Facing the Enemy

My daughter was a page for three weeks this summer for the Louisiana House of Representatives. The first few days she got out of the car to go to her first official job as a 16 year old, she was quite nervous and anxious. I rolled down my window as she walked away and said, “Do your Beyonce’ walk!” Erin has this strut she calls the “Beyonce’ Walk” she pulls out when she needs to be all that and a box of chocolate. That girl makes me smile. So when I read, Exodus 14:8 where it says the Israelites left Egypt triumphantly. I wondered what that might have looked like, and I wonder how far that triumphant walk lasted.

We see in Exodus 13:17-18 God leads the children of Israel out of Egypt, and He leads them on a route the Israelites would not have chosen. It’s not the most obvious route. It’s not the easiest route. It’s not the shortest route. It’s not the route with easy access to food and water, but it is a route with fewer enemies and less opportunities for battle. This is God’s way of going before them smoothing out of the rough places and turning the darkness into light (Isaiah 42:16), but I wonder if they were still walking triumphantly.

Notice I said “fewer enemies.” We still have adversaries even when we follow the Lord. The difference is when we are following the Lord, they are His enemies not ours, and He will handle them accordingly.

In Exodus 14, we read how God led the children of Israel to turn back and camp in front of the Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea. They camped in front of Baal-zephon facing it by the sea. This means the children of Israel would be trapped when the Egyptians pursued, and they did pursue. As a matter of fact that triumphant walk disappeared just as soon as they saw the Egyptians pursuing them. The Israelites wanted to go back to Egypt right then instead of dying in the wilderness.

Remember, if God leads you to a place then there is a purpose. If God leads you to face your enemy, there is a purpose. If God leads you out of bondage and into the wilderness, there’s a purpose. Look for Him. Seek Him.

In Exodus 14:13-14 Moses speaks to the Israelites. “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lord’s salvation. He will provide for you today; for the Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you must be quiet.” Many Christians like to quote the last part of this verse because it brings assurance and comfort, but this is NOT the battle plan for every enemy and every situation. Think Jericho – NOT quiet.

But let’s look at the instructions for this battle.

1.       Don’t be afraid – So easy to say, but so hard to do at times. It requires faith and trust in an Almighty God we cannot visibly see but whose handiwork is visible. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves our God is bigger than any Goliath or enemy in our path. Our God is victorious and nothing will thwart His plan.

2.       Stand firm – Don’t run from the enemy. Don’t run back to where you were comfortable. There’s no growth there.

3.       See the Lord’s salvation – Keep your eyes open looking for God’s hand. This means you are expecting for God to show up, and this is why you are to look for the Lord’s salvation.

4.       He will provide for you today – You’ve heard the saying, “If God brings you to it, He’ll bring you through it.” Our God provides.

5.       The Egyptians you see today you will never see again – This is a bit cryptic if you think about it. They didn’t have the Scripture to know exactly what Moses meant. This could mean God was going to take them home, God was going to enable the Israelites to rise up and defeat them. Who at this point would have thought the Spirit would blow such a strong wind as to part the sea for the Israelites to walk through on dry land? That had never been done before.

So often Christians get an idea of HOW God should handle a situation and begin to “help” God to that end, and they miss the miracle God has in store for them. This is why it is important to listen to God and follow where He leads not where we think He’s leading.

6.       The Lord will fight for you; you must be quiet. In this instance God didn’t need any help from the Israelites. He didn’t need their great ideas, their plans, or their strategies. He just needed them to be quiet. Gotta confess there are times during parenting when my kids try to help by giving their solutions when all I want is for them to be quiet. The kids don’t have the whole picture and have even less experience in life. Same goes for us. When God leads you to be quiet then ZIP YOUR LIPS!

What happens when you zip your lips? It frees you to hear others. Stop thinking about your way and listen. It gives you the opportunity to hear from God. It gives you an opportunity to use your other senses to experience God’s deliverance.

Oh the things we miss because we are so busy doing things our way. Oh the miracles we miss because we are helping God to deal with our adversary. Following God means doing things His way not ours. Are you ready to totally surrender your enemy, your adversary, your plans and ideas, your solutions to God? It’s the first step in facing your enemy.

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The Route from Bondage to Freedom

I saw a pin on Pinterest the other day, and it said, “God, why are you taking me out into the deep waters?” and God’s response was, “Because your enemy doesn’t know how to swim.”

Have you ever wished God would allow you to see the “big picture?” Have you ever asked questions like, “Why has God led me here,” “Where is He leading me because there’s a much better way I see that’s closer,” “When is He going to…?” It isn’t often God gives us a glimpse of what He sees much less His reasoning, but when He does, we really should take note. Often times, we don’t see His hand until we look back on a situation, a season, or a struggle.

 unIn Exodus 13:17-18 we read, “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road to the land of the Philistines, even though it was nearby; for God said, ‘The people will change their minds and return to Egypt if they face war.’ So He led the people around toward the Red Sea along the road of the wilderness. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt in battle formation.” These two verses say so much about our Father.

Just want to clear something up before we go to deep. God is leading the Israelites out of bondage into freedom. They were in bondage because of a severe famine God had allowed, and the Israelites sold their land, their animals and themselves to Pharaoh just to survive. Some people are in bondage today because of poor decisions and sin in their lives and want God to deliver, so they suffer no consequence of their sin. That’s not how this works. God forgives sin, but there are still consequences.

In this passage, God didn’t lead the Israelites down the path or route they would have chosen. The shortest and common route out of Egypt was the coastal route, but Egypt would have military outposts along the way, and God knew the Israelites were not ready to face a battle. The Israelites might have looked like an army marching in battle formation, but they were no trained army. This road would have been easy and good with water and food along the way, but the risk of danger outweighed what many would consider to be good reasons to take that route.

For Christians who have been led by God into a time or season of bondage like the Israelites, I want you to see a few things.

1.       Pharaoh eventually lets God’s people go after the effect of all the plagues. What holds us hostage is under God’s control even the results of your sin, and He is ultimately in control as to when we will be freed. There is nothing and no one who can defeat God or thwart the will of God.

2.       God leads us out of bondage to freedom. He doesn’t just open the barn door and say, “Get after it.” God leads us. Do you have the faith to follow? It can be scary taking that first step out of the known into the unknown. You have to have faith.

3.       When God leads us anywhere, He goes before us making the rough places smooth and turns the darkness into light (Isaiah 42:16). We also know when we follow God that goodness and mercy follow us (Psalm 23:6), thereby hemming us in from the front and the back (Psalm 139:5). There is security in following God’s leadership.

4.       God does not choose the most convenient way out or the most obvious way out. Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us God’s ways and thoughts are not our ways and thoughts. His ways and thoughts are so much higher than our own, and we know from 1 Corinthians 1:25 that God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and His weakness is stronger than human strength. So when God leads you out of your bondage, and He chooses to take a path less traveled, TRUST HIM.

5.       “The people will change their minds.” He knows your thoughts and fears before you have them, and believe it or not, He goes before you to lead you down paths He knows that are best for you for where you are right now in your faith. Just like God knew the Israelites couldn’t handle a battle right after being freed, He knows what you can’t handle.

6.       “The Israelites left the land of Egypt in battle formation.” Always be prepared. God might have known the Israelites might have tucked tail and run at the first sight of conflict, but they were at least prepared. When you follow God out of what has held you captive, be prepared because the enemy does not give up. We don’t fight against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers of the unseen world.

Remember, God is in control. His timing is perfect. Have faith He will lead you the way you need to be led, how you need to be led, when you need to be led, and where you need to be led. And when God leads you out, remember He goes before you and He’s behind you – You are in the most secure place when God leads. Also keep in mind, He does things and will take you on paths you do not know, and that’s okay because He knows what is to come and He knows what is best for you. He also knows your thoughts and fears before you have them and makes allowances for them. And be prepared to follow God wherever He leads.

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