Moses: Forward by Faith

Exodus 14:10-31

Living by faith guarantees hardship. People do not like this message, but it’s true. When a person chooses to surrender to God and obey Him no matter what, that believer will suffer at times and be asked to make painful sacrifices. In order to serve the Lord, Moses had to choose to go forward by faith in spite of daunting challenges.

Having grown up in Pharaoh’s palace, Moses knew all about the Egyptian ruler’s pride, as well as the importance of Hebrew slave labor. So he well understood the difficulty of carrying out God’s command to free His people. However, he’d left his comfortable life so he could obey.

As it turned out, Moses’ job didn’t begin until the Hebrew slaves’ release. He then spent more than 40 years leading this errant people, interceding for them when they disobeyed God, and calling upon the Lord for rescue when they faced trouble.

Moses’ life was marked by challenge and sacrifice, but more than that, it was shaped by an intimate relationship with God. Every hardship that knocked away his trust in himself strengthened his faith in the Lord. When a new challenge arose, Moses turned first to God for guidance and provision.

Scripture tells us that adversity produces a deeper intimacy with the Lord (1 Peter 5:10). Moses’ life demonstrates this, and it holds true for believers today. Hardships are inevitable. We could try doing everything in our power to avoid them but would probably be unsuccessful. A wiser approach is to meet the challenge and go forward by faith.

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The Key is Obedience to God

 >Jeremiah 7–10

Highlights:

Judah, don't be fooled but Hear the Word of the Lord (7:4-5; 9:24). The consequences of disobedient children are about to bring complete disaster. If God's true prophet is brought to tears (8:18-22), what do you think it does to the Father's heart? God, forgive us our disobedience and help us stay faithful to your will!

But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be My people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you (Jer. 7:23).

Many people in this world think that happiness is found by satisfying their own desires. They act on the impulses of the moment. If they feel they need or want it, they do whatever they can to get it. Even though they do all this, they remain unfulfilled.

There are many people who spend much of their lives striving for more money. They work countless hours just to spend the money on things to gain a greater status in their community. They continuously try to up the ante. They feel they must have the nicest house, car, etc., in order to be happy.

They leave a job they are happy with in hopes of finding a better job. They constantly seek a promotion, even if it means taking a position they will hate. All this is done in hopes of a better, happier life.

They fail to realize that the Lord is the giver of success. God is the one who gave us directions in how to find happiness in life. The secret to this can be found in the Scriptures.

In this Scripture from Jeremiah, we find the key is obedience to God. In obeying God, we draw closer to Him. In drawing closer to Him, we begin to live more like He desires us to live. When we live a Christ-like lifestyle, the blessings of God will follow. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing (Matt. 24:45-46).

Obedience is so often misunderstood. Many feel that obedience to something or someone is a sign of weakness. This is not the case. As a matter of fact, obedience could be viewed as a great strength.

The Lord is not some wicked master who gives His servants a multitude of hard duties to undertake. That is not the type of obedience which God asks of us. On the contrary, obedience to God means surrendering our will to the Will of God. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13).

In doing so, each day we may cheerfully journey down the road in which the providence of God leads us. We no longer need to seek fulfillment in things that will never provide it. We need not become discouraged when things don't go the way we think they should. We have this freedom because we no longer are bound to our will or forced to find our own way. We trust in the will and power of God.

The more we trust in God's will for our lives, the more our lives will go in the direction that God intends. Only in walking in His ways will we live life to the fullest.

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).

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Obstacles to Contentment

Matthew 6:25-30

Anxiety is a thief. The combination of fear and uncertainty robs many believers of the peace that the heavenly Father intends for them to have (John 14:27). But anxiety does not fit who we are in Jesus Christ. By putting our faith in Him, we have placed our life in the hands of a sovereign God who wants the very best for His children. What do we have to fear when we trust in Him?

Believing in the Lord doesn’t mean that we will never experience uncertainty. What it should mean is that we choose to let go of anxiety and instead trust Him to provide for our needs in His time and His way. When we don’t, fear and doubt can become entrenched in our thinking and develop into a stronghold. Then Satan will dig in and use every resource he can to build our apprehension. That is what sinful anxiety looks like—a sense of fear that overwhelms faith.

Faith can be besieged and toppled when its foundation is weakened by unbelief. I’m not implying that an anxious believer isn’t truly a Christian. However, in saying, “I know God is capable of dealing with the problems in my life, but I’m not sure that He will,” uncertain saints may look for ways to fix the issue themselves instead of waiting patiently for the Lord to act on their behalf.

The Lord sees the beginning and the end of every situation that we face. He knows the root of our anxiety, the best way to calm our heart, and how to turn our weeping into joy. He will do all of this without leaving our side, because He loves us deeply and desires to bless us richly.

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