DON’T FRET AT THE RED SEA

 

While on their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, the Israelites encountered many challenges. One such challenge was their experience at the Red Sea. They found themselves sandwiched between the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptian army behind them. The dilemma was obvious; the Red Sea had stopped their progress forward, and the army behind them would attack if they couldn’t quickly get out of their reach. They were nervous!

Moses, their leader, did what came to him naturally: he called on God! When we are in the will of God, as Moses was, it is easy to know what to do when things go wrong in the process:  pray. God answered Moses’ prayer! He instructed Moses: “Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground” (Exodus 14:15). Moses did exactly as God commanded; he asked no questions. When we ask God for directions, we need to be ready to act on His direction whether or not we understand or agree with it. When God directs, He does not ask for our input or suggestions. He expects us to obey Him. Period!

To the Israelites’ surprise, the sea parted when Moses raised his staff over the sea; they were able to walk on dry ground to the other side. I wonder, did they hesitate to take the first step? Were they afraid the waters might come rolling back on them? Maybe they didn’t have enough time to worry about that. 

Are you at your own Red Sea: at a loss, not knowing how to get out of a difficult situation? You are not alone; I’ve been there, and so have many others. Try Moses’ approach: pray in faith, wait for God’s timing, and follow His direction without question or reservation.  It works! God bless you as you call on Him, and obey His leading! 

GOD HAS DIFFERENT WAYS OF SOLVING A PROBLEM, EXCEPT WHEN IT COMES TO SALVATION

God created the world mainly by the Word of His mouth, saying, “Let there be.” He has since then done numerous other things in different ways with the same results. Below are a few of those times:

●      In Egypt, He turned water into blood, but in Cana, He turned water into wine (Exodus 7:20; John 6:6-10).

●      Once, Jesus healed two blind men by touching their eyes because they confessed that they believed He could heal them. He also told them it would happen because of their faith. But on another occasion, Jesus spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, spread the dirt on a blind man’s eyes, and instructed him to wash in the Siloam pool (Matthew 9:28-29; John 9:6). Although methods were different, the result was the same: sight was restored.

●      The city of Jericho was conquered without weapons: the Israelites marched quietly (except for the priests blowing their horns) around the city once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh day. On the last round, they shouted, and the walls collapsed. The strategy that gave them victory in the city of Ai was quite different from the strategy at Jericho. God instructed the Israelites to lay an ambush behind the city and attack it from the front so that when the Ai troops engaged them and chased them out of the city, those in ambush would attack the city from the rear and conquer it. In both cases, the Israelites were victorious, but the strategies were different. (Joshua 6:1-20; 8:3-19).  

 

Salvation, however, is a one-way process; nothing else will do!     

Salvation is the process by which sinners are brought into a personal relationship with God because Jesus took mankind’s sin on Himself when He died on the cross and rose again on the third day. Salvation is called by many names, including being born again, becoming a child of God, and being adopted into God’s family.

Why do we need to be saved, and from what? Having inherited the sinful nature of our fore-parents, Adam and Eve, we are alienated from God just like they were; the Bible says we are His enemies. We need our sins forgiven for the relationship to change from enemies to friends. If we don’t get forgiven before we depart this world, our destination after this life will be hell; it will be too late to do differently.

So, how does this process work? The Bible tells us: “This is how God loved the world {people}: he gave his one and only Son {Jesus} so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). So out of God’s love for mankind, He had Jesus die in payment for man’s sins. And the only way this would apply to anybody is for each person to individually pray to God, admitting that they are a sinner, and accept Jesus’ sacrifice in their place. And Jesus Himself said clearly to His disciples, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

God forgives each person who asks for forgiveness and indwells that person with His Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells the person as evidence that the individual who prayed has become a child of God; his sins have been washed away, never to be remembered. As the Scripture says, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). 

Individuals who think they can get to heaven through any other than Jesus are frighteningly mistaken. God does not go back on his Word; it will always be as He says or not at all. Dear reader, don’t count on your good deeds or some other religion; none of those will save you. This is the time to decide to be a child of God or His enemy; God will honor your choice either way, and you have to live with your choice forever, with no possibility to change your mind in eternity. Please give this serious thought and choose wisely; time is running out!

A SONG IN THE NIGHT

 

What do you think of nighttime? Some synonyms for the word include hours of darkness, night, dark, and darkness. Sometimes, we refer to life’s difficulties as nighttime, and we look forward to daytime when things will be different. What do we do while we wait for the clarity of the day? The easiest option is to worry; some even get depressed, short-tempered, and withdrawn, even though we know and tell ourselves we should be praying. 

Paul and Silas took a different path. They had been jailed by the authorities. Although they could have lain awake worrying, they sang praises to God. They could have wondered what their fate would be in the morning, how they could get out of their situation, and on and on. Instead, they praised God, knowing He knew all about their situation, that He’d rescue them, and could bring good out of that situation. 

How did they get to be in jail anyway? They hadn’t committed any crime; they were doing what they believed was right. They had cast out a demon from a slave girl who was making money for her owners by fortune-telling. Needless to say, the owners were unhappy when they lost their source of income. Consequently, Paul and Silas were brought before the magistrate, who had them imprisoned (see Acts 16:16-24).

Are you struggling with a situation (darkness) in your life that was not the result of anything you’ve done wrong? What are you doing about it? Are you trying to justify yourself, thinking about how unfair life has been to you, or are you going to pray and sing amid your trouble? From experience, the apostle Paul knew the benefits of giving thanks in all circumstances, including dark ones (see Romans 8:28).

How did their jail experience end? You might ask. God responded; He intervened! He sent an earthquake, violent enough to shake the prison's foundations, fling the prison doors open, and loosen every prisoner’s chains. Before the earthquake, Paul and Silas did not know how, when, or if God would intervene, but they trusted Him to work it all out. And He did!

 result

Like the three Jewish boys in Babylon (see Daniel 3:1-30), God’s deliverance or intervention was not the basis of their decisions to praise or obey God; it was their determination to obey God, no matter the outcome. Can you and I just trust God with our problems in an attitude of praise? If we postpone praise until the night is past, we might not be praising any time soon because with God, one day is like a thousand and a thousand like a day.

Through that experience, the jailer and all his family became Christians. So, all things did work out for good. People were saved; Paul and Silas experienced God’s faithfulness repeatedly. The Bible doesn’t name the song they were singing, and I don’t think that makes any difference. Most importantly, they were praying and singing hymns to God. Their night didn’t stop them from singing. Does yours?

 

God loves us so much; He can’t wait to bless us! He desires to bless us non-stop. And, of course, we want to be blessed, but what’s stopping Him from blessing us? The answer is simple—our disobedience!

I can literally hear and feel the pain in God’s voice when He says things like, “Oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!” (Psalm 81:13) He can’t contain Himself at the thought of all that He’d do to bless us: “How quickly I would then subdue their enemies! How soon my hands would be upon their foes!” (Verse 14)

In verse 8, He says, “Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings. O Israel, if you would only listen to me!” God is hurting over the fact that there are so many ways He could bless us, but He is unable to because of our dull ears and hearts. We don’t listen, and when we hear, we don’t obey. How sad! He is pleading with us sinners: “Listen to me!” 

He even found it necessary to reintroduce Himself to them (us): “It was I, the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt.” Then He quickly added, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things” (verse 10). What are we waiting for? Why is it so hard for us to obey? He is waiting to bless us! Don’t we understand the price He paid to redeem us? The apostle Paul admonishes us, “God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world” (1 Corinthians 7:23). We are that precious in His sight. A mother would spend her last penny on her child, demonstrating that even we sinners know how to give good gifts to our children. God cannot do any less (see Matthew 7:11).

His promised blessings include, “Now I will take the load from your shoulders; I will free your hands from their heavy tasks” (verse 6). “I would feed you with the finest wheat. I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock” (verse 16). What more do we want? Our God is able; the whole world belongs to Him, including us. He has given us the freedom to choose so we can love, serve, and obey Him by choice, not by compulsion. He could make us obey Him, but that wouldn’t bring Him the satisfaction of us willingly following Him in obedience. 

After all the failed coaxing, He declared, “But no, my people wouldn’t listen. Israel did not want me around. So, I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas” (verse 11-12). How sad and disappointing!

God is longing for a meaningful relationship with us, His children. Let’s respond with the same kind of yearning. This world is passing away, and only those who do the will of God will abide forever. My heart’s cry is, “Lord, I love you; help me love you more through obedience.” What’s your heart’s cry today?

Moses was called the friend of God. Why? Because Moses yearned to know God: “Show me your glorious presence” (Exodus 33:18). Do you know God enough? Are you content with where you are in your walk? If not, then let’s put worldliness behind us and seek after Him earnestly, with all our hearts. That’s the only way we will be happy and satisfied in our Christian walk and the only way God will open the windows of heaven and pour His countless blessings on us.      

Here is a promise we can live by: “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). May God help us to seek after Him with all our hearts!    

GOD'S HEART IS YEARNING TO BLESS US

 

God loves us so much; He can’t wait to bless us! He desires to bless us non-stop. And, of course, we want to be blessed, but what’s stopping Him from blessing us? The answer is simple—our disobedience!

I can literally hear and feel the pain in God’s voice when He says things like, “Oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!” (Psalm 81:13). He can’t contain Himself at the thought of all that He’d do to bless us: “How quickly I would then subdue their enemies! How soon my hands would be upon their foes!” (Verse 14)

In verse 8, He says, “Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings. O Israel, if you would only listen to me!” God is hurting over the fact that there are so many ways He could bless us, but He is unable to because of our dull ears and hearts. We don’t listen, and when we hear, we don’t obey. How sad! He is pleading with us sinners: “Listen to me!” 

He even found it necessary to reintroduce Himself to them (us): “It was I, the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt.” Then He quickly added, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things” (verse 10). What are we waiting for? Why is it so hard for us to obey? He is waiting to bless us! Don’t we understand the price He paid to redeem us? The apostle Paul admonishes us, “God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world” (1 Corinthians 7:23). We are that precious in His sight. A mother would spend her last penny on her child, demonstrating that even we sinners know how to give good gifts to our children. God cannot do any less (see Matthew 7:11).

His promised blessings include, “Now I will take the load from your shoulders; I will free your hands from their heavy tasks” (verse 6). “I would feed you with the finest wheat. I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock” (verse 16). What more do we want? Our God is able; the whole world belongs to Him, including us. He has given us the freedom to choose so we can love, serve, and obey Him by choice, not by compulsion. He could make us obey Him, but that wouldn’t bring Him the satisfaction of us willingly following Him in obedience. 

After all the failed coaxing, He declared, “But no, my people wouldn’t listen. Israel did not want me around. So, I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas” (verse 11-12). How sad and disappointing!

God is longing for a meaningful relationship with us, His children. Let’s respond with the same kind of yearning. This world is passing away, and only those who do the will of God will abide forever. My heart’s cry is, “Lord, I love you; help me love you more through obedience.” What’s your heart’s cry today?

Moses was called the friend of God. Why? Because Moses yearned to know God: “Show me your glorious presence” (Exodus 33:18). Do you know God enough? Are you content with where you are in your walk? If not, then let’s put worldliness behind us and seek after Him earnestly, with all our hearts. That’s the only way we will be happy and satisfied in our Christian walk and the only way God will open the windows of heaven and pour His countless blessings on us.      

Here is a promise we can live by: “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). May God help us to seek after Him with all our hearts!    

GOD’S HEART IS YEARNING TO BLESS YOU!

 

God loves us so much; He can’t wait to bless us! He desires to bless us non-stop. And, of course, we want to be blessed, but what’s stopping Him from blessing us? The answer is simple—our disobedience!

I can literally hear and feel the pain in God’s voice when He says things like, “Oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!” (Psalm 81:13) He can’t contain Himself at the thought of all that He’d do to bless us: “How quickly I would then subdue their enemies! How soon my hands would be upon their foes!” (Verse 14)

In verse 8, He says, “Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings. O Israel, if you would only listen to me!” God is hurting over the fact that there are so many ways He could bless us, but He is unable to because of our dull ears and hearts. We don’t listen, and when we hear, we don’t obey. How sad! He is pleading with us sinners: “Listen to me!” 

He even found it necessary to reintroduce Himself to them (us): “It was I, the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt.” Then He quickly added, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things” (verse 10). What are we waiting for? Why is it so hard for us to obey? He is waiting to bless us! Don’t we understand the price He paid to redeem us? The apostle Paul admonishes us, “God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world” (1 Corinthians 7:23). We are that precious in His sight. A mother would spend her last penny on her child, demonstrating that even we sinners know how to give good gifts to our children. God cannot do any less (see Matthew 7:11).

His promised blessings include, “Now I will take the load from your shoulders; I will free your hands from their heavy tasks” (verse 6). “I would feed you with the finest wheat. I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock” (verse 16). What more do we want? Our God is able; the whole world belongs to Him, including us. He has given us the freedom to choose so we can love, serve, and obey Him by choice, not by compulsion. He could make us obey Him, but that wouldn’t bring Him the satisfaction of us willingly following Him in obedience. 

After all the failed coaxing, He declared, “But no, my people wouldn’t listen. Israel did not want me around. So, I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas” (verse 11-12). How sad and disappointing!

God is longing for a meaningful relationship with us, His children. Let’s respond with the same kind of yearning. This world is passing away, and only those who do the will of God will abide forever. My heart’s cry is, “Lord, I love you; help me love you more through obedience.” What’s your heart’s cry today?

Moses was called the friend of God. Why? Because Moses yearned to know God: “Show me your glorious presence” (Exodus 33:18). Do you know God enough? Are you content with where you are in your walk? If not, then let’s put worldliness behind us and seek after Him earnestly, with all our hearts. That’s the only way we will be happy and satisfied in our Christian walk and the only way God will open the windows of heaven and pour His countless blessings on us.      

Here is a promise we can live by: “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). May God help us to seek after Him with all our hearts!    

GOD’S COMMANDS NEED NO EDITING!

 

Editing is preparing a document for publication by correcting, rewriting, or updating it. Writers and authors know the benefits of editing; after reading one's own work repeatedly, mistakes can still be missed. A fresh pair of eyes catch overlooked errors, thus making the document more polished. Editing can sometimes alter the author's intended message, however.

There are many instances when, knowingly or unknowingly, we edit God's commands. We do this by misinterpreting what God says; we pick orders apart, take the pieces that appeal to us, and ignore what we find non-palatable. Both Christians and unbelievers are guilty of tampering with God's instructions.

We can find an excellent example of this behavior in the Book of First Samuel. God commanded Saul through Samuel: "I have decided to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came from Egypt. Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation—men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys" (1 Samuel 15:2-3). King Saul led his army of 210, 000 soldiers to go and carry out God's command.

Nothing should have gone wrong with such precise instruction, but something did. "Saul and his men spared king Agag's life and the best of the sheep and goats, the cattle, the fat calves, and the lambs—everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality" (1 Samuel 15:9).

What didn't Saul understand about the word ENTIRE? When he met Samuel on his return from the campaign, he said, "I have carried out the Lord's command!" (Verse 13). When confronted with the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle, he explained: "The army indeed spared the best of the sheep, goats, and cattle. But they are going to sacrifice them to the Lord your God. We have destroyed everything else" (verse 15). God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He did not need the Amalekites' cattle; he wanted them destroyed, period!

Samuel's rebuke went like this: "What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams" Verse 22). Let's learn a lesson from that.

Needless to say, God was heartbroken about Saul's disobedience; He rejected Saul as king. Later, the kingdom was transferred from Saul's family to David and his descendants.

How did Saul think he had obeyed God when he didn't destroy everything? It's sad, but we sometimes fall into the same trap. For instance, when we know God wants us to take action about something, we put it off, sometimes indefinitely. When we finally get around to doing it, we convince ourselves that we have obeyed Him. We must obey God promptly every time; His command should precede everything else.

It's not enough to say we love the Lord; we should honor and obey Him as proof of that love. Although He doesn't have to reward our obedience, He often does. In the book of Malachi, the Lord confronted the Israelite priests (and us) about bringing Him unworthy sacrifices: "A Son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? (Malachi 1:6).

Let's be careful how we live our Christian lives; God is watching! He will reward or rebuke us accordingly!