The Exodus - Saved For His Glory

Have you ever had your back against the wall,  having no other choice but to deal with what is coming at you?  Most people are afraid of confrontation, they would rather ignore, or try to back away. We don't fess up easily, we play the blame game, finding excuses, trying to dodge the bullet.  We would rather pretend that our past hurts didn't happen than face them.

God guided Moses to lead the children of Israel the long route away towards the Promised Land for He knew that they would return to Egypt if they had opposition to face.  They were being set up for Pharaoh was coming back after them and because of the Red Sea they would have no other choice but to face their enemy.  It is one thing to be delivered from our enemy it is another to defeat our enemy. Our battle is not ours but the Lord's, He is our deliverer and He is the one that puts the enemy under our feet.  We need to confidently face opposition trusting that God is with us and will see us through.

Salvation is just the beginning, now we are to be shaped into the image of Jesus Christ, which is a lifetime process, called the renewing of the mind.  Our main battle is with our head, changing our worldview to heaven's view, seeing from above rather than beneath.  We cannot be fully delivered until our faith in God frees us from fear of the enemy.  So the children of Israel needed to not just leave Egypt but to see Pharaoh and his army drowned in the sea.  They needed a major shift in thinking before they could move forward to the Promised Land.  Until we believe we can change, the process can never begin.  A lot of us are living in defeat all because of our mentality.

Exodus 14:31 "When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him.  They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

The enemy is defeated when he no longer has a hold on us.  When all doors are closed, we have forgiven, and asked for forgiveness from all those who have wronged us and we have wronged ourselves.  We have nothing left to hide, no area of darkness, then the light of His glory can fill us to over flow.  Just like mined gold we are going through a process until we come out as gold.

Moses is a type of Christ, for he delivered the people of Israel out of Egypt, just as Jesus is the one who delivers us out of the world.  Moses led the children of Israel to places where they were tested just as the Holy Spirit does with us.  Our soul is like a field, for seeds to be planted and produce crops, all weeds must be removed from the soil.  So the children of Israel after rejoicing from being delivered from Pharaoh and his army were now led to Marah.

Marah - Bitterness

There is always a deeper reason for why we are complaining about something.  What triggers anger is what needs to be examined in order to find the root of bitterness and through surrender allow God our gardener to uproot it.  We blame others for our misfortunes due to past painful experiences, creating a wall of distrust, that makes trusting in God difficult to attain.  Until we get to the point of crying out for help, God our deliverer cannot heal.  

Many of us probably think that loving God is not a problem, it is loving people that is sometimes difficult.  But, to love God is to love His people.  If our past hurts from others holds us from obeying God's command to love others, then our love for Him runs short.  To be faithful to God is to be faithful to love people.

It was at Marah that God set the standard to test the children of Israel on their faithfulness.  It was upon their response that would determine if the same diseases that he sent to Egypt would affect them.  

How far will our love go?  If we have limitations we can just know tests will follow, and be repeated until we pass the test and are willing to share God's love with anyone at anytime.  This is what sets us apart from the world, God's love.  If we are not set apart from the world then the results of being separate from God fall on us as well.  Once we pass the test we are rewarded.  What held back God's promises are null and void, as times of refreshing come.  

Wilderness of Sin - Temptation

We may find cleaning a house hard, some things just need to be thrown away, but the memories attached to them make it difficult.  God is cleaning our house but it is not a solo job, He needs our cooperation, what we are not willing to let go of, He will not throw away.  

Have you ever had a friend pry into your business, asking you the questions you don't want to ask yourself?  Some of us have very few friends because of this, it may be the reason some don't get very involved in church.  Well, God is all about getting in our business, for when we committed our life to Him, we gave Him the right.  Friends are there to look out for us, to be hard on us when we need it, because they truly care.  God wants us free from our past, He wants us to fully enjoy Him, He does not want our house to remain dirty at all.

The children of Israel though they were slaves to sin enjoyed eating good food.  They didn't like the sacrifices they were having to make on this journey.  They forgot how miserable they had been and why they cried out to God in the first place.  It is amazing what people have done for temporary pleasure.  God is about preparing us for eternal reign with Him, yet we often can only think about our bellies.  If you want to find out how ugly the flesh is starve it for awhile.  God is trying to take us to a place where we are no longer slaves to sin, where temporary things are not what moves us.  Marah was about water, Sin was about food, God wants to be our main source for nourishment.  

The scriptures tell us that bodily exercise does good but it cannot compare to spiritual food.  Jesus said His food was to do the will of the Father.  When we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness all things are added.  When we put God first everything else will follow.

As leaders we often get the blame, but as God told Moses the people are not complaining against you but Me.  We cannot take it personal, in the process things get ugly, it is necessary, but lessons will eventually be learned.   God gave the people want they wanted, He proved to them that He will provide.  

We need to see through the delusion, what was in our past cannot compare to what God has in our future.  We cannot expect to go further in the process if we are looking back questioning if we would rather be in the world.

In application: Let us repent for aborting the process, being unfaithful, and ask God to bring the fire, burning out bitterness and removing temptation, setting our eyes straight, and giving us a willingness to face whatever is necessary in order to move forward in being formed into His image. 

Administering Deliverance - Life Lessons from Moses pt. 2

Have you ever began to help someone and thought "what did I get myself into?" Helping people get delivered from the enemy is not for the lighthearted.  The enemy will not go down without a fight.  If we are going to help someone we must be willing to be in it for the long haul.  It is good to start off well but winning teams are those that can finish well.  We must count the cost before we begin something, it is dishonoring to make promises and not follow through on them.

Moses went before Pharaoh and demanded that he let the children of Israel go.  Pharaoh's response was, "who do you think you are," instead of granting Moses command he increased the labor upon the Jews to an impossible degree with severe punishment that followed if they didn't meet the quota.

Have you ever prayed and matters got worse?  The enemy does fight back, he doesn't back down, victory is ours, but it takes consistent faith through persistent prayer.  I've seen boxing matches that had to be fixed, for the winner was so clear, yet the decision was contrary.  We are in a fixed fight, all we have to do is make it to the end of 12 rounds and not bow out, and victory is ours.

The enemy will turn up the heat of difficulty, with the hope of discrediting us among our peers, where we become the blame target, that through discouragement we may drop out.  We must be trained in the art of spiritual warfare or we will not be able to stand.  We need to be able to handle adversity, keeping our eyes on God's promises, with the understanding that a long battle is sometimes necessary for the full effect of God's greatness to be seen.  We must realize the domino effect of our decisions, for if a leader gives up, the people that look up to them will do the same.  Leaders decisions may be questioned but if they can remain steadfast and unmovable like Moses was with Pharaoh, loyal support will take place.

God's ways are not our ways, neither His will our will, it is okay to question Him, as long as we are willing to listen and learn.  The long showdown with Pharaoh was necessary, for each plague represented an object of Egyptian worship, and it was the necessary agent for the people to know that "He is Lord."

We cannot allow the voice of the majority to sway us from the voice of God.  Godly strength is seen when we are not moved by anyone or anything, but Him.  We must understand those in need of deliverance are weak from years of bondage, they need us to stand strong like Moses in the face of the enemy and demand that he let God's people go.  Persistent, Holy Spirit driven prayer, spoken with authority, cannot be denied.

Have you ever witnessed a sales person trying to sell something who you knew didn't believe in what they were selling?  It lacks authority, it is timid, not believable.  The enemy may strongly oppose us but if we believe we have the victory, then nothing will persuade us, and we will speak authoritatively, demanding what God promised until we get it.

Have you ever settled for less than what was best, or sold something for below it's worth value?  It never satisfies!  God does not compromise, what He has promised, He will deliver, as long as we refuse the enemy's pleas and bargains.  There is no partial deliverance, it is either all the way or no way.  We must see our deliverance and those we are delivering through.

Pharaoh got so tired of Moses that he didn't want to see him again.  We should be so persistent in prayer, so bold in action, that when Satan sees us coming, he runs.  We don't need to give Satan hardly any regard, he is a defeated foe.  As long as we are abiding in Christ he cannot do anything.  This does not mean to take him lightly, we must remain on guard, for he is waiting just for a moment where our shield is down, and he will run back in.

The children of Israel were finally allowed to get out of Egypt but it was short lived for Pharaoh said forget this, I'm going after them again.  Panic set in but Moses full of faith led the children of Israel through the Red Sea as complete deliverance finally came.

Next week we will learn that it is one thing to experience deliverance from the place of Egypt (salvation), it is another thing to be delivered from the Egypt within (the process of discipleship).

The Rescued - Life Lessons From Moses pt. 1

In this fallen world we find ourselves in need of rescue often.  Some of us like myself needed to be rescued from the very beginning.  My mother was diagnosed with severe schizophrenia and was in the cult group hare krishna when I was born (which is a miracle itself considering legal abortion).  I have a picture of me with a shaved head in the backyard of there facility in Seattle, WA around the age of one.  The cult planned to have me sent to India where the religion is based as I was seen as a "special child," whatever that meant.  My grandmother snuck into the facility abducted me, took legal custody, and I was rescued, sounds like a movie, huh!  Maybe this was the spark that gave me the desire from young to make a positive difference in the world.

In Egypt during the time of Moses due to the threat of population growth amongst the Jews, every male born would be murdered.  When hiding Moses was no longer an option he was placed in a basket in the Nile River with the hope that somehow someway he would survive.  Miraculously, He was rescued by Pharaoh's daughter, and still able to be nursed by his mother, and raised in Pharaoh's palace.

The initial years of a new born are of utmost importance in shaping there tomorrow.

Moses could have lived comfortably in the Palace,  denying the hardship of his people, but he had an inner drive that he was saved for a higher purpose than living for himself.  So as he matured and began to witness the cruel treatment of the Jews by the Egyptians he responded.  In our youthful zeal we lack the ability to control our emotions so our response is often extreme.  Moses in trying to do good did wrong, and now had to run from the law.

One cannot settle in the present if they are still running from the past.  Humility is learned through trial and error.  How many mistakes will we make before we choose to rely on God?  It is better to turn ourself in than to keep running from the law.  The consequences of breaking God's laws cannot be rectified with grace until we repent and surrender.

When Moses heart was open God was revealed.   Most people need a personal encounter with God like Moses had with the burning bush before they start walking out there purpose.  As God is revealed, we begin to understand why we have been through what we've been through, and how it can all be used for good.

The biggest struggle with believing God is being able to see beyond yourself.  If our current identity is based on our past mistakes we live with an inferiority complex.  No matter what God says we will find an excuse as we limit ourselves to what we are not.  Until we can acknowledge God as I AM, our faith will be crippled by fear.   Faith is not to be in ourselves but in Christ alone.  If God says it, He can do it, enough said, questions answered, Amen.

Not everything God reveals to us is for us to do.  We are part of a team, the body of Christ, each one with special gifts and abilities that together in Christ we can do all things.   Before we step out, we need to step in.  A team cannot develop without practice for how strong the team becomes will determine what opposition they can handle.  What we are capable of doing depends on who we are aligned with.
God gave Moses - Aaron, to be his spokesman,  since Moses faith wavered when it came to public speaking.  Some of the greatest speakers such as Benny Hinn, T.D. Jakes and Moses have had stuttering problems.  God strength is seen as we rely on Him in our weakness.  But, If we doubt, we will do without, if we believe, we will receive.

Another area of doubt is limiting what we can do by what we have.  Whatever we have been given as long as we walk by faith it will be magnified to what ever is needed.  God used the staff of Moses as the instrument of signs and wonders that would deliver His people.  Whatever we place in God's hands is no longer little.

The process of rescuing the world?  1.  It starts with God transforming the individual.  2.  It spreads to the family.  3.  Through the family, the church.  4.  Through the church, the community.  5.  Through the community, the nation.  6.  Through the nation, the world.

We cannot expect to rescue others until we first our rescued ourselves, next week in life lessons with Moses we will move beyond being rescued to becoming a rescuer.