Often we read stories of great men of God in the Bible and wonder if we can ever be used of God in the way they were used. The truth is, they were men, just like you and me. They faced the same battles that all men face. We can learn some valuable lessons from their lives.
1. Time with God will give you courage before men
In Exodus 24:9-18, Jehovah God tells Moses to come up into Mt. Sinai to meet with Him and Moses is gone for forty days. This was the second time that Moses got alone with God. The first was when he met Him at the burning bush on Mt. Sinai. Moses needed this time alone with God, so that he would have courage to face the opposition of men. First, he had to face Pharaoh with God’s directive to allow the children of Israel to go free. In Exodus 32, he had to confront Aaron, his co-laborer, because Aaron had misled the people of God. Moses also had to confront the people of God about the sin that they had permitted in this young nation. When we are facing opposition from people, it is absolutely important that we spend time with God to receive the courage we need to do what God wants us to do.
2. Time with God will produce holiness in your life
In Exodus, chapter 28, Moses is given the garments of priesthood. They are referred to as holy garments. The mitre that Aaron wore on his head, proclaimed the words HOLINESS TO THE LORD. The Bible tells us when Moses came down from spending time with Jehovah, in Exodus 34:29-30, that his face shone with the holiness of God. Holiness comes into our life as we daily confess our sin to Christ (1 John 1:9). Holiness is a product of the Holy Spirit working in my life. Time spent with God will produce holiness in the life of believers.
3. Time with God will produce in you a burden for the people of God
Again, in Exodus 28, when Aaron’s wardrobe was being prepared, God saw to it that Aaron had a breastplate that was prepared for him. On that breastplate were 12 stones and the names of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel. As the high priest, Aaron was to go before God to represent the people of God. God wants His servants to have a burden for and a love for the people of God. As a servant of God, you will develop for the people of God when you spend time with God. Moses probably more than any man in the Old Testament spent time with God and Moses plead with God for mercy for the people of God even when they sinned against God (Exodus 32:11-12).
4. Time with God will produce God’s blessing in your life
We learned from Moses’ life and from Aaron’s life this valuable lesson. Moses got to see the glory of God. Aaron got the privilege of serving in the tabernacle. Moses was privileged to see God’s miraculous provision. He watched the power of God move through him and through his rod in the parting of the Red Sea. He watched as God gave manna in the wilderness. For forty years, he saw God provide for the people of God. Moses also had the privilege of delivering the message of God and of God’s blessings upon the future generations of Israel. Even in Moses’ disobedience, God permitted Moses to look into the Promised Land and see what God had for his people in the future. Time spent with God will produce God’s blessing in your life.