Today with Mark Jobe | Who Am I? | Today with Dr. Mark Jobe

“If we follow God based on our own confidence and self-worth, it will become a liability. We don’t need more self-confidence; we need greater God-confidence.”

From time to time, each of us has asked: Who am I? Sometimes that question goes even deeper when God asks us to do something that stretches or challenges us. We may start to question God, asking: How can I do this? Who am I to do this?

In Exodus chapter 3, God issued such a call to Moses. While tending a flock of sheep, Moses noticed a bush that was burning without being destroyed. When he went to inspect the strange sight, a voice called to him. It was God Himself! God gave Moses a challenge: Go. I’m sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people out of Egypt (v. 10).

God’s command led to an identity crisis for Moses. He replied, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” (v. 11). Notice that Moses’ objection focused on his personal identity, and his own insecurities. He asked: Do I have the ability? How can I do this? Who am I to do this?

God’s answer is important for us to note. God said to Moses, “I will be with you” (v. 12). He didn’t list Moses’ character or his qualifications. He didn’t say that Moses had the most impressive spiritual resume, and that is why he had been selected to do this important job.

Instead, God redirected Moses’ attention toward Himself. God said, in essence, this isn’t about you. This is about Me being with you. The same is true for you and me today. When we are faced with a call that seems impossible, we must remember that we are not in this alone. God does not expect us to follow Him in our own strength. It is about Him being with us and working through us.

What we do with God will surpass anything we can do on our own. The apostle Paul said, “If God is for us, who can be against us” (Rom. 8:31). It is not about us. It is about God. As Paul explained, “I can do all things through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13).

To truly follow God’s call, we must first deny ourselves. If we follow God based on our own confidence and self-worth, it will become a liability. We don’t need more self-confidence; we need greater God-confidence. When we place our identity in Him, He can use us, beyond our wildest expectation, to demonstrate His power and glory.

BY Dr. Mark Jobe, President

Dr. Mark Jobe is the president of Moody Bible Institute. He has served as the lead pastor of New Life Community Church, one church that meets at 27 locations. Mark earned a diploma from Moody Bible Institute in 1984, a master’s degree from Moody Theological Seminary, and a doctorate in transformational leadership from Bakke Graduate University. He is the author of What Now?: How to Move into Your Next Season (Moody Publishers) and can be heard on Bold Steps, a daily program on Moody Radio. He and his wife, Dee, have three adult children and one grandchild.