The Devotional - A Look at the Book #899

by Jesse Abel

 

Thoughts from Papa “J”

 

Most of us have a keepsake or two; for a man it could be an old pocket knife that granddad gave him and for a woman, possibly a locket with grans picture in it. These are more valuable to us than one of those bricks out of Fort Knox. Wisdom has been around a lot longer than our keepsakes and what did we do with Him who gave it and what did with do with the wisdom? Proverbs 19:8

 

Good Morning

 

2 Corinthians 10:1-6 – So the past two days was special for me to search the scriptures, I enjoyed the weekend and who knows I may never get beyond verse six of this chapter in 2 Corinthians as I feel led to reflect on Saturday evening and the Bible Study we had at church. Our pastor is presently teaching from Exodus 14 and the passages associated with Israel as Moses prepared them for their next event which was crossing the Red Sea on “dry” ground.

 

I have to talk about this because it really goes with the spiritual war that believers face daily. Now truly I will not do as well as our pastor did that evening. I was so struck by what he said that I failed to take notes, not that my notes are excellent, even when I do take a note or two. As a believer in Jesus Christ it is a joy to know that Jesus Christ is my personal Savior and that He is my personal victory over sin, Satan and the state of death. I truly hope He is yours as well.

 

However, as a believer we always have Egypt (the world) Pharaoh (Satan) and the chariots (Satan’s officers) in pursuit of us, now I am not sorry for what I am about to say, so listen up! Mostly we are like the Israelites in verses 11 and 12 when they saw Pharaoh and the chariots coming for them as verses 9 and 10 reveal, they complained bitterly to Moses. Then Moses sounding more like the grace of God in action, then a man full of retaliation; responded with four interesting statements. (1) Do not be afraid; (2) Stand still; (3) See the deliverance of the LORD, and (4) you shall not see these Egyptians again forever.

 

Now why was I so struck by this teaching on Saturday? There is an event unfolding in my personal life that fits Exodus 14:13 (Moses response to the complainers) and based on my comments of yesterday helped me understand that the battle we face daily is God’s battle; our ability to be in a battle such as the one described here in Exodus 14 is really not our own. The battle is God’s from the very beginning; our response is to stand in faith; moving forward in His deliverance and not looking back since there is nothing left to see.

 

Here is the rub! Are you apprehensive of an event in the near future? The answer is: “Yes I am” and “No” I am not talking to myself here, I am talking to the both of us. If we are not apprehensive about something in our physical future, then there is not a physical future since we would be pushing up daises (a task of every resident in the grave). We are challenged in Exodus 13:14 to do as Moses explained to the Israelites. “Stand still and see the salvation (deliverance) of the LORD. Note too Ephesians 6:10-18.

 

God will accomplish for you today what you cannot accomplish on your own. All of the power you and I can muster up to solve the problems of the circumstance of life is simply a power that appears for the moment to be very brave and admirable, yet this power is not effective, since we will see that enemy again and again in our own strength. Note the continued response of Moses. For the Egyptians you see today you shall see again NO MORE FOREVER!

 

So it should be clear to us that there is one subject that we often overlook when we face off with the enemy. The one thing we lay aside is faith in the Righteousness of Jesus Christ. Ephesians 6:10-18 or the shorter comment of the apostle Paul in Romans 13:14.

 

For me personally I was able to recognize that the personal event that appeared on the horizon the night before was solved the following morning after prayer; salvation (deliverance) took place in victory. While the circumstance (Egypt still lingers in the background) the commander and his officers are defeated and in this circumstance I will see them no more.

 

All of what I have said, I see in 2 Corinthians 10:1-6, though we walk in the flesh (and we do), we do not need to “war” in the flesh, so STAND STILL our weapons are not of the flesh (carnal). Our weapons are “Mighty” in God. He is the One who destroys the strongholds. Verses 5 and 6 are the result of you and me standing in the Righteousness of Jesus Christ and in the Power of the Holy Spirit, this is faith in God in the heat of the battle.