Letting Go of The Baggage

THIS WEEK’S BOLD STEP DEVOTION

“Now the Lord had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead.” So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand. At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him.”
(Exodus 4:19-20, 24)

The weight that many carry is real. Unfinished business from the past, wounds not yet healed, or responsibilities left unresolved is a struggle that often can hold them back. They may feel stuck, unsure of how to move forward with purpose, as if something invisible is preventing them from living fully in their calling.

Moses was a man chosen by God for a monumental task: to deliver the Israelites from slavery and lead them to freedom. But before he could fully step into that calling, there was something crucial he had neglected to do that we learn about in Exodus 4.

As Moses and his family were on their way to Egypt, God came to him with a life-or-death moment. Why? Because Moses had failed to circumcise his sons, an act that was a sign of obedience to God's covenant. This was not a small issue. It was a direct command from God that he had ignored. For Moses, it was a critical moment of reckoning—one where his disobedience would determine whether he could continue to move forward in the calling that God had placed on him.

What’s your unfinished business? What’s the baggage you’ve been dragging along with you? Maybe it’s an area of your life where you’ve been disobedient, where you’ve failed to act on something God has been clear about. Maybe it’s an unresolved issue with your past—wounds, regrets, or relationships that you’ve ignored. Though it might not seem like a big deal now, the moment you step into your calling, that baggage can start to weigh you down.

The good news is that God’s grace is available to you, no matter how far you’ve wandered. God wants to help you confront your past and help you move forward with purpose, but you first must deal with the baggage that is holding you back. The road ahead may be challenging, but it’s worth it. God’s calling is waiting.

Listen to the sermon: What Are You Dragging Behind?

Part 1Part 2Part 3

Ministry Update from Mark

Many of you know that I serve as the Senior Pastor at New Life Community Church, a multi-site church, here in Chicago. Something I like to do each ministry season is to bring our New Life Pastors together for a prayer retreat to seek the Lord together. Life doesn’t slow down, so it’s important that choose to carve out intentional time to pause and pray. I’m so grateful for the diligence and intensity of this pastoral time to seek God together.

“Bear up the hands that hang down, by faith and prayer; support the tottering knees. Have you any days of fasting and prayer? Storm the throne of grace and persevere therein, and mercy will come down.”
-John Wesley