QUOTE FIVE
WHEN YOU CAN’T SEE A WAY, LOOK INWARDS, YOU CAN CREATE ONE.
“And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: but lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.” Exodus 14:15-16
One of the greatest true life tales in the bible is the story of the exodus of Israel from Egypt. The might of God was on full steam, Egypt had no option but to let Israel leave their land, being afraid that every one of them [Egyptians] might die.
After leaving Egypt, Israel met a sea blockade of the Red Sea, interrupting their journey to the promise land. Meanwhile, Pharaoh and the armies of Egypt were hotly on the heels of the departed Israelites and were quickly closing in on them at the Red sea where Israel had stopped for lack of a passage route. The people of Israel were terrified, alarmed and their courage torn to shreds by the sight of the approaching Egyptian army. The exodus party was momentarily disrupted by the predicament that stared them in the face. They were hemmed in; there was no escape route. It looked like at the moment death was imminent and destruction was inevitable.
However, thanks be to God for courageous Moses. When there was no way to go, Moses had encouraging words to speak to the alarmed Israelites. What Moses did in this tale is quite instructive and inspiring for anyone who can’t see a way through.
REMAIN CONFIDENT
When mayhem brewed, Moses’ courage never waned; he was still brimming with confidence. The people fretted, but Moses never broke a sweat for the obviously approaching calamity. He encouraged the people saying:
“…Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, ye shall see them no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” Ex.14:13-14
That was the sound and strength of Moses’s confidence in finding a way out. Moses may have had no clue as to how the situation will be sorted out, which made him cry to God (see verse 15), but he had confidence that the same God that brought them out of Egypt will take them through the prevalent situation. And I want to announce to you that you may be in a situation and can’t see a way out, the same God who has kept you alive till this moment will come through for you.
There are many times when challenges seem to puncture our courage and drive to move forward; such times when the future seems bleak and hope looks foolish. Moses was there, and we can take a lead from him. When challenges run wild and drive you towards fear, worry, complaints, murmuring, etc look inside, you can still make a choice to be calm.
Notice that Moses was not confident because he already knew what to do. On the contrary, it was after his burst of confidence in verses 13 and 14 that God showed up in verse 15 to tell him what to do. That means, God had not showed him how to surmount the problem, but after his display of courage in the face of danger, God arrived with an answer.
Let your courage precede the answer that you seek. The bible says, “cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward” Heb. 10:35.
God rewards confidence in him. Your confidence today can deliver your answer for tomorrow. Confidence in God is a major foundation for a life of results. Confidence in God sets you up for results and a lack of it gives you no credit; lack of confidence is one route to mediocrity.
FOLLOW GOD’S WORD
“And the Lord said to Moses…” Ex. 14:15
That phrase is what you see littered from Exodus through Deuteronomy. It was the life style of Moses. Moses was that man that would meet every challenge with the word of God. While the people cried and complained, Moses was listening for God’s voice.
That challenge before you will not respond to your worries and your fears, it will definitely respond to the word of God. Jesus asks,
“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Matt. 6:27. [NIV]
The answer is definitely no one. The situation will not be made better by your worrying. Look for God’s word! Every issue has an answer in the word of God. Look for God’s word! When life’s challenges cast a dark shadow over your life, look for God’s word. It has a way of shining light on the issue so you can see where the knot is tied. Psalms 119:105 says,
“Thy word is lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
That means, no matter how dark and gloomy a case has become, God’s word is still dependable to provide illumination on how to go about the matter. No matter the area of life, business, career, academics, family, health, ministry, sports, a decision to be made etc, God’s word can shock you with a ready answer on the way forward.
ADDRESS THAT WORRY
“And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Isreal, that they go forward:” Ex. 14:15
Worry is a negative emotion, and it has the capacity to wear out productivity or positive results.
The first thing that God told Moses to do was to speak to the worrying Israelites. Before Moses would find a way for Israel to pass through, God instructed him to first address the voices of worry that were risen around him.
In the midst of trials and challenges, never allow worry to raise its voice in your mind. It has the capacity to stifle your faith and drain you of spiritual energy. When worry speaks it erects walls of limitations in your mind. So, the first thing to do is to speak God’s word back to the voice of worry
WHAT DO YOU HAVE?
“And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, a rod.” Exodus 4:2
“But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it:” Exodus 14:16
Israel was in disarray after meeting the dilemma of the Red Sea and the approaching Egyptian Army. It is interesting to note how God solved the puzzle. God didn’t need to look too far. He resorted to what was available to create what was desirable. God did not need to be extravagant in his approach in order to create the expected extra-ordinary. He simply asked for the staff/rod of Moses.
Many times the answer to your question, confusion, and puzzle is right beside you. You may have ignored that simple but effective answer that you seek. I pray today, that God will open your eyes of understanding so you can see that which you have, that can answer your questions. The breakthrough you seek may simply be in what you have to do or refrain from doing. If you pause a moment and look inside, you may well find the answer you have been looking for.
Now, notice this, when Elisha was met by the widow in Shunem, he asked her two questions:
“And Elisha said unto her, what shall I do for thee? What hast thou in the house?...” 2Kings 4:2;
From the two questions, we can deduce that Elisha was trying to tell the woman that what he can do for her is tied to what she has in her house. That is how God works, the miracle you are expecting is tied to something God has deposited in you. See this:
“Now unto him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” Ephesians 3:20.
God exceeding your expectations and making that impossibility possible is tied to the power he has already deposited in you. You don’t need to look too far, you only need to look too deep within you, the answer is there.
Also, it looks like God was trying to show through Elisha’s questions that no matter how decimated a person is, there is still something he/she has that God can work with. According to God’s perspective, everybody has something useful that can be used to produce a desired result. When God spoke to Moses about going to Egypt to deliver Israel, Moses had nothing but his shepherd’s staff, yet that was more than enough to accomplish his God given assignment. Never underestimate whatever gift you have; you may never know how far God can take you on the wings of that seemingly small or simple gift. That seeming little gift may be the key to unlocking the doors you have been knocking on for so long. Appreciate that gift, nurture it, build it up and trust God to breath on it to produce.
When Jesus was faced with a crowd of Jews to be fed, the most negligible meal, a little boy’s launch of 5 loaves of bread and two fishes, was all he needed to make the world marvel. From that same crowd that needed food, Jesus looked inside and found a solution. Look inside you, you may find a way out to that dilemma.
I can say again that from God’s perspective everybody has something profitable. The parable of the talents illustrates that truth vividly. Hear what the master of the servants said:
“For everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance, but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.” Matthew 25:29
The question is how can you take something from someone who does not have anything? But that is what God is saying. The master in that parable said that the person who says he has nothing will eventually lose what he has. That means that the person who says he has nothing is obviously neglecting or ignoring something that God has given him. That scripture is trying to show us that from God’s perspective, everybody has something that God has put inside of them; nobody was created empty of profit yielding grace or ability. However, if one ignores or neglects what he has, the opportunity of using that same gift may be lost to someone else who would find it useful.
DISAPPOINT YOUR WORRIES
“And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak thou unto the children of Isreal, that they go forward:” Exodus 14:15
God at this point speaks to Moses. The Israelites were harassed with fear and torn apart by dismay. There were all forms of alarm around Moses. Some persons were already saying that it was a wrong idea to have followed Moses in the first place. Nevertheless, God is awesome in how he shows Moses what to do in the midst of so much worries. God speaks to Moses, after addressing his worry, to disappoint the worry by telling the Israelites to go forward despite their challenges. That means after you have told your worry what God says, believe that what you said will become your reality; forget the challenge and get forward with your life.
The voices of worry were all around Moses. The plan of the enemy was to make Moses as alarmed as the voices of fear around him. God’s plan for Moses was to disappoint his worries and go forward. God wanted Moses to forget the challenge and engage in positive actions.
Worrying will not take you to your expected end, it will only bring retardation; but faith in God will take you to that desired end. So, disappoint your worries, engage in positive actions. That way you can maintain continuous progress.
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
“But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.” Exodus 14:16
The tone of God’s voice is quite instructive. Note the following phrases:
“But lift thou up thy rod”
“stretch out thine hand”
“and divide it”
Notice that the rod that God was asking Moses to raise was “thy rod” i.e. Moses’ rod, not someone else’s rod. The hand to be stretched out is “thine hand” i.e. Moses’ hand. And the responsibility of dividing the sea, God placed it on Moses. God said to Moses, “divide it”. That means God was expecting Moses to divide the Red Sea, instead of Moses expecting God to divide the Red sea for Israel. Simple, God was trying to tell Moses to take responsibility for what happens to him and the Israelites. God was trying to show that Moses has the responsibility or duty of determining what becomes of him and the Israelites by the actions and decisions he embarks on.
Many times we wonder why God has not showed up, but many times God is expecting you to take responsibility with your actions so he can show up on your behalf. That is exactly what happened in the scripture. In verse 21 it says,
“And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the Sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night…”
Immediately Moses assumed responsibility for dividing the Red sea God stepped into action by sending a strong east wind to drive the sea back.
Friend, when you assume responsibility for your life (what should happen to you and what should not) then God will swing into activity to make your expectations a reality. Jesus said,
“Verily verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall lose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. ” Matthew 18:18
To bind means to tie or tie up, to truss, i.e. to restrict, put in bondage, to stop etc. That means whatever you take responsibility to stop on earth, God will get into action to stop in heaven. And whatever you take responsibility to lose, free, allow etc on earth God will get into activity to allow in heaven. Notice that earth refers to physical realities while heaven refers to spiritual realities. That means when you take physical responsibility God will put in motion spiritual activities to make your expectations manifest. Taking physical responsibility could mean praying for that expectation, believing God’s word, working hard, studying, meeting the right persons, confessing God’s word, resisting the devil and all discouragements or distractions etc. When you take the responsibility to go forward, God who is too faithful and cannot fail will swing into action on your behalf.
EXPECT THE BEST
“… and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea” Exodus 14:16b.
Just after God taught Moses to take responsibility, he quickly gave Moses a picture of what to expect afterwards. The picture was a scenario of the Israelites passing through the Red sea on dry ground. Not marshy or swampy ground as one would have expected. But not for God and what he wanted for his people. God wanted the best for Israel. God wanted the best for Israel, so he needed Moses to expect the best from his actions. What God wanted to achieve by telling Moses what he wanted, was that as Moses is lifting his rod and stretching his hand to divide the sea, in his mind he would be seeing the Israelites marching through the Red Sea on dry ground. Thus, he would be expecting that his actions will yield the best results.
God wants the best for you and for me and has communicated that best intention through his word in the bible. God wants you to expect the best from the efforts you are putting in. Never allow the devil sow a seed of doubt, making you ask whether your efforts will ever yield fruit. Never bring your expectation lower than what the word of God says of you. Don’t accept that sickness just because it has lasted too long. Don’t give up on breaking that habit, just because you are feeling helpless at the moment. Don’t accept that lack and cycle of debt because you have been in it for quite a long time. You may have tried before and failed, but try again. Proverbs 24:16 says,
“For the just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again.”
Seven is the number of perfection, which means that the seventh fall is the perfect fall, an irreparable fall. A fall with no hope of return. Not for the righteous who believe in Christ and his power to make the impossible very possible. That scripture says that a man who believes will bounce back again. What God expects of you is to expect the best outcome always. Insist on the best until you seize it. Demand the best from every situation and believe you are made for the best. Your past failures should not become a favour to the devil to allow him deny you the best that God wants for you. The truth is, only God has the final say on your past; and in Christ Jesus all old things of your past are indeed passed away, everything is brand new in Christ Jesus. [2 Corinthians 5:20]
FLASH BACK
Let your courage precede the answer that you seek.
Worrying will not take you to your expected end, it will only bring retardation.
When you take physical responsibility God will put in motion spiritual activities to make your expectations manifest.