In The Wilderness

[00:00:10] Hey, everybody. Pastor Chuck Allen here. Welcome to Friday. I'm so glad that you've joined me on this Friday. If you're wondering what's going on, my voice, I was diagnosed with COVID yesterday, so I'm recording from home and it's a little scratchy. Hopefully I'll be good to go by Sunday, but working on it. [00:00:29] Good morning or good afternoon, whatever time you're listening. Thanks again. [00:00:34] Thanks for letting me spend a few minutes each day this week walking through Exodus. A lot's happened over this this week. And, you know, if the story were to end with them going free from Egypt, that'd be one thing, it'd be a nice story. But it doesn't. Because just a few days into their freedom, Pharaoh changes his mind. And he gathers his chariots and his armies. And you know it from seeing Charlton Hess and the Ten Commandments. And Israel ends up camped by the Red Sea in front of them and the whole Egyptian army behind them. And in verse 10, in Exodus 14, it says, as Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them, and they cried out to the Lord. Doesn't that sound just like us? [00:01:23] I mean, I guarantee you, you've been there. You finally made it out at something. You finally took that step of faith. And instead of things getting easier, it feels like everything's closing in on you. The past is chasing you. There's no clear way forward. [00:01:39] And some of us are in the middle of that right now, on the way to work, walking on a treadmill, taking a walk, or at a lunch break. [00:01:46] And there's something between your Pharaoh and your sea. [00:01:51] And listen to what the people say to Moses in verses 11, 12. It's almost sarcastic in those two verses. [00:01:58] Weren't there enough graves for us in Egypt? And then they say it's better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness. [00:02:06] That's what fear does to us, y'. All. Fear makes the prison that we escaped from look like a safe place just to rewrite our memory and make bondage sound better. That's how the enemy loves to talk to us. Be careful. When fear starts telling you to go back to that, then Moses stands up and says some of the most steadying words in Scripture. And it's why I waited till Friday and bypassed it yesterday. [00:02:34] Because in verses 13 and 14, Moses told the people, don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. [00:02:42] The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. [00:02:47] The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm. [00:02:53] The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm. [00:02:58] I want you to write that one down somewhere today. [00:03:01] You're not fighting for this alone. [00:03:04] There's some battles that are simply above your pay grade, and God never intended for you to win them in your own strength. [00:03:12] Your job is to stay calm and keep your eyes on him. [00:03:17] But here's what I love about this chapter. This is why I saved it for Friday. [00:03:22] Right after Moses says, stand still, God says something that sounds like the opposite. Then the Lord said to Moses, why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving. So which is it? Stand still or get moving? I think the answer is both. Stand still on the inside, let your heart settle and quit panicking. And then move forward on the outside in obedience, even before the path is fully clear. [00:03:50] God told Moses to raise a staff over the sea, that same ordinary staff that earlier this week he used. And when he did, the waters divided. Same staff he throws down and becomes a snake. And the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground. Now, notice that the sea didn't part while they sat on the shore arguing about Egypt. It parted as they moved forward in trust. [00:04:16] Sometimes God's not going to show you the whole path until you take the first step. [00:04:21] The way through often can appear at the edge of the water. And by the end of the chapter, the army that was chasing them is gone. The very thing that they were most afraid of that morning, they never saw again. [00:04:34] I don't know what's chasing you today. [00:04:36] It might be an old habit, it might be an old hurt, might be an old voice telling you you're never going to be free. [00:04:43] But the God who brought you out is not going to abandon you at the shoreline. He didn't bring you this far to leave you. [00:04:50] So here's what I want you to do today. [00:04:53] When the pressure comes, take a deep breath and say it out loud. The Lord himself will fight for me. [00:05:02] Let that calm you down on the inside. [00:05:05] Then take the next faithful step, even if it's a small one. Stand still in your spirit and keep moving with your feet. [00:05:15] All right, y', all, that's all for this week. I hope you've enjoyed your journey through Exodus. I'd love to hear from you, and I'd love to know what your thoughts are or maybe even let me know. What's a topic you'd like for us to talk about? You can send me an email chuckugarhillchurch.com chuckugarhillchurch.com I' beginning from thanks again for joining me on this week in this Day Podcast finances.