Most of us have more confidence in other people than we have in ourselves! There was an incident that happened to me when I was in grade school that illustrates this point quite well. There was a pop quiz one day that caught the class completely off guard! I was not very confident in my answers, so I borrowed answers from a neighbor who was sitting beside me. After the quiz was graded, much to my dismay, I failed! But, what bothered me even more than failing was the revelation that had I stuck with my original answers and not discarded them, not only would I have passed the test; I would have made a perfect score! Most people are like that! They have more confidence in the ability of others than they have in their own ability! Most of us maximize the attributes of others, but we minimize our own attributes!

Do you remember what happened in the story of the men who were given talents (money) while their lord went away? One was given five, one given two and one was given one. The story says that the lord gave to each man, according to that man’s ability! That’s a very important principle for us! Whatever you have been given, it’s in direct proportion to your ability to handle it! Notice also, that each man was given something. No one was and no one is, empty-handed! All of us have at least one thing in our hand that, if used properly, could contribute to our success in life! The question is: “Will you use what’s in your hand, or will you bury it in the sand?”

When Moses and the Children of Israel were fleeing from Egypt, they came to a seemingly impassable dead-end! There were mountains on either side of them, the Red Sea (or The Sea of Reeds) lay before them, and Pharaoh’s army was in hot pursuit behind them! Moses cried to God for deliverance. It was at that point that the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying to me? Stretch out your rod and command the people to go forward!” That’s the word in season that I want to share with you today! Many times the answer to your problem is already in your hand!

Stop looking around, and start looking within! Don’t expect someone to lend you a hand if you have not fully utilized your own hand! I used to pray that the Lord would make a way! But, now I am beginning to realize, in most cases, my prayer to the Lord shouldn’t be that He would make a way, but that my eyes might be opened to see the way that He has already made! Many times my friend, the answer is already at your disposal! Many times, the answer is already in your hand! So take the time to take an inventory of your talents, attributes and abilities. Find out what’s in your hand!