This season of my life has been one big leap of faith. I have been trusting the Lord for new wisdom, new ability, and new strength, because I’m doing things that I’ve never even thought about doing before. The Lord has been enlarging my faith; He’s been enlarging my hope for things to come. And up until this point, everything was smooth sailing. I hadn’t seen much resistance. I hadn’t experienced much threat to the promise that God has given me. But, all of the sudden, everything changed.
You see, I began this journey with a sort of assurance in mind. The Lord set everything up perfectly. The risk didn’t seem as big. My choice to trust God didn’t feel so heavy. But now, I am staring at my worst nightmare. I’m on the edge of my promise, and when I look out at the world around me, it doesn’t seem like I will make it.
Right now, I can’t help but to be reminded of the Israelites as they were trapped between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army. I’m sure at first, they were relieved to have been rescued, but suddenly, they were faced with their worst nightmare…
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. (Exodus 14:10 NIV)
The Israelites cried out in fear, but I want us to pay attention to Moses’ response to them.
Moses answered the people, “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 14:13-14 NIV)
Do not be afraid. Stand firm.
This is what Moses told the terrified men and women, as they saw their lives flash before their eyes. He wanted them to know that regardless of what they saw…they could trust the Lord to fight for them...all they needed to do was stand still.
Now, as I sit here, in this position, I find it pretty interesting that Moses told them to stand still. I mean…what else were they supposed to do? They were trapped…completely surrounded. The truth is that they were absolutely powerless…or were they?
As I prayed concerning this week’s post, the Holy Spirit brought a passage from the book of Ephesians to mind…
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. (Ephesians 6:10-13)
We may not have an enemy that we can physically see, as the Israelites did. But make no mistake…we do have an adversary. We have an enemy that would love nothing more than to halt the plan that God has for our lives. According to the book of John he is a liar, and according to Revelation he is a deceiver.
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44 NIV)
So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:9 NKJV)
Our enemy is seeking to halt God’s plan for our lives.
We must pay attention to this, because we can’t see our enemy. He’s not an adversary that stands right in front of us. No. He works in our minds…through our own thoughts. He whispers lies, and twists the truth. He does whatever he can to deceive us into thinking that our faith is in vain. And we begin asking questions like…
What’s the point?
Why did I choose to trust God?
Am I crazy?
Should I just turn back?
When we’re standing on the edge of promise, the enemy would have us think that we are all out of options…that we have nothing left to give. But that is a lie.
When we run out of options…we still have our faith.
Moses said it like this…
“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 14:13-14 NIV)
And Paul said it like this…
…Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 'Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. (Ephesians 6:10-11)
When we feel threatened, we must stand firm.
Contrary to what the enemy wants us to believe…we are never out of options. We have the God of the universe on our side. He is our deliverer, our protector, our provider, and our guide. Our faith in Him is something that no one else can take away. So regardless of what we see…we can still choose faith.
We can put our trust in God because He will never let us drown.
'When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. (Isaiah 43:2 NLT)
I have to admit, I feel like I’m wading through deep waters. I feel like I’m going through rivers of difficulty, like I’m walking through the fire of oppression…and it doesn't feel good. In these last couple of weeks, I’ve questioned whether I did something wrong? Why is this happening to me? But then, I remember that God never promised me a smooth sailing journey to promise.
He never promised that we wouldn’t go through rivers of difficulty…only that we wouldn’t drown.
He never promised that we wouldn’t go through the fire of oppression…only that we would not be burned up.
Resistance does not mean that we should turn back.
On the contrary, when we’re on the edge of promise, and we’re faced with resistance, we must stand firm on the word of God.
I don’t know where you are on your journey of faith. I have no idea what resistance you may be facing right now, but I have a word from the Lord…STAND FIRM.
Like Paul said...put on the whole armor of God. Put on your belt…remember that God’s word is true. Put on your breastplate…remember that you are in right standing with God. Put on your shoes…remember that you have peace in Christ. Hold up your shield…because your faith crushes the schemes of the devil. Put on your helmet…to remind yourself that regardless of what you see or feel, you are saved. And then…use your sword (your weapon) ...to speak the truth of the word of God over your situation. And as Paul said, “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” (Ephesians 6:18 NLT)
It may feel like you are alone, but that is another one of Satan’s lies. You are never alone in this fight. There are believers all around the world fighting to bring the will of the Lord to pass…just like you.
I am right there…fighting with you. And I have been standing at what feels like the edge of my promise for a couple of weeks now. My emotions have been all over the place, but one thing that has not changed is my resolve. I have chosen to stand firm in faith, regardless of what I see or feel. And I challenge you to do the same.
Faith is a choice.
Right now, you have a choice. You can continue to tremble in fear. You can continue to worry about the future. Or, you can stand firm on the word of God. You can stand in His strength. You can stand in His peace. You can stand in His love. It doesn’t matter what your situation looks like….He will not let you drown. That is His promise to you. It’s a promise that by faith, you must continue to hold on to.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for creating me, thank you for loving me, and thank you for choosing me to be a part of your amazing plan. Today, I want to recommit my hope and faith in you. I have decided that I will walk by faith, regardless of what my circumstances look like. Father, forgive me for questioning your sovereignty and intentions. Forgive me for even thinking about turning back. All I want is for your will to be done in my life. I want to be a part of what you are doing on the earth. So, instead of throwing in the towel, I will put on the armor that you have given me. I will press forward. I will stand firm. And I will wait for you. I know that you will never let me down. I love you, Father. In the name of Yeshua, the Messiah, I pray. Amen.
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