“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”” John 16:33 NLT
My wife has instilled something into all our grandkids that I don’t quite get - It is a love for the “I Love Lucy” reruns. That’s the only thing they want to watch when they come over our house. We’ve seen every episode dozens of times.
I have to admit, she is really funny and she makes us laugh a lot with all her antics.
There is one episode that sticks out in my mind that reminds me of this verse of scripture: It is of her stomping grapes with her bare feet in the country of Italy.
Let me back up just a little and explain. We are told in this passage of scripture “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows…”
The Greek word for trials is the word “Thilipis” - meaning to squeeze like grapes. In other words, life will sometimes feel like you are being squeezed like grapes until there is no nothing left to squeeze out.
Thus the image of Lucy stomping out the grapes in Italy - squeezing out every bit of juice in order to make wine.
The apostle Paul understood pressure and stress when he wrote…
“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NLT
He dealt with rejection and opposition. He overcame fear and loneliness. He was imprisoned for preaching the gospel. His life was filled with much stress and pressure on a daily basis.
When a chicken is ready to be hatched from it’s egg - the struggle is part of what makes it strong. I’ve heard of people helping the chicken hatch by removing the shell for the baby chick.
It might of made it easier for the baby chicken but it eventually the chicken will die because it didn’t develop the needed muscles to be strong in life.
The only way to make your muscles strong is to exercise and work out. In other words - put some stress and pressure on your body.
Conflict, stress and pressure are God’s way to put spiritual muscle on your lives so that you will be able to live a victorious life.
2 Timothy is a book that was written just before Paul was executed for his faith. In chapter 4 he lists all sorts of stress and pressure that he had to endure.
I like the way he ends the chapter though…
“But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength…” 2 Timothy 4:17 NLT
No matter what you are going through, no matter what stress and pressure you are facing - you can be certain of this: “the Lord will stand with you and give you strength.”
God is standing with you and going through your times of stress and pressure with you. Trust Him that He will not leave or forsake you and that you will arrive safely where God wants you to go.
May you be encouraged with these words today.
One of the things in life I enjoy doing is helping people rise above whatever is holding them down and back. I enjoy motivating and encouraging them and watching them grow to to heights beyond where they are currently living.
For some people the change is immediate and for others it is a long process because they are so bound to the things of this world.
To be honest, I watch some people live this crummy dysfunctional life as if it’s the normal way to live. It’s not. It never has been nor will it never be.
You might be asking - “Well then, what is the secret? What do we need to do to rise above “crummy?”
The answer is simple - “KEEP THE RULES!” God has laid out a path for you to live your life - just do what He’s asked you to do.
And so there is no confusion - He laid it out for you in His Book called the Bible.
Leviticus 26:3 says… “If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands...” - then these blessings will come your way.
If you continue to read from vv. 4-13 in Leviticus 26 you see that if you KEEP THE RULES that there is a blessing from God that will help you rise above “crummy.’
Notice some of the promised blessings.
- The Blessing Of Harvest
- The Blessing Of Security
- The Blessing Of Peace
- The Blessing Of Sleep
- The Blessing Of Victory
- The Blessing Of Favor
- The Blessing Of Covenant
- The Blessing Of Surplus
- The Blessing Of His Presence
- The Blessing Of Freedom
- The Blessing Of Confidence
Whenever I stop keeping the rules - everything in my life falls apart. I’ve learned that the hard way over and over and over.
As a kid I grew up in a farming community. The opportunities for exploring were everywhere. I had a lot of freedom to play outside and do a lot of fun things - as long as I KEPT THE RULES.
One of the rules that was pressed upon on us was don’t mess with skunks as they will spray you with a bad odor. Needless to say, I didn’t listen to the rules and got a little closer to a skunk than I should have and got sprayed all over. My mom wouldn’t even let me back in the house. I had to wash down with the outside hose and with tomato juice and we had to burn all of my clothes. What a mess.
Rules are there for a purpose. God says, “KEEP THE RULES” and you will be blessed beyond measure. You can live above the crummy dysfunctional life that you are now living but you need to discipline yourself to follow God in what He has laid out for your life.
Do you want to rise above “crummy?” Do you want to rise above the place where you are right now? Do you want to be a candidate for the miraculous and for the blessing of prosperity that God has for you? I know I do. KEEP THE RULES and you will live a life filled God’s promises and blessings. As a result you will experience real happiness and real peace in your life!
“Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.”” Isaiah 6:8 NLT
I am often approached with the question, “How Can I Be Used By God?” I think, for the most part, most people want to to be used by God but have come up short in making themselves available for Him to actually move in their lives. Excuse after excuse turns into years of doing nothing and wondering if you will ever do what God has asked you to do in the first place.
Let me ask you first - what are your dreams and desires - what are the things that get you excited about when thinking about serving God? Is it giving to the poor? Teaching a group of children? Serving behind the scenes? Giving to missions? Etc.
If your excuses were behind you and finances were not a factor what would you really like to do in God’s Kingdom? What would make your heart be excited about doing?
Let me ask another question? Do you hear God speaking to your spirit as you go about your day? How alert are you to God’s voice that is speaking to you in your daily life? When is the last time you actually said, “Lord, Here I am, I am listening and willing to obey?”
Many times, we aren't doing what God is asking us to do because we can’t see how God is working in and around us. Our spiritual senses qhave been dulled by not being in touch with God and by our doing our own things.
I like what Proverbs says - “If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.” Proverbs 29:18 MSG
I have found, that even in the dark places of my life, God is usually working and moving and there are things that He wants me to do for Him. In times like this we especially need to make ourselves available to Him.
It’s never too late to be used by God. I love the saying, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” God has a plan for you and it is good. He is waiting for you to make yourself available to Him because He has an assignment for you to fulfill.
Ephesians 3:20 (ESV) 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
1 Corinthians 2:9 (ESV) 9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—
Don’t be afraid to risk failure. The only way you will know if you are doing the right thing sometimes is to try different things and see how that “fits” your life and personality and God’s calling in your life.
Proverbs 24:16 (ESV) 16 for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
We need to step out in faith in some areas of our lives. We can’t always play it safe. Failure is not when you fall but when you refuse to rise up again.
Hebrews 5:8 (ESV) 8 Although he was a son, he learned through what he suffered.
When people succeed – they tend to party. When they fail – they tend to ponder. It’s in the pondering stage that we tend to grow.
Ron Mehl – “Never despise anything that brings us to our knees.”
C.T. Studds – “The gamblers of gold are so many. The gamblers of God are so little.”
We must not associate risk with pain but with pleasing God…
Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
As we begin to be used by God - there is an important thing we must all do - we must develop an atmosphere of joy in being able to serve Jesus (even if it is a very small task).
Another thing, we must daily cleanse ourselves so that we can serve our king with a joyful heart.
I have found that my level of joy correlates with my level of strength.
Nehemiah 8:10 (ESV) 10 … And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
If we lose our joy we become weak and bored and we soon give up.
Psalm 51:12 (ESV) 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
The devil can’t steal your ministry, marriage, etc. from you. But what he will do is steal away your joy. PROTECT YOUR JOY.
Serve Him in whatever you do with all your heart. Be thankful for even the little things God is asking you to do.
When the crowds were pressing in on Jesus by the Sea Of Galilee - He turned and asked Peter for His boat. When there was a need to feed the people - He turned and asked for a boys lunch. He used Moses’ rod to bring water out of the Rock and for them to pass over the Red Sea.
Give God what you have, make it available to Him. Let Him know that you are willing to serve Him wherever it might be - even it small in nature.
God honors a willing and loving heart. Give God what you have and make yourself available to Him and watch how He will use you in ministry.
“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,” Philippians 3:12-13 NLT
Do you have a problem remembering things? I know I do. Every morning a new adventure begins as I look for my keys because I left them in a difference place the night before. When it comes to people, I remember faces but sometimes I forget names. People tell me things and I forget the details and have to be reminded again.
To remember vividly we must focus all our attention on that detail and keep it at the foremost part of our minds.
We are told by those who study the mind that nothing is ever totally forgotten. The things we have done, said, heard or seen are forever stored in our mind somewhere - we just don’t remember where.
Sometime, even without deliberate effort on our part - something will happen that will revive that memory (even from decades ago) to the front part of your mind. You wonder, ‘where did that come from?’
There are two sides to the coin of memory - that which we need to remember and that which we need to forget. This could determine blessing or destruction to your future life on earth.
THINGS TO REMEMBER
1. The Goodness And Faithfulness Of God.
“Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.” Psalms 103:2 NLT
2. The Kindness Of Others.
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8 NLT
3. The Truths That Make Life Worth Living.
4. The Warnings Of Both God And Man.
THINGS TO FORGET
1. Past Successes.
We should be thankful for past blessings and successes but we must be watchful that we are not only looking back but that we are looking forward also.
Paul had many achievements to be thankful for - great pastor, apostle, missionary, author, and evangelist, etc. But he still hadn’t arrived. He had much to look forward to
2. We Need To Forget Past Failures.
Not all of us have been successful. Some of us have been failures in our personal life and in our business. Some have been failures in their families and in their spiritual walk with God.
The truth is - we have all failed.
Peter failed the Lord miserably by denying Him three times. What about Jonah? Paul? Etc.
3. We Need To Forget Our Past Grievances And Grudges.
Do you keep a list of your resentments? Do you plan to lug around all your grudges everywhere you go? Are you angry with your spouse or your parents? Are you angry with God because your life is not how you hoped it would be?
For your own sanity - let it go now!
4. We Need To Forget All Our Handicaps.
We all have handicaps - we just don’t admit it. We must refuse to look for an alibi in life.
Even Paul the apostle had a handicap - “a thorn in the flesh.” This only made him trust in God more.
Charles Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers of all times, had a bed ridden wife.
L.B. Cohen, author of Streams In The Desert, was pressed into writing her thoughts after the death of her husband.
Aimee Semple McPherson, great early century evangelist, had two handicaps - 1- a bad kidney and 2- she was a woman.
Mother Heidner, a great leader in the church, was told at 18 that she had an enlarged heart and would only live 3 more months. She died when she was over 90 years old.
5. We Need To Forget Our Fears.
Our fear of tomorrow, fear of death, fear of failure, etc.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
It’s time to forget the past and move forward to God’s plan for our future.
“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,” Philippians 3:12-13 NLT
“Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalms 23:6 NLT
I’ve been pondering over a phrase that is stuck in my head today: It is “THE RELENTLESS LOVE OF GOD.”
It is the pursuit of God toward us - even when we fail Him over and over again. God is relentless to us - pursuing and following after us with His great love.
It is about a God who is longing for a friendship and an intimacy with each and every person on the earth. It is about a God who will go to the ends of the earth to find you - even if you’ve been running from Him.
There are times where God can seem far off and distant from your life. But if you are one of His children—if you have turned from your sin and embraced Christ by faith as the only basis for your forgiveness—you have this Psalm 23 promise in your pocket: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”
Look at the two keywords in this phrase. Goodness means bounty or blessing. Mercy can also be translated loving-kindness, favor, or steadfast love. It comes from the Hebrew word hesed, used 246 times in the Old Testament. Half of those occurrences are found in the Book of Psalms. Hesed was David’s favorite word to describe the attitude of God toward His children.
In Psalm 33:5, David observed, “The earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.” In Psalm 86:13, “For great is your steadfast love toward me.” In Psalm 98:3, “He (the Lord) has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness.”
The loving-kindness of God—His goodness and mercy—is eternal. It’s persistent. It’s a stubborn love God has for His children. He won’t turn His back on us. And He won’t give up on us or let us go.
God’s hesed (merciful) love brings Jonah to mind. Jonah could run, but he couldn’t hide or get away from God. The Lord used a storm to get Jonah’s attention and a very large fish to transport Jonah back to the shore where he had made his wrong turn. Even the hardship of Jonah’s experience was God’s loving-kindness. He could have wiped out the wayward prophet in a heartbeat. But, determined to show His loving-kindness to the huge city of Nineveh through Jonah, God kept him alive.
Likewise, God is relentless in His pursuit of you. No matter what choice you make or where you go, He will come after you. God has a plan for your life, and He will go to great lengths to complete the work He has begun (Philippians 1:6).
If you have become a follower of Jesus Christ, God is all over you and your situation. He is pursuing you—relentlessly. That’s the meaning of the phrase, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me.”
It also means your very best days are ahead. As a child of God, it doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done—your greatest days of usefulness and service to His kingdom can be in the future, followed always by His goodness and mercy!
Let this be your best Valentine’s yet as you stop and allow the one who is and has been pursuing you to come pour out His great love into your life.
Here’s a great prayer for you right now: “Father, Your goodness and mercy have already followed me to this place in my life. I am humbled and grateful that You have expressed Your grace to me in these ways. Your persistence is so evident. Forgive me for all the times I’ve thought about giving up, and yet You have revived my faith when I was consumed with hopelessness. I want to spend my life and eternity thanking You for all You have done. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
2 Timothy 2:12 NLT “If we endure hardship, we will reign with him...”
2 Corinthians 7:4 NLT “...You have greatly encouraged me and made me happy despite all our troubles.”
The Bible promises that someday we will all become the Bride of Christ. Think about that for a moment. In the meantime - Jesus is preparing His bride for this exalted position.
Have you ever watched a bride prepare for her wedding? As the dad of two daughters I will tell you that there is a lot of “mirror time” taking place in order to present herself as the most beautiful bride to her husband.
The details are staggering when it comes to preparing for a wedding (I’m not even considering the financial cost at this point). Every bride wants that perfect day that will forever live in her heart. She wants to give attention to every detail and make herself to be the most beautiful woman who is coming to her husband in life.
But I have to be honest - the preparation for a wedding can be grueling and difficult as every person has their idea of what the perfect day looks like. As a result, much conflict often comes to a couple even before the wedding.
But in the end, it all seems to come together and the bride always looks beautiful as she is coming down the aisle to be joined with her future husband.
All the grueling, difficult decisions are worth it.
It is interesting how God prepares us, His bride for our future with Him. It is through much difficulty and much suffering in life.
According to Romans 5:3-5 - suffering is what brings on our character in life. It brings endurance.
Romans 5:3-5 NLT “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”
You can’t sidestep this. You can’t take any shortcuts. Every person MUST go through difficulty and suffering. It is God’s way and plan for your life. There is no Plan B.
When man fell into sin at the garden - it left man with a very self-centered attitude - the very opposite of God’s AGAPE love. As a result, God has to decentralize us from ourselves and bring us to a dependence upon God.
He does this through suffering and trial. We are left with a great need to turn to Him fully and trust Him for our dependence in life.
This is what we call PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION. Little by little God teaches and grows us to become more like Him.
Notice how God does this through this verse:
“Philippians 1:6 NLT And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
If God’s purpose was to just get us to heaven - He would have immediately taken us there after we born. Remember, His purpose is to make us more like Him and to prepare us for the exalted
position of reigning with Him.
This is impossible to do without trial and and tribulation.
So we then we rejoice in suffering.
Hebrews 12:5-11 “And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”
It is clear from this passage that sorrow, suffering, pain and tribulation are not always a form of punishment but it is for child training. It all has a purpose.
We as parents all make mistakes when we raise our children, but not God. His ways are perfect.
We are being decentralized for God. We are being prepared to rule with Him.
I like this poem I read a number of years ago:
I walked a mile with pleasure, she chattered all the way, but left me none the wiser for all she had to say. I walked a mile with sorrow, and ne’re heard a word she said, but O the things I learned from her when sorrow walked with me.
So, instead of trying to run from God and staying the course He has planned for you - try focusing on God’s plan for your life - even if it is difficult and painful at time.
Don’t waste your sorrows - any of them! For, in doing so, you will just have to face it again sometime down the road.
Every difficulty and every sorrow you have experienced has a purpose which is to make you more like Christ and to prepare you to rule with Him someday!
“‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” Exodus 19:4 NLT
If you ever want to know how God works in our lives - it is in this scripture. No matter where you look in the Bible, you will not find a better definition of God’s purpose in each of our lives on earth.
God is explaining to Moses that when He called him down to Egypt to lead God’s people out - He wanted Moses to understand that He was bringing them not to a land, but to a person - God.
God said, I brought you unto myself.” He wants us to know Him, to come unto Him. This is why, after many years in the ministry, the apostle Paul wrote the church in Philippi in Philippians 3:10 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”
Our great goal in life is to KNOW the Lord, to come unto Him.
How well do you know God today?
“Like an eagle that rouses her chicks and hovers over her young, so he spread his wings to take them up and carried them safely on his pinions. The LORD alone guided them; they followed no foreign gods.” Deuteronomy 32:11-12 NLT
The Bible makes it very simple. The Word of God says, “like an eagle…so the Lord…”
As an eagle works, so does the Lord work. God says, “ I want you to understand what I am doing in your life. I want you to know Me. I want you to come unto Me.”
As an old man, Moses could now see that God had been in everything that had happened to him. The Lord had led him, protected him, cared for him, and brought him to the present hour. In this passage, God reminded him that all of his happened in order to bring Moses unto Hims
A. As an eagle, so the Lord builds.
The Lord says, “The way the eagle works is the way that I am going to work.” As an eagle builds, so the Lord builds.
Far off, in high tree or a rocky place, high above the ground, the eagle finds the perfect location in which to build the nest. The greatest care is taken in building that nest, gathering branches and other things from the earth and carry them to the nest to make it just exactly like it needs to be. The nest is prepared with tender, loving care.
This is a building process that goes on. The life of the eagle cannot continue unless the building process goes on. As the eagle builds, so the Lord builds. Sometimes we hear the expression “self-made people.” But God builds His people.
I look back at my journey in life and now realize that the Lord has been building and preparing me for where I am now in life. What is happening in my life now is preparing me for the future things He has in store for me.
The Lord is the One who builds His church. We must allow Him to do the building. As an eagle, so the Lord builds.
B. As an eagle, so the Lord breaks.
God works like an eagle. Mother knows that baby eaglets were not born to stay in the nest for the rest of their lives. She cares for them and she longs to be near them. She is proud of them, but they were not born to stay in the nest, so she must do something that is painful to do.
She worked so hard to build the nest, but she must begin to remove some of the soft things that made it to comfortable. Some of the sticks that had been lying horizontally to make it comfortable for them are now turned vertically. If we could hear the little eaglets talking in the nest, they would say something like, “It is impossible to find a comfortable place around here! Ouch! That hurts! I can’t find a place to sit. I don’t know what is going on. Everything was perfect until a few days ago. Something went wrong.” This mother eagle is causing her eaglets to look beyond the nest, making them realize they must get out of here. She must break up the nest.
God is in the disturbances just as much as He is in the deliverances. Every one of us is exactly the way we are for one reason. We are content to be that way. Some folks are so content that they would just sit where they are and do no more until the Lord Jesus comes. We must realize that God wants to stir us up.
We wonder why things happen. You may wonder why you are having difficulty. You may wonder why things are not going smoothly for you. It is because God wants to do more with your life that He has ever done before.
C. As an eagle, so the Lord broods.
When we are having problems and difficulties, we wonder, “Where is God in all of this?” I know what it is like to deal with problems. I do not enjoy them, but I thank God for what I can learn from them. The greatest thing I learn from them is that Christ will see me through.
Our heavenly Father broods over us. The Bible says in Deuteronomy 32:11, “As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young…” Up in the nest, the eaglet is watching as mother eagle does something beautiful and majestic. She has already stirred up the nest and made the eaglets uncomfortable. She has their attention. Very few times in our lives does God really get our attention. When He gets our attention, we should respond to Him. Some people may go for years without God getting their attention, but when He gets it, they should respond to Him. Mother eagle has their attention. They are no longer comfortable in the nest. Suddenly, they see her. Beautifully, majestically, she glides through the air. Those gorgeous wings are spread as she moves through the air with the eaglets in view.
She watches them because she has walked that path before and she knows what is going on inside their little hearts. They are looking at her and thinking, “Could I ever do that? Could I ever fly like that?” Mother looks like me, and I look like her. Mother is out of the nest, and I am in the nest. Could I ever get out of this nest and do something I have never done before?” Eaglets do not learn by watching one another. They learn to fly by watching their mother. Christians never grow by watching one another. They grow by looking to Jesus Christ!
There are disappointing, heartbreaking things that happen sometimes to turn our eyes back on the Son of God. The beauty of it is that His eyes are always on us. In the darkest night, the roughest time, the loneliest hour, when it seems as though it would be easier to die than live, God is watching you, brooding over you. He is always tenderly, lovingly looking at you. The Bible says that we are never alone and never forsaken!
D. As an Eagle, so the Lord Bears.
Mother has a big job on her hands because one of those little eaglets has to be the first one out of the nest. The first eaglet walks over the edge, he must fly. As these eaglets watch their mother, beating within their breasts is a desire to d what she is doing. Suddenly, over the nest one comes. Fluttering his wings as fast as possible, he tries to fly. He makes it for a moment, then suddenly, his mother sees him faltering. Like a rocket, she zooms down beneath him, spreads her wings, and catches him. She bears him on her wings and takes him higher and higher, until she removes her wings and lets him try again.
I now have the privilege of looking back over life and see that over and over how God has led and dealt with me. I see how God has pushed me out of my nest to help me fly. I was born to fly, not sit in a nest.
I have thought many times that I could not live and would not live, but God saw me through. I could only fall so far until I fell on His wings.
The little eaglet falls downward over and over as mom pushes him over the next. Again and again, like a rocket, she zooms down beneath him, picks him up, and carries him higher, moves her wings, and lets him try again. Finally, he flies!
In all of the recorded studies of eagles, researchers have never found that even one eaglet has fall to his death because he was not caught on his mother’s wings! I know that I am safe in Jesus Christ. I am sure of heaven. I have the promise that the Lord will take care of me.
As a result, I get to know God in a deeper way everyday.
“But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.” Exodus 12:13 NLT
On the eve of Israel’s exodus or deliverance out of the Egyptian slavery, God gave Moses some important instructions to tell the children of Israel to follow. A very dire plague was about to hit Egypt causing many people to die by the Death Angel sent by God.
Yet, Israel would be saved and delivered because they were obedient to God by placing blood over their doorpost.
Little did they know that this would be a celebration that would mark generations to come and the symbolism it would reveal to us who are now Christians.
In this Passover memorial feast, on the 10th day of the first month of the year, every Jewish household were to get a one year old lamb without blemish out from their flock of sheep. If the Jewish household was a small one, some other Jewish family had to share their lamb with that particular small Jewish family.
Now, on the 14TH day of the same first month, every Jewish household were to kill their one year old lamb. And then they were to take some of the lamb’s blood and strike it on the tow side doorpost, and on the upper side door post of their house. And they were to roast and eat the one year old lamb with unleavened bread, and with bitter herbs. No roasted lamb could be saved for left-overs from the previous night; it all had to be burned with fire the very next day.
Did you notice the 4 day gap? This year old lamb would in essence become part of their family. When it came time to slaughter it - It would be emotional and sacrificial.
They were then to place the blood over the doorpost of the house. When the Death Angel came to bring destruction to Egypt - He would then “pass over” any home covered by the blood of this lamb.
Now, all of this was taken place during the Old Testament days. Today, we are living in the New Testament times. And because we are living in the New Testament times, we don’t have to look for a one year old lamb to kill so we can celebrate the Passover feast like children of Israelites had done in the Old Testament.
The reason why we don’t to look for a one year lamb to kill to celebrate the Passover feast is because we have someone who is our Passover lamb for us and His name is Jesus Christ, who is our Passover lamb. He is our one year old lamb without spot and blemish, that is, He is a our Passover lamb who is strong and mighty, who is without any sin or without any unrighteousness.
In John 1:29, John the Baptist says this about Jesus Christ. He says, “Behold the lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
And the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world is none other than Jesus Christ himself.
In I Peter 1:18-19 says, “Forasmuch as ye know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
The apostle Paul says in I Corinthians 5:7 says, “For even Christ, our Passover is sacrificed for us.”
Jesus Christ is our symbolical Passover lamb, who was sacrificed and crucified on the cross for our sins. Now, just as the blood of the Old Testament lamb, which saved every Israelites from the death angel on the eve of their exodus out of Egypt, the blood of Jesus Christ saves us from and washes all of our sins away.
Hebrews 9:22 says, “Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins.”
I had a friend who worked in a butchering facility for cows and it always amazed me of how clean his hands were. Our personal blood has a natural cleansing agent in it. But how much more does the blood of Christ over our sinful lives.
The sacrificial blood that was poured out by Christ completely satisfies the anger and wrath of God toward our sins. For those who cover their lives with the blood of Christ - you are saved and you are free today!
- If you want salvation, you need Jesus Christ
- If you want eternal life, you need Jesus Christ.
- If you want your sins forgiven , you need Jesus Christ
- If you want a brand new life, you need Jesus Christ
- If you want deliverance, you need Jesus Christ
- If you want to be saved , you need Jesus Christ
Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved.”
Many years ago I accepted Christ into my heart and applied His blood to the doorway of my heart. He lives in me and He reigns over my life. His sacrificial blood can set you to tattily free today and give you peace into your hear. I pray that you would give your heart fully to Christ and follow Him with all your heart and soul.
“Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and begged, “Plead with the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people. I will let your people go, so they can offer sacrifices to the LORD.” “You set the time!” Moses replied. “Tell me when you want me to pray for you, your officials, and your people. Then you and your houses will be rid of the frogs. They will remain only in the Nile River.” “Do it tomorrow,” Pharaoh said. “All right,” Moses replied, “it will be as you have said. Then you will know that there is no one like the LORD our God.” Exodus 8:8-10 NLT
I admit that in the desert we don’t see a lot of frogs - at least I haven’t. But there are places that I’ve lived and visited that have frogs everywhere. I’ve seen frogs so numerous that you can hardly walk without stepping on one.
Then there are the sounds they make - “ribbit.” One frog can keep you up all night but can you imagine having thousands of frogs outside your bedroom window.
In this passage - frogs are one of the plagues that God brought to Egypt for their disobedience in Him. In a sense - it represents the sin(s) in our lives.
What is funny to me is Pharaoh’s answer to Moses when asked “When do you want me to get rid of the frogs.”
His answer is classic but so true - “Do it tomorrow.” Thus our title - “One More Night With The Frogs.”
Frogs (sin) are destroying the land - they are everywhere - in the bedroom, in the kitchen, inside and outside, etc. The potential danger of frogs and disease grows great.
This boggles me - why would you want to spend one more night in your sin. I think the answer is simple - we often enjoy our sins and don’t want to depart from them.
My heart breaks to see people so bound up in so much bondage when they could be free today.
Why play with sin and the weights of sin one more day?
How many nights will you stay in the pig pen until we arise and wash and return to the Father?
- Deliverance from habits is available today!
- Deliverance from tempers and hurt is available today!
- Healing is available today!
Are you wanting to spend another night in bondage? Are you questioning the plan of God?
Why would we accept one more night? Cut the cord.
God’s will is not one more night with the frogs. Intreat, ask, seek, find! Cut the cord today.
“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT
Honestly consider, can we afford one more night with the frogs? Lingering and idly loitering around God’s work does grave damage.
Why play another night flirting with sin?
Luke 17:32 Remember Lot’s wife! Wow, what a powerful message. We don’t even know her name, but her lesson still applies.
The account of Lot’s wife is a sad statement of facts on LINGERING and playing church.
There was a sparkle in her eye for something back in Sodom. Did she look back for material things? Maybe she looked back thinking of some physical relationship. There was much more that the act of looking back! There were many hidden things in the dark crevices of her heart.
Desire was tying her heart to something "back there." She sold out for a "look back", but it was an accumulation of her poor choices for many years.
The messengers of God had clearly warned Lot, his wife, and two daughters --- FLEE from sin, FLEE from this place.
Abraham had interceded on Lot and Sodom’s behalf.
Read these sad words as we remember Lot’s wife! “Gen. 19:16 And while they lingered…”
- Maybe Lot questioned the validity of the messengers of God?
- Maybe their poor choices of many years had blinded their eyes?
- Maybe they doubted God’s judgment?
- Maybe they wanted one more night with the frogs?
Gen. 19:17 Escape for your life, neither look back, (clear imperative command), and escape to the mountain.
Many times, to rise above where we have been, we exert great effort.
Lot was to take his family to the mountain. He needed to rise above the situation and get out of there.
It’s time to cut the cord and move upward. You can’t allow the frogs to dominate your life. You can’t settle for the status quo.
It is time to move on with God. Burn the bridges. Don’t linger! Don’t look back.
There are too many miles behind us, too many rivers our feet have walked through, too many sunsets lie behind the mountains, there is too much to gain to lose.
Let’s get rid of those frogs today - not tomorrow. God is waiting to bring the help you need!
