We come to our final character in our Defining Moments series: Esther. Her story is filled with defining moments—and following her life will give us some lessons to live by. Lessons on using our circumstances and positions well, dealing with conflict, and how we view success. I'm confident that if we will heed her lessons and learn from her example, we will be an effective leader, just like she was.

One of the great truths of our God is how he redeems every circumstance and every experience in our lives. We can look back years and see how God used past hurts, habits, and hangups for his greater purpose. This Sunday, we will look at Rahab—a gentile prostitute who is a recipient of this very truth. We will see how her willingness to put her faith in God resulted in her coming to know Him, and also, her life being redeemed by Him.

This morning we look at another defining moment. There are times we are summoned to a purpose that overwhelms and paralyzes us. Scripture has its examples, and one that stands out above others is Saul. He remains as one of the most perplexing stories in Scripture, one that confronts all of us and challenges us to rise to another level.

Joshua was an amazing leader for the people of Israel. Under his leadership, God used Joshua to bring the Israelites into the promised land and to expand its territories. But Joshua was not a perfect leader. In Joshua 9, we read of a time when Joshua used his own wisdom and self-reliance to lead in a way that he thought was right, without first consulting the wisdom of God. Contrasting Joshua with Jesus, we see that Jesus gives us the full picture of a perfect leader who serves with humility and seeks the will of the Father.

It's been said that Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react. In life there are many things that happen to us that we cannot control—and how we respond often shows us what we are made of. This coming week, we will look at Moses, a man who's had so many defining moments that books have been written on his life. We will be look at his response in the face of rejection and potential desertion from God. In preparation for this message, please read Exodus 32 and 33 to enrich our time together. I pray that the Lord will use His Word to help us respond well to the many interruptions and crises that come our way.

One of our greatest—and most dangerous—defining moments is when we make it to the top. Few have experienced the rarified air of the high summits like Solomon—and few have failed so completely.

One of our greatest—and most dangerous—defining moments is when we make it to the top. Few have experienced the rarified air of the high summits like Solomon—and few have failed so completely.