Moses struck a rock twice for water. The first time God gave him authority to do it. The second time he had the power but not the permission, and God barred him from the Promised Land. Power without God's authorization costs you everything.
The Lord wanted to give the Israelites drink. The first time he gave them the power and authority to strike the rock. He struck the rock and water came. Amen. The second time, Moses now had the power. He had the power to strike rocks and make water come. But the difference is that second time he didn't have the authority to do so. He had the power, but he did not have the authority. So first time, strike, nothing happens. See, this is what happens when we try to do things by our power, by our might. We wonder why it doesn't work. So we keep stressing and struggling and stressing. The second time he used power again, water came, but he still lacked authority. And because he lacked that authority, that was the consequence of him not being able to enter into the promised land. It is very dangerous to use power without authority. So though you may have the power to preach, if you preach a message that God has not authorized you to preach, you will find yourself on the other side of the promise. Obedience is what gives us access, and I pray that we will all obey in the name of Jesus. So tonight we're going to be talking about the 3 things every believer should be.
God takes away reasons to disobey Him (excuses). He gives you the ability to obey Him (grace).
