Key points
- 1
1When we bring our own plan to God, we decide the timing — and that timing is almost always wrong.
- 2
2When we rely on our own strength, that strength will ultimately betray us and leave us unable to accomplish God's purpose.
“when we bring our plans and we make the timing in our own strength of our own purpose, owning the victory, we will inevitably end where Moses ended. Scared, alone, isolated, filled with fear”
- 3
3Bringing our own plan to God leads us to misunderstand our true purpose, just as Moses misunderstood his calling when he killed the Egyptian.
- 4
4When we own the victory, we will own the failure — our plans crumble and we crumble with them.
“Your strength will betray you”
- 5
5God's next step comes at exactly the right time — even when, like Moses at 80, it looks nothing like what we imagined.
- 6
6When we take God's step, He becomes our strength, repurposes our weakness, and promises, 'I will be with you.'
- 7
7Jesus gives the same promise to every disciple He sends — He is always with us to the end of the age.
“The best men and women I know, the ones that I want leading with me are those who have the scars of Jesus, who have come to the end and have convinced themselves that they need him to move forward”
“when Jesus is the victory, no matter what step he calls you to take, how dark it may seem, how scary it may look, he goes with you and he makes all the difference”
“When you go to God and you say, Who am I that I should go? Watch what he'll do. When you open your hands and you take the next step”
A story from life
Brian standing outside Cornerstone in 2010 doubting God could use him, contrasted with Flatiron's current fruit
A story from life
Brian's 2010 story: pastor challenges him to leave college ministry, enter youth ministry, and delay marriage in order to grow before planting
Application
Pastor Brian calls every listener to examine whether they are holding their plans in a tightly clenched fist — deciding the timing, muscling through in their own strength, and claiming the credit. The invitation is to open those hands. That may look like stepping into something uncomfortable (as Brian did with youth ministry), delaying something you desperately want, or following a nudge that feels like a step backward. The key posture is turning aside toward the burning bush — drawing close to God before stepping out with Him. For some, that next step may be joining or supporting Flatiron Church; for others, it may be a completely different call. Whatever it is, the promise is the same one God gave Moses and Jesus gave His disciples: 'I am with you.' You don't have to figure out the whole plan — just take the next step with Him.
