Rather than trust God for courage to walk out one day at a time relying on Him for daily supply, the Israelites resigned themselves to sliding back into the old faithless rut (Ex.3:7). A lot of folks find it difficult to trust that God’s mercies are, indeed, “new every morning.” (Lam.3:22-23) We want a guarantee of comfort by having it all before we step out of the boat. Jesus said pray, “give us our daily bread.” (Matt.6:11)
Kathy — We can repent of putting preference above obedience and of failing to honor God’s set-in leaders, with all their warts and bruises. We can either pray for their imperfections or we can refuse to team up as God leads and then we can just march around Isolation Mountain again! The only thing more dangerous than giving into the temptation to undermine God’s spiritual authority is believing you could never do that! Rom.13:7, KJV – “Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.”
As the people of God assemble today they must beware of reaching a point where they are merely dwelling on just the present facts. “Such and such” circumstances/factors may be the present facts but they are not the conclusion of the matter. In the Bible, present facts and final conclusions always looked very different from one another. Phil.1:6 — “I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].”
Kathy — Continue to ask, seek and knock. With every knock there is progress. If our agenda becomes more important than obeying God and learning His ways, we get out of sync with God, with spiritual Leadership and with the Body of Christ. When we get out of sync, we are likely to usurp spiritual authority and get out of God’s blessing thereby giving the enemy a foothold in the Body of Christ. Rest in God’s TIMING. 1Sam.15:22 — “Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obedience to the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed [is better] than the fat of rams.”
The disciples confronted the storm on the lake but Jesus contradicted it with peace. When Jesus said to His disciples that He had been given all authority in heaven and on earth and then commissioned them to disciple nations, that was the announcement that believers had now become the embodiment of the Kingdom like He was. We have the same authority and power to contradict darkness. Deut.28:7 –“The Lord will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way, but flee before you seven ways.”
What are you willing to pay for immediate relief? Israel desired to return to slavery after being freed at their own request (Ex.3:7,9). The main concern was immediate relief. Esau was hungry, so he traded his birthright for immediate relief. We may find it necessary to deal with a rumbling stomach or uncomfortable surroundings for a period of time to get to promise. Ex.3:7-9, Amp – “The Lord said, “I have in fact seen the affliction (suffering, desolation) of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters (oppressors); for I know their pain and suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand (power) of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a land [that is] good and spacious, to a land flowing with milk and honey [a land of plenty]—to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 9 Now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me; and I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them.”
Kathy — Since God in His wisdom is never just developing a ministry, He is more importantly processing the character of His children. TIMING is both about answering prayer building relationship character in the Pray-er. TIMING is about God intricately working and making progress in people circumstances to manifest His answer. Therefore we dare not become weary in well doing fail to ask, seek knock.Gal.6:9, TPT — “And don’t allow yourselves to be weary or disheartened in planting good seeds, for the season of reaping the wonderful harvest you’ve planted is coming!”
Some hyper-zealous folks would have us believe that the reason we don’t have more “thanks” to give is because we just don’t have enough faith… like… they do. Let us remember that though we don’t get everything we think we should when we pray, God is too wise to act irrationally and too compassionate to be cruel. Great is His faithfulness Lam.3:22-24 — “It is because of the Lord’s lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed, Because His [tender] compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; Great and beyond measure is Your faithfulness. 24 ‘The Lord is my portion and my inheritance,’ says my soul; ‘Therefore I have hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him.’”
Melissa — Look at this, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) The first half of this verse is substandard and the second half is premium. I am always drawn to that word “might” in this passage. That tells me abundant life is not a guarantee. It’s not a guarantee to those that are asleep because their life is ruled by substandard, unclean fear. If we don’t wake up we can’t operate in the abundance.
As the people of God assemble today may they be infused with true grit and be inspired to be willing to go the distance many others are not; be willing to face what many others are not; be willing to resist what many others are not; be willing to do what many others are not. May each one be infused with determination for the King and His Kingdom that is born of higher stuff than mere stubbornness. Rom.12:11-12, TPT — “Be enthusiastic to serve the Lord, keeping your passion toward him boiling hot! Radiate with the glow of the Holy Spirit and let him fill you with excitement as you serve him. 12 Let this hope burst forth within you, releasing a continual joy. Don’t give up in a time of trouble, but commune with God at all times.”
Beside Still Waters With Marty Gabler
