The key to Moses’ great leadership was its anointing and ordination, and not the “perfect packaging” of his personality. Notice how the Lord assured him, “I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”(Exodus 4:12). He wasn’t naturally someone who possessed the “leadership goods”, but the Lord worked through him mightily on numerous occasions. Chances are, Moses would be someone considered “weak” by the world’s standards. Fortunately  we serve a God who chooses “what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27). Remember, it is not in ourselves we find our competency for God’s call, but through his word that we may be “equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17).

Today’s passage…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.” Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” (Exodus 4:10-12 ESV)

The saddest part about this entire situation is that while I expect the secular world to accept this, many Christians will too. They will say that I hate homosexuals because I oppose their lifestyle and don’t want them teaching the next generation that sin is OK. I will be labeled a hypocrite for defending what the Bible says while others insist that I accept these evil standards. The bottom line is that like so many other sins people condemn, homosexuality is a sin, and we don’t need someone who does not believe that it is teaching our youth. The degrees of sin are the same, so would you want an active serial burglar teaching moral issues like thou shall not steal? Of course not, so why is this so different. Because we have blended the standards of the world into the Bible and focused more about not hurting the feelings of a sinner than turning them down the path of righteousness. I’d rather hurt their feelings now and see them turn to the Lord than give the kudos and know that they’ll spend an eternity in Hell.

So in short, let the hate mail begin, I don’t care. I would rather be hated for preaching on the Bible than popular opinion. After all, I won’t be judged on political correctness, but the stance I take for God.
Don’t accept the philosophy because it flatly contradicts God’s word.

Proverbs 17:15 He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.

Proverbs 24:24 He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him: 25 But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.

Malachi 2:17 Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?

With this as a backdrop here is a list of sermon goofs, gaffes and illustrations that I have actually done/said/used in my preaching over the last twenty five years or so…

1. Gaffe: ”We all make mistakes. We all have cracks in our armor. Pastor Rick and I have seen each other’s cracks.”

2. Illustration: Literally saying “he had one foot in the grave” at a funeral.

3. Goof: Preaching a sermon with a large price tag (that I had forgotten to remove) dangling from the left arm of my “new” suit (which I had gotten from Goodwill.)

4. Illustration: Eating a piece of hard, butterscotch candy in front of 5,000 teens while trying to make some spiritual point. I kept trying to preach while crunching the candy but my teeth were getting stuck together. Finally I just stopped and took the time to eat the whole thing and swallow it. It was 60 seconds of pure awkward.

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5. Gaffe: ”He had two huge tumors the size of grape nuts” (as opposed to grapefruits.)

6. Goof: On a preaching tour in India I was on stage facing the audience getting ready to preach my sermon. My interpreter told me at one point in the service, “As a guest speaker it would be good for the people to see you give in the offering.” When the priest walked out onto the other side of the large stage with a huge bowl I figured this was my cue. Getting up, I walked across the stage and dropped in a five spot. The priest smiled and nodded nervously. I walked back across the stage with everyone watching me. After sitting down my interpreter whispered in my ear, “Pastor Stier that was very good…but that was not the offering plate.”

7. Illustration: About 18 years ago I wanted to make a point to 75 teens at an event that God has given us spiritual weapons to overcome the “monsters” of fear that keep us from sharing our faith. A youth leader friend loaned me a fake gun that supposedly shot blanks. At a point in the sermon I had cued some guys dressed up in scary costumes (representing the monsters of fear) to come rushing in screaming. It was then I held up the “gospel gun” and shot in their direction. It didn’t shoot blanks after all. It was some sort of riot dispersement gun that sprayed the crowd with a cloud of mace or pepper spray or something bad. Not only that, but it backfired in my face and I immediately began to cough and wheeze…along with the rest of the audience. Suffice it to say we took a break as everyone rushed outside for air. Thank the Lord nobody got hurt (or sued!)

8. Goof: While being interviewed on a live Christian television show (that leaned Pentecostal) I was looking directly in the camera telling the story of a girl who trusted in Jesus at a Dare 2 Share conference. I saw a hand go up out of the corner of my right eye. It was the left hand of the well dressed older preacher who was interviewing me. Since he was sitting right next to me on the couch I assumed he was holding up his hand for a high five, so I turned and gave a hearty slap to his uplifted hand. It was then I realized that, as I was telling the story, he was lifting his hands up in praise to God. I suddenly realized that I had high-fived his praise hand…on live television. Everyone in the room was stunned and silent, except for the cameraman who was laughing so hard the camera was shaking.

9. Illustration: Trying to eat the guts of a bad cantaloupe while making the point that “it’s what on the inside that counts” or something like that. Oh yeah, it was in front of thousands of teenagers at a Dare 2 Share conference too. If I remember right I tried to clean off my tongue right after that with some kind of sanitized hand wipe which numbed my tongue and lips.

10. Gaffe: ”Let everything that has breasts praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.”

Actually I’ve had a few worse gaffes, goofs and sermon illustrations…but some things are not fit for print.

Yesterday was my birthday,and the first part of it was filled with the typical stress and hurdles that I’ve become used to for so long. I was beginning to think that even my Birthday would be a downer. I know this sounds negative, but here comes the positive in it..:)

Last week, a very long time friend of mine  had emailed me and announced that him and his wife were coming to Vegas and wanted to know if they could take us out to dinner for my Birthday. I have known this man since childhood, and had a treasure chest of amazing memories of our friendship, but a part of me wanted to just say no, and stay home and wallow in self pity. But I could never say no to this guy because of how much he means to me. Wow, am I ever glad I did.

My wife and I drove to the hotel to meet Larry and his wife, and as soon as I saw them, I remembered how great it was to have such a friend. The four of us ate dinner, went over old times, and made new memories. But as we sat there laughing and reminiscing, I suddenly noticed my mood and thoughts changing from gloomy Gus to one of hope. Knowing that we could talk to someone about or fears and concerns just took the weight right off of our shoulders, and it was such a blessing. This morning as I write this, I am sleepy, but recharged. I have found another piece of the puzzle, and that’s called friendship.

God never made us to be alone.There are times in our lives that are going to be rough, and it’s better to go through it with someone than to try to do it alone. I call it the wolf-pack syndrome, Satan is like a wolf, they always go for the weakest in the herd. the ones that try to face the adversary alone. They leave the safety of the herd and try to defend themselves alone. When we try to face our trials and tribulations alone, the wolf will attack us at our weakest point, and will often win. Our strength comes from our bonds… with other believers of the herd.

If you’re feeling like I had been recently, alone and vulnerable to Satan’s attack, run for the safety of a friendship. Don’t try to do it alone, you’re at your wekest point if you do. It’s easier to face a trial with the comfort of a good frined than to try to do it alone. Don’t be the straggler in the herd, be part of the strength found in a herd. I promise you that it will make you a lot  stronger, and will bring you more joy in the times of crisis.

Below are some great verses on friendship, and I hope tou enjoy the,

Proverbs 18:24 ESV / 281 helpful votes

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Who wouldn’t want to sleep in on Sunday morning rather than getting up to go to a church service? Especially after a long and tiring week of work. It makes a lot of sense to sleep in. There would have to be plenty of motivation for someone to get out of bed on the weekend.

What if you happen to be someone who has only experienced boredom in church? In that case, you really wouldn’t feel like getting out of bed to go there. Who wants to have one of your two weekend mornings taken up by something boring? That wouldn’t make any sense at all.

It makes a lot of sense to sleep in on Saturday and Sunday, unless of course you have to work. Two other things that get people out of bed are sporting events and travel. Those are fun things to do. Of course a person is willing to get up early for those things. But here again, there is a high level of motivation to do those things. Most of us are willing to make some sacrifices for those things we are motivated to do. That’s just the way life works.

We have a young man in our church who was at the worship service this morning after having just completed Army Basic Training. It was his first time back with us after 18 weeks of specialized training. I guess it made sense for him to get up at 4:15am every morning during his training. He was motivated, and besides, he was required to do it. He enlisted.

I am reminded of a classic Christian hymn entitled, “Onward Christian Soldiers.” It speaks of the commitment that is needed in order to be effective in “God’s army.” There is a spiritual war going on all around us, and we would be unwise to enter battle without “the armor of God.” (see Ephesians 6:10-20)

But what if I want just enough “religion” to make me feel good, but not so much that it interferes with my busy lifestyle and my favorite hobbies? After all, each of us deserves to have our weekend just to recoup after a hectic week of work, right?

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If man had no soul, this would be a moot point. Sleeping in on Sunday would be no better or worse than going to church. Without a soul and without a Creator, it would be fairly ridiculous to ever attend a church service. I sure wouldn’t do it, and I am guessing you wouldn’t either.

That, however, is not the situation we find ourselves in. There is a God. He did create us. He does desire to have a loving relationship with us. And He does give His children the motivation to love Him and worship Him.

Attending church only makes sense if you are genuinely connecting with your Creator through that experience. If it’s not authentic and life empowering, why do it just to “go through the motions?”

Just because some people have been bored by church does not mean that God and Christianity are boring. It just means that either their soul was bored with God, or the church they attended produced boredom, or both. Who wants to attend church if it is boring to do so?

Here’s the thing. No person in heaven and no angel in heaven is ever bored by worshipping God. Just allow that fact to sink in for a minute. Genuine worship is always inspirational, and uplifting, and motivating. One of our problems here on earth is that we sometimes give up on important things rather easily.

It happens in marriage. It happens in the work place. It happens in sports. And it happens in matters of faith. It is easy to quit. It is easy to tell ourselves that it would be a waste of our time to continue doing that “same old same old.”

But in matters of faith, not all churches are created equal. Not all churches will bless your soul. Some will, and some won’t. Some will facilitate a spiritual filling of God’s living water in your soul, and others don’t have a clue what that would even look like. So which kind of church have you experienced?

Have you attended worship services where it was like “heaven came down” and the people were thrilled and highly motivated to be there? If you have not experienced that personally, I can see why you might be reluctant to attend church. That makes sense.

At the same time, I have never met a strong Christian who has given up on God and given up on attending church. Every strong Christian I have ever known has found a way to make Sunday morning a priority because they were motivated to be there (or on whatever day and time their group met for worship).

I have never known someone who is “strong in the Lord and in His mighty power” (Eph. 6:10) who didn’t also have a super high level of interest in attending worship. Strong Christians are motivated to be there not just to receive strength, but also to encourage and bless others. In fact, that passion to serve others becomes a fire which fuels their desire to want to meet at least once a week with their Christian friends for worship.

How many strong Christians have you known? Are you one? Attending worship services is only one of many things that strong Christians do, but it is an important one to be sure. This is why the New Testament places such a huge emphasis upon it. (see Heb. 10:25, Matt. 18:20; Col. 3:16; Acts 2:42; James 1:22; Matt. 16:18; 1 Peter 2:2; Eph. 4:12; Romans 12:5; Romans 10:17; Matt. 28:19-20; Heb. 3:13; 2 Tim. 4:2; Acts 2:41; 1 Cor. 12:12-27)

Apart from faith in Christ, man’s soul is “asleep,” and even “dead.” How can it wake up? By repenting of your sin and placing your faith in Jesus and His cross. Once the soul is awake, it desires “to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord.” (2 Peter 3:18)

Getting saved through faith, but then not gathering at least weekly with other believers, would be similar to enlisting in the military but then attempting to skip Basic Training. It doesn’t work that way for obvious reasons. You are either in, or you are out.

Does it make sense to want to sleep in on Sunday? Sure. Just like it makes sense for an enlisted man or woman to want to sleep in once Basic Training is completed. I asked the young man in our church today what time he got up this morning. He replied, “7:30am.” But yesterday, he and and younger brother were up at 4:15am to go out running together (on a Saturday morning no less!).

Some habits die hard I suppose. And good soldiers have a way of recruiting others to join them, even when the cost is high. It all boils down to motivation, and whether or not you have enlisted.

What about you? Are you a “soldier for self,” or a “soldier for Christ?” You can’t be both, but I suspect you probably already knew that didn’t you?

Oh, I know you’d give your nicest room
To such an honored guest
And all the food you’d give to Him
Would be the very best.

And you would keep assuring Him
You’re glad to have Him there–
That serving Him in your home
Is joy beyond compare.

But when you saw Him coming,
Would you meet Him at the door
With arms outstretched in welcome
To your heavenly visitor?

Or would you have to change your clothes
Before you let Him in
Or hide some magazines
And put the Bible where they’d been

Would you hide your worldly music
and put some hymn books out?
Could you let Jesus walk right
in, or would you rush about?

And I wonder – if the Saviour
spent a day or two with you,
Would you go right on doing, the
things you always do?

Would you go right on saying, the
things you always say?
Or would life for you continue
as it does from day to day?

Would you take Jesus with you
everywhere you go?
Or would you maybe change your
plans for just a day or so?

Would you be glad to have Him
meet your closest friends?
Or would you hope they stay away,
until His visit ends?

Would you be glad to have Him
stay forever on and on?
Or would you sigh with great
relief when He at last was gone?

It might be interesting to know,
the things that you would do,
If Jesus came in person, to spend
some time with you.

I’m going to include some great scriptures below on why materialism is so wrong. It really bothers me that people will get grouchy and angry over their finances when they call themselves a follower of Christ. If you really put your complete faith and trust in God, then you’d be willing to live on the streets without a penny to your name, without complaining. Now most people would say that this isn’t God’s plan for them, but to that I say, if you’re so focused on money and possesions, how can you know what God’s will for you is when you’re so focused on money?

I want you to think of a scene here, and think about which one you would do….If you saw a path that led to Jesus, and one that led to money, which one would you take? Which one are you taking now? If you’re constantly dwelling on what your life would be like without something, then you’re obsessing, and taking the wrong path. Focus on what God has to offer you, treat people right, and see what happens to your spiritual bank.

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. (Habakkuk 3:18, ESV)

Early on in my faith, I imagined that Jesus was going to make my life perfect. The impression that I had of my savior was that if I prayed, all the bad things in my life would go away. Eventually I discovered that following Jesus didn’t work like that. I had to reassess my faith in light of this new revelation.

I can’t help but wonder if Habakkuk had to re-exam his own faith when he realized what was about to happen to his people by God’s hand. The people of Israel were once again caught in a state of rebellion and through Habakkuk, God told the people of Israel that they were going in to exile under the cruel Babylonians. Habakkuk took issue with that and had a couple of tough conversations with God about His plans for the future of His people.

And yet, despite his misgivings about God’s purposes, he was willing to say, “…yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!” I had to learn that lesson early on in my faith journey, just as Habakkuk learned to trust the Lord implicitly no matter the circumstances. In fact, I’m still learning after 20 years of faith.

Do you trust God as Habakkuk did? I know I could use some work in this are. How about you?

Guest Devotional by Jeremy Andrews. Jeremy is the Pastor of College Ministries at the CMA church of Morgantown in Morgantown WV. Learn how you can become a guest writer.

You’d think that bakers of wedding cakes are bringers of joy to one and all, infusing the ceremonies of life’s special occasions with their magical, edible touch. And perhaps that’s generally the case, but now there’s a second baker in Oregon drawing the line between their kitchen and a same-sex marriage cake. When Pam Regentin of Fleur Cakes realized that customers Erin Hansen and Katie Pugh were both women, she refused to fire up the oven — which is illegal, per state law. An Oregon business must offer “full and equal accommodations without any distinction on account of race, color, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.” What would Betty Crocker think?

• Lev. 18:22, “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.”1
• Lev. 20:13, “If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltness is upon them”
• 1 Cor. 6:9-10, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
• Rom. 1:26-28, “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper.”

So what’s the problem with asking for forgiveness after you’ve committed an act you knew was wrong? The biggest issue with repetitive sin is that is shows that we have a lack of the Holy Spirit. If our walk with the Lord is the way it should be, then our desire to sin is either easier to resist, or it doesn’t happen as often. Now this doesn’t mean we’re beyond hope, it means that we need to ask Jesus to point out the areas in our lives that need spiritual attention. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to come into that black part of our heart that still craves the sinful nature, and to replace it with the healing and love of the Lord. When that part of our heart is replaced, it becomes easier to resist the sins that the flesh finds so enjoyable.

I’m sure there will be people who look at this blog and start thinking about people they know who are guilty of repetitive sin. To those people, I say to look into your own lives first. Romans 3:23 says that we have ALL sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, so we need to examine our own lives, because I can almost guarantee that all of us commit some sort of repetitive sin.That doesn’t make us beyond the point of no return, it means that we are all sinners, yet eligible for forgiveness because Jesus gave His life so that we could have a second chance.

This blog isn’t aimed at anyone but myself. I woke up this morning and the Lord laid it on my heart to discuss this issue that is so seldom talked about, but incredibly important in our Walk with the Lord. He laid it on my heart that I need to search my soul and Him to replace the dark spots I’m trying to hide, and replace it with His love. It’s a hard thing to do, but I encourages us all to give it a try… Let me know how it works out for you…:)

Below are some great scriptures and how they can help you understand and get over repetitive sin.

1 John 3:6-10 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.