"During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them." (Exodus 2:23-25 NIV)
A cry for help is inhuman to ignore. From antiquity, in the most primitive of societies, whenever a cry for help rings out from one quarter, it mobilizes people from all around to come to the aid of the person crying, even if the reason for the cry is yet unknown. When people hear the cry for help coming from a location, they leave everything they are doing and rush to the scene of the cry to offer help. It was an obligation everyone owed to help someone in trouble reaching out in an emergency. This age-old unwritten rule of humanity has saved not a few from situations they are helpless to handle by themselves. Later S.O.S signals with flashing lights, sounds or Morse codes were utilized. Nowadays a cry for help comes in form of dialing an emergency number.
However, these have only to do with beseeching humans to help in desperate situations. There are however many situations in which humans are unable to help. There are even situations in which the cry cannot be heard by humans because it is a cry of the heart, an inner groaning, indiscernible by humans but nonetheless amplified in our hearts. There are things we cannot even share with any human because of their sacredness or privacy or just because no one would understand. They are private cries, hurts and desperate longings that not even a spouse, a parent or the closest friends can grasp which lodge within our hearts.
Take heart. Israel was at such a place in our text. The suffering they were going through was so great and the help of humans was incapable and unavailable that their heavy heart groaned and cried until it reached the hears of the One who can discern the unuttered cries of the heart. Their groaning was a plea, a prayer, probably not uttered in articulate speech, but in the inaudible cries of the heart.
God heard and was concerned about their plight. He remembered His covenant with their fathers and began to bring to light His ongoing preordained plans for deliverance though the man Moses who had been in the desert for forty years.
Here is our lesson. God hears the cries others cannot hear. God responds to desperate faith-filled cries for assistance and He already has a plan for helping you. When you get into such situations when your heart is overwhelmed, when you are unsure which way to go and how to proceed, when it looks as if you are going down and there is no earthly way you could ever win, when you are faced with the impossible, when suffering weighs you down, always remember that there is a God who cares for you. He is concerned about you and He's as near as a cry for help. Look to Him. Dial the heavenly 911. He will uphold you and deliver you!
Decision of the Day
I understand that God hears my cry for help. He even hears the groaning of my heart. I will always turn to Him for help. He is willing to help and deliver in every situation. When my heart is overwhelmed, I will climb on the rock higher than myself. I will cry to Him with all my heart and I will be helped.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
June 27: God's Strength Vs Human Strength
One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. (Exodus 2:11-12 NIV)
There are two ways things can be done- God's way or your way. Two seasons things gets done- God's time or your time and two means of getting things done- God's ability or yours.
In our text today, Moses chose in every instance to depend on himself. Despite the nobility of his purpose to help his people, he acted out of God's timing, used is own method which involved murder, and relied solely on his physical strength.
This points to Moses' state then. Raised in the palace, a prince of Egypt, he probably had confidence in his ability to bring deliverance to his people, God's assistance notwithstanding. He was angry, proud and self-dependent. It wasn't until forty years afterward, after becoming a fugitive, serving as a shepherd in the back of the desert, that he eventually had the right image of himself, a man who has to fully depend on God, totally untrusting of his own ability to get the work done. It took all those years for Moses' pride, anger and self- dependence to wear away.
He was taught—not to depend on human strength, but on God. He had to learn patience, self-control and faith. Through this work of God, Moses eventually became the meekest man on the earth according to bible testimony( Numbers 12:3). This he lacked during the events of our text today.
We also face the temptation to depend on ourselves. We want to do things based on our timing, using our methods and depending on our personal capabilities. This is folly, and it only leaves us frustrated and relegated because of delays. You are not called to carry out God's plans for you by your intelligence, connections or strength. You are called instead to a life of trust and total dependence on God. You are called to to a spirit-controlled and empowered life. "So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty." (Zechariah 4:6).
No matter how strong you feel about a task and how noble your purpose is, you are to accomplish it with God's strength. His strength is perfect and when you rely on it, seemingly impossible things get done. God's work done His way and in His strength will never lack His supplies and backing.
So examine what you are doing today. Is it an exercise in self-reliance or an adventure with God?
The answer is crucial to whether it will be a success or not or whether you destroy or wear out yourself in the process of getting it done or you get it done empowered by the Spirit. Make up your mind today to live in total God-dependence.
Decision of the Day
I refuse to do God's work relying only on my wisdom, strength or capabilities. I will walk in God's timing and seek to know and adopt His ways of doing things. I will depend fully on God.
There are two ways things can be done- God's way or your way. Two seasons things gets done- God's time or your time and two means of getting things done- God's ability or yours.
In our text today, Moses chose in every instance to depend on himself. Despite the nobility of his purpose to help his people, he acted out of God's timing, used is own method which involved murder, and relied solely on his physical strength.
This points to Moses' state then. Raised in the palace, a prince of Egypt, he probably had confidence in his ability to bring deliverance to his people, God's assistance notwithstanding. He was angry, proud and self-dependent. It wasn't until forty years afterward, after becoming a fugitive, serving as a shepherd in the back of the desert, that he eventually had the right image of himself, a man who has to fully depend on God, totally untrusting of his own ability to get the work done. It took all those years for Moses' pride, anger and self- dependence to wear away.
He was taught—not to depend on human strength, but on God. He had to learn patience, self-control and faith. Through this work of God, Moses eventually became the meekest man on the earth according to bible testimony( Numbers 12:3). This he lacked during the events of our text today.
We also face the temptation to depend on ourselves. We want to do things based on our timing, using our methods and depending on our personal capabilities. This is folly, and it only leaves us frustrated and relegated because of delays. You are not called to carry out God's plans for you by your intelligence, connections or strength. You are called instead to a life of trust and total dependence on God. You are called to to a spirit-controlled and empowered life. "So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty." (Zechariah 4:6).
No matter how strong you feel about a task and how noble your purpose is, you are to accomplish it with God's strength. His strength is perfect and when you rely on it, seemingly impossible things get done. God's work done His way and in His strength will never lack His supplies and backing.
So examine what you are doing today. Is it an exercise in self-reliance or an adventure with God?
The answer is crucial to whether it will be a success or not or whether you destroy or wear out yourself in the process of getting it done or you get it done empowered by the Spirit. Make up your mind today to live in total God-dependence.
Decision of the Day
I refuse to do God's work relying only on my wisdom, strength or capabilities. I will walk in God's timing and seek to know and adopt His ways of doing things. I will depend fully on God.
Friday, June 24, 2011
June 24: Hiding in Plain Sight
Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?" "Yes, go," she answered. So the girl went and got the baby's mother.Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water." (Exodus 2:7-10 NIV)
Sometimes the ways of God amuse me. His wisdom is both amazing and amusing. Who would want to raise a deliverer destined to topple an oppressive king and rather than hide and raise him in a secret location, but would choose to raise him right in the home of the oppressor with the daycare fees, school fees and upkeep being paid by the same oppressor he would dethrone.
It reminds of what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2 of God using Satan to accomplish his plans of redemption by allowing him to crucify the Christ unknowingly to him that that very act would be his undoing. It's amusing how God uses the enemy to pay the bills for his own defeat.
This is what God did in Moses' case. Moses was the deliverer Israel had been waiting for. He was to free them from Pharaoh's oppression, yet God planned it in such a way that Pharaoh's would be the one to pay the bills for the upbringing of Moses. While Pharaoh hosts were going about enforcing the killing of the sons of Israel, right in his own house, he was feeding, training and raising the deliverer. God hid Moses in plain sight so to speak! O, the depth of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
What do we take from this? Is it possible that God is still using the same method? That is not a far-fetched thought because He never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Is it possible that some situations in your life or in your world that appear as if Satan is winning are actually being used by God to hide some precious jewels that will be revealed at the end? Could a Samuel be hiding in your present barrenness like it was for Hannah, or maybe a John the Baptist, like Elizabeth's case? Could a governor be hiding in in Pharaoh's prison like Joseph? Could that wayward and troublesome child of yours be a preacher In disguise? Could some of those inmates in our nations prisons be apostles in waiting? Could that delay or disappointment you are going through be a precursor to the most important turning point in your life? could satan's laughter today contain his tears tomorrow and your tears today be hiding your laughter tomorrow?
The possibilities and questions are endless but one thing we can be sure of is that God is very good at playing hide- and- seek. He hides the best things in places few would choose to look. He hides diamonds in the dust, preachers in prisoners, movements in murderers, feats and futures in failures, the foundations of the church in fishermen, helpers in the helpless, triumphs in tragedy and testimonies in tests. Pray to see what He's hidden in and around you.
Decision of the Day
God hid Moses in Pharaoh's court. I understand God still hides things in places we don't often look for them. Lord I choose to look with your eyes. Help me to see every person, place and situation the way you see them. Show me the things that are hidden in me and around me that I might walk in the fulness of your plans
Sometimes the ways of God amuse me. His wisdom is both amazing and amusing. Who would want to raise a deliverer destined to topple an oppressive king and rather than hide and raise him in a secret location, but would choose to raise him right in the home of the oppressor with the daycare fees, school fees and upkeep being paid by the same oppressor he would dethrone.
It reminds of what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2 of God using Satan to accomplish his plans of redemption by allowing him to crucify the Christ unknowingly to him that that very act would be his undoing. It's amusing how God uses the enemy to pay the bills for his own defeat.
This is what God did in Moses' case. Moses was the deliverer Israel had been waiting for. He was to free them from Pharaoh's oppression, yet God planned it in such a way that Pharaoh's would be the one to pay the bills for the upbringing of Moses. While Pharaoh hosts were going about enforcing the killing of the sons of Israel, right in his own house, he was feeding, training and raising the deliverer. God hid Moses in plain sight so to speak! O, the depth of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
What do we take from this? Is it possible that God is still using the same method? That is not a far-fetched thought because He never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Is it possible that some situations in your life or in your world that appear as if Satan is winning are actually being used by God to hide some precious jewels that will be revealed at the end? Could a Samuel be hiding in your present barrenness like it was for Hannah, or maybe a John the Baptist, like Elizabeth's case? Could a governor be hiding in in Pharaoh's prison like Joseph? Could that wayward and troublesome child of yours be a preacher In disguise? Could some of those inmates in our nations prisons be apostles in waiting? Could that delay or disappointment you are going through be a precursor to the most important turning point in your life? could satan's laughter today contain his tears tomorrow and your tears today be hiding your laughter tomorrow?
The possibilities and questions are endless but one thing we can be sure of is that God is very good at playing hide- and- seek. He hides the best things in places few would choose to look. He hides diamonds in the dust, preachers in prisoners, movements in murderers, feats and futures in failures, the foundations of the church in fishermen, helpers in the helpless, triumphs in tragedy and testimonies in tests. Pray to see what He's hidden in and around you.
Decision of the Day
God hid Moses in Pharaoh's court. I understand God still hides things in places we don't often look for them. Lord I choose to look with your eyes. Help me to see every person, place and situation the way you see them. Show me the things that are hidden in me and around me that I might walk in the fulness of your plans
Thursday, June 23, 2011
June 23: The Couple We Hardly Talk About
"Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile." (Exodus 2:1-3)
All through world history, we see great leaders who changed the course of history in various fields. We know of military leaders who wrought great conquests to keep peace, preachers who brought reformation, statesmen who founded great nations and business leaders who spawned great enterprises. We have hundreds and thousands of biographies and autobiographies of these individuals. There are also those we often don't read of. Fathers who led their families well. Mothers who gave the world these great leaders who are leaders in themselves.
Susanna Wesley comes to mind when I think of such unsung heroes of leadership. She was the wife of a poor and very difficult 18th century clergyman in a small parish. She had no formal education, had 19 kids, educated her kids, and through her personal influence, she gave the world two great sons in the persons of Charles Wesley and John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church and one of the greatest spiritual leaders the world has ever known. It can be said that the Methodist movement began in the lap of Susanna Wesley.
In our text today, we see two of such heroes, the parents of Moses. It is safe to say that without their sensitivity to God and their daring faith, Moses would have gone the way of the other children- killed in infancy. Though faith, they did not only birth the deliverer of a people, they preserved and nurtured him. In addition, this couple produced two other leaders of Israel, Aaron and Miriam, Moses' brother and sister. What a power couple.
The writer of Hebrews points to their faith, listing them in the same company as Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Joseph:
"By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict." (Hebrews 11:23 NIV).
Moses, the deliverer, didn't just appear on the scene. He was the offspring of people of daring and fearless faith. People who chose to believe God's prophecy to Abraham about a coming deliverance. Preceded by centuries of slavery and oppression, they saw their child and perceived that God had a plan for him. They knew he wasn't ordinary and they dared all to preserve him.
The lessons here are many but we will look at one. It is important for you to properly see what God has put in your hand. Could it be that that little ministry you are entrusted with is not ordinary? Yes it looks like other babies but could it be the beginning of a great movement of God? Could it be that that child you have is not just any other child? Could that new relationship possess the seed that will deliver a people? Could that dream you have be the change a nation has been crying for? Don't judge that opportunity ordinary. Ask God to open your eyes to see its potential. Then no matter what it takes. Dare to nurture and preserve it. Hide it if you have to. Put it on a river where Pharaoh's daughter would swim if you have to but keep a watchful eyes on it. What you have been given is not ordinary. Dare to preserve and nurture it. That's what heroes of faith do.
Decision of the Day
Just as Moses' parents perceived that the little child they had was not ordinary. Lord I ask for correct perception of the little things in my life: the opportunities, gifts, talents, children, ministry etc. Help me to preserve and nurture them until they are sting enough to accomplish your purpose.
All through world history, we see great leaders who changed the course of history in various fields. We know of military leaders who wrought great conquests to keep peace, preachers who brought reformation, statesmen who founded great nations and business leaders who spawned great enterprises. We have hundreds and thousands of biographies and autobiographies of these individuals. There are also those we often don't read of. Fathers who led their families well. Mothers who gave the world these great leaders who are leaders in themselves.
Susanna Wesley comes to mind when I think of such unsung heroes of leadership. She was the wife of a poor and very difficult 18th century clergyman in a small parish. She had no formal education, had 19 kids, educated her kids, and through her personal influence, she gave the world two great sons in the persons of Charles Wesley and John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church and one of the greatest spiritual leaders the world has ever known. It can be said that the Methodist movement began in the lap of Susanna Wesley.
In our text today, we see two of such heroes, the parents of Moses. It is safe to say that without their sensitivity to God and their daring faith, Moses would have gone the way of the other children- killed in infancy. Though faith, they did not only birth the deliverer of a people, they preserved and nurtured him. In addition, this couple produced two other leaders of Israel, Aaron and Miriam, Moses' brother and sister. What a power couple.
The writer of Hebrews points to their faith, listing them in the same company as Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Joseph:
"By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict." (Hebrews 11:23 NIV).
Moses, the deliverer, didn't just appear on the scene. He was the offspring of people of daring and fearless faith. People who chose to believe God's prophecy to Abraham about a coming deliverance. Preceded by centuries of slavery and oppression, they saw their child and perceived that God had a plan for him. They knew he wasn't ordinary and they dared all to preserve him.
The lessons here are many but we will look at one. It is important for you to properly see what God has put in your hand. Could it be that that little ministry you are entrusted with is not ordinary? Yes it looks like other babies but could it be the beginning of a great movement of God? Could it be that that child you have is not just any other child? Could that new relationship possess the seed that will deliver a people? Could that dream you have be the change a nation has been crying for? Don't judge that opportunity ordinary. Ask God to open your eyes to see its potential. Then no matter what it takes. Dare to nurture and preserve it. Hide it if you have to. Put it on a river where Pharaoh's daughter would swim if you have to but keep a watchful eyes on it. What you have been given is not ordinary. Dare to preserve and nurture it. That's what heroes of faith do.
Decision of the Day
Just as Moses' parents perceived that the little child they had was not ordinary. Lord I ask for correct perception of the little things in my life: the opportunities, gifts, talents, children, ministry etc. Help me to preserve and nurture them until they are sting enough to accomplish your purpose.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
June 22: Don't Let Him Have Your Boys
Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: "Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live." (Exodus 1:22)
When it comes to biological fruitfulness, boys represent the future life-seed carriers while girls represent the future life-seed growers. In order to produce children, both the life-seed carrier and grower are essential. Both must be present for fruitfulness to occur.
In our text today, we see Pharaoh's strategy to halt the fruitfulness of Israel- eliminate the seed carriers of the next generation and population decline will begin. He didn't have to kill both the boys and the girls, he only needed the boys to die and his plan would be assured.
Isn't that the enemy's strategy in our days. He may not attack your progress but he may attempt to take out your character. He may not attack your current result, but he will target your prayer life. He may not attack some of your relationships but he will attack the most vital ones to cut you off from them. He may not attack the worship and fellowship in a church but he may attempt to take out their zeal for evangelism. He may not stop you from having professional success, but while you are it, he may be wrecking havoc in your family.
He may not need to attack every institution in the society, just taking out marriage and family will be enough to bringing down the community. Just conquering and destroying a portion of the population, the young men, is enough to fulfill his agenda. Isn't this what is happening in America today as more and more young men are subjected to attacks of gangs, drugs, imprisonment and fatherlessness. It is the age-old strategy of the enemy.
The enemy doesn't need to target the whole of your life, he is only interested in a portion of it. He is not looking for the whole ground, he only wants a part of the territory, a foothold from which he can operate and stop your fruitfulness. So don't get carried away if a part of your life still looks healthy and growing. It is that part that is rotten, decaying and dying that you should pay attention to because if nothing his done, in the future, that part under his control might be your undoing.
That is why, the bible says, "give not place to the devil" (Eph 4:27). Give him no ground. Don't let him have any room in you life. Using Pharaoh-speak, don't let him have neither your boys or your girls. They will both be needed for your fruitfulness.
So check your life today, is there a part you have surrendered to the enemy: your character, your health, your prayer life, your covenant relationships, your family, your marriage, your self- improvement, your discipline. Remember that just as it would have had to take boys and girls for Israel to keep reproducing, it would also take a combination of what you have left and that area you surrendered to the enemy for you to be fruitful. So, reclaim back your what the enemy stole. Don't let the enemy have your boys.
Decision of the Day
I understand that fruitfulness takes all parts of my life. I will not surrender a part of it to the enemy. God will have the whole of me to use. Nothing will be held back from the Lord. Every part of my life is working together for his purpose for me.
When it comes to biological fruitfulness, boys represent the future life-seed carriers while girls represent the future life-seed growers. In order to produce children, both the life-seed carrier and grower are essential. Both must be present for fruitfulness to occur.
In our text today, we see Pharaoh's strategy to halt the fruitfulness of Israel- eliminate the seed carriers of the next generation and population decline will begin. He didn't have to kill both the boys and the girls, he only needed the boys to die and his plan would be assured.
Isn't that the enemy's strategy in our days. He may not attack your progress but he may attempt to take out your character. He may not attack your current result, but he will target your prayer life. He may not attack some of your relationships but he will attack the most vital ones to cut you off from them. He may not attack the worship and fellowship in a church but he may attempt to take out their zeal for evangelism. He may not stop you from having professional success, but while you are it, he may be wrecking havoc in your family.
He may not need to attack every institution in the society, just taking out marriage and family will be enough to bringing down the community. Just conquering and destroying a portion of the population, the young men, is enough to fulfill his agenda. Isn't this what is happening in America today as more and more young men are subjected to attacks of gangs, drugs, imprisonment and fatherlessness. It is the age-old strategy of the enemy.
The enemy doesn't need to target the whole of your life, he is only interested in a portion of it. He is not looking for the whole ground, he only wants a part of the territory, a foothold from which he can operate and stop your fruitfulness. So don't get carried away if a part of your life still looks healthy and growing. It is that part that is rotten, decaying and dying that you should pay attention to because if nothing his done, in the future, that part under his control might be your undoing.
That is why, the bible says, "give not place to the devil" (Eph 4:27). Give him no ground. Don't let him have any room in you life. Using Pharaoh-speak, don't let him have neither your boys or your girls. They will both be needed for your fruitfulness.
So check your life today, is there a part you have surrendered to the enemy: your character, your health, your prayer life, your covenant relationships, your family, your marriage, your self- improvement, your discipline. Remember that just as it would have had to take boys and girls for Israel to keep reproducing, it would also take a combination of what you have left and that area you surrendered to the enemy for you to be fruitful. So, reclaim back your what the enemy stole. Don't let the enemy have your boys.
Decision of the Day
I understand that fruitfulness takes all parts of my life. I will not surrender a part of it to the enemy. God will have the whole of me to use. Nothing will be held back from the Lord. Every part of my life is working together for his purpose for me.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
June 21: When Disobedience is A Virtue
"The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,"When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live."The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live...So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own." (Exodus 1: 15-21)
Rosa Louise Parks, who is recognized as the "mother of the modern day civil rights movement" in America, due to an act of disobedience, in refusing to surrender her seat to a white male passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama bus, December 1, 1955, as required by the unjust laws of her time, set in motion a wave of protest December 5, 1955 that impacted the whole of the United States. Her courage to disobey began the transformation of America, the destiny of black people and changed history. Her disobedience was courageous and virtuous.
As in our text today regarding the Hebrew midwives who disobeyed Pharaoh's wicked instruction, all through Scriptures, we also see various individuals who through acts of disobedience demonstrated courage. Some examples are that of Daniel who refused to obey the decree not to pray, the Hebrew boys who refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar's idols, Esther who broke protocol to approach the king and the apostles who defied the instruction not to preach Jesus again, saying they "ought to obey God rather than men."
All these examples show that there are times when disobedience is the virtuous way to go. How do you recognize such instances. From all the examples, it can be seen that what warranted the disobedience of the actors was that the instruction or law goes crosswise with the laws of God. God is the highest authority. His laws are the highest laws and in the scheme of things, you are to submit to the higher authority. When the instructions of a lower authority contradicts the higher one, you must opt for the higher one at the expense of the lower. This implies that disobedience in these cases are actually obedience to a higher authority, God's.
Are you going through a conflict now in which you are being forced to do something that contradicts God's instruction by someone in authority over you? Maybe a parent is pressurizing you to marry an unbeliever, a spouse is asking you to compromise, a boss is threatening you with losing your job if you don't heed his sexual advances or compromise your ethics, or you live under an oppressive government subverting your values and faith. In all these cases and similar ones, you have God's backing to say no. He will defend you for standing for what is right just as he did for these Hebrew midwives. So be courageous and stand your ground. If you don't bow, you won't burn.
Decision of the Day
My highest allegiance is to God and His laws. All other laws are subsidiary. I obey these laws if they align with God's but if they violate His laws I have the liberty and the backing of God to disobey. I will not compromise and I will not burn.
Rosa Louise Parks, who is recognized as the "mother of the modern day civil rights movement" in America, due to an act of disobedience, in refusing to surrender her seat to a white male passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama bus, December 1, 1955, as required by the unjust laws of her time, set in motion a wave of protest December 5, 1955 that impacted the whole of the United States. Her courage to disobey began the transformation of America, the destiny of black people and changed history. Her disobedience was courageous and virtuous.
As in our text today regarding the Hebrew midwives who disobeyed Pharaoh's wicked instruction, all through Scriptures, we also see various individuals who through acts of disobedience demonstrated courage. Some examples are that of Daniel who refused to obey the decree not to pray, the Hebrew boys who refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar's idols, Esther who broke protocol to approach the king and the apostles who defied the instruction not to preach Jesus again, saying they "ought to obey God rather than men."
All these examples show that there are times when disobedience is the virtuous way to go. How do you recognize such instances. From all the examples, it can be seen that what warranted the disobedience of the actors was that the instruction or law goes crosswise with the laws of God. God is the highest authority. His laws are the highest laws and in the scheme of things, you are to submit to the higher authority. When the instructions of a lower authority contradicts the higher one, you must opt for the higher one at the expense of the lower. This implies that disobedience in these cases are actually obedience to a higher authority, God's.
Are you going through a conflict now in which you are being forced to do something that contradicts God's instruction by someone in authority over you? Maybe a parent is pressurizing you to marry an unbeliever, a spouse is asking you to compromise, a boss is threatening you with losing your job if you don't heed his sexual advances or compromise your ethics, or you live under an oppressive government subverting your values and faith. In all these cases and similar ones, you have God's backing to say no. He will defend you for standing for what is right just as he did for these Hebrew midwives. So be courageous and stand your ground. If you don't bow, you won't burn.
Decision of the Day
My highest allegiance is to God and His laws. All other laws are subsidiary. I obey these laws if they align with God's but if they violate His laws I have the liberty and the backing of God to disobey. I will not compromise and I will not burn.
Monday, June 20, 2011
June 20: Children Everywhere!
"We’ve got to do something: Let’s devise a plan to contain them, lest if there’s a war they should join our enemies, or just walk off and leave us.” So they organized them into work-gangs and put them to hard labor under gang-foremen. They built the storage cities Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh. But the harder the Egyptians worked them the more children the Israelites had—children everywhere! The Egyptians got so they couldn’t stand the Israelites" ( Exodus 1:10-12. MSG)
A popular video on YouTube (see it here) which has had over 12 million views at the time of this writing focuses on the demographic change Europe is experiencing due to the influx of people from Islamic nations and the high fertility rate of this immigrant population compared to the low fertility rate of the indigenous people with Christian roots.
It warns that in order for a culture to maintain itself for over 25 years, it must have a fertility rate of 2.11 children per family, otherwise, it will decline. It says that, historically, no culture has ever reversed a low fertility rate of 1.9. A rate of 1.3 can never be reversed because it would take 80 to 100 years to correct itself which is impossible because no economic model can sustain this. The video goes on to say that the fertility rate in the 31 nations of the European Union was only 1.38 while that of the Islamic population was at least in the 8.0 range. This imply that, irreversibly in about 30 years, Europe will be an Islamic continent. The continent will be conquered not by swords or wars but by the sheer number of children being born to muslim households who will become citizens with rights.
Our goal today is not to focus or comment on the European situation, but to use it to illustrate how potent fruitfulness is. Fruitfulness has the power to make the fruitful person dominate and rule a territory. Pharaoh recognized this potency in our text today. He was so afraid of the fruitfulness of the Israelites that he resorted to oppressive methods to stop it. This was wrong. Pharaoh could have chosen another route. Rather than focus on stopping the fruitfulness of Israel, he could have worked on the fruitfulness of his own people. After all, the whole human race was blessed and commissioned by God to be fruitful in Genesis 1:28.
There is power in fruitfulness. Fruitfulness brings dominion. God wants you to be fruitful in everything you do and through that extend His influence over your territory on the earth. He wants your talents to grow and touch more lives, your ministry to expand and touch more people and places, your spiritual children to multiply as you reach out and lead people to Christ. He wants your ministry, business and ideas to grow and fill your territory with the nature, power, influence and principles of the kingdom. He needs you to have more offspring; more children, until your children and fruits are everywhere, metaphorically speaking!
This fruitfulness comes as you submit to the plan of God and aggressively plant seeds. Step out of your comfort zones and start sharing the gospel with people regularly. Begin working on that business idea diligently. Put your talent to work even if the opportunity is little. The more seeds you sow, the more fruits you are likely to have and the greater the possibility of being an influence for the kingdom. So, sow bountifully.
Finally, don't let the intimidations of Pharaoh stop you. Keep on. He can't stop your fruitfulness if you don't let him.
Decision of the Day
I understand that fruitfulness is God's desire for me. It is also God's tool for advancing His kingdom and plan on earth. I will be fruitful spiritually, materially, mentally, relationally and physically. I will not be barren in good works. I will sow bountifully and diligently into my vision and dream. I will have spiritual children everywhere!
A popular video on YouTube (see it here) which has had over 12 million views at the time of this writing focuses on the demographic change Europe is experiencing due to the influx of people from Islamic nations and the high fertility rate of this immigrant population compared to the low fertility rate of the indigenous people with Christian roots.
It warns that in order for a culture to maintain itself for over 25 years, it must have a fertility rate of 2.11 children per family, otherwise, it will decline. It says that, historically, no culture has ever reversed a low fertility rate of 1.9. A rate of 1.3 can never be reversed because it would take 80 to 100 years to correct itself which is impossible because no economic model can sustain this. The video goes on to say that the fertility rate in the 31 nations of the European Union was only 1.38 while that of the Islamic population was at least in the 8.0 range. This imply that, irreversibly in about 30 years, Europe will be an Islamic continent. The continent will be conquered not by swords or wars but by the sheer number of children being born to muslim households who will become citizens with rights.
Our goal today is not to focus or comment on the European situation, but to use it to illustrate how potent fruitfulness is. Fruitfulness has the power to make the fruitful person dominate and rule a territory. Pharaoh recognized this potency in our text today. He was so afraid of the fruitfulness of the Israelites that he resorted to oppressive methods to stop it. This was wrong. Pharaoh could have chosen another route. Rather than focus on stopping the fruitfulness of Israel, he could have worked on the fruitfulness of his own people. After all, the whole human race was blessed and commissioned by God to be fruitful in Genesis 1:28.
There is power in fruitfulness. Fruitfulness brings dominion. God wants you to be fruitful in everything you do and through that extend His influence over your territory on the earth. He wants your talents to grow and touch more lives, your ministry to expand and touch more people and places, your spiritual children to multiply as you reach out and lead people to Christ. He wants your ministry, business and ideas to grow and fill your territory with the nature, power, influence and principles of the kingdom. He needs you to have more offspring; more children, until your children and fruits are everywhere, metaphorically speaking!
This fruitfulness comes as you submit to the plan of God and aggressively plant seeds. Step out of your comfort zones and start sharing the gospel with people regularly. Begin working on that business idea diligently. Put your talent to work even if the opportunity is little. The more seeds you sow, the more fruits you are likely to have and the greater the possibility of being an influence for the kingdom. So, sow bountifully.
Finally, don't let the intimidations of Pharaoh stop you. Keep on. He can't stop your fruitfulness if you don't let him.
Decision of the Day
I understand that fruitfulness is God's desire for me. It is also God's tool for advancing His kingdom and plan on earth. I will be fruitful spiritually, materially, mentally, relationally and physically. I will not be barren in good works. I will sow bountifully and diligently into my vision and dream. I will have spiritual children everywhere!
Friday, June 3, 2011
June 2: The Strategy of Containment
"Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country." So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites..." ( Exodus 1: 8-14)
A vision from God. A fervent believer. A growing company of God's people. A prospering saint. A kingdom- focused business. The increase, multiplication and expansion of a church. All these are threats to the enemy. Whenever God's people begin to increase and prosper, fear strikes the kingdom of darkness. Satan and his cohorts get into panic mode. Motivated by this fear they begin to plot how to contain the increase of God's people. The devil hates momentum on the part of God's people. He hates a vibrant Christian, a growing and passionate church, a cutting-edge mission from God. He hates a prospering vision and an advancing and increasing army of God. His greatest fear is that God's people will arise and oppose his reign and rule in the world.
This was the same fear that struck Pharaoh in our text today. Israel, the people of God was experiencing God's increase. They were prospering and multiplying. They had momentum. Pharaoh was threatened, so he devised a strategy to break their momentum and stop their increase. It was a strategy of containment.
Containment is the age-long strategy of the enemy against the people of God. Satan's reasoning is, "if we can't handle them, let's keep them limited or isolated. Let's devise ways to marginalize them from the mainstream. Let's limit them to their churches. No matter what it takes, they must not go beyond their current bounds" We see this strategy worked out practically in various ways. We will examine them in the next few days.
One of the ways this is done is through oppression, difficulties and persecution. Pharaoh began to oppress Israel, putting heavy burdens on them, forcing them to labor. The intention was to break their spirits and stop their momentum by oppression. It however did not work. Israel's momentum increased.
If you are a believer with a vision from God. Satan too will try his best to contain you. He is afraid of you growing and becoming a force against his kingdom. This might explain the temptations you have been facing lately or the discouragement that has been trying to to overwhelm you. This may be the reason why you are going through that financial pressure or the disappointments at work. Recognize satan's strategy. Don't become discouraged and lose your passion and commitment. Keep moving. Double up on whatever you are doing. Don't quit praying and advancing with your vision. Opposition is a sign that you are a threat to the enemy. Hang on to God and the more pressure he puts on you, the greater your momentum becomes. The waters he throws will become fuel for your fire. What Satan meant for evil will turn out for your good.
Decision of the Day
I understand that Satan wants to contain me. He wants to limit my growth and increase. He has devised strategies to do this, one of which is oppression. I will not be stopped by all his machinations. I will keep growing and multiplying despite the pressures. I will not be discouraged. I am breaking every bound and limitation the enemy is trying to erect. My momentum Is maintained.
A vision from God. A fervent believer. A growing company of God's people. A prospering saint. A kingdom- focused business. The increase, multiplication and expansion of a church. All these are threats to the enemy. Whenever God's people begin to increase and prosper, fear strikes the kingdom of darkness. Satan and his cohorts get into panic mode. Motivated by this fear they begin to plot how to contain the increase of God's people. The devil hates momentum on the part of God's people. He hates a vibrant Christian, a growing and passionate church, a cutting-edge mission from God. He hates a prospering vision and an advancing and increasing army of God. His greatest fear is that God's people will arise and oppose his reign and rule in the world.
This was the same fear that struck Pharaoh in our text today. Israel, the people of God was experiencing God's increase. They were prospering and multiplying. They had momentum. Pharaoh was threatened, so he devised a strategy to break their momentum and stop their increase. It was a strategy of containment.
Containment is the age-long strategy of the enemy against the people of God. Satan's reasoning is, "if we can't handle them, let's keep them limited or isolated. Let's devise ways to marginalize them from the mainstream. Let's limit them to their churches. No matter what it takes, they must not go beyond their current bounds" We see this strategy worked out practically in various ways. We will examine them in the next few days.
One of the ways this is done is through oppression, difficulties and persecution. Pharaoh began to oppress Israel, putting heavy burdens on them, forcing them to labor. The intention was to break their spirits and stop their momentum by oppression. It however did not work. Israel's momentum increased.
If you are a believer with a vision from God. Satan too will try his best to contain you. He is afraid of you growing and becoming a force against his kingdom. This might explain the temptations you have been facing lately or the discouragement that has been trying to to overwhelm you. This may be the reason why you are going through that financial pressure or the disappointments at work. Recognize satan's strategy. Don't become discouraged and lose your passion and commitment. Keep moving. Double up on whatever you are doing. Don't quit praying and advancing with your vision. Opposition is a sign that you are a threat to the enemy. Hang on to God and the more pressure he puts on you, the greater your momentum becomes. The waters he throws will become fuel for your fire. What Satan meant for evil will turn out for your good.
Decision of the Day
I understand that Satan wants to contain me. He wants to limit my growth and increase. He has devised strategies to do this, one of which is oppression. I will not be stopped by all his machinations. I will keep growing and multiplying despite the pressures. I will not be discouraged. I am breaking every bound and limitation the enemy is trying to erect. My momentum Is maintained.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
June 1: increase the Natural Order of Things
But the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them." (Exodus 1:7)
A lot can be learned about God from nature. Think of the great oak and imagine its beginning as a little acorn. Think of a forest and imagine its beginning as a little seed which became a tree which produced fruits with seeds that produced other trees which became the forest. Think of the billions of people on the face of the earth now and all that have ever lived and see their beginning from two humans, Adam and Eve.
As in nature, fruitfulness and multiplication can be seen as the order of God in life. Any deviation from this order is an indication of something that is out of place. God's blessing upon all living creatures, including humans, when they were created, was that they should increase and multiply. This command is perpetual. When something stays small, alone and limited, seasons after seasons with no sign of fruits, increase or spread, check it out again, something contrary to God's order is going on which must be corrected. Lack of growth is a disease that must be eradicated.
The children of Israel came into Egypt as a few people but by the blessings of God, according to our text, they were now so numerous and multiplied that the land was filled with them.
What is it that you have in your life? What resources has God committed into your hands? Finances, talents, people, strength, a ministry etc? It is God's will for it to increase. God wants to multiply the little you have in your hand until it becomes a mighty force in your hand. Your little loaf and fish can be used by God to feed a multitude. Your little strength can be multiplied and your little act of love turned into a mighty force in your hand.
Never despise little. Do the right things with it and stay the course. Be faithful. Soon, what was little can become so mighty. Your scantiness can become abundance. Your oak a forest and your wilderness a fruitful field. God can make a force out of the little of your life until Satan becomes threatened by your increase.
Decision of the Day
I understand that increase is the divine order. I will be faithful in the little that God has trusted me with and watch God as He multiplies it and turns it into a formidable force in His hand. I expect increase. I look forward to multiplication. Though my beginning is strong, my latter end is filled with increase and expansion.
A lot can be learned about God from nature. Think of the great oak and imagine its beginning as a little acorn. Think of a forest and imagine its beginning as a little seed which became a tree which produced fruits with seeds that produced other trees which became the forest. Think of the billions of people on the face of the earth now and all that have ever lived and see their beginning from two humans, Adam and Eve.
As in nature, fruitfulness and multiplication can be seen as the order of God in life. Any deviation from this order is an indication of something that is out of place. God's blessing upon all living creatures, including humans, when they were created, was that they should increase and multiply. This command is perpetual. When something stays small, alone and limited, seasons after seasons with no sign of fruits, increase or spread, check it out again, something contrary to God's order is going on which must be corrected. Lack of growth is a disease that must be eradicated.
The children of Israel came into Egypt as a few people but by the blessings of God, according to our text, they were now so numerous and multiplied that the land was filled with them.
What is it that you have in your life? What resources has God committed into your hands? Finances, talents, people, strength, a ministry etc? It is God's will for it to increase. God wants to multiply the little you have in your hand until it becomes a mighty force in your hand. Your little loaf and fish can be used by God to feed a multitude. Your little strength can be multiplied and your little act of love turned into a mighty force in your hand.
Never despise little. Do the right things with it and stay the course. Be faithful. Soon, what was little can become so mighty. Your scantiness can become abundance. Your oak a forest and your wilderness a fruitful field. God can make a force out of the little of your life until Satan becomes threatened by your increase.
Decision of the Day
I understand that increase is the divine order. I will be faithful in the little that God has trusted me with and watch God as He multiplies it and turns it into a formidable force in His hand. I expect increase. I look forward to multiplication. Though my beginning is strong, my latter end is filled with increase and expansion.
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