Have you ever been asked to fill a position that's far outside your comfort zone?

Maybe it's a promotion at work, perhaps a new assignment at church.

Truth be told, when the request is made, you feel your knees beginning to knock. Well, today, on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll continues a message from Exodus chapter 3,

in which he describes God's audible conversation with Moses.

God's voice came from, of all places, a burning bush, and instantly Moses conveyed his personal insecurities.

Let's pick up the study now in Exodus chapter 3.

I think the most important word in the fourth verse is the first one.

It is a word of timing. When? When did God speak to Moses when he turned aside? Now that's simple, isn't it? But it's hard to get us to do that.

It was when Moses turned aside that God spoke. At this moment, God has not

introduced himself, but a voice came out of that bush, and it simply called Moses' name.

That's the first thing that happened. So he's just simple enough to believe when a voice

comes across that God

means, or someone means you're supposed to answer, present. You know, that's all God wanted to hear.

That's all he wants to hear from you when he speaks. He's not impressed with you. He's impressed with your availability.

He's looking for bushes, as it were, to ignite. And this bush was a perfect illustration of what

God wanted to do with Moses.

And so Moses said, here am I, behold, me, he was available.

And then God said, verse five, look at the when, verse four, then verse five, they connect.

After he said, present, that voice came across, do not come near here. Remove your sandals from your feet

for the place on which you are standing is Kadesh. The Hebrew word means holy, withdrawal or

separated. Moses, I want you to separate yourself from all of your past. I want you to remove from your mind your immediate responsibility. I want you to listen only to what I am saying right now.

Separate yourself from every human thing.

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