Exodus 14:4 "I will harden (make stubborn, strong) Pharaoh's heart, that he will pursue them, and I will gain honor and glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord. And they did so."
Exodus 14:18 "The Egyptians shall know and realize that I am the Lord when I have gained honor and glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen."
As God's people were about to begin their journey out of Egypt, they did not know they were to cross the Red Sea. All they knew was that God was displaying His Power against the Egyptians through the ten plagues and that He was going to deliver them out of Egypt.
I want to use a scenario to explain how God's people may be stealing His Glory. You see, I have learned that God does not necessarily give us steps two, three, four, and so on. He will tell us step one and we must continue to walk forward in faith. It is the human nature to want to know the future. It is the human nature and flesh wanting to know where the provisions are coming from and where we are exactly going. But too many of His children including Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Preachers, and Teachers are walking in little faith. This is the result of our environment. It is the result of living in the world or Babylonian system. Many of the techniques, culture, and methods are being handed down from generation to generation and as far as many can see, the prosperity gospel on the surface appears to be working.
I would like to impose a hypothetical scenario. What if Moses knew they were to cross the Red Sea? What if Moses told God's people and they were all excited about being delivered and making it to the promise land through the Red Sea? What if they all knew they were to cross the Red Sea? It is a task many would say that God is able. They could have said it with their lips but with their hearts would have been another matter.
Oh, how they would have wondered how God would get them across the Red Sea. Many would have probably said to each other, "Have Faith! God is able, nothing is impossible!" Do we not hear such words as even in today's time? Many would had begun to wonder and imagine how God would be able to get hundreds of thousands of people across the Red Sea. But you see, they were required to do NOTHING except pray and have faith. God was going to do EVERYTHING! Then once the Word came, they were to react on that Faith and move out of Egypt knowing what awaited them was a humanly impossible feat. But God requires faith! They would had to move forward knowing God would had to provide a miracle to cross them through the Red Sea. The promise was made. The Word was given that God would get them to the promise land.
But what if during the wait, instead of waiting and praying, men began to ponder on the different ways God was going to get them through the Red Sea. I am sure they knew they lacked the resources but they would have been saying, "Nothing is impossible." This is the problem, when we start to ponder instead of praying, our flesh begins to conjure up ideas to help God. What if some leaders/preachers began to conjure up ideas on how God would get them through. They begin to raise money. They start telethons, praiseathons, baked sales, car washes (camel washes in those days), and they entice the people to give because God was going to build giant boats to get them across the Red Sea. Of course, they would had to sell FEAR and Guilt as well to make their people give large sums of money. These giants boats today can be viewed in terms of colossal church buildings, universities, growth programs, fitness centers and coffee shops in church buildings, parking lots, and etc.
What if God's people were able to raise enough money to build multitudes of large boats? And as they traveled toward the Red Sea, they might have been praising God as they felt safe and comfortable. They could have thought they were still moving in Faith because it is God's work after all. The promise was given that He would get them through the Red Sea. And as the Egyptians came to pursue them, they would have all gotten in their their large boats and sailed across. As they made it across, they would have cheered! They would have thrown a party! They would probably given each other high fives. They would have given each other plaques, rewards, and recognition. They would have praised God and said, "Thank you Lord!"
But in realty, they would have stolen God's Glory because they did not have the faith to wait and watch God do a miracle. People tend to think God needs our help. They think we need to give God a hand in starting something. Where is the testimony to Glorify God? God parted the Red Sea to show the world and His people that He was God and that He would deliver His people. If God is to be Glorified, it is through HIS WORK AND HIS MIRACLES AND WITHOUT OUR INTERFERENCE!!
How many times have we heard testimonies of people testifying of their work! How many times have we heard of people testifying of their growth programs, their 12 steps to freedom program, their baked sales, their telethons, their car washes, their fund raisers, and how it got them to where they think they need to be? How many times have we heard about raising money to send someone on a missionary trip through the car washes and bake sales? If someone has to raise money through a car wash to go on a missionary trip, then it is probably NOT THEIR TIME TO GO. They should go back home and learn to PRAY! They and their churches should be using the time getting on their knees to PRAY instead of washing cars and baking cakes. Baking cakes do not drive out demons! How is that type of faith going to deal with the witches and voodoo doctors residing in the third world? Do not many come back defeated?
Matthew 23:15 (Amplified Bible)"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes one [a proselyte], you make him doubly as much a child of hell (Gehenna) as you are."
When we are born into this world, we are born into SLAVERY and once we find freedom in Christ, we must step out of EGYPT and into the wilderness and REALLY LEARN TO TRUST GOD. When God's people went out into the wilderness, they had become frightened and complained because they did not see the Walmarts to go food shopping. They did not see the stores that sold water bottles. They had to LEARN and know what it really meant to FULLY TRUST GOD. He fed them supernaturally. He gave them water supernaturally.
And because they did not see any Walmarts or water fountains, they began to complain and murmur. They murmured only after three days of no water. Many of YOU WOULD SAY YOU WILL DIE FOR JESUS BUT MANY OF YOU CANNOT EVEN OVER COME HUNGER FOR THREE DAYS IN A FAST! WE ALL BETTER CHECK OURSELVES!! WE CAN PRAISE GOD IN OUR COMFORT AND WHEN WE KNOW WHERE OUR NEXT MEAL IS COMING FROM BUT WILL YOU PRAISE GOD AND HAVE FAITH WHEN YOU CANNOT RELY ON YOUR PHYSICAL CIRCUMSTANCES OR WHAT YOU SEE? OR WILL YOU OUT OF FEAR STEAL GOD'S GLORY FOR SELF PRESERVATION??? IT IS BEST YOU ASK GOD TO SEARCH YOU HEARTS NOW AND HAVE HIM TEST YOU NOW IN YOUR COMFORT BECAUSE HISTORY HAS SHOWN THE FLESH IS NOT TRUSTWORTHY. HISTORY HAS SHOWN EVEN GOD'S PEOPLE CAN TURN AGAINST HIM.
Hebrews 3:7-12 (Amplified Bible) "7Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you will hear His voice,
8Do not harden your hearts, as [happened] in the rebellion [of Israel] and their provocation and [a]embitterment [of Me] in the day of testing in the wilderness,9Where your fathers tried [My patience] and tested [My forbearance] and [b]found I stood their test, and they saw My works for forty years.10And so I was provoked (displeased and sorely grieved) with that generation, and said, They always err and are led astray in their hearts, and they have not perceived or recognized My ways and become progressively better and more experimentally and intimately acquainted with them.11Accordingly, I swore in My wrath and indignation, They shall not enter into My rest.(A)12[Therefore beware] brethren, take care, lest there be in any one of you a wicked, unbelieving heart [which refuses to cleave to, trust in, and rely on Him], leading you to turn away and desert or stand aloof from the living God."
Renew your minds brethren. We can all say we Trust God in our comfort but just wait until we are out of our comfort zone, that will be another story. Much of today's system, even in our churches, have been influenced by the enemy, other religious churches, and the Babylonian ideology. It is a water down compromised gospel with NO POWER. When we learn to FULLY TRUST God, He can manifest His miracles, signs, wonders and He can be REALLY GLORIFIED!! Sometimes, it starts by humbling ourselves and asking the Holy Spirit to teach us to Fully Trust in HIM.
We must be all willing to be taken to the edge of our own personal Red Seas and taught on how to Fully Trust God. We have to be willing to let go of our own understanding and wisdom. We have to be willing to fall backwards without any outside help and know that God will catch us. We must stand on firm ground knowing He is the first and last solution. There is no other option. There is no other back up plan for self preservation. We must be willing to go all the way even unto death. Otherwise, we will end up MOCKING HIM. It is ALL of Him or none. There is no middle ground for the middle will be spit out.
Psalm 23:4 (Amplified Bible)"Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me."
God has told my wife and I to ask what we need. He said, "Ask Me first!" We must pray earnestly and wait for God to move the hearts of people and circumstances for He is working to answer our prayers. Yes, the waiting can be difficult but even in waiting we are learning long suffering and patience. His Word is good. When we wait and as He answers our prayers during our seasons, we will know HE IS FAITHFUL. WE LEARN TO BE MORE GRATEFUL. And one day, our faith will have grown into a large tree bearing much fruit and a day will come when He will ask us to tell the mountain to move! And we will have enough faith to tell it to move and it will move.
The days of greater works are upon us. Pass His tests and trials now. Persevere and endure in all things brethren. Be blessed.
FIRE OF GOD!
STEVE YONG KIM
During prayer, there will be unique times when God may actually tell us to go ask someone directly for help or certain things. For that person may be waiting for his prayers to be answered. We must be open to this possibility as well. Be blessed. :)
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