Freedom Robbers

I know I distressed you greatly with my letter. Although I felt awful at the time, I don’t feel at all bad now that I see how it turned out. The letter upset you, but only for a while. Now I’m glad—not that you were upset, but that you were jarred into turning things around. You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss. Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets. (2 Corinthians 7:8-10)

Any great pain or sorrow that weighs us down and almost keeps us from moving is not meant to keep us down, it is meant to drive us to God. Elements of physical suffering, or some mental anguish might have us under its control right now. Some call this "trouble", while others use a more sophisticated term like "affliction" or "tribulation". It is simply junk we don't want to have to deal with, but somehow it always manages to find us. A plane billowing black smoke, pilot frantically attempting to send out a distress call indicating his location as he plummets to the earth - trouble, affliction, tribulation. The call is something of a plea for someone to notice he is "going down" in hopes he might be rescued at some point if he survives the horrific event. I think there are times we view distress almost in a similar way - as if we were "going down" - so we cry out, hoping someone, anyone will notice us and come to our rescue. Distress might even be "self-inflicted" - like when we make a really bad decision and then feel ourselves plummeting out of control, heading toward a crash. Any unseen force in their lives might cause us distress - like when you just feel pressure but cannot put your finger on where it is coming from, when it started, or how to make it end. The "other person" caused distress could be the entire source of the pressure or affliction we might be enduring. Either way, it appears distress is common among men and women alike, so isn't it about time we learn how to deal with it?

The opposite of distress is peace, assurance, and freedom. We have to learn what steals away our peace, brings us to the place of doubt, and captures us in its clutches so tightly. While trying to identify the cause of distress, we just have to look at these three things - peace disturbers, assurance robbers, and captors of our freedom. Peace is more than just the absence of disturbance! Some of us need a little disturbance once in a while to actually get us moving in the right direction once again. Think of the last time you lazily drifted into the lane next to you on the freeway and heard just a little toot of a horn from a passing motorist in the opposite lane. What did that horn toot provide? It disturbed your peace just enough to put you back on course in your lane again. Not all disturbance is a bad thing. Even the calmest, stillest running brook is moving! If it wasn't, it would be pond-like and scummy. The movement keeps it fresh. Peace really is a state of no longer being at a place of "strife" in your life. In other words, you deal with the antagonists to your peace! Doing this means we have to stop long enough to actually figure out what is impacting our peace - even if it is something we might be doing to ourselves! Remember - it doesn't mean we stop moving - we still need to move, but just in the right "lane"!

Assurance is just a fancy word for confidence or certainty. When the stock market begins to go haywire, housing prices plummet, people make runs on banks and stash hard earned monies into their secret hiding places in their homes just in case the banks are going to go "belly up", and the like. Why? Confidence in the system we depend upon is broken. Those who respond in panic are actually showing where it is they have placed their confidence! When confidence is misplaced, it is easy for it to be "robbed away" from us in what appears to be any kind of "distressing" or "conflicting" circumstance, isn't it? When we understand the strength of our life's foundation is Christ, we stand assured. When we haven't allowed this foundation to be built into our lives as strongly as it should be, we sometimes find ourselves a little less certain when the storms come. Captors of our freedom requires someone or something to be our captor. For a captor to actually do his job, he has to be able to over-power or out-think the one he seeks to take into captivity. It doesn't mean he has the most muscles, or the highest IQ. It means he knows how to use what it is he has at his disposal. They use their abilities to their advantage. They outsmart us by affecting our peace or mucking with our assurance. They over-power us by making us think OUR abilities are insufficient to stand up to THEIRS. Truth is - they are probably right! It isn't OUR abilities they should be faced with - it is CHRIST'S abilities WITHIN US they should have to deal with! If they come face-to-face with those abilities, they don't stand a chance of affecting our freedom in Christ!

Not sure what is bringing you a little distress today but remember what our passage declares: Distress which drives us TO God turns us around. It re-establishes our sense of peace, gives us the certainty we are on solid footing, and puts forward the power of Christ, not the mildness of our own abilities. Just sayin!

Your promise me what?

Have you seen the hope of a promise and what influence it has over a person? The "pulling" or "pushing" effect of the promise they hold onto is often the only thing keeping them going, isn't it? If you have ever really taken any kind of look into scriptures, you will see they are filled with promises. Some make immediate sense to us, causing us to just simply latch onto them quickly, while others take a little "getting used to" in order to have any real kind of impact on us. By definition a promise is something which gives hope - it is what we base our expectations on. If we have been given a promise - we hold out for the fulfillment, don't we? Now, in terms of God's promises, they actually serve to "pull us on" when we don't have the energy to make another move ourselves!

With promises like this to pull us on, dear friends, let’s make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let’s make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1 MSG)

It is Christ's work in us - the work which should give us great hope and assurance. Maybe this hope comes in the declarations, such as: "He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less." (5:5) Perhaps it is found in the words: "The day you needed me, I was there to help." (6:2) Or maybe: "I’ll live in them, move into them; I’ll be their God and they’ll be my people." (6:16) Regardless of which one of these various promises and assurances we hold onto, they have the effect of "pulling us" out of where we are today and moving us toward where we will be for all eternity! What are we told to DO in response to God's amazing promises. We are instructed to "make a clean break". If you have ever thought about what it means to make a clean break, you probably have discovered it describes both timing and intent. In the realm of timing - it is swift, not delayed or drug out. In respect to intent, it is complete and thorough - no turning back.

What impairs our timing or intent? There is the stuff that "defiles" or "distracts" us. To discover this, we mere need to look both within and without our thoughts, emotions, and physical being. In other words, there is stuff "in" us which affects our timing and intent, just as much as there is stuff "outside" us which sways us to alter our timing or adjust our intent. If you have ever said you'd do something like lose weight, you know timing plays an important part in your conviction. You don't start a diet just prior to the holidays, do you? Nope! In fact, you wait until after New Year's has come and gone to start - timing the start of the new till after the "good stuff" has all been eaten! Timing is dependent on intent, but each has both internal and external "pulling" factors. The question our passage sets before us is whether we will listen to the pulls from without or within. God's Spirit indwells the believer - therefore, the "pulls" we should be listening to are those that emanate from him. It is hard to really respond well to his pull unless we get acquainted with him. It is in this acquaintance where we develop a familiarity with his intent and timing.

No promise is of value unless we place hope in it. We can hear all kinds of promises, but if we never latch onto even one of them, we will be "hopeless", won't we? Not all promises are trustworthy - especially if they are made by humans! Yet, God has NEVER gone back on one of his promises! Latching onto anything that promises something other than what God promises leaves us at risk of being defiled and disappointed. Distractions disappoint, don't they? If you have ever been driving along, distracted by the song on the radio, or the thoughts in your brain, and missed the turn-off you were supposed to take, you know the "cost" of a distraction. It impacts your timing and your intent, doesn't it? You intended to be at your destination at a certain time and you just blew it! We are equally pulled - within and without - by things, people, and activities which promise some form of fulfillment. We need to become so acquainted with God's promises so as to immediately spot those things which pull us and which will do nothing more than defile or distract! Just sayin!

I hold these truths to be self-evident....

There are times when we just need a reminder of certain things.  I know I experience times when I need someone to remind me I can do whatever lays before me because I have done it before and this time won't be any different. I also think we need the encouragement of those who act as our "reminding" friends to never forget God's presence with me when we go through the stuff we go through.  There are moments when we might just lose sight of the purpose of our lives, or the "perspective" becomes a little "collapsed" because of all the other "cluttered thoughts" coming in around us.  These are the times when we need to stop for just a moment and consider the truths about God's consistent, compassionate, and caring character.  What can we say about God's character?  To be honest - we cannot say enough!

What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won’t he freely give us everything else?  If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them?  Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed! Christ died and was raised to life, and now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us.  Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death?  It is exactly as the Scriptures say,  “For you we face death all day long.  We are like sheep on their way to be butchered.” In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us.  I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future,  and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!  (Romans 8:31-39 CEV)

Here's what we CAN say with assurance:

- If God is on our side...no one, no thing can stand against us.  Back in the day when I played sports, one of the things we'd do is "choose sides".  We'd divide into teams because sports are competitive - one side is pitted against the other.  I don't think this walk with Christ is much different for us today. We have "chosen sides" when we put in our lot with Jesus.  We entered into a "contest" of sorts where one "side" is pitted against the other.  The hope and assurance we have is the fact we have already been declared to be the "winners" in this walk!  No thing and no one can change that declaration of fact, for that "fact" is established by the death of God's own Son!

- If God gave his own Son to us, why would he withhold other things we have need of in our lives?  This would be inconsistent with his nature, so it is impossible for him to withhold whatever it is we need today.  I didn't say he'd give us all our "wants", but those things we have "need of" in our lives are as certain as his provision for our salvation (Christ Jesus).  So, why do we resist or delay in asking God for what it is we have need of?  Maybe it is this thing we call "pride" - the desire to "save face" and not admit we stand in need.  If there is one thing I have learned as I have grown a little older in this life, it is this fact of laying down my pride to ask for help.  I don't always get it right, but I have learned a great deal of what stands between me and the place I need to be is nothing more than dealing with my reluctance to ask!

- God has declared you and I "acceptable" in his presence.  No one can declare us otherwise.  "We" are among the "no one" in that statement - for even our declaration of our "worth" or "acceptability" in God's eyes is not to be contrary to what God has already declared to be true of each of us.  When I was younger, I had a bumper sticker I plastered onto my guitar case.  It read, "God said it.  I believe it.  That settles it."  Now, at first that may seem a little "elementary", but try living that out in how it is you "view" yourself in terms of "acceptability" before God and it becomes a little more than "elementary", doesn't it?  The truth is - if God says something is one way, no matter how hard we try to argue it is another, we will still be wrong!

- We know these facts to be evident simply because of where Christ is today - seated at the right hand of God the Father.  His purpose there - to talk to the Father about and on behalf of each of us.  To bring our needs before him - in order for them to be met as only he can meet them.  To bring our frustrations into God's presence - so he can settle our hearts and bring assurance of his watchfulness over our lives.  Get this inside your hearts, friends - Jesus and God the Father are having regular and consistent conversation about each of us!  No wonder "no thing" and "no one" can separate us from his love, grace, and provision!

Much will come our way to attempt to separate us from the "assurance" of God's love and protection of our lives.  Much will attempt to dissuade our peace and commitment to his purposes.  Much will stand against - but the evident truth God wants us to understand above all this resistance is:  No one and no thing is bigger, greater, stronger, more powerful, or more important than God in our lives!  Get this straight in your minds - have your heart follow suite - and before long, you will begin to perceive the truth that no thing and no one will be able to stand against you!  The waters may be a little murky at times, but only one thing purifies and settles the heart - God himself.  The thoughts may get a little mixed up at times when stressors are high, but only one thing brings peace and orders chaos - God's presence.  Stand upon this truth and no amount of taunting from your enemy will ever get you down again!  Just sayin!

What is your distress doing to you?

Distress is any great pain or sorrow which weighs us down and almost keeps us from moving as we should.  It could be some element of physical suffering, or some mental anguish.  Some call it "trouble", while others use a more sophisticated term like "affliction" or "tribulation".  Either way, it is junk we don't want to have to deal with, but somehow it always manages to find us. In wartime movies, you might see a plane billowing black smoke, pilot frantically attempting to send out a distress call indicating his location as he plummets to the earth.  The call is something of a plea for someone to notice he is "going down" in hopes he might be rescued at some point if he survives this horrific event.  I think there are times we view distress almost in a similar way - as if we were "going down" - so we cry out, hoping someone, anyone will notice us and come to our rescue.   

Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets.  (2 Corinthians 7:10 MSG)  

There are different kinds of distress - probably as many as there are humans that walk this planet.  It comes in the form of the kind which some might refer to as "self-inflicted" - like when we make a really bad decision and then feel ourselves plummeting out of control, heading toward a crash.  There is also the type of affliction or distress some would say comes from some unseen force in their lives - like when you just feel pressure, but cannot put your finger on where it is coming from, when it started, or how to make it end. Yep, we even attribute distress to others - the "other" being the entire source of the pressure or affliction we  might be enduring.  Either way, it appears distress is common among men and women alike, so isn't it about time we learn how to deal with it?

The opposite of distress is peace, assurance, and freedom.  To understand how to deal with distress, we have to learn what steals away our peace, brings us to the place of doubt, and captures us in its clutches so tightly. Often trying to identify the cause of distress, we just have to look at these three things - peace disturbers, assurance robbers, and captors of our freedom:

- Peace disturbers:  Peace is more than just the absence of disturbance! Some of us need a little disturbance once in a while to actually get us moving in the right direction once again.  Think of the last time you lazily drifted into the lane next to you on the freeway and heard just a little toot of a horn from a passing motorist in the opposite lane.  What did that horn toot provide?  Yep, it disturbed your peace just enough to put you back on course in your lane again.  So, not all disturbance is a bad thing.  Even the calmest, stillest running brook is moving!  If it weren't, it would be kind of pond-like and scummy.  The movement keeps it fresh.  Peace really is a state of no longer being at a place of "strife" in your life.  In other words, you deal with the antagonists to your peace!  Doing this means we have to stop long enough to actually figure out what is impacting our peace - even if it is something we might be doing to ourselves!  Remember - it doesn't mean we stop moving - we still need to move, but just in the right "lane"!

- Assurance robbers:  Assurance is just a fancy word for confidence or certainty.  When the stock markets began to go haywire several years back, housing prices plummeted, people made runs on banks and stashed hard earned monies into their secret hiding places in their homes just in case the banks were going to go "belly up", and the like.  Why?  Confidence in the system was broken.  Those who responded in panic were actually showing where it was they placed their confidence!  When confidence is misplaced, it is easy for it to be "robbed away" from us in what appears to be any kind of "distressing" or "conflicting" circumstance, isn't it?  I used to have a good pre-wash spray which actually took most stains out of my clothes without much effort from me on laundry day.  I switched to a brand everyone was talking about at less expensive, but still able to do the work as well.  Guess what?  I am back to the more costly brand because it simply works better - I have more confidence in its ability to perform as promised!  When we understand the strength of our foundation in Christ, we stand assured.  When we haven't allowed this foundation to be built in our lives as strongly as it should be, we sometimes find ourselves a little less certain when the storms come.

- Captors of our freedom:  For a captor to actually do his job, he has to be able to over-power or out-think the one he seeks to take into captivity.  It doesn't mean he has the most muscles, or the highest IQ.  It means he knows how to use what it is he has at his disposal.  I have seen some pretty burly men brought to their knees by some pretty wimpy looking dudes - just because they knew how to use their abilities to their advantage.  This is how our captors work.  They out-smart us by affecting our peace or mucking with our assurance.  They over-power us by making us think OUR abilities are insufficient to stand up to THEIRS.  Truth is - they are probably right!  It isn't OUR abilities they should be faced with - it is CHRIST'S abilities IN US they should have to deal with!  If they come face-to-face with those abilities, they don't stand a chance of affecting our freedom in Christ!

Not sure what is bringing you a little distress today, but remember what our passage declares:  Distress which drives us TO God turns us around.  It re-establishes our sense of peace, gives us the certainty we are on solid footing, and puts forward the power of Christ, not the mildness of our own abilities. Just sayin!

You listening?

When I took my business classes in school, one of the things I was taught was how to write a formal business letter all the way through an informal memorandum.  You learned the various components of each because you never knew what you'd be called upon to draft.  In a formal letter, there is a structure to it - the heading, inside address, salutation or greeting, introduction (or purpose), the body, the conclusion or complimentary close, and the signature line.  In essence, the introduction gave you a synopsis of what the body would elaborate upon.  The complimentary close was just a short ending to the letter, often thanking the reader for their consideration, and driving to some action.  One of the things I have observed in the epistles (or letters to the believers at the churches of the First Century) which make up our New Testament is the opening comments which outline the purpose of writing and the concluding comments which summarize the information outlined.  

My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he’s listening. And if we’re confident that he’s listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours.  (I John 5:13-15 The Message)

John is concluding his epistle to the churches.  He opened the letter with an introduction which outlined several things:

- We were witnesses of the great stuff that happened while Christ walked this earth.  We saw it with our own eyes and verified it with our own hands.  Now, this is speaks to the reliability of the testimony which we are about to receive in the body of the letter.

- God took shape right before our eyes.  Their testimony will confirm the fact Christ was indeed God made flesh.  No doubts, arguments, or contradictions - he was the real deal!

- We want our testimony of what we saw and heard to affect our readers.  The purpose for writing is very evident in this introductory statement.  The hope of the witness was to persuade the readers to experience all they have experienced by being touched by the life of Christ.  

Now, John is concluding his letter.  In a short synopsis, he lays out the purpose for his having written these short five chapters.  His intention has been to give us enough evidence of the reality of Christ's birth, death, and resurrection so we come to the place of absolute certainty in our own belief that Christ was made flesh, dwelt among us, died for our sins, rose on the third day, and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father.  No bones about it - - Christ is real!  

In fact, he wants his readers to be assured of what this means for them.  It secured forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God the Father.  No more is there a barrier between us and God.  No longer is there a need for an atoning sacrifice - it has been offered and fully accepted by the sacrifice of his only begotten Son.  

As he concludes this letter, several points are left with us - to assure us, challenge us to take a stand, and to open us to the possibilities we have in our position IN Christ.

*  We have eternal life - not eternal hell, but eternal life.  All will experience some type of eternal life - but not all will experience it at the feet of Jesus.  This eternal existence with Christ is based upon his redemptive work on the cross - his overcoming work over death, hell, and the grave.  Hell no longer beckons us.  The grave no longer can hold us bound.  Death has no sting or victory.  Christ has seen to this!

*  There is a freedom and a boldness in God's presence because of the work of Christ.  Let me begin with the idea of freedom.  When a person feels "free", they behave differently than they might when their "freedom" is questionable. For example, a wild animal may be "caged" inside a habitat created by man as a "display" within a zoo.  The animal would normally "run free", but even in the wild, they have certain "territorial markings" which act as boundaries for them.  They stay within these boundaries, knowing full well they might not fair well when they leave those boundaries.  Sometimes these boundaries are because of the provision within them - such as a watering hole and a source of food.  Sometimes they are imposed by others, such as when a male marks the boundaries of their territory so no other male takes control of the herd.

Freedom is both a belief and a fact.  It is a belief as it applies to as much as what we "feel" about our boundaries influences our actions.  We stay within boundaries we "feel" are safe for us.  We avoid boundaries which we "feel" may not be as "safe".  The facts of our freedom have to be understood in order for them to influence our feelings.  Once the facts and feelings coexist on the same plane, there is a liberty which is produced.  It is this liberty that John turns our attention to today.  We have a liberty to enter freely into the presence of God.  This liberty gives us the boldly ask of God the tough things we do.  

*  We can be assured he is listening.  No amount of exerted effort on our part gets him to listen any better!  I know I only "half-listen" sometimes to what is being said in conversation with others.  If something catches my attention, I focus in a little harder.  We all do this.  Yet, God acts differently - he is an "all-the-time" listener!  

*  When we realize he is listening, we ask differently, don't we?  If we know we have the ear of someone, we might just ask for something we might not have been bold enough to ask for otherwise, right?  The good news is - we ALWAYS have God's ear!  The liberty we enjoy is evident in his listening ear!

Just a few final thoughts from the epistle of I John.  Hope you were listening!

Hey, you...mighty warrior!

^11-12 One day the angel of God came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, whose son Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress, out of sight of the Midianites. The angel of God appeared to him and said, "God is with you, O mighty warrior!"  ¹³ Gideon replied, "With me, my master? If God is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all the miracle-wonders our parents and grandparents told us about, telling us, 'Didn't God deliver us from Egypt?' The fact is, God has nothing to do with us—he has turned us over to Midian."  ¹⁴ But God faced him directly: "Go in this strength that is yours. Save Israel from Midian. Haven't I just sent you?"  ¹⁵ Gideon said to him, "Me, my master? How and with what could I ever save Israel? Look at me. My clan's the weakest in Manasseh and I'm the runt of the litter."

(Judges 6:11-15)

For seven years, Israel was under the domination of a heathen nation known as Midian.  The story of Gideon begins with the description of the ugliness that domination brings to a nation - eating their crops, turning their camels loose to bring their pasture lands to ruin, and sending the people scurrying to the caves to hide from their captors.  As is always the case with God, he hears the cries of the hearts of the people, sends a prophet, and re-explains why they are in bondage.  It is simple:  God spoke to them of his tremendous care for them, demonstrated that care repeatedly in mighty ways, and they still chose to fear the people around them!

One man was singled out by God to receive the message of deliverance - his name was Gideon.  Working away on the threshing floor after the grain harvest, he is interrupted in his work by an angel of the Lord.  You may not realize it, but it is in the "doing" of the ordinary things of life that God can speak the loudest and clearest to us!  We think we need retreats, revival meetings, and the like in order to "hear from God".   The truth is that if we are simply willing to be available to God, we will hear from him no matter what we are doing!


The angel calls Gideon a "mighty warrior" - an image of himself that Gideon obviously did not have!  Gideon immediately begins to debate this perception of himself with the angel.  Isn't that the way we are?  God says, "I declare you worthy" and we argue about our worthiness.  God says, "I love you beyond measure" and we question how he could love us as we are.  God says, "I will give you the words to speak" and we complain that we are not eloquent enough to be a messenger of his grace.


It amazes me how many times we try to "talk God out of" what he declares to be true within our lives!  It is important to realize that he has the "big picture" and we are limited in our perspective.  We may see only what is immediately in front of us, but he sees what is to transpire.  Our arguments are simply not valid when put in perspective by our heavenly Father!  God has to repeat the message that he is with him and will use him to defeat Midian not once, but three separate times!  If that doesn't speak to God's infinite patience with us, I don't know what does!


In the end, Gideon asks God for a favor - give him a sign!  Okay, now correct me if I am wrong here, but an angel sits down in your place of business, engages in conversation with you, assures you that God will go with you into the battle, and you still need to ask for a sign?  I am so glad that we have this recorded for us in scripture because it gives me hope that I am not the only one that struggles with being obedient when God asks something of me!  Even I doubt, ask for further evidence, and then await God's assurances that he really did speak to me!  Thank God, we serve a patient and loving Lord!


We often doubt our "credentials", citing something as lame as "I am the runt of the litter" when God declares us to be the leader of the battle!  I am so glad that we are not limited to our own perceptions of ourselves!  Gideon was so focused on what HE could accomplish in his own abilities and God was so focused on what GOD would accomplish in his power!  We make lame excuses when all we see is the possibilities of our own abilities!  God has greater possibilities if we'd just lean on him like he asks.  God never commissions us to take certain step without also being willing to back those steps up with his full power and provision along the way!


Just a few thoughts from the "runt of the litter" today!  Our inadequacies are God's opportunities!  Don't try to argue that one out!  God wins every time!

Everything comes out right

^43-44 And so God gave Israel the entire land that he had solemnly vowed to give to their ancestors. They took possession of it and made themselves at home in it. And God gave them rest on all sides, as he had also solemnly vowed to their ancestors. Not a single one of their enemies was able to stand up to them—God handed over all their enemies to them.  ⁴⁵ Not one word failed from all the good words God spoke to the house of Israel. Everything came out right.

(Joshua 21:43-45)

Israel is coming into possession of their land - after about 40 years of wandering in the wilderness because of their rebellion and unbelief - after they had dispossessed the strong armies that inhabited the region.  They are about to take possession - but the one who gave them the land was God himself.  There are times in our lives when we think that the actions of our own hands and the schemes of our own brains have been exactly what brought about the success we are enjoying.  This seldom is the case - in fact, if we listen closely to what scripture tells us, all we possess and enjoy is a result of God's ordering our steps to obtain it.

Several key concepts are laid out for us in this passage:

• God is to be trusted - he does not make promises he will not keep.  We often find this hard to believe because we are used to human efforts to keep promises.  We must never lose sight of the fact that God is not limited by human ability or intent.  He is divine - and he will do what he says he will do.
• God gives us rest on all sides.  The place of rest is conditioned on obedience.  It is very difficult for us to find rest in our rebellion.  In fact, the place of rebellion is a rut, well-worn by continued re-walking of the same paths.  Rebellion keeps us in the rut - repentance breaks us free of the rut and brings us into new places.  
• God plans on us enjoying what it is that he provides for us.  There is much joy in giving a gift that will be enjoyed.  As a grandparent, one of the biggest things I have learned about giving gifts to the boys is that I need to make sure they have at least one really fun gift that they will enjoy.  I have learned to put all the socks, underwear, and clothing in one big bag - or simply give a gift card to meet those needs.  Then I put that toy, game, or special thing in another bag - the one they will open and enjoy!  God is the giver of both the practical and the "fun" gifts in our lives - he plans on us enjoying them both.  He might "package" them differently, but the outcome is the same - they are for our enjoyment.
• God's plan includes the protection of his family.  Israel stood in a place of peace - not one enemy left to taunt or terrorize them.  God had seen to that by giving careful counsel to the leaders in their taking of this land.  God's protection of his family is ultimately his doing - we may participate in times of obedient movement, but he is the one in constant vigil over those he loves.

The closing words - not one word failed - speak volumes about the character of God.  He does not idly speak.  His words are active and alive - they carry a punch.  There is assurance that comes when the words of God are spoken.  This passage ends kind of like the stories we read when we were children - you know the words, don't you?  The end of the story was, "And everyone lived happily ever after."  Well, this passage ends with similar words, but with a deeper meaning - "Everything came out right."  

For everything to come our right, God must be in charge.  Nothing left to the doing of man can be guaranteed to come our well.  God is the one who orders the steps - he is the one who assures the ending will be as it should.  

The key is in the control

¹³ Moses spoke to the people: "Don't be afraid. Stand firm and watch God do his work of salvation for you today. Take a good look at the Egyptians today for you're never going to see them again.   ¹⁴ God will fight the battle for you.
      And you? You keep your mouths shut!"

(Exodus 14:13-14)

Battles come our way - not those fought on enemy soil with automatic weapons, tanks, and grenades - but those things that give us "fits" internally (emotionally, spiritually, and sometimes even physically).  We struggle with the outcome because we try to remain in control of the situation instead of turning it over to God.  The battle becomes a burden we "slug" through rather than having the unlimited resources of heaven at our disposal.

Moses was given a direct message from God to tell the people - the battle lies ahead - here's what you should do in the midst of the battle!  Most of us don't get some messenger of God sent into our lives, armed with the message to stand firm in the midst of the fight.  At least, not one that we recognize as a messenger!  The message God gives him to bring tell us a great deal about how it is we are to face the battle.  Let's look:

• Don't be afraid - the idea is that we are not to be filled with fear or apprehension.  Our conception of the situation (perception) produces fear or trust.  Another word for these conceptions is suspicions - we develop various suspicions about the reason for the battle, the outcome, etc.  Anticipation and awareness of danger both produce fear and anxiety.  Paul tells us in Philippians:  Do not be anxious about ANYTHING, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. (Phil. 4:6)  There is a time in the battle when we have to "reign it all in" and lay it all out before God.  In so doing, we begin to be in a place to see clearly what it is that is before us.  Our suspicions are addressed.
• Stand firm - maintain your position, hold your course, and remain firm.  To maintain your position is to hold the position of a witness - be alert, be attentive, be accurate.  Weakness and uncertainty do not play a part in being a witness in the courtroom of life.  The witness is to give a testimony that is free of revision or change.  God is asking us to be well-founded in our beliefs and values.  Steadfastness is really what is pictured here.
• Watch for the deliverance - it is inevitable when the battle is in his hands.  We may lose it in our own ability, but in his hands, the deliverance is sure to come.  When we actually see something, we are recognizing it and placing that into actual experience.  In other words, stand firm, without fear, and God will be on the scene to bring the deliverance (making it a reality).  Deliverance is liberty - it is rescue, or being set free.  The promised, desired, and expected results will be -produced - when we stand firm, fear under control.
• You will never see that enemy again - Moses was speaking to Israel about the Egyptians.  They were an enemy that could have slaughtered them, bringing an end to their existence.  Yet, he says with total assurance, that they would never see them again.  What is pictured is the idea of total deliverance from the bondage of a task-master that is demanding, unyielding, and controlling.  Kind of like the image we have of sin's control in our lives, huh?  God is the one that will cause it to be that we move from a place of total bondage into total freedom - never to be under that condition of bondage again.  
• Keep your mouth shut - this is not easy in the midst of the battle.  Instead of being still, at peace, and in control of our emotions, we are a miserable wreck!  It is not easy being in a place where we stand with an assurance that the end of our bondage seems to be impossible and then to stand settled, calm and in a place of peace.  Yet it is the very thing that God expects of us in the midst of the battle.  When trust is placed in the right (true and accurate) place, the battle is assured.

To that, I can only add some words from David:  Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.  The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46:10-11)  See the emphatic statement here:  I WILL BE EXALTED!  God is not a mamby-pamby kind of God - he is supreme, sovereign (so over) any other force on this earth, in your life, or in mine.  He WILL be exalted - stand firm, be assured, and be still.  He is in control!