Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
May 14, 2006 - W0620

Every one of us has an appointment with God. It may come wrapped in joy, pain, victory or defeat. It may come with sickness, health, struggles or healing. Whenever your appointment with God comes, or whatever form it happens to take, the one thing you can count on is that it usually comes without warning or preparation.

Then, once God speaks to you, the choice is yours as to how you will respond. You can choose to recognize and acknowledge, or rebel and ignore His voice. But when you choose to listen to God’s voice, it will bring a fresh, new deeper understanding to your life.

“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you” (Acts 3:19-20).

With so much to look forward to, how do we recognize our appointment with God? God does not want us to miss the kingdom of heaven so He put stories in the Bible that reveal His character so that we will recognize Him. Today we will be talking about the life of Moses to understand how God works.

Moses was born in a time when the Pharaoh had ordered that all male Hebrew children be killed. Although Moses was Hebrew, the Pharaoh’s daughter took him in as her own, putting him in line to become Pharaoh one day. But God had placed a dream within Moses that he would deliver God’s people out of slavery and after an unfortunate incident in which Moses killed an Egyptian, the Pharaoh put a warrant out for Moses’ death and Moses became a fugitive.

Moses fled from Egypt and went out to the desert. His dream of being Pharaoh has shattered and also his dream of being a deliverer. “And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand” (Acts 7:25).

Moses’ life had changed dramatically. Instead of in line to be Pharaoh, Moses found himself as a shepherd taking care of sheep. Moses stayed in the desert for forty years. Moses’ dreams were shattered but it was in the desert that Moses had his appointment with God; his appointment with God was when he saw the burning bush.

God gives you an appointment in three ways. The first appointment is....

1.  GOD ISSUES YOU A DREAM

“I will pour forth of My Spirit upon upon all mankind; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see vision, and your old men shall dream dreams” (Acts 2:17).

Just like with Moses, the Lord gives us a dream early on of what we can be for Him. It could be a leader, vocation, career, marriage or future. Each person is given a dream from God – a preferred future for each of us. By this dream, God is getting us to paint our future with the same colors He’s painting our future with, and the future’s colorful and bright. “I know the plans I have for you says the Lord. “They’re not plan for your calamity but for your welfare in order that you may have a future and a hope”(Jer. 29:11).  

We need to grab hold of God’s dream for us and not be afraid. In fact, in the old testament the patriarchs laid hands on the children and spoke a preferred life into their future which was a promise and a dream. This is how they blessed the children. We too should do the same with our children and people around us. Don’t worry if it doesn’t come to past, just speak preferred futures to people of what God can do in their lives. Don’t worry because the dreams that God issues you leads you to your potential in life.

·           Dreams point you to your potential.

God will give you a passion or dream about what you can be, but catch this, it will be long before you’re ready for it. He gives us our dreams far in advance because it gives us direction and a hint of our potential. God issues you a dream which points you to your potential but our second appointment with God is...

2.  THE DEATH OF A DREAM.

Yes, the death of a dream. Although God gives us a dream about our future, often we try to bring it about by our own strength and power. We violate God’s commands in order to bring the dream to pass. We mix in our own perspectives only to destroy the dream. The reason this happens is because we lack maturity and character. So when this happens, God re-routes things and brings the death to the dream. This is when our “happily ever after” turns sour. For many of us, this is where we find ourselves this season.

For Moses, who was to be Pharaoh, his dreams were re-routed. Moses then spends forty years in the backside of the desert taking care of sheep. So what do you do when your dream for your child is stilled? Or your dream for your marriage comes to an end? Or your dream for a ministry doesn’t work out?

It would be easy to blame God and question why he would give you a dream to begin with; yet, if you know the ways of God, you’ll hang on to the dream. “But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place” (Hab. 2:3). As for Moses, there was much to be done before the dream was fulfilled. “For the dream comes through much effort...” (Eccl. 5:3). So it wasn’t a season to bail out or give up. 

When there’s a death of a dream, it’s easy to blame everything and everyone else. But instead of blaming and being angry, draw near to God. We need to understand that we may not be ready for this dream, and until then, be patient when God puts you in the backside of the desert. There’s a lot of work He needs to do in us, for the dream comes through much effort. This is exactly what happened to Moses who was put on hold. If you find yourself with this second appointment, don’t bail out, but to draw near to God.

“The Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush...When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him” (Acts 7:30-31).

In other words, when you draw near to God, you’ll start to hear His voice. So in this season if you’re in the backside of the desert, draw near to God. To fathers, mothers, sons and daughters - during this time it’ll be tough, draw near to God. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (Jam. 4:8). Although it will be tough, it’ll be for your good.

Some years ago, I had a scary encounter with a mask man wielding a knife. But I’m grateful for this occasion because this mask man was an orthopedic surgeon with a scalpel. He worked on my leg and knee which was messed up by playing soccer. While in rehabilitation he made me do things I didn’t want to do! He made me bend my leg in ways I didn’t want it to bend. He made me walk when I didn’t want to walk. It was too painful! However, looking back, I’m glad for the pain that he put me through. He did this for me so I would gain full use of my leg once again. He didn’t do it for my bad, he did it for my good. 

So when a dream dies this is where God will start to operate in you and me in our perspective, our ears, the way we think. He’ll operate on our spiritual hearts and even on our quickness to bail out when things don’t work out.

Did you know that it was in the backside of the desert that God taught Moses many things. Moses learned humility, perseverance, work ethic & accountability. He learned submission, responsibility, how to forgive as well as how to gain confidence. The Lord taught him godliness, people skills and a relationship with God. Moses learned how to endure. However, the greatest lesson of all that God taught Moses was humility. Like Moses, God has to bring us out of our pride, having our own way or control things.

During that season in the backside of the desert, God built everything Moses needed to lead the people out of Egypt. The same is true with you and me. Each of us will go through the death of a dream.

Years ago while in college I rode motorcycles. So when I married Anna she said I needed to get rid of motorcycles because she wanted her children to have a father. So I said ok and sold my motorcycle. It was when my kids were in high school my wife said I could get a motorcycle. So I got myself a Harley Davidson. I loved my bike! I actually cleaned my bike with Q-tips!

Until one day the Lord spoke to me. He asked if I was willing to give up my bike? I thought no way, I must be hearing things! Then again while I was cleaning my bike, He asked me if I was willing to give this up. I answered, God don’t be talking to me like this and continued cleaning. For two months God kept asking me the same thing. So I asked what it is He wanted me to do.

What I needed to do was to die to it. So I said ok. Then the Lord said to put an for sale ad for it in the newspaper. Although hesitant in the beginning, I put an ad for two weeks. People came to look at the bike and I hoped they wouldn’t buy it. After two weeks no one purchased it and the Lord said ok, you can have it because it doesn’t own you. It was then that I understood that the Lord was preparing me for something greater.

The Lord will ask us to die to things. And when you’re able to die to them, He’ll then grant them to you because it hasn’t controlled or enslaved you. The Lord will then bless you in finances and you will give freely when He asks you. You’ll then be a conduit of material things, rather than a cul-de-sac. So when you are able to die to the things God aks of you, then you’ll find the third appointment.

3.  THE APPOINTMENT WITH GOD.

This is where the burning bush took place in Moses’ life. “The Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground’” (Acts 7:33).

And this is when the Lord says you’re ready for the dream to be fulfilled.

No matter what season you’re in, you’ll need to recognize what God is doing. For some, it will be in the backside of the desert. While others will have the dream and the promise. Which ever season you’re in you’ll need to recognize the hand of God. Because the dream will come with much effort. They’ll be time when it’ll seem like it’s shattered. But hang on to the dream because God is doing something inside of you.

For some of us, we’re in the death of the dream where it’s easy to get mad at God and others. But be faithful in your present assignment rather than grumbling about it. Even if you have a job washing dishes remember that it’s not the end, but a mean to something greater.

If you miss everything else, catch this, please remember that the second season is the most important season of your life. How you fair in the backside of the desert will determine everything else. This is where marriages will be made or broken. So don’t bail out. Hang on and allow the Lord to work in you.

All our appointments with God is indeed important. And God is faithful to fulfill the dreams He has for your life. So what ever season you’re in, whether it’s in the first second or third, be faithful in your present assignment. And when you do, that’s when you’ll shine! 

Q1) What season are you presently in?

Q2) What dream did God issue to you?

Q3) What character qualities have you learned while in the backside of the desert?

Q4) What do/did you need to die to?

Q5) What abilities do you have now that the Lord is bringing His dream for your life to fruition?

Q6) What impacted you most today, and how will you be a better person because of it?