Well, hey, everybody. Welcome to Valley Creek. Come on. Let's go ahead and welcome in all of our campuses, wherever you're at. We are so glad that you guys are with us today. My name is Dawson. I get to serve as one of our Associate Campus Directors at our Denton Campus, and I'm really glad to be with all of you guys today. We're going to have a lot of fun. And I just want to say I'm really excited to create the future with you guys. You see, years ago, back in 2017, I decided that I was going to take my next step on my journey with Jesus. And I did this thing called VCLA, Valley Creek Leadership Academy. And now, years later, it's a college. And so, that's amazing. And I just want to say thank you. Thank you for sacrificially giving. Thank you for sacrificing your time, your energy, and your prayers. Man, because I'm a product of that. I'm a product of that because VCLA was our dream a long time ago. Now, VC College is our dream. And so, I can't wait to see what God does. So, thank you for being a part of that. It's going to be a whole lot of fun.

Okay. We're in an amazing summer together. And we're in a series called 60 Days of Overcoming, where we've been looking at some of the lives of the most famous people in the Bible and how they had to overcome some really amazing and significant things. And it's been so good. And we've been looking at this verse all summer long. It's from James. It says, "Elijah was a person just like us." These great men and women, these heroes of the faith, just like our Elijah, are like you and me. And they had to overcome some things to become the people that they were. You see, it's been an amazing series. And I've loved hearing all the stories. But if I'm being honest with you, this series has also kind of been challenging. You see, back in the spring, about midway through, when Pastor John was like, "Hey, this is the series we're going to be doing. This is what we're going to be writing about," I was kind of like, "You want me to write about that? How? Me, Dawson? I'm just like that guy. I'm not like that guy. I don't know how I'm supposed to write that. But okay, man." You see, I want to say I'm just like him or her. But I don't feel like him or her all the time. I think that's how some of us may or may not feel. But here's a story in the Bible I can totally relate to. You see, it starts with a man, and he was born to a poor family during very difficult times. He was born into poverty. He was going to live in poverty, and he was going to die in poverty. And that was his life. That was what he was born into. And you see, there's really no hope for a future when that's kind of your portion. And so, as he's growing up, something crazy happens, and he's actually given over to another family. He's given over to them. And this family could not be any more different than his previous family. They talk differently than him. They act differently than him. They look different than him. Their culture is different from him. And so, instead of belonging to one family, he's kind of torn between two, never really belonging. And he's like easily overlooked, easily forgotten about, and put in the background. He's not liked the last pick in the dodgeball game, but he's like fourth to last, you know, which is almost worse than being last. When you're last, at least everybody sees you. When you're fourth to last, everybody forgets about you. And so, this is his life. And he grows up, and he's kind of struggling with this, never belonging, never really feeling seen. And he makes some really big mistakes along the way. And the consequences are severe. And so, he ends up on the run, on the run from his mistakes. And he ends up so far away from home that these mistakes, they can't catch up to him, but they're always there, reminding him of what he's done, reminding him that he can never come home, reminding him that he's pretty messed up. And so, he winds up afraid, anxious, and insecure in some distant part of the land away from his family. He meets somebody, gets married, has some kids, gets some boring job, and works it year after year, decade after decade. And he's a man of insecurity. See, I can kind of relate to that. I can relate to that hardship in my life. I can relate to some of that disappointment. I can relate to thinking my life is going to go one way and then going a completely different way. All the things I've dreamed about not happening, all the things I shared with others never coming to pass, feeling embarrassed by that. And I can relate to his insecurity. You know who I'm talking about? You know who that is? That's Moses. That's the life of Moses. You see, if I got up here today and I was like, "Hey, today we're talking about Moses and how we're just like him," everybody would be like, "Not really, man. I'm checked out." Why? Why do we do that? Because when we think of Moses, we think of this amazing man, someone who walked with God, who did signs and wonders, who saw the kingdom of God come to pass, who was a leader of leaders, literally one of the greatest leaders of all time. We feel nothing like him. We put him in a totally different bracket than ourselves. Who Moses became – we don't really feel like that. But who Moses was, who he started as – I think a lot of us can relate to that. We can relate to his insecurity. 

So, what is insecurity? Well, insecurity is simply misplaced trust. Let me say that again. Insecurity is misplaced trust. Trust. What is that? That's when I depend upon something, when I rely on something, and when I put all my eggs in the basket, and I find comfort in it and I find peace in it. Okay. Misplaced trust. What's misplaced trust? Misplaced trust is when I put all of my trust into the things of the world, the things that can't bring me security. I put all my trust into the people around me. I put all my trust into my circumstances, all my trust into my abilities. Those things can never bring me true security. Only God can bring me true security. So, when my trust is in something other than God, it is misplaced. Like young adults, students, my generation, we put all of our trust in how we are perceived by others. All of our security is found by that. We spend all of our time thinking about our social media, how many followers we have, and what clothes we are wearing. We think about our aura, our vibe, and how we come off to people. That's what we're thinking about all the time. See, they get it, and they know. They get that. You see, there's nothing wrong with being liked, right? There's nothing wrong with being liked by people. But when all of my security is based on how other people think of me, it's misplaced trust. That's an example of insecurity. Or adults, how about us? What do we put all of our trust in? Our finances. If our finances are good, if my retirement or my savings account looks good, then I can feel safe, secure, and established. You see, there's nothing wrong with stewarding your finances. That's a kingdom principle. That's a great thing. But when all of my trust is found in my finances, it's misplaced. That's an example of insecurity. And so, maybe you're here today, and you're like, "Bro, I don't struggle with my image, and I'm not worried about my finances." Hey, that's cool, but I bet there is somewhere in your life where you have placed a disproportionate level of trust in that thing. You see, we all deal with insecurity. And this is where we find Moses, a man of insecurity. He's out in the wilderness, shepherding his flock, working that same job year after year, decade after decade. He's anxious, and he's afraid. But the thing is, he's very comfy where he's at because his insecurities aren't being challenged. So, he's comfy. He's got his PJs on. He's got his robe on. He's got the remote controller, feet kicked up. He's chilling right where he's at. But God's not okay with that. You see, Moses is living the life he was never created to live. And so, God comes to free him from that. And what does he free him from? His insecurity. And so, one day, Moses is out tending his flocks. And then all of a sudden, this burning bush appears, a bush on fire. And God starts to speak to him through that bush. And this is what he says. I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I've heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey. So now go, Moses. I'm sending you to the Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." What an invitation. You think Moses would get tired of shepherding, right? He's like, "I'm ready. Let's go. I'm fired up, God. Send me. I'm going with you. Let's do it." But that's not his response. Remember, he's a man of insecurity. And so, he responds to God with this. "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? Who am I?" Doesn't that sound like insecurity? Have you ever asked that question before? God says, "Go do this," and you respond with, "Who am I?" Like God says, "Raise this child." Who am I to raise this child? God says, "Apply for that job." Who am I to apply for that job? God says, "Go be friends with them over there." I can't. Who am I to be friends with those people over there? God says, "Go. Apply for that college. Go take my hope over there." Who am I to apply for that college? God, that's not me. God says, "Go be a leader." Who am I to be a leader? We all ask this question. Who am I? And that's where Moses is. He's insecure. You see, he's afraid. He's anxious. He's worried. He's like, "God, who am I to go to Egypt and talk to Pharaoh and free your people? I've never really been a part of them. I was torn away from them when I was just a little boy." Or, "God, who am I to go? I can't go there. I have a speech impediment. I can't talk really well. You got the wrong guy. God, who am I to go back to Egypt? Back in Egypt, God, you know it. I'm a murderer. I messed up. If I go back to Egypt, my mistakes will catch up to me." But he overcomes this great insecurity. He overcomes it. So, how? How does Moses overcome this great insecurity that he has? How do we, Valley Creek, overcome our insecurity? Because we all deal with it. Well, I've got three things for you today. Everybody say three. That's right. Good. You got it. Three things. 

First one, just become aware that God is with us. We're all in this, so I'm going to use “us.” Right? We all deal with insecurity, so that's the language we're going to use today. We must become aware that God is with us to overcome insecurity. When Moses responds to God with, "Who am I?" This is how God responds to him. And God said, "I will be with you. I will be with you. Moses, this isn't about you. This isn't about your abilities. This isn't about your circumstances. This isn't about your past. No, this is about me, and I'm coming with you, and you're going to go, and you're going to overcome your insecurity, and I will be with you the entire way, never leaving you. In the midst of your insecurity, Moses, I am your security." You see, to overcome insecurity, we must become aware that God is with us. This is the interesting thing. The fire of God's presence burns the insecurities out of you. It burns it away. So, that burning bush, that is the picture of God's presence, and when Moses gets around the presence of God, it literally burns away his insecurities because when you are around the presence of God, it changes everything in your life. And so, this fire is burning away his insecurities, but oftentimes I think instead of becoming aware that God is with us, we wait for God to make this great big move into our lives, right? This is what Moses is waiting for. He's waiting on everything to change, but everything is changing. God is with him, and the thing is, he's waiting for the change, but here's a burning bush, right? We're looking for a sign. Here's a burning bush defying all the laws of nature. It's a bush on fire, not burning, and it talks. It talks. Moses, this is your sign, man. This is the moment. This is it. We're ready to go. We wait around for a sign from God. Oh, man, if God would just give me a sign, if he would just make his great big move, then I wouldn't be so insecure. He has made his great big move. He's moved into your life, and all we must do is become aware that God is with us. In Hebrews, it says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, and security is so focused." Security is Jesus' focus. You see, I can never get over my insecurity by just trying to be less insecure. Why? Because when I'm focused on myself, it just draws attention to me, and I become more and more and more insecure, but when I fix my eyes on Jesus, I will see that that is my security. You see, insecurity is the very thing that hinders us. It hinders us, and so in order to throw it off, we must become aware that God is with us. We must fix our eyes on him. Here's what it says in the Psalms. It says, "I lift up my eyes to the mountains, to the high place, to the rock, to the rock, to my strong tower, to my good shepherd, my father in heaven, the maker of heaven and earth. I'm looking to him. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord." And so, when I have fixed my eyes onto Jesus, I'm not looking for help. I'm not looking for security from anywhere else in the world, in my abilities, in my circumstances, in what other people think, and in what other people say. No, I know where my help comes from. It comes from the Lord. I got to lift up my eyes to him. You see, as Moses is starting his journey, nothing changes. Nothing. He's still Moses. He's still the guy that was a murderer back in Egypt. He's still the guy with the speech impediment. He's still the guy that is very unqualified for this role. What changes? He has become aware that God is with him, and that burns away the insecurities inside of him, and so let me ask you, where are you insecure? Where is your insecurity at? That is a place where you have forgotten that God is with you. God is with you, and he is for you. 

Okay. The second thing. Everybody say two. Number two, agree with what God says. We have to agree with what God says. You see, when Moses becomes aware that God is with him, he starts to agree with the things God said about him, which is what? Humility. Humility. Isn't that the same as insecurity? Those words kind of go hand in hand, right? Well, maybe in the world, but in the kingdom, humility is the antidote to insecurity. You see, I think we often have a negative connotation around this word. So, what does it really mean? What is humility? Humility is simply agreeing with God, with what God has said. Humility is agreeing with what God has said. God has said this, so it must be true, and I'm going to align my life with that. God has said this, so it must be true, and I'm going to align my life with that. Doesn't matter what I think. It doesn't matter what the world thinks. It doesn't matter how I feel. It doesn't matter how the world feels. God has said this, so it must be true. That is humility. You see, Moses was a man of humility. He was a humble man. In Numbers, it says, "Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth." How does he become the most humble person on the face of the earth? Not by trying to be more humble, because he spent more time in the presence of God than anybody else. Like, you can't just be like, "Oh, I'm trying. I'm going to be humble." No, you just become more prideful when that happens, because it's all about you. It's all about you. So, how do you become more humble? By spending time with God, by being in his presence. Remember, order matters. That's why the first one is, become aware that God is with us, because we must be aware that with him, in order to be people of humility. And I think this verse is hilarious. And so, I'm just going to give you one guess. Who do you think wrote this? Just say it if you know it. Moses wrote this about himself. And we read that, and we know that, and we're like, "This guy is so full of himself. That's like the least humble thing I've ever heard in my life." Like, there's a lot of prideful people out there, but even prideful people don't say they're humble. Come on, man, that's ridiculous. Could you imagine being the scribe for Moses? And Moses is like, "Hey, man, this is what I want to say. Make sure they know it's me that's saying this." Okay. Yeah, Moses, I got you. "Okay. I am a very humble man. I'm more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth." And he's like, "Moses, let's not put that in there, man. Let's not." They're not going to get it. Like, they're going to know you said it. But no, this is a very humble thing to say, because it's what God says about him. And he's agreeing with it. And so, we often think humility is like, "Oh, woe is me. Oh, I'm just a poor, wretched soul. Oh, my goodness, I'm wretched." No, that's pride. It's all about you. What is humility? Verses like this, "My share is wonderful. My inheritance is very beautiful." That's a humble verse right there. "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Humble verse. Whoever wrote Psalms knew what they were doing. "The disciple whom Jesus loved." This is John talking about himself. I, John, am the disciple whom Jesus loved. That's a humble verse. What about the next one? John again. "See how very much our father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are." Humble verse. John again. He's a humble guy. "In this world, we are like Jesus." That's a humble thing to say. Humility agrees with God. It agrees with what God has said about you. And so, when I'm agreeing with God, I'm walking in humility. But what about pride? What does pride sound like? Pride sounds like I don't like what I've been given. My share stinks, and my inheritance is ugly. “I am fearfully and wonderfully made?” Uh-uh. God messed up. I'm not right. Something's wrong with me. “The disciple whom Jesus loved?” Yeah, right. I'm the disciple whom Jesus forgets even exists sometimes. “I'm God's child, and that's who I am?” Uh-uh. God's disappointed in me. He's far away from me. “In this world, we are like Jesus?” I couldn't be farther from anything like Jesus. That's pride. Pride disagrees with what God. It's all about what I think, what I say, and how I feel. You know what that sounds like to me? Insecurity. Insecurity is pride because it disagrees with God... It puts yourself above what God has said. And so, this is where Moses is at. This is where he starts on his journey. He wasn't always that humble guy. In Exodus 4, the bush is still on fire, by the way. Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." This is where Moses is at the beginning of his journey. This is like the most prideful thing he ever says. We read this, and we're like, "Man, that's kind of humble." No, it's not. This is pride. Pardon. I know what you're saying, but here's what I have to say. I have never been. God, you don't get to tell me what I am. I get to say who I am, right here. And so, these two right here and this, what's your version of this? Where do you say this to God? Pardon. Excuse me. God, you got it wrong. I've never been that person to do that thing. I'm not like that. I'm too extroverted for that. I'm too introverted for that, God. I'm not that guy. I'm better at this, right? Let me ask you this. Do you spend more time telling God why you can't do something, or do you spend more time letting God tell you why you can do something? Do you spend more time telling God who you say you are, or do you spend more time letting God say who He says you are? Which one? That might be an area where you're walking in pride, where you're walking in insecurity. And here's the cool thing. God responds, and I love how God responds. The bush is on fire, Moses. Let's go, man. The Lord said to him, "Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord?" “Excuse me, God. Am I not God?” Is He God or is He not? Your words and how you respond to what God is asking you will reveal that to you. And so, when Moses starts to agree with God, humility takes over his life. So, how does Moses overcome insecurity? By simply agreeing with what God has said. God has some great things to say about you. Don't even try to combat it or anything. Just sit and let God speak over you. Where do you find that? In His written Word. I want to encourage you to open up the Bible and just let it wash over you. Let God's words, what He says about you, wash over you. It'll change your entire life.

Third thing. Everybody say number three. Great. Do what God asks us to do. In order to overcome insecurity, we must do what God asks us to do. Just do it, but this is a better way of saying it, because that's kind of my attitude with this one. It's like, just do it, right? And so, Moses is with God, and he says this question. Moses answered, "What if they do not believe in me or listen to me and say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'?" What if? Do you ever ask that question? What if? What if? What if? I ask that question all the time. What if? What if? What if? But here's the thing. Secure people can walk in obedience because their success is not determined by results. Their success is determined by obedience. Secure people can walk in obedience because they're not afraid of the results. Insecurity keeps us tied up. It keeps us from moving forward. Why? Because we're afraid of the results. We're always asking, what if? What if? What if? One thing we've been asking a lot as a team is, "Hey, did we just do what God asked us to do? Is that it? Did we just do what God asked us to do? It doesn't matter what happened. It doesn't matter how it ended up. Did we do what God asked us to do?" And when we can honestly answer yes to that, oh my gosh, it is the most freeing thing ever. Because my security isn't determined. Like, guys, today, honestly, like, I could get up here, and you could be like, 60 days of overcoming, more like 60 days. This needs to end. That was bad, man. That wasn't good. I could get up here, but for me and for the team, this is what God is asking us to do. And we're sure of this. And so, you know what? That's okay because I've gotten something out of this. God has done a deep work in me through this message because this is what God asked me to do. And so, that's why I'm doing it, man. And I had to come to terms with that. At the beginning of the week, I was like, "Oh, it better go well." It's okay. It's okay if it doesn't. Why? Because it's what God was asking our team to do. In Psalms 119, it says, "I will hurry without delay to obey your commands." Let me ask you, do you hurry to obey God? Do you hurry? Insecurity can act like this bondage, right? When God asks us to do something, what do we do? We drag our feet. We look for a way out. Like, where's the open door? I've got to get out of here. We try to justify our poor response. Insecurity keeps us in bondage. And so, instead of joyfully being able to step into everything God calls us to, we just stay stuck right where we're at. Insecurity keeps you from everything God has for you. It makes you miss out. You miss out. Moses never missed out. Why? Because he's quick to obey God. When God says something, he's quick to obey. When we're not hurrying to obey God, we miss out. You see, Moses discovered something, and this is really important. Moses discovered that God was good and that God was good to him. And if God was good to him, then everything God was inviting him to were very good things. And so, that's why Moses was able to joyfully step into everything he had. That's why you read throughout Exodus, and Moses is just going. He's going. The Israelites are throwing everything they have at him to get him to turn back and go back to Egypt, but he's like, "No, no, no. God is good. We're going forward. We're going to keep moving." And he is unshakable, unmovable in that. And so, can I just encourage you, when God asks you to do something, go for it. Go for it. Don't ask what if. God is good, and He's good to you, and He has good things for you.

You see, here's my question for you, and it's a “what if” question, but it's a good “what if” question. What if Moses never overcomes his insecurity? What if? Where would he be? Well, here's the thing. You and I would actually never know his name. Why? God would have picked someone else. God is good on His promises. He was going to free the Israelites with Moses or without Moses, and where would Moses be? Still out in the wilderness working that boring job, tending sheep, alone, afraid, anxious, and very insecure. And so, my question for you is, “What if you never overcome your insecurity? Where will you be? Stuck in the shame of your past? Stuck in your pride? Stuck in your ways? Never moving forward, never becoming the person God created you to be, missing out on this great life that God has for you? In Ephesians – this is my last verse for you. It says, "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." You were created to do good things, big things, meaningful things, fun things, significant things, and amazing things, but if you stay stuck in your insecurity, you will miss out on all of it. Man, I don't want to miss out. I don't want to miss out on the life God has for me. And here's the funny thing. As I've been preparing and writing this message, all types of insecurities have come up in my life. Isn't that funny how that works, right? And so, I've been insecure. I've been worried about what other people think about me, like what is my boss thinking about me? What are my coworkers thinking about me? What is my wife thinking about me? I've had insecurities as a new dad and in a new role at work and with all of my abilities. And I got to be honest with you, I'm still trying to overcome them. Like, this is a journey, guys. We're on a journey. You don't just say, "Whoa, I've overcome insecurity." It's done. No, it's a journey. Like, Moses was on a journey with God. Remember I told you nothing changed when Moses started his journey, but he became who we all know him to be at the end of his journey because he overcame his insecurity. So, let's not miss out. God has amazing things for us. I don't want to miss it. I don't want you to miss it. I don't want you to miss out on the great things God has for you. So where are your insecurities holding you back? What are they keeping you from? What are they? Moses was a man just like us, a man of insecurity. We all have them. We all face it. We're all on this journey together. And I felt like this morning, what was going to be like the thing that I came up here and said, "God, what do you want to say?” I feel like a lot of people feel like they are inadequate. Like, they're not the right person for the job, that they are not qualified. Can I tell you, you're qualified. You have been with God. That's what qualifies you. That's what qualifies you. And so, that voice inside your head that's saying you're not good enough. It's not going to work out, man. You're not qualified. Ignore it. What does God say about you? He says you are chosen. You are holy. You've been created by Him for good things. You are righteous. You are appointed, anointed for such a time as this. God has called you. He has made you into a royal priesthood. You get to be in the presence of God forever. And He loves you. And in this family, you matter. You matter to all of us. And so, we speak against insecurity. We speak against the things that hold you back. And we say, "You matter to us, and we are so glad you're a part of this family." So, you're not your past. You're not your present. You are who Jesus says you are. And He says that you are qualified. How do we overcome insecurity? By becoming aware that God is with us, agreeing with what He says, and just simply doing what he's asking us to do. God is good, and He has good things for us. So, Jesus, first off, Jesus, thank you that you are the original overcomer. You overcame a cross. You overcame a grave. You overcame some pretty significant things so that we might be called overcomers. On Thursday, when I was praying for you guys, it took me to action. I said, the Lord is close. God has come close to you. And he's close. And so, if you're here today and you're thinking, "Man, I can't even get step one down. I don't know where God is. I don't know where he's at." He's nearby. He's close. He's not hard to find. He's just waiting. He's waiting for you. 

So, Jesus, thank You that You overcame so many things that we might overcome insecurity. And Jesus, we are secure. We're safe. We're established. We're loved. We're chosen. So, Jesus, would You just help us overcome our insecurities on our great journey with You? Thank You for this series that we're in. Thank You for this amazing summer. I can't wait to see where You take us. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen.