigate the challenging, modern 0:23:51.600 --> 0:23:55.320 changes we face as Christians. In today's age. Leading through 0:23:55.320 --> 0:23:59.990 change is challenging enough. Leading through chaos can feel impossible. 0:23:59.990 --> 0:24:03.649 And for many believers today, our world seems full of chaos. 0:24:03.650 --> 0:24:06.950 But in the book titled A Non-anxious Presence, author Mark 0:24:06.950 --> 0:24:10.700 Sayers reveals how periods of disruption often prepare the way 0:24:10.700 --> 0:24:14.659 for a spiritual breakthrough. He helps us recognize the signs 0:24:14.660 --> 0:24:16.820 of renewal that are popping up all around us, and 0:24:16.820 --> 0:24:19.910 the opportunities we have to not only navigate the changing 0:24:19.910 --> 0:24:22.640 landscape of our culture, but to take the lead in 0:24:22.640 --> 0:24:25.880 our own local communities. Request your copy of this hope 0:24:25.910 --> 0:24:28.580 filled resource. When you give a gift of any amount 0:24:28.580 --> 0:24:31.159 to the Ministry of Bold Steps. Just give us a 0:24:31.160 --> 0:24:35.359 call and secure your copy of a Non-anxious presence. Our 0:24:35.359 --> 0:24:42.380 phone number is 800. D.L. Moody. That's (800) 356-6639. Or go 0:24:42.380 --> 0:24:44.480 online to give a gift of support and request the 0:24:44.480 --> 0:24:47.840 book when you visit. Bold steps org. You can even 0:24:47.840 --> 0:24:50.119 send your gift and request this book in the mail. 0:24:50.150 --> 0:24:55.490 Our address is bold. Steps 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, 0:24:55.520 --> 0:24:59.909 Illinois 606 ten. And if you're a regular listener of 0:24:59.910 --> 0:25:02.609 this program and you enjoy the teaching, why not become 0:25:02.609 --> 0:25:06.000 a bold partner? Your support will help cover the costs 0:25:06.000 --> 0:25:08.969 of bringing this practical Bible teaching to you day after day, 0:25:08.970 --> 0:25:11.730 week after week. We've made it easy to partner with 0:25:11.730 --> 0:25:15.960 us by signing up through our website Bold Steps. Org plus, 0:25:15.960 --> 0:25:18.990 when you give a financial gift of $30 or more 0:25:18.990 --> 0:25:22.229 each month, we'll send you a link for 50% off 0:25:22.230 --> 0:25:26.640 any selection from the online store at Moody publishers.org to 0:25:26.670 --> 0:25:29.609 use as often as you like. Again, just go to 0:25:29.640 --> 0:25:34.709 Bold steps.org to sign up and become a bold partner today. Well, 0:25:34.710 --> 0:25:36.960 I'm Wayne Shepard signing off, but we'll see you tomorrow 0:25:36.960 --> 0:25:41.010 when we continue. Mark's message titled what are you dragging Behind? 0:25:41.040 --> 0:25:44.790 That's coming up Tuesday on Bold Steps with Mark John. 0:25:45.720 --> 0:25:49.050 Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry 0:25:49.050 --> 0:25:50.790 of Moody Bible Institute.