Exodus 14:13-15(NKJV)
13And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” 15And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.
As we continue to look this period in the life of Israel we see the parallels to our own lives and the days in which we live. At the leading of the Lord, Israel finds itself in an impossible situation. The purpose of God, however is not the destruction of Israel but the destruction of Israel’s enemy. For Israel to succeed they must trust God. They have no other alternative. There is no natural solution.
Their reactions to this is predictable. Like us, they panicked and blamed somebody else. Moses gives them this command. “Fear not!” To succeed they must deal with fear. They must remember the promise of God and they must remember what God has done for them to this point. If they don’t conquer fear they will either die or end up back in bondage.
Our position is very much the same. Personally, nationally and as the Church we live in a day where there are no natural solutions to our problems. We must trust God or nothing will happen. In order to trust God we must put away fear. We must starve it of the focus it desires by focusing instead on the Word of God and the faithfulness God has shown in our lives. We must fear not!
Next Moses tells the people that they must “stand still.” It is interesting that God tells them to go forward just moments later. How can both things be true? Did Moses miss God? Not at all. We cannot go forward if we will not stand still. What do I mean by that. We must not run away from the challenge. If we run we go backward. We must stand before we proceed forward.
Is is often very tempting in trying times to seek a comfortable place. We would rather avoid the conflict and run to a more peaceful time. However if we don’t fight the battle we cannot win it. We must learn to face todays trials or they will become tomorrows trials. We cannot get away from them. Neither God nor the devil will allow it. If we don’t stand we will be defeated.
In the book of Ephesians Paul tells us this.
Ephesians 6:13(NKJV)
13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Once we have done all we know to do, we must stand. If we learn more to do, we do it, but beyond that we stand face to face with the problem, the devil and our own fear until we see the victory. How can we stand? The same way we overcome fear. We must have a promise from the Word of God.
What has God said about your situation. You must find it in the Word. If is is a problem of finance, for instance, Phil. 4:19 is a good place to start.
Philippians 4:19(NKJV)
19And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
There is a condition attached to this promise. I must be a giver. Once that condition is met I can stand still, or firm, on this promise. I tell the devil, “No matter what you do I will not back down on my giving and I will not give in to the fear of lack. My God said He will supply my need and He will. That’s the end of it!” Then you stand on that promise until you see the victory.
The promise is something you can go back to every time you waver. Without the promise you are like a boy facing a bully. He knows he cannot defeat the bully in a fight. He makes a show of resistance but he is trembling and looking around for some way out. With the promise you are like the boy who knows his father is watching and backing him up. He stands and faces the bully with the confidence that he has all he needs to win if a fight should happen. Like all bullies, when the devil sees that he does not have an easy victim he backs down.
The bible is full of promises. Paul tells us that all the promises of God are yes and Amen in Christ Jesus. (2 Cor. 1:20) Search the Word for a promise that will help in your situation. You might look for a good book on the subject that applies to what you are dealing with. You may ask other Christians where to find a particular promise in the bible. You should, in your own reading and study time, search the scriptures for yourself looking for promises that can be applied in various circumstances. Make note of them and when that circumstance arises, as it probably will, you will be ready.
Stand firm. God is with you and there is nothing that happens in life that God has not provided a promise for you to stand on. The bully, Satan, does not have a chance when we know our Father in the person of his great promises is looking on.
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