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The Great I Am from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

Moses had been a shepherd for forty years in the land of Midian when the Lord appeared to him in a burning bush. The bush was self-sustaining and wouldn't burn up. The Lord told Moses He had heard the cries of the Israelite people who were enslaved in Egypt. Then He said, "Come now, and I will send you." (Exodus 3:10).

Then an interesting conversation took place. Moses knew how powerful the Egyptians were and how weak he was, for he was now eighty years old. So he began to make excuses why this was a bad idea and why the Lord should choose someone else. In reality, Moses was a Hebrew who had been raised by the Egyptians. He loved the Hebrews, and he spoke Egyptian. There was no one more suited for the task. Moses was born for this purpose.

The Lord was inflexible on His request, and Moses was perplexed. The plan so far was to go back to Egypt and tell the Hebrews, "Hey, there was this bush out in the desert that caught fire and began talking to me. It told me to come here and lead you out of Egypt." Uh-huh. So Moses asked the Lord, who am I to tell them sent me?

(Exodus 3:13–14 NKJV)  Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' "

The Almighty God, Creator of the Universe, Maker of the stars, the original Mister Incredible, simply used the title, "I AM." Compare that to our Rev. Dr. Apostle baloney. "I AM has sent me to you." Oh, it doesn't diminish His power, but fancy titles don't add any. The Lord didn't explain it any further, but the story doesn't end there.

When Jesus Christ was asked by the Jews who He was, He told them this:

(John 8:57–58 NKJV)  Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."

Jesus called Himself, "I AM," and the Jews tried to stone Him for it. They knew He was referring to the title of "I AM" in the book of Exodus. It wasn't just a title either, for He carried the power along with it. The night that Judas betrayed Jesus and led a group of Roman soldiers to the garden, an interesting thing happened:

(John 18:3–6 NKJV)  Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, "Whom are you seeking?" They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am (He)." And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, "I am (He)," they drew back and fell to the ground.

When Jesus said, "I AM," the brave group of sword-wielding soldiers all fell to the ground. The word "He" is italicized at the end of those sentences, meaning it wasn't in the original text, but added because someone thought it needed clarity. Jesus said, "I AM."

Seven times in the book of John, Jesus used the title of "I AM" along with a description. Many of them were tied to miracles. Jesus said:

* "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35) shortly after feeding the 5,000.

* "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12) after healing the man born blind.

* "I am the door" (John 10:7).

* "I am the good shepherd (John 10:11).

* "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25), just before raising Lazarus from the dead.

* "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).

* "I am the true vine (John 15:1).

Two small all-encompassing words, yet, that have such depth. In the book of Revelation, Jesus said it best:

(Revelation 1:8 NKJV)  "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8 NKJV). He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made (John 1:2–3 NKJV).

Nothing you face today is impossible when the Great I AM is with you.

You can pray this with me if you like:

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please draw my heart to You. Teach me what I need to know, and set me free from the things that hold me back. I want to be a part of what You are doing today. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!