After hearing a robust young man give a lame excuse for being lazy, I was reminded of a couple of quotes:

• H.V. Adolt said: We are all manufacturers. Making good, making trouble, or making excuses. 
• Ben Franklin said: He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.

How often do you act like Moses and try to shirk your responsibilities by giving God an excuse?  Never tell God that:

• Something is impossible because “all things are possible with Him (Luke 18:27).
• A job is too hard because you “can do all things through Christ” who has promised to strengthen you (Phil. 4:13).
• You can’t make sense of things because God is committed to “direct your steps” and lead you through the maze of life  (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Whenever you find yourself struggling with the uncertainties of life, remember that God has not given you a spirit of fear.  “You see, God did not give us a cowardly spirit but a powerful, loving, and disciplined spirit (2 Timothy 1:7 ~Voice).”

The list in the verse about can be divided into two categories:

1. What God did not give you: “a cowardly spirit.”
2. What God did give you: “a powerful, loving, and disciplined spirit.”

Which one of the two categories defines the life you are living and the excuses you are making?