Stop Asking "What If?" and Unlock Your Divine Potential

Before becoming the most decorated Olympian in history, Michael Phelps battled crippling anxiety.

He told Sports Illustrated that before big races, he’d often ask his coach, “What if I lose? What if I embarrass myself?”

Even after winning gold, he struggled with panic attacks, depression, and the pressure of expectations.

It wasn’t his physical training that nearly broke him — it was the mental fear of what might go wrong.

Eventually, he said, “I had to stop living for the ‘what ifs’ and start racing for the moment I was in.”

Fear of imagined failure almost robbed the world’s greatest swimmer of his purpose — just like Moses’ “What if they don’t believe me?” almost kept him from leading.

Today I want to talk about four things that “What ifs” keeps us from accomplishing God’s plan — both in Moses’ life and ours.

Exodus 4:1-12
Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” 2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” 3 And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. 4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 5 “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” 6 Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.”[a] And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. 7 Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8 “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. 9 If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.” 10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”

Recap – Last week, we saw that to follow God’s plan, and to accept His invitation, we must know who He is.

• “I am that I am.” – I exist
• And we have seen over the previous weeks that we can still experience God…
• That He pursues a relationship with us.
• That He reveals himself to us.
• That He speaks to us.
• And that He calls us into his purposes.

Very specifically, let’s look again at the call on Moses’ life.

Exodus 3:10
“Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

So, the call has a stated purpose – to bring the children of Israel, out of Egypt.

Look also at Exodus 3:15-18 and see that the Lord gets very specific in how this will take place.

Exodus 3:15-18
15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord,[b] the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 17 and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18 And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’

All of this is detailed information of what the Lord says will happen…even down to verse 22 where the Lord tells Moses, “…but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing…”

So, let’s keep this in mind, as we dig into Moses’ response to this very specific call that God gives to him.

Remember, Today I want to talk about seven things “What if” keeps us from accomplishing — both in Moses’ life and ours.

And I bring that up again, because even though Moses said, “Put me in, Coach, I am available,” back in Exodus 3:4, his response to God’s invitation is one of excuses and fear.
In essence, he asks the question, “What if?”

Exodus 4:1
Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’”

Do you see the words, “But behold…?” In Hebrew that can be translated as the question, “What if?”

• What if my car breaks down?
• What if she rejects me?
• What if I strike out?
• What if the moon explodes suddenly, initiating the final apocalypse?

“What if” is the language of fear. And when we give into those fears, you miss what God has for you.

Let me show you four things that “What if” keeps us from Accomplishing:
1. “What if” keeps us from starting.

Exodus 4:1 – We just saw Moses’ response to God’s call.

“What if” keeps us from Starting:
“Fear of failure paralyzes before the journey begins.”

Moses hadn’t taken a step, and already he was predicting defeat.

• This is what psychologists call anticipatory anxiety.

Anticipatory anxiety is the fear of future events that might happen — especially imagined negative outcomes.

It’s not fear of a present danger, but fear of what could go wrong before it ever does.

The term began gaining traction in clinical psychology in the 1950s, particularly through the work of Viktor Frankl, the psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor who wrote Man’s Search for Meaning.

Frankl observed that many of his patients suffered not just from fear itself, but from fear of fear — the dread of future symptoms, failure, or embarrassment.

He coined the phrase “anticipatory anxiety” in connection with phobias and performance fears, describing how the mind rehearses potential failure until it becomes self-fulfilling.

Viktor Frankl: “The fear of the event causes the very event to happen.”
 
Anticipatory anxiety is your brain’s fight-or-flight system misfiring.

• The amygdala (the fear center of the brain) treats imagined threats like real ones.
• So, when you think “What if I fail?”, your body floods with adrenaline and cortisol as if you’re already failing.
• The result: racing heart, sweaty palms, shortness of breath, indecision, procrastination, or avoidance.

In other words, your body pays the price for a danger that doesn’t exist yet.

What Happens in Its Worst Expression

When anticipatory anxiety becomes chronic or severe:

• People may avoid taking risks, even healthy ones (relationships, new jobs, ministry opportunities).
• It can progress into panic attacks or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
• Some experience “catastrophic thinking” — where every unknown becomes a potential disaster.
• Spiritually, it breeds paralysis: the inability to obey God’s call because we’re too busy managing possible outcomes.

It’s why Moses said, “What if they don’t believe me?” before he ever took a single step. His mind was already living in a future failure — one that hadn’t even happened.

How many callings die before they’re even attempted?

2. “What if” keeps us from trusting God’s Promises.

Exodus 4:1
Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’

This is the second part of Moses’ response. He says or asks, “they will not believe me or listen to my voice.”

And God had just told him the contrary. He gave him the game plan and then He gave him a promise.

Exodus 3:18a
18 And they will listen to your voice…

How quickly Moses has forgotten.

You see… “Fear thrives where faith forgets what God has already said.”

“What if” keeps us from trusting God’s Promises.

“Fear thrives where faith forgets what God has already said.”

Moses focused on what people might say rather than on what God had already promised.

But trusting God releases the outcome to God.

Proverbs 3:5–6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

Are you listening to the Lord and reminding yourself of what He has already said to you?

3. “What if” Keeps Us from Laying Down Our Lives & Experiencing God’s Power

“What if” Keeps Us from Laying Down Our Lives & Experiencing God’s Power

There’s a famous image from Henri Nouwen’s book “The Inner Voice of Love.”

He describes watching trapeze artists perform:
“One person lets go of the bar, flies through the air, and waits for the hands of another to catch them. The flyer must never try to grab — they simply extend their hands and trust.”
Nouwen says, “The flyer must have complete trust in the catcher. The moment they try to take control, they miss.”

That’s exactly what’s happening in Exodus 4.

God says, “Let go of the staff.”

Moses has to trust that when he releases it — his livelihood, his reputation, his security — God will catch it and transform it.

“Until you release what’s in your hand, you’ll never know what God can do with it.” Notice what is happening in the text.

Exodus 4:2–5
2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” 3 And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. 4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 5 “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

This is God’s object lesson for Moses.

Moses had just said, “What if they don’t believe me?”

So God answers that fear not with more words, but with a test of faith.

Now, Pastor Rick Warren says that what happens here is the most important miracle in the Old Testament… if this doesn’t happen, no exodus, salvation, Messiah, etc.

Here we have God asking Moses a question. But did you know that God never asks you a question for His benefit?

He wants Moses to know what is in His hand. Moses didn’t understand the significance of that staff.
 
Rick Warren says that Moses staff represents three things:
                  1.             His Identity – Moses was a shepherd and that was his Shepherd’s Staff.
                  2.             His Income – his wealth. Wealth in those days was tied up in your flocks.
Prov. 27 – “Know well the condition of your flocks” - your wealth
                  3.             His Influence - used to move sheep from point a to point b.

So, God asks Moses to take the tool that he uses for influence and lay it down.

Rick Warren says…“God was saying to Moses: Moses if you will lay down your identity, your influence  and your income, I will make it come alive. But if you pick it up again it goes dead. If you lay that down, I’ll make it come alive and you will watch me do miracles with it.”
 
This is a very important thing going on here. In the scripture it is never again called Moses staff. It’s called the Rod of God. It’s just a stick but in God’s hand it’s the Rod of God.

Every miracle in Moses life was done because he laid down his identity, influence, income.
 
What is your identity? Income? Influence? When we lay down our lives, we experience His power because He takes something ordinary — a shepherd’s staff — and turns it into something extraordinary.

“The moment Moses obeyed, he didn’t just see power — he participated in it. And that’s what ‘What if’ robs us of.

It keeps us holding onto what’s safe, instead of stepping into what’s supernatural.”

4. “What if” keeps us from discovering our God-given potential.

Exodus 4:10
But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”

This is Moses’ second batch of excuses. Now, instead of asking what could possibly happen, he begins to talk poorly of himself.

The phrase, “Oh, my Lord,” is a submissive term while also asking for the opportunity to be excused.

In essence it goes something like this:
“Um…us, Excuse me, Lord…I know you have this grand big plan…but I actually have a really good excuse as to why I can’t go and do this.”

He then speaks ill of his ability to speak. “I am slow of speech and of tongue.”

Albert Barnes states: “The double expression, “slow of speech and of slow tongue,” seems to imply a difficulty both in finding words and in giving them utterance, a very natural result of so long a period of a shepherd’s life, passed in a foreign land.”

Wiersbe says…“God had said, “I AM,” – and all Moses could says ways, “I am not!” He was looking at himself and his failures instead of to God and His power.”

Moses saw himself as unqualified.

And what we must understand is that fear locks us in the version of ourselves we already know. And so, we are afraid that we might be found out…as an imposter.

Have you ever heard of Imposter Syndrome?

• Imposter Syndrome (Clance & Imes, 1978) — the fear of being exposed as “not enough.”

Imposter Syndrome is the persistent feeling that you’re a fraud — that your success is undeserved or that you’re not truly capable, even when there’s clear evidence you are.
It was first identified by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978, who found that many high-achieving individuals secretly believe they are not as competent as others perceive them to be.

In Moses’ Context, he had already been called, equipped, and assured by God Himself — yet he still believed he wasn’t enough.

That’s Imposter Syndrome:

• He had God’s affirmation but doubted his own adequacy.
• He had a clear assignment but questioned whether he belonged in it.
• He feared being exposed as unqualified in front of Pharaoh and the people.

How It Shows Up in Us

Leaders today experience the same internal dialogue:

• “Who am I to lead this team?”
• “What if they find out I’m not as spiritual, skilled, or confident as they think?”
• “What if I fail publicly and confirm everyone’s worst suspicions — including my own?”

It’s the modern version of Moses’ “What if they don’t believe me?”

The Core Problem: Imposter Syndrome shifts focus from God’s calling to our credentials.

It’s rooted in comparison and self-consciousness rather than in trust and calling.

It says, “I’m not enough,” while faith says, “He is enough in me.”

Spiritual Counterpoint

God’s response to Moses in Exodus 4:11–12 challenges Moses to get his eyes off of himself.

Exodus 4:11-12
“Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”
 
God doesn’t boost Moses’ self-esteem — He redirects his focus to divine sufficiency.

That’s the cure for Imposter Syndrome: shifting from self-evaluation to divine empowerment.
 
What am I to do with this?

“Move from ‘What if’ to ‘Even if.’”

Grammy-winning singer Adele has spoken publicly about debilitating stage fright.

Before nearly every concert, she would vomit, cry, or even consider canceling.

She told Rolling Stone, “I’m scared of letting people down… I’m scared of looking stupid.”

But she still walks onto that stage — shaky hands, pounding heart, full voice.

It’s her way of saying, “I won’t let my ‘What if’ decide my story.”

Even when fear doesn’t disappear, courage is moving forward anyway — and that’s exactly what Moses had to learn.

Moses began with “What if they don’t believe me?”

But years later, he stood before the Red Sea and said, “Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord.”

That’s the transformation — from fear to faith, from excuses to obedience.

Ask yourself:

• What is your “What if” right now?
• What conversation, decision, or act of obedience are you delaying?
• What could God do if you simply stepped forward?

Exodus 4:12
“Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”
 

This blog is based on the message shared by Senior Pastor Dr. Roger Patterson on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025 from our CityRise Church West U Baptist campus. Check out the full message below!