Battle Strategy That Overwhelms the Enemy

Have you ever felt so mentally & physically exhausted that even the power to pray feels impossible? Moses did.

The Israelites had just escaped slavery to the cruel Egyptians & the 600,000 began their 40 year trek to the promised land. Just a few months into their journey, they were attacked by the warriors of Amalek. Moses commands Joshua to choose some men and enter the battle in the valley. Moses, however, stood on the hilltop also battling in a different manner.

Joshua uses his arms to fight & Moses uses his arms to pray. Throughout the battle he holds up his staff so that all men could see this man of God praying & believing that their God would lead them to victory!

Joshua’s hands engage in fighting, though there’s no mention of him tiring. Moses’s hands engage in prayer, but sometime during the battle, he simply becomes too tired to continue. The very moment his arms drop, the Amalekites gain the advantage.

Sometimes battling in prayer for something can feel far more exhausting than the actual fighting. In fact, a lot of times I’d rather DO something or FIGHT FOR something rather than “simply pray.”

Lucky for Joshua, Moses had two men, Aaron & Hur, by his side who knew just what to do. They find a stone for him to sit on and each man stands alongside Moses & holds up his arms! As long as his arms are held high, even with the help of his friends, Joshua continues to overwhelm the enemy! They continue to stand with him until sunset, ending the day with victory!

Y’all this is such a picture of so many things but today I hear this:

Who is your Aaron & your Hur?

We WILL face persecution & hardship this side of heaven & like Moses, we just might need the support of a friend to make it through.

Father, I’m so aware that we could not have made it through stormy seasons without our Aarons & Hurs! They couldn’t have helped if they didn’t know what was happening. It’s so easy to hole up & withdraw when things are hard. Help us to be humble like Moses & accept the help & support from our friends. Many times the very real battles we face are won not with physical fortitude, but in the secret place of prayer along with the help of our friends!

#oneyearbible

February 3rd One Year Bible Readings

EXODUS 17:8-19:15

MATTHEW 22:34-23:12

PSALM 27:7-14

PROVERBS 6:27-35

When the Dangers & Discipline of Freedom Woo You Back to Bondage

Have you ever been in a situation that just had to change? Maybe it felt like bondage to loads of financial debt, a job you didn’t love, a harmful habit or a big home / expensive car that continues to need repairs? I’ve been in all of those places & each time it felt like I had a ball & chain on my ankle that kept me stuck in a feeling of slavery.

When we’re there, we think, “I cannot WAIT for freedom to fall!”, but we don’t really know how we’ll handle the freedom until we are walking in it…but sometimes freedom feels dangerous & we begin to long for the artificial peace & provision that slavery provided.

This was the case with the Israelites. Literally 3 days after God rescues them from slavery to Egypt, they land at a place of bitter waters. The 600,000 refugees feel like they are dying of thirst & turn against Moses, the one who led their rescue mission. They demand, “What are we going to drink?!”

Moses cries out to God & He miraculously gives Moses a solution that makes the water pure.

One month later the assembly once again complains of their provision & moans how they long to return to the land of slavery where there were pots of meat & plenty of bread.

Freedom can feel scary like that & has a weird way of wooing us back into the seemingly safe cage of bondage. God was leading them to the Promised Land & that journey required courage, determination, fortitude & most importantly vision.

When we leave the things that keep us bound, debt, drugs, pornography, unhealthy emotions, poor diet, sedentary life, a house beyond my means…whatever it may be, requires eyes to see why.

The simple & momentary pleasures those things provide are so little compared to the life of freedom ahead! What’s amazing is that we have a Shepherd, who just like Moses, will lead the way forward if we let Him & trust Him in the process!

Jesus, You came to set us free from the wiles of this world! Like the Israelites, we are sojourners this side of heaven so we’ve got to be careful to not settle too long along the way. When we are at a place of bitter waters, help us keep an eternal gaze on You, the One Who secured our freedom & the One who will always provide all that we need.

#OneYearBible

February 2nd One Year Bible Readings

EXODUS 15:19-17:7

MATTHEW 22:1-33

PSALM 27:1-6

PROVERBS 6:20-26

Don’t Plant Seeds You Didn’t Intend to Grow

The other day a phrase surfaced in conversation with my friend that became fodder for our parenting class. It was this:

“Don’t plant seeds you didn’t intend to grow.”

It had to do with words…If we really ponder the implication of every word we speak, we might not be so quick to do so!

The application is far wider than parenting, however, because ANY word we speak has the power to produce life or death.

Today I read how Jesus corrects the Pharisees with a side door approach. He tells how a vineyard owner subleases his land to tenant farmers, but when he sends his servants to collect his portion of the crops, they are killed.

Then he sends his son, thinking surely they will respect my son, but they greedily kill him too thinking they will own the estate for themselves.

He asks what should be done to the evil tenants & the Pharisees reply, “Put them to death & give the land to others,” not realizing they were speaking of themselves!

Jesus came for the Jewish people, but many rejected Him so He declares, “the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you & given to a nation that will produce proper fruit.”

I’m not sure if it’s the alliteration that caught my attention, but I love that phrase, “produce proper fruit”.

Our words will always produce fruit-whether it’s “proper” or not is up to us 😬

👉🏽When I speak condemnation, the fruit of shame sprouts

👉🏽When I speak with anger, the fruit of division follows

👉🏽When I speak impatience, chaos creeps in

But when we allow seeds from the fruit of the Spirit to become the only seeds we plant, the proper harvest of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness & self control will be produced!

Father, thank You for the visual that we are tenant farmers this side of heaven. We want to produce a proper harvest that makes You proud. Guard us from the pull of pride that woos us to believe that all these good things in life are for our own benefit.

When tempted to react in anger, help us respond in love. When we hastily shove seeds of division, help us pluck them back up before they have a chance to sprout. May our words become Your Word so the fruit we produce be proper & make an eternally good impact!

#OneYearBible

February 1st One Year Bible Readings

EXODUS 13:17-15:18

MATTHEW 21:23-46

PSALM 26:1-12

PROVERBS 6:16-19