"Then they said to Moses: "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt to leave us alone and let us serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" Moses answered the Israelites "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." -Exodus 14:10-14.
This week I have been reading in Exodus as for the second year in a row, I am going to read the Bible entirely during the year. If you have never done this, I highly recommend it. There are two things that really help me focus on diving into God's word: 1. Daily reading of the Bible for that day's text, and 2. Writing this blog. The thing that I find very helpful with a daily Bible reading plan is that I schedule it first thing in the morning. Having that time with God and praying over His word is the best way to offer the first fruits to Him, and it gets you set up for the day.
Back to Exodus-As I read through this week, the thing that stood out the most for me was the immense pain and hardship that both the Israelites and the Egyptians went through all for God's glory. There were plagues, hail storms that destroyed everything, and most known: death to the first born son. God had a plan with each and every ocurrance to ultimately show that He was in control. That message would either be reiterated to the Israelites and strengthen what they knew in their hearts, or it would start as an ember of fire that would ignite the warming of a hardened heart of the Egyptians.
In the verses above, I notice once again a very common theme for me. God is in control, yet we question Him. How could the Israelites not question God? They are in between water and the Egyptian army. They are sitting ducks! Yet, Moses responds that they should not be afraid and to stand firm so that they can see the deliverance the Lord will bring. Have you ever been in a situation like this? You've been battling, surviving, getting through, and then all the sudden you're in what appears to be a losing situation? You look at your options to "get out" and there are zero. What do you do in that moment?
You must remember that no matter the circumstances, no matter what lies before you, there is always an out. Instead of getting out though, you must get in. You must get into the Holy Spirit and dive fully into trusting the Lord. You must get into your prayer closet and close the door. You must remember all the pain you have been through and how God delivered you from the prior situations and made you stronger. You must be thankful that no matter what you are going through that you can shout out the name of Jesus for He is the one who has won and will win every battle!
Last week I asked you to write down what you were questioning today. I hope that through prayer last week God has opened or closed some doors to help you with that answer. This week I want you to write down something else. I want you to write down your biggest struggles from your past. I want you to evaluate those struggles and from a divine perspective (God's eyes) I ask you to write out how you survived and made it through, and how that time has helped you today. I'll share an example: When I was younger I was very small. Like so small that I'm pretty sure I never had a date in high-school that was shorter than me. During that time, I was constantly beat up by older kids. It was not a fun time of my life. However, I'm able to look back and see what that did for me. I can see that it made me focus on my golf game. I dedicated my time to being the best golfer I could be. This gave me so many opportunities as I went on to play golf in college, and just so happened to be roommates with the world's #1 ranked golfer! The struggles that were put on me sharpened my drive and persistence that then would help me in business and beyond today. It's moments like this that I like to look back on because it shows God's work and deliverance out of a bad situation.
My prayer for you this week is that whatever you are facing now or about to face, that you put your full trust in Jesus and know that you always have the most perfect battle companion. Looking back at your past and the past stories in the Bible is a great way to remember all that God has done for you and for others. It is a great reminder that God will get you through and that He is for you!
Have a great week!
Cameron
Song of the Week: O Praise the Name
This week I have been reading in Exodus as for the second year in a row, I am going to read the Bible entirely during the year. If you have never done this, I highly recommend it. There are two things that really help me focus on diving into God's word: 1. Daily reading of the Bible for that day's text, and 2. Writing this blog. The thing that I find very helpful with a daily Bible reading plan is that I schedule it first thing in the morning. Having that time with God and praying over His word is the best way to offer the first fruits to Him, and it gets you set up for the day.
Back to Exodus-As I read through this week, the thing that stood out the most for me was the immense pain and hardship that both the Israelites and the Egyptians went through all for God's glory. There were plagues, hail storms that destroyed everything, and most known: death to the first born son. God had a plan with each and every ocurrance to ultimately show that He was in control. That message would either be reiterated to the Israelites and strengthen what they knew in their hearts, or it would start as an ember of fire that would ignite the warming of a hardened heart of the Egyptians.
In the verses above, I notice once again a very common theme for me. God is in control, yet we question Him. How could the Israelites not question God? They are in between water and the Egyptian army. They are sitting ducks! Yet, Moses responds that they should not be afraid and to stand firm so that they can see the deliverance the Lord will bring. Have you ever been in a situation like this? You've been battling, surviving, getting through, and then all the sudden you're in what appears to be a losing situation? You look at your options to "get out" and there are zero. What do you do in that moment?
You must remember that no matter the circumstances, no matter what lies before you, there is always an out. Instead of getting out though, you must get in. You must get into the Holy Spirit and dive fully into trusting the Lord. You must get into your prayer closet and close the door. You must remember all the pain you have been through and how God delivered you from the prior situations and made you stronger. You must be thankful that no matter what you are going through that you can shout out the name of Jesus for He is the one who has won and will win every battle!
Last week I asked you to write down what you were questioning today. I hope that through prayer last week God has opened or closed some doors to help you with that answer. This week I want you to write down something else. I want you to write down your biggest struggles from your past. I want you to evaluate those struggles and from a divine perspective (God's eyes) I ask you to write out how you survived and made it through, and how that time has helped you today. I'll share an example: When I was younger I was very small. Like so small that I'm pretty sure I never had a date in high-school that was shorter than me. During that time, I was constantly beat up by older kids. It was not a fun time of my life. However, I'm able to look back and see what that did for me. I can see that it made me focus on my golf game. I dedicated my time to being the best golfer I could be. This gave me so many opportunities as I went on to play golf in college, and just so happened to be roommates with the world's #1 ranked golfer! The struggles that were put on me sharpened my drive and persistence that then would help me in business and beyond today. It's moments like this that I like to look back on because it shows God's work and deliverance out of a bad situation.
My prayer for you this week is that whatever you are facing now or about to face, that you put your full trust in Jesus and know that you always have the most perfect battle companion. Looking back at your past and the past stories in the Bible is a great way to remember all that God has done for you and for others. It is a great reminder that God will get you through and that He is for you!
Have a great week!
Cameron
Song of the Week: O Praise the Name
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