Monday, March 21, 2016

March 22, 2016

"So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there.  The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands.  Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled." Joshua 21:43-45

God's promises are the traffic signs and signals and guardrails that will guide you safely out of your Egypt, through your wilderness and into your Promised Land!

God's promises define what is real in your life.

God's promises define what is right in your life.

Thirdly, God's promises define what is reliable in your life.

There are several ways God teaches you what you can rely on. The first way is by showing you what you can't rely on!

In Egypt and the wilderness they could not rely on their flesh. They weren't strong enough to overthrow the Pharaoh or to open the Red Sea. They didn't have the power to produce food or water in the desert or preserve their clothing during the journey.

In Egypt and the wilderness they could not rely on their feelings. Emotions are too directly affected by circumstances and their circumstances often weren't very good! 

Another way God teaches us what to rely on is by bailing us out of our failures.

God had taught Moses through his failures. After living as a fugitive for 40 years tending sheep in the desert, God called him to leadership.

Led by a former-failure turned humble leader, God's people spent 40 years wandering in tedious circles through the wilderness because of their failures to obey Moses, submit to God and believe God's promises.

400 hundred years of slavery and 40 years of futility and frustration finally brought God's people to a place where they would rely on Him. Only when they learned they could not rely on themselves and they could rely on God to rescue them did they begin to rely on God!

Like the Hebrews and like Moses, most of us learn to rely on God's promises from relying on unreliable things like our own strength or our own emotions or our own flawed judgment.

You can rely on God's promises first time, every time, any time and all the time! Today, choose to rely on His promises and stop trusting on unreliable sources.

You can rely on that advice! I promise!






March 21, 2016

"So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled." Joshua 21:43-45




God's people made to the Promised Land because they allowed God's promises to define their reality. When God defined their reality it became clear to them what was the right thing to do!

That's the second fact about God's promises! God's promises define what is right!

When you are in Egypt under bondage and oppression it seems to make sense that you should do what the Egyptians do! Why not go along to get along? Why borrow more grief by going against their values?

You won't escape from Egypt by surrendering to them. They don't want to get along with you you, they want to dominate you! 

You won't escape from Egypt by compromising with them. They don't want you to be like them, they want you to serve them.

The only way you can escape from Egypt is by defeating them and destroying them. That means doing what is right by trusting God and His righteousness! That is what brought them out of Egypt!

The wilderness can be confusing at times. Caught between Egypt and Canaan can cause you to long for Egypt and doubt Canaan. Sometimes questioning God can seem right. Sometimes accusing God can seem right. Sometimes even constructing an idol can seem like the right thing to do in the wilderness.

But God led them in the right way through the cloud and the pillar of fire. He gave them Moses and the Law to help lead them in the right way. And occasionally, He had to punish them to correct them and clarify the right way.

In Canaan they had to surrender to God's righteousness and walk in it so they could enjoy the Glory Days God promised them.

When you are overwhelmed by the crush of Egypt or confused in the wilderness wanderings wrong can seem right unless you cling to God's promises! His promises are true and define what is right for you to do.

Trust in what HE SAYS, not in what YOU SEE!

One of God's promises is to lead you in the right paths through the light of His Word!