The LORD Himself Will Fight For You

Romans 12:1

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Romans 12:1

Romans 1:16 (NIV)

I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

Romans 1:16 (NIV)

Exodus 14:13-14

But Moses told the people, "Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm."

Lord, you had already been fighting for them. Just like a ravaging army, your plagues had decimated the land of Egypt. You even had the Israelites plunder the Egyptians before they left! The Israelites asked for and the Egyptians willing gave them their gold, silver and other valuables.

This battle at the Red Sea was the final rout of the Egyptians. And you, LORD, did it all. The Israelites had only to trust and obey.

The Israelites could do nothing for themselves anyway. While they were still in Egypt, they were so sorely oppressed that they were completely unable to defend themselves. At the Red Sea they were trapped. Pharaoh's army could have easily defeated them. But YOU were fighting for Israel.

Romans 8:31

If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

Lord, I thank you that even in the times when my enemy seems to have beaten me so down that I have no strength left to defend myself, YOU fight for me! When it seems that I am trapped and there is no way out of my difficulties, you will make a way where there was no way. My part is just to trust and obey. In Jesus Name, amen.

 

My Shepherd

Genesis 4:17

If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.

Genesis 4:17

Psalm 51:6 (NASB)

Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom. 

Psalm 51:6 (NASB)

Romans 1:16

I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes - the Jew first and also the Gentile.

Romans 1:16

Psalm 119:129-133

Your laws are wonderful.

No wonder I obey them!

The teaching of your word gives light,

so even the simple can understand.

I pant with expectation,

longing for your commands.

Come and show me your mercy,

as you do for all who love your name.

Guide my steps by your word,

so I will not be overcome by evil.

Genesis 46:33-34

Then he said, "When Pharaoh calls for you and asks you about your occupation, you must tell him, 'We, your servants, have raised livestock all our lives, as our ancestors have always done.' When you tell him this, he will let you live here in the region of Goshen, for the Egyptians despise shepherds."

I know that Egypt is a type of the world. This world despises the Good Shepherd. They don't want anyone telling them how to live their lives. As a result, they end up wandering and lost. They end up getting themselves caught in thickets of their own making. 

It makes me sad that they don't know what they are missing out on. They think that Your laws will be a burden and a drudge to obey. But they are wonderful and I gladly obey them. The teaching of Your Word gives light to my mind so that even in my simpleness and humanness I can understand. I long to know and obey your commands, because in that I find Your mercy. You do this for all who love Your name. You guide my steps by Your Word and prevent me from being overcome by evil.

I Praise You my Shepherd!! In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Why the trials, Lord?

This week's memory verse:
Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!
Luke 1:45

Exodus 3

The Lord said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering."
Exodus 3:7

God is not blind to the suffering of his people. He sees and is concerned. He wants to bring us into a land of plenty, but doesn't promise that the journey there will be free of trials and hardship. The trials and hardship will forge us into holy vessels that he can use to bring others to himself.

Lord, it suddenly occurred to me that even though we go through all these trials on earth, we humans can never be perfect this side of heaven. So why make us go through them? Why not just let us coast through till we get to heaven?

I'm thinking that there are a few reasons. First, and foremost, you will not let us remain in our sin. Yes, we are covered by the blood once we accept your gift of repentance. But we still slip and fall. The trials help to clear the gunk that is still in our hearts and causes us to fall.

Second, once we truly understand what you did for us, we want to be more like you. The only way to do that is by going through the trials.

Third, we can't be used to lead others to you unless we have some resemblance to you.

I'm sure there are other reasons, but these are the ones that you have shown me at this time.

Lord, I praise you for the trials that I go through here on earth. I don't enjoy or look forward to them. But please help me to embrace them knowing that you are concerned and want to use it all for my best good and to draw others to yourself.
Amen

Am I a Slave to Egypt?

This week's memory verse:
Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!
Luke 1:45

Exodus 1

So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
Exodus 1:11

Egypt is clearly a type of the world. If I spend too much time in Egypt it will enslave me. Egypt for me is the TV shows I watch and the video games I play. The games can be especially addicting for me. It's ok for me to relax and play them once in a while but I don't want all my time devoted to such drivel. If I'm not careful that is exactly what ends up happening.

If I let this continue, then I end up actually working for the enemy! Lord, I've never seen this before! 
and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
I don't want to end up building store cities for the enemy! I want to be storing up treasures for myself in heaven!
Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.
Matthew 6:20 NLT

Another area that trips me up is Facebook. I tend to spend a LOT of time on there. It's too easy to get caught up in it and not even realize how much time has gone by. I need to be more aware of how much time I am spending on this social media and not let it eat into the time that I need to be spending on other things.

If I am truly a bondservant of Jesus Christ then I need to be seeking his advice on how to spend my time. I believe that he would prefer to see me spending it on things of eternal value. For me in this season of my life, that means training and educating my children, putting time in with my job (because this honors my husband who appreciates the extra income), planning and cooking healthy meals for my family, and of course spending time in God's Word and memorizing scripture.

Jesus, please help me to evaluate how I spend my time. I want to spend it in ways that will please you. I don't want to end up building store cities for the enemy. In your Holy Name I pray.
Amen