Stay In Your Place

The book of Acts records in the 16th chapter a situation when the Apostle Paul and his crew traveled through a region near Galatia. The bible makes it clear in this passage that Paul and his partners would have preferred to travel to Asia; 

 "Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to..."

Acts 16:6-7 

The King James Version of this scripture says the men were “forbidden” by the Holy Spirit to go in the direction they originally chose. So, because of the guiding of the Holy Spirit, they traveled  away from Asia and by all indications, at first, they had no idea why. But eventually, Paul was given a vision that explained to him why his party had been driven in the direction they were traveling. 

 "During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, Come over to Macedonia and help us. After Paul had seen the vision; we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them..."

Acts 16:10

The bible makes it clear that, as you know, these men were not traveling on vacation. Paul and his associates were on a mission.  When he traveled, he carried with him the gospel of Jesus Christ; a message that he had every intention of preaching no matter the place or atmosphere.

The question is, why were the men not permitted to travel to the province of Asia as they would have preferred? Was it that they couldn't spread the gospel in Asia?

Answer: No, they could have ministered in Asia. But there was another place God wanted the men to go. 

God was sending them to the place HE had need of them to be. So, while they would have preferred Asia, the guiding of the Holy Spirit led them 156 miles by sea to Macedonia. If you read on in this chapter, (around verse 23) you’ll find that the shortly after the men arrived in Macedonia, Paul and Silas where severely beaten up and placed into jail on trumped-up charges. 

The next question is, was that their place? Was jail the place where God wanted them to be?

Answer: Yes, jail was exactly where God needed them to be. Jail was their place at that time. 

They were on direct orders from the Lord Himself to preach the gospel which, in turn, landed them in trouble with the government of Macedonia and ultimately sentenced to imprisonment. But, if they had not gone through the beatings and the jail time, they would not have been able to witness the revelation of God’s power in their "Midnight Experience" (verse 25) which we still marvel when reading some 2,000 years later. 

In Paul and Silas' midnight experience, as they prayed and sang hymns, God shook the foundation of the prison causing the doors to all swing wide open.  And even then, when they appeared to have been set free, Paul knew to stay in that place until God told him to move.  Had Paul and Silas left the prison, the jailer would have committed suicide that night, or been murdered by the jail owners the next day.  

The place God called Paul and his travelers to held great turmoil for the men;nevertheless, it was the correct place for them to be.  This shows us that the presence of turmoil does not determine whether the place you are headed is the correct place. In fact, sometimes, the presence of turmoil can confirm to you that you are indeed headed to the right place. 

It’s the lack of provision, lack of instruction and lack of peace you have to watch out for.  In your place there will be trouble, but it is only in your place you will find protection, promotion and guidance as well as victory over the trouble.

So don’t concern yourself with what your place can't offer you.  Don’t judge the place God has sent you to by the way it looks or the amount of support you may or may not find in that place. Instead, find the reason God has placed you there and focus on what you can do for God and for someone else while you are in your place until it is time for you to move. God led you to this place because he has need of you here.  You need to be in this place in obedience to Him. If you take care of God’s agenda first, He will be faithful to take care of your agenda; i.e. the place in life you would prefer to be.

Your protection is in this place. Your provision is in this place.  Your productivity is in this place. Your promotion is in this place. Your peace is in this place. The place where God wants you is the best place for you. God will direct you to where you should be and keep in position for as long as you should be there.  Then, by the His Holy Spirit, He will move you to the next place He has need of you to be in the way that He wants you to move when He wants you to move there.  And there you will stay until it is time to move again. Period.

The "Mean" While

Do you have a list of specific things you are praying for? Things you believe God will do for you? Are you pressing towards a promise and not allowing anything or anyone to convince you to let go of your faith? Are you expecting "Great Things" to happen in your life; things which will move you from the place you are now to the place you will be in the future you envision?

If you have this list, then you are like me. I have things I'm praying for too; things I am believing God will do for me. I'm expecting to move from the level I am today to whatever level God has been preparing me for too; in my family life, in my professional life, as an author, as a musician, and as a worship leader.

I've got the scriptures, I recite confessions, and I've been holding on. I am believing that the Spirit of God will produce what I have asked. I'm believing God is Jehovah Jireh; that He will provide in the places where I need Him to provide and make conquers out of us all. I'm holding on to God's Word simply because there's nothing else I can hold on to.

I hear the word "sacrifice". I don't have much to give other than my willingness to give. I offer God my dedication, as limited as I find it to be. I offer God devotion; whatever devotion I can muster at this stage in my life and I continuously pray for a willingness to offer Him more. I'm doing the work I know to do... and even some of what I'm not sure of. What I offer God, though small, incomplete and unworthy, is the best I have. It's all I have... Is it not good enough? Is it not done well enough? Is it not big enough? Is it not enough? Then, what is enough?

If you have had this discussion with God or with yourself; especially if you've had this conversation more than once, pay close attention...
You are probably in a period of time in your life which many preachers call the "Meanwhile". This is a period when you are doing all types of work but feel you are not getting results. It's a time when you feel as though God is standing idley aside watching you struggle to jump through hoop after hoop while shaking His head in disappointment, then raising the hoops higher. It's when fear, doubt and frustration all collide into turmoil, questions and prolonged waiting sometimes bordering on depression. You feel distant from God, as if you are struggling while God is on vacation. Things can get "mean" and "ugly" in the "Meanwhile".

Call it your wilderness, your valley experience, whatever you want to call it. Basically, it's the time you face between the time you pray for something and the time you walk into your promise. It's testing time!

I'm certain you are familiar with the law of sowing and reaping. You experience this law whenever you pick fruit from a fruit tree or nurture flowers in a garden. You also experience this law when you make financial investments and as you raise children. The way this law operates is simple: You sow a seed, then cultivate that seed in order to one day reap a harvest. We recognize this law as the preferred system of operation of the Kingdom of God as described in the book of Galatians,

"... Whatsoever a man sow, that shall he also reap" Galatians 6:8

Galatians goes further to say that to believe anything other than this simple rule is an attempt to mock God. What we don't always understand, however, is that this law of sowing and reaping is governed by 3 strict rules:

#1. You will reap what you sow

#2. You will reap later then you sow it and

#3. You will reap more then you've sown.

Rule #1 and Rule #3 are self-explanatory. Rule #1 says you will reap what you sow. This means you cannot expect to reap something different than what you have sown. For example, you can't sow rice into a field but expect a harvest of fruit. This would be mocking God as mentioned above in Galatians. Whatever you sow, that and that only is what you will reap. Then, Rule #3 says you will reap more than you sow. In other words, your harvest will be larger than the initial seed. In nature seeds come in sizes as small as pollen, but each time, what is produced is many times larger then what went into the ground.

The "Meanwhile" has mostly to do with Rule #2. You will reap later then you sow. Your "Meanwhile" is the period of time between the time you sow a seed and the time you harvest. You are fasting and praying; you are being consistent with your confessions; you are exercising your faith; never letting a contrary word come out of your mouth; your seed is in the ground. Next is the wait; and there will always be a wait!

During the "Meanwhile", Satan try's desperately to get your seed uprooted. He try's to influence you to give up, neglect your investment, stop nurturing your seed; just let your faith fall.

Look at the "Meanwhile" Jesus went through. It begins in Matthew chapter 4. First, Jesus' pride was tested as the devil dared him to feed himself in the middle of the desert which would have shown his authority. Next, Satan tried to convince Jesus to kill himself by taking him to the top of the temple and saying, "cast thyself down... " claiming angels would save him. And in his final attempt, Satan vowed to hand-over the whole Earth in exchange for Jesus' surrender. How many of us could have withstood the "Meanwhile" that Jesus beard? How many of us would have surrendered at the first temptation and turned the stone to bread? Or, how many of us would have given up on God and accepted the devils terms to receive the entire world on a silver platter in exchange for our mortal souls? How many of us already have? Hopefully none.

So why the wait? Why is there a meanwhile? Why doesn't a harvest just spring up minutes after it is planted instead of months or years?

The purpose of the wait is the seed you've planted must have time to grow roots. Everything within that seed has to stretch out of the seed's container into the good soil that will produce fruit (there's a sermon tucked away in that sentence alone). The wait is necessary for nourishment and cultivation to take place.

Consider this: What if you received a vision today that showed you what you where gaining by the time you spend in your "meantime"? What if God showed you the strength that waiting provides? What if He showed you the maturity and the confidence that will result from the time you spend believing God's Word before you received your miracle? What if God laid it all out for you so you could see exactly what He is building in you and why it is taking so long? Then would you be able to make it through the "Meanwhile"?

Of course you could. You would see clearly that God's plan is perfect in every way and, because of God's infinite wisdom, I'm certain what you saw would literally blow your mind! And you'd never complain about your "meanwhile" ever again.

Now consider what FAITH is. Paul describes faith as the substance of what you are hoping for and the evidence of what you can not see. God has designed His Kingdom on Earth to operate with FAITH as the substance for what we expect from Him. And FAITH also acts as the evidence that what we believe is true. We must cultivate every seed with FAITH if we expect it to grow. In fact, the bible says it is impossible to please God without FAITH (Hebrews 11). Jesus said FAITH is so dynamic that even if it were as small as a single grain of mustard seed, it could still produce enough power to move an entire mountain! Now that's powerful!

Waiting through your "meanwhile" may seem tough; but really, it is not the hard part. Waiting is actually unavoidable. Certain things are just outside of your control where you literally have no choice but to either wait or give up.

Waiting PATIENTLY, however, is what's difficult. Patient waiting means not only that you wont give up, but also that you wont try to "speed up"; that you wont try other alternatives; that you wont Involve yourself in an endless barrage of attempts to "help God". Too often we instinctively assume that if we do more work than we are supposed to do, we will get results faster. But God is the Lord of every harvest, thus no matter what we do, the harvest will be what our sovereign God has decided. Period. Obedience to God is our participation in the system that God has established for us. But, at the end of the day, the harvest is God's to give and not ours to demand.

The bible says PATIENCE is better than pride (Ecclesiastics 7:8). PATIENCE is also one of the Fruits of the Spirit. But, I'll admit; it's hard to be patient while you wait; especially when you are desperate.

Two things will help you wait patiently through your "Meanwhile":

A. Recognize immediately when you are in a "Meanwhile". This is critical, otherwise you will feel abused having to suffer through all of the emotions: doubt, temptation, and frustration, even anger. Recognize that Satan is working on you and don't allow him to be successful. My friend, Minister Jason Caranto put it best,

"The devil is after your future more than your present! He's determined to destroy what will become before it is!... "

B. Get your scriptures ready. When things get "mean" you need to reinforce your confidence. Draw closer to God for strength; rebuild your faith! Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

Have the right scriptures memorized, book marked and highlighted. Be ready to "draw your sword" at a moments notice.

Question: What is the right scripture?

Answer: The one you need at the time!

Jesus didn't get complicated with Satan. When Jesus was under attack, he simply answered the attack by quoting scriptures,

"Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only'"

Final thought... Hebrews 6:19 says,

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain" Hebrews 6:19

Hope will pull you through your "Meanwhile". God is not looking at you with disappointment. You are his most prized-possession. Though your failures pain Him, they are also no surprise to Him. He knew of each before the foundation of the world and yet predestined you to become His child. Remember that the trouble you face in your meanwhile is what cultivates you to receive what you have asked for; which is what God has in His will for your life.

And Remember Rule #3; your harvest will be bigger than the seed! It will be worth the wait through the mean, mean, "Meanwhile". You will make it if you focus less on the wait and more on the harvest. Strive to make patient-waiting your biggest accomplishment during this season in your life.

Keep Believing!

You are waiting for something from God... It is something He has promised in His word that He will do. How long will it take? How long must you hold on to your faith? How long do you keep believing that your break through is coming? Forever?


God answered this question in 1Kings Chpt.18: 41-46 for anyone who is willing to take notice. Samaria was in a severe famine. The drought was so bad that King Ahab himself had gone out searching for a brook that might provide water and food to keep the animals alive. In verse 41, Elijah met the King and relayed the promise from God declaring it would rain. Elijah told the king to prepare himself because he could already hear the abundance of rain coming.


Then Elijah went to the top of MT. Carmel to spend time with God. He got on his hands and pressed his head to the ground between his knees. The bible said he "cast himself" down, now that's a man who didn't have time to be "cute" with God. After awhile he sent his servant to go look out toward the sea. The servant went but saw nothing. Elijah told him to go look toward the sea seven more times. The servant went six times and still saw nothing. But on the seventh time, the servant saw something; he saw a small cloud shaped like a man's hand over the sea. Elijah sent word for the king to mount his chariot and go immediately to avoid being stranded. It was about to rain.


How long should we keep the faith? How many times do we have to pray? How long do we keep showing up and believing God will do what He said?


KEEP BELIEVING TILL YOU SEE IT!

Keep going through the motions, keep praying, keep pressing. It may take seven times; it may take seventeen or seventy times, but keep believing. What ever God has promised, He will do. God cannot lie; it will come to pass. Keep believing till you see it.


And when you see it, GO! Be prepared to act on your faith at the first sight of what God promised!


Once God answered Elijah's prayer, God endowed him with POWER! So much power that in verse 46, Elijah ran down from the mountain, ran after the king's chariots and beat them to the city on foot!


You see, you may think you are losing time by waiting on God, but when God answers, He will give you so much power that you pass up people that are ahead of you. You'll surpass people you thought you'd never catch. God will move you from being the tail, to the head. When God empowers you, nothing can stand in your way.


Notice one more thing in this passage. Elijah knew what to do to get God to answer.


On his initial encounter with King Ahab, Elijah had to prove that he served the true and living God and earn the Kings trust. So he instructed them to set up an alter and then he challenged Baal, the god that Ahab had been following. The challenge was simple; which ever god could get fire to fall down from heaven onto this alter is God and would be pronounced the God of all.


450 of Baal's prophets came to meet the challenge against Elijah, the sole prophet of the God of Abraham. Baal's prophets went first. They shouted and danced around the alter from morning till noon, but they could not get fire to fall onto the alter. The bible records that they chanted, danced and even cut themselves "until blood flowed" trying to get an answer from their god. Naturally, Elijah couldn't resist but to taunt them just a little. He told the hundreds of prophets,



"Shout louder!", "Your god must be a busy man... ", "Perhaps he is deep in thought... " "Maybe he is traveling", "Maybe he's sleep".


They continued to shout and cut themselves until they completely destroyed the alter.


But Elijah knew what to do to get an answer from our God, the true and living God Almighty. He didn't yell or shout or destroy the alter or cut himself. He simply instructed the servants to pour out water onto the alter. He sacrificed the one thing that was deathly important to them all. After that, he instructed them to do it again. And then he instructed them to do it a third time. He sacrificed water in the name of the living God.


The bible says fire fell from heaven and burned up the alter right down to the soil; wood, stones and all. It says the fire "licked up" the water proving our God is real. The text indicates Elijah knew what to do because he had already been instructed,


"O LORD,... let it be known today that you are God, I have done all these things at your command" 1 Kings 18:36.


Do you know how to get fire from heaven when you need it? Here's how: KEEP BELIEVING!


The bible says it is impossible to please God without faith. Faith is what gets God's attention every time. Faith for us today is the water that Elijah poured on that alter. Faith is that thing that is deathly important but so many Christians have such a short supply of; but your faith will entreat God's response. If you need God to move, put your faith on the alter. Then do it again, and then do it again,... and again. Keep putting your faith on the line. Keep trusting in His word. Keep going through the motions, keep praying, keep pressing. KEEP BELIEVING UNTIL YOU SEE IT! What ever God has promised; HE WILL DO!

Why Not Turn The Stone To Bread?

The book of Matthew describes a critical point in Jesus' life where he had to undergo some serious testing to prepare for the work he was going to do. The 4th chapter details how Jesus went into the mountains for 40 days to complete the preparation process. This journey, according to the scripture, was specifically to deal with Satan's temptations as if Jesus couldn't go any further in his ministry until he spared toe to toe with the evil one himself.

On the mountain, Jesus entered an intense fasting period. After the fast, Jesus was faced with a very pressing issue: He was hungry, but there was only stones and rock around him. This is when Satan attacked Jesus with temptation,

"IF you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread... " Matthew 4:3

In essence, Satan was saying "... I know you're hungry. Now's the time to satisfy your need... Now's the time to do what you gotta do...

As Christians, we face this temptation all the time. The devil tries to exploit our human side because he views our flesh as our weakness. In fact, carnality is absolutely his preferred method of persuasion. We try to maintain a spiritual attitude but after a while, far too often we give in. Satan always depicts the situation in the simplest, most practical terms:

1.You have a need.

2.Why don't you do this: ___(fill in the blank)___?

Everyone of you will face this situation. If you are believing God for a new car, you will encounter doubt when you climb into your old one. If you're believing God for a house, you will be attacked by doubt as you unlock the door of your apartment. If you're believing God for success at weight loss or an improvement in your health, you're taunted by the scale when you walk passed and battle doubt with every new doctor's report.

And thats when Satan will present his appeal. He simply says why not get what you want an easier way? Why not do what seems practical to do, which may be only slightly different from what God wants you to do or maybe just untimely from what God wants you to do? In other words, why not have what you want when you want it? Why not satisfy your need?

The battle is a difficult one because, on the inside, your humanness agrees with him!

The devil makes it seem impractical to continue without the things you want for another day. He makes it seem like unnecessary abuse from God to make you live in your situation; live in poverty, experience hunger or deal with meager accommodations for one more moment. Eventually your human side pleads in harmony with Satan's temptation. They'll sing together,

"Why go through the motions for weeks, months and even years? IF you are a child of God, why are you suffering while God does nothing about it? Why don't you...

•Sell drugs...

•Use drugs...
•Lie...
•Quit...
•Fight...
•Slip a little money out of the register...
•Have Sex with Him...
•Have Sex with Him for money...
•Kill Someone
•Kill Yourself
•etc... , ete...

Both Satan and your flesh scream to you everyday, "Turn the stone to bread! Quick, while God's not looking... " hoping you will take matters into your own hands. You can see the doubt he was trying to interject into Jesus in Matthew 4:3,

"... IF you are the Son of God... " Matthew 4:3

He says "IF" as if it were something which still remained to be seen. But just a little earlier, in Matthew 3:17 God Himself announced out loud,

"THIS IS MY BELOVED SON IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED... "

Satan wants you to depend on yourself instead of having faith in the God who created you; the God who does all things well and has a master plan that will work everything out according to His timing. Satan wants to move you away from your faith and move you into operating by sight; the way the rest of this world operates.

Why? Because the evil one knows that the stronger your faith becomes, the stronger your relationship with God will be. Satan knows if you continue to trust God to provide your needs, you will receive new measures of faith which makes things worse for him. So, his strategy is to drive a wedge of doubt between God and you hoping eventually your flesh will cause you to stop believing God and start listening to him. Without faith, you are separated from God. Once your faith is broken, the devil's suggestions begin to sound less like sin and more like a practical solution to your problem.

Whenever you find yourself doing something that God did not say do to solve a problem, it means the devil's plan is working. Satan already knows who God is; but he needs you to forget. Any time you abandon your faith and cling to something else, even if it's something that looks spiritual, you are disconnected and vulnerable. The Apostle Paul said,

"... The just shall live by faith." Romans 1:17

The Just, or in other words, those who have been justified, are instructed to cling to their faith for life. Paul went further in Hebrew 11:1 saying that faith is our evidence for the things that we cannot yet see. Faith is the only evidence we can depend on, nothing else is credible.

To answer Satan's temptation, Jesus took the opportunity to point out that there is a bigger issue than our everyday hungers, desires and other practical matters at hand. Jesus told him,

"Man does not live by bread alone but by every Word of God... " Luke 4:4.

Physical and psychological issues are dramatic, but far more important is the issue facing our very soul that, if not addressed, could land us in a condition worse than hunger; worse than poverty; worse than meager accommodations. The issue facing our soul is an eternity in Hell. If I had to choose, (and we all do) I'd rather die of starvation but live eternity with Jesus than live "real big" on Earth then die and go to Hell.

When your tempted to do something other than what God has instructed in your situation, always remember:

JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN DO SOMETHING DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN YOU SHOULD!

Cling to your faith! Don't look for "another way" to get what you need or to prove that you are right about God. Stick to whatever God's Word says and let God show Himself strong. Don't make a move until God says GO. God will provide, but it will be on His terms and in His timing; not yours and definitely not Satan's.

"Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." Romans 10:17

As you stick to the Word of God, more faith will "cometh" to fight your temptation and finally pass your test! Tell the devil he can keep the stones and the bread; the only thing you desperately need is every Word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Your faith in God is your only real possession in this world. And, thank God, faith in the living Word is all you will ever need.

NO COMPROMISE!

"... Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

Everyone reading this should already be pretty familiar with the story of Moses. Moses was the one tasked with the job of bringing God's people out of their slavery in Egypt to a land which God promised to their forefathers. This story is important to study because we, just like the Children of Israel, have things we want God to do for us. Some reading this today are praying for freedom from a slavery of some sort. Many are praying for freedom from a bad health condition. Some need freedom from another type of bad situation. The fact is, everyone needs a level of "rescuing" at some point in their life. We all want God to "show up" and many face disastrous consequences if God fails to "move" quickly. The story of Moses is particularly inspiring because it shows how wonderful it is for us when God keeps His Word AND how terrible it is for our enemy when God "moves" on our behalf.

As the story goes, Moses went to Egypt and told the Egyptian King words from God, our King saying release the Children of Israel from slavery at once. Unfortunately, the Pharaoh was not immediately convinced that he should release his country's workforce. So, God used a series of plagues which nearly destroyed the country to convince him.

I want to talk about a portion of the story which doesn't often get mentioned. When the Egyptian Pharaoh realized he was up against the mighty hand of an Almighty God, he tried to bargain with Moses before releasing God's people. In his bargaining, the Pharaoh offered Moses different compromises. I want to talk about these compromises because, frankly, these compromises are being offered to the Church of the Living today. In biblical study, "Egypt" represents the world systems of greed, idolatry, constant plotting for "position" and lustfullness for wealth. God wants to free us from this "slavery" but compromise is far too widespread in the 21st Century church.

Compromise #1. "Serve God in Egypt"

In the 8th chapter of the book of Exodus, the Pharaoh made his first proposition to Moses,

"Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Go, and sacrifice to your God here in the land (Egypt)... " Exodus 8:25

In essence, the Pharaoh was telling Moses "Don't leave us... don't become a separate people... ", "Don't be a nation... "; "Stay here and serve your God in the midst of our gods and we will tolerate you ... "

This is happening in the Christian church today. The devil is convincing Christians (through media outlets) to serve God while still participating in the world's antics and lusts. Satan says don't leave your sinful nature behind; you can be Christian and at the same time enjoy the pleasures of the world system. Many Christians have fallen for this compromise; they refuse to separate.

The problem with this compromise is, when you remain connected to a situation which once held you hostage, the temptation to return to slavery is ever present. For example, a smoker who quits smoking but continues to go on smoke breaks with smokers will soon smoke again. An alcoholic who quits drinking but still "parties" with people who drink will soon drink again. The human psyche has the ability to find "comfort" in almost any condition. Therefore, even slavery can become a "comfort zone" for us that we are anxious to return to. This is also apparent later in the story of Moses. After the Israelites leave Egypt, they threaten to return to Egypt and beg for their position as slaves seemingly every day.

The devil wants us to remain as part of his world system so that he can continue to have access to us. He wants us to remain as his work force and build his pyramids until we die. But God wants us to be free so that we can be HIS separate nation and never return to our position as slaves again.

Compromise #2. "The men can go free, but leave the women and children with me"

Another compromise Pharaoh offered Moses was for him to only take the men out of Egypt,

"Pharaoh said, "Have only the men go and worship the Lord... " Exodus 10:10

This was a brilliant scheme by the Pharaoh. Releasing the men without any women or children would basically be a death sentence for Israel. The Pharaoh knew that without the women and children, the men would eventually grow old and die alone. Meanwhile the children who remained in Egypt would grow up as slaves and replace the men who were freed. And the women would give birth to a new generation of slaves (I'm certain the Egyptian men would volunteer to assist in this plot) so that the cycle could continue.

This compromise is happening in today's church; however, in this century, it seems the compromise has been reversed. Instead of the men of this country being freed, the men and children are being left in bondage and the women are being freed alone. According to national statistics, women outnumber men in church pews by 54% to as much as 75% in certain congregations. A recent USA TODAY survey reports that 77% of women say their faith is very important in their lives while less than 65% of men said the same. And woman are 20% to 25% more likely to attend a worship service weekly. Sadly, 31% of men say they never go to church at all.

My point is, women are evidently growing in the gospel at a greater rate than men. If this trend continues for another decade or two, it will become even more clear that women are being freed in droves; but our men are being left behind in all types of bondage. The terrible problem with this compromise is, women without men will eventually face the same issue that the Isralite men would have faced without their women. Women who are freed from bondage with only bound men to choose from will have no choice but to remain "married" to the slavery of their men; literally. And children born to these couples will continue to be predisposed to the bondage of their fathers.

Whether its men left behind or women left behind; either way, there is no free generation. And if you know the story of Moses, you know that the generation of Israelites who finally possesed the Promise Land was the generation born FREE, not the generation who was once slaves in Egypt.

Compromise #3. "Leave your treasures behind"

The last compromise offered to Moses was for the Israelites to go out of Egypt, but leave their important possessions behind,

"Go, worship the Lord. Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind." Exodus 10:25

This was another well-thoughtout plan by the Pharaoh. He attempted to send the Israelites out of Egypt practically empty handed so they would eventually have to come back.

This is happening in today's churches. People come to Christ; even bring their whole family. But everything that kept the family "alive" up till that moment is in the world. The family finds Christ, but their "treasures" remain in the world system so eventually they long to go back. The bible says in the book of Luke and in the 8th chapter of Matthew,

"... Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

According to this passage, whatever you "treasure" is where your heart is. So if the things of this world is what you "treasure", even if you have Christ in your life, the world is where your heart is. And in that case, to separate from the world means to leave your heart behind.

You can tell when a Christian has left their heart behind in Egypt. They'll show up at church, but their heart is rarely in the service. They'll hear the choir sing but they'll be more concerned about where they parked than the songs. And when the Word of God is being preached, they'll be balancing their checkbook or texting someone who's not "stuck" in church as they feel they are.

Far too many Christians secretly "treasure" everything they left behind. They come to Jesus and literally feel empty; so they eventually return to the slavery they once knew because it is the only way they know to feel "alive".

This is a problem because God doesn't want your empty actions. He doesn't want you to go to church just so you can say you went to church. God wants your heart! If you will completely leave Egypt, you may feel empty at first; but then God will fill you with His Spirit. He will provide a new Life; one that is better than the life of a slave that you left behind! If you are willing to die to this world, God will renew you with a life that is better than any thing you or your parents imagined you would ever be living!

NO COMPROMISE!

People of God, listen. The god of this world, the devil, knows you have a promise from the Almighty God of Abraham. And he knows that if you continue to be faithful, the Almighty God of Creation will bring you out of slavery to a place that your mother and father only dreamed about going. To stop this from happening, the enemy of God will present you with compromises. He will tell you not to leave your past behavior or your past lifestyle; just pretend you've left "Egypt" and serve God at the same time. Or he will take the pressure off of you seeing he's lost you; but then try to keep the rest of your family bound. Or he may taunt you with the attractiveness of this world until you do things you swore you would not do; all in an attempt to get you to finally return to serving him.

But remember, God wants you to be HIS. He is calling you out of this world to a new life outside of the clutches of the enemy.

"... You were dead in your sins which you lived when you followed the ways of this world and of the spirit (devil) who is now at work in those who are disobedient... We all lived among them gratifying the cravings of our flesh... But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us ALIVE with Christ"

Our God is greater than all of Egypt's imaginary gods. If you "die" to Egypt's greed, lustfulness and idolatry, God will make you ALIVE again in Christ. Offer the enemy of God NO COMPROMISE!

Before long, you will experience what God is capable of when He personally resolves your situation with His mighty hand. You will see your enemies fall with your own eyes as God moves on your behalf. And your story will be particularly inspiring to others when they hear about when God showed up for YOU!

Your Promise Land

After their exodus from Egypt, it took 40 years for the Children of Israel to acquire the land God promised to Abraham. The question I want to deal with today is this:

Why did it take so long? Why didn't God just bring them into their promise months after leaving Egypt?

I happen to know that this migration could have physically been accomplished in far less than 40 years. A crowd that large (over a million people) could still have arrived at their destination in under a year even if they traveled slow. So why would God allow His children to dwell in transition for almost half a century?

The reason becomes apparent when you realize the condition this group of people were in at the time. They were not yet the strong and fearless nation they would become. At that time, they were a multitude attempting to move from the captivity of their past into a land of promise while severely lacking faith in God. They were not patient. They murmured and complained all the time about everything. They even accused Moses of sabotage and blamed him for their struggles. In fact, many of them were so faithless and distrustful that they would rather have gone back into captivity then to march towards a promise land. And worst of all, they repeatedly spoke against God.

They were not yet the triumphant, faithful, and methodical Nation of God's chosen people who we recognize today as the Jews. Instead, they were an unhappy, ungrateful, rebellious, and coward nation of former slaves questioning Moses' leadership and doubting God's provision; many of whom were anxiously awaiting death.

God did not allow them to walk directly from Egypt into Canaan simply because they were in no way ready to possess the things He promised to their forefathers. The book of Exodus says specifically that if they entered at that time they would be slaughtered by the lands current occupants.

They did not have the character to survive in the promised land. They needed to be strengthened; they needed proving; they had to be staged; cured; forged; and qualified. Therefore, before they could arrive at Canaan, they had to travel through a testing ground. They had to be broken and rebuilt in the wilderness. It was in the wilderness that the Children of Israel became sturdy, reliable, and useful to God. When the time came, they left the wilderness as a new nation. They were finally able to march around the land of Edom and cross territory after territory conquering every Kings army that was sent against them. They possessed every new land that they reached and built a proud nation that still stands today. The Nation of Israel became fearless, seasoned, and passionate about the God of Abraham (at least, for a while).

They weren't perfect, but they were greater than ever before and fully qualified to posses the promise that God made to their nation.

As Christians, we are all expecting a future where God will bless us in a miraculous way. We are praying that God bring us out of bondage, through our transitional "wilderness" period and into a wealthy place where we can rest in green pastures and drink from still waters, as He promised us he would do (23 Psalms).

However, most of us are not ready for the challenges and new responsibilities that our promises from God will hold. We are focused on a spectacular goal which God has placed within our reach, but many have not spent quality time becoming equipped for this future we so desperately desire. Many Christians go to church but only out of tradition. We won't grow our faith, aren't offering God obedience, are decidedly unhappy, ungrateful, rebellious, and even behave cowardicely. We don't want to "change", we just want to "arrive"; and preferably only months (no more than a year) after starting our quest.

We don't realize there will be opposition to face. Our adversary stands in the area where we are headed waiting to drive us away from our new ground back to captivity; not just once, but time after time. And because of the opposition (described by Jesus as a "roaring lion"), our promises remain 5, 10, 20 and for some, 40 years away. Many Christians are stranded in the training ground because we refuse to prepare for the place God has prepared for us to go.

To walk into your promise, you must be spiritually equipped to survive under the new pressure of what you will become or the new opposition will slaughter you quickly. Acquiring that house; that job; that car; that weight goal; that business; or that spouse is only half of the challenge. The true and far greater battle begins once you receive your promise. It is then that your training, your preparation, and your testing will come into play. And because of this, those who live their life without becoming spiritually prepared for a new season will spend the rest of their life blaming God or blaming their Pastor for an extended wilderness only to grow old and die never reaching their promised land.

DEVELOP THE CHARACTER FOR YOUR PROMISED LAND

A NEW MIND SETTING: When the children of Israel left Egypt, they were a cursed-thinking generation. Having been in slavery for so long, they expected the worst in every situation. Even after witnessing some of the greatest miracles recorded in the bible, they remained doubtful and ready to turn back in what seemed like days after the miracle. They had no faith. If God would have brought them to face the Canaanites in that condition, they would have been slaughtered quickly. The Children of Israel could not conceive what God had laid before them.

So what happened to correct this? The entire cursed-thinking generation who left Egypt died in the wilderness and a new hopeful generation was born.

This is the answer for you as well. You have to let your entire former mind-set die and allow a new way of thinking to be born. The Apostle Paul says,

"... be transformed (changed) BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND". Romans 12:2

To reach your promise land, you can no longer conform to your old way of thinking. It's time to let go of your minds old attitude about life and renew your mind! This same verse in Romans proclaims that if you renew your mind, you will

"..prove what the good and acceptable will of God is" Romans 12:3

You will prove to your neighbors who see you; prove to those who knew you when you were a slave; and most importantly, prove to yourself that God has a perfect plan for you!! Let go of old, cursed thinking and walk into perfection!

UNLOAD THE BAGGAGE FROM EGYPT

Moses had a group of people attached to him that carried a lot of baggage. He constantly had to petition God on their behalf because of the bad behaviors they intinctively resorted to. Decades passed and Moses still did not see the spiritual progress that he knew would be necessary for the battles ahead. God was leading them to a new level of promise and with this promise was a new level of responsibility that they were slow in preparing for. Unfortunately, Moses became frustrated and in anger, was disobedient to God which caused him to be banned from the promise land. In the end, Moses only saw the land from the distance of their proving ground.

You may be persistently seeking God's direction in preparation of your promise, but carrying baggage that will cause problems so therefore, you can not arrive. Maybe you have anger issues that prevent you from being patient at times where you should be. Maybe you have infidelity issues that keep you from being trustworthy. Or perhaps you are ready to walk into your DESTINY, but carrying certain people with you who are faithless and murmuring. Maybe you can't enter because of THEIR baggage; THEY aren't ready for your promised land.

It is a terrible thought to be banned from what you've worked so hard and so long to acquire. So don't let it happen to you! UNLOAD THAT BAGGAGE! There is no way you will reach your promise carrying a bunch of negative garbage from your past to remind you of where you came from. Whether its negative attitudes, or just a negative outlook, UNLOAD IT. If negative people are weighing you down, UNLOAD THEM and do it quickly! Unload people who have attached themselves to you who have no faith, no spiritual strength and are constantly speaking against your vision and against God; they are the worst kind of baggage. Carrying them is guaranteed to make you weaker and weaker.

God is mighty enough to deliver you to your promise in a moment's time; but He loves you too much to take you to a place where you will be slaughtered. God, as part of His responsibility to protect you, refuses to put on your shoulders something that will inevitably destroy you because of a "bad heart" condition (meaning, lack of character). But, if you keep growing, learn faithfulness, learn patience, learn peace, learn kindness, learn to Love, learn to practice goodness (instead of evilness) and learn self-control; then, when the time comes, if you remain faithful, God will lift you out of your lengthy wilderness/training ground and guide you into your promised land where you will dwell in peace and for the rest of your life be fed (Psalms 37)!

God Vs. Mega Millions

I've got a simple question that I want you to answer. It's a question Christians aren't always honest about, but I'm hoping you're willing to tell the truth today (at least in your own mind). The question is this:

If you HAD to choose between these two options, which would you choose?

A). A Closer Relationship with God

B). The Biggest Mega Million's Jackpot in History

Don't answer quickly... I want you to really think about it. Imagine I'm standing in your doorway holding a ticket with 6 out of 6 of the winning numbers to the next Mega Million's drawing. Or better yet, let's say I've already collected the cash value for you. I'm at your door with roughly 200 Hefty bags stuffed to capacity with banded stacks of $100 bills. But the deal is, I'll only give you the winnings if you give me your bible, delete all bible apps, trash any concordances you have and solemnly swear to never study the Word of God again.

So tell me... would you choose God or the money? I mean this literally; if I was at your doorstep right now with this deal, would you choose to continue growing your relationship with God or would you choose to become an instant multimillionaire?

Now, the standard "Churchdom" response to this question is: "I'd rather have Jesus than all the money in the world... " followed by a quote of scripture such as Mark 8 which says: "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and loose his soul... "

That response sounds so spiritual; so pristine, but, unfortunately, that's not actually the response many of us would give. According to population statistics, sales statewide would fall drastically if Christians, who make up over 75% of the American adult population, were not really interested in winning the Lotto. But, according to the World Lottery Association, sales have reached an all-time high of over $4.3 billion. Simple mathematics says that, in order to reach record high figures, Christians must actually be trying just as desperately as their neighbors to win that money.

Which means many Christians, if staring at 200 bags of crisp $100 bills (roughly 600 pounds of money) and faced with this deal would NOT say,

"Go away... I don't play Lotto... "

Instead, they would kiss their bible goodbye and frantically pull those bags into their house before someone sees them.

And that shouldn't startle anyone; I mean, what's wrong with wanting the life of a multimillionaire? Isn't the popular doctrine at church nowadays "God wants every believer to be rich"? Doesn't every evangelist on TV say "Your blessing is coming RIGHT NOW! THIS AFTERNOON! EASTERN TIME; NOT PACIFIC!" I actually heard a gospel song on the radio say "God is going to work a miracle by the end of this song... " I said to myself, "Is that where we are today? All we can give God is 4 minutes and 46 seconds to work out our situation? What if he doesn't? I guess we'll have to keep playing Lottery... "

I'm not saying Christians shouldn't want wealth. Every adult person should have a good, sound financial plan for their future well being and those who do not will starve (or generate an excessive amount of debt). But, I do have to share some bad news. The bad news is,

NO, God isn't going to miraculously make every Christian wealthy!

Jesus said the poor will always be among us (Matthew 26:11). Don't assume he was only referring to non-believers. The truth is, some will be rich and some will not; and that's just how it is. For those who are rich, God expects them not to be arrogant or put their hope in their wealth; but do good deeds and put their faith in God (1 Timothy 6:17-18). For those who are not rich, God expects contentment,

"We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it... if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that" 1 Timothy 6:7-8

But God is not preoccupied with commerce, marketing, product sales, material goods and "wealth transference" the way His believers seem to be. God places wealth in the hands of His believers basically for "Kingdom Building" and "Nationhood"; but not for "Decadence". Wealth makes us a "Nation", but in God's "Nation" everybody has a different role. God's plan has many positions and many different levels of wealth for His people to relegate. And although everyone is volunteering for the same high-up positions, our role in the "Kingdom" is honestly determined by the King.

Jesus seemed to be offended by a crowd's desperation to have him satisfy their desires. It was the day after Jesus fed a multitude which was between 10,000 to as many as 30,000 people (5,000 men plus women and children) in size with two fish and 5 loaves of bread. After the miracle, the multitude traveled by foot all the way to Capernaum looking for Jesus. When they found him, Jesus told them,

"... you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ATE THE LOAVES and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which I will give you... " John 6:26

According to Jesus, this crowd who "ATE THE LOAVES" was more concerned with their bellies than the eternal life which he came to give. Jesus told them not to work to satisfy their physical desires; do work which "endures" to eternal life instead. When the crowd asked Jesus "what work" is he referring to, here are a few things that Jesus DID NOT say:

• "Work to gain more wealth... "
• "Get Rich or Die Trying... "
• "Become wealthy by any means necessary... "
• "Work hard to drive the nicest car to Church... "
• "Work to have a bigger church than your neighbors (one with Wi Fi capability and an ATM... )"

He told them,

"The work of God is this: Believe in the one He has sent." John 6:29

I wonder how God must feel watching His people salivate every week over the prospect of winning the Lottery. I wonder how God feels having offered us Jesus as the answer to this world's situation; then having to watch us as we seek money as if it were the only answer we are really interested in. I wonder how God feels knowing most of His believers are just as desperate as the rest of the world for that obsessively large amount of money displayed on the digital sign in the window of Seven-Eleven.

As I said earlier, Christians aren't always honest about it, but many of us are worshipping money as if it were a god while ignoring "THE" God who made us. We're treating money as if it had miraculous power when all the money in the world has no real power at all (except in our minds). Money can fill our "bellies", but it can't go to Children's Hospital and heal anybody. Money can satisfy our desires, but it can't cure AIDS or cancer.

However, "THE" God of Abraham can satisfy us with long life; not just food and shelter. And He has the power to cure every disease and empty every hospital bed in the world.

Bottom line, if you have the faith within you to believe that God's plan is to bless you financially to the extent where you live in a place of financial overflow, then by all means, continue to believe (and you should already see God moving you in that direction legally, not illegally). But if God doesn't move you to great wealth, you should not be anxiously awaiting six randomly selected numbers to do for you what God has not decided should be done.

Mega Millions is a game of chance; meaning you can choose to play, but you can't choose to win. However, a relationship with God is something you CAN choose right now. You can choose to get closer to "THE" God who made you. You can choose to finally use that bible app and study about Him (perhaps even more often than once a week). You can choose to learn how God gave His Son Jesus Christ to die on our behalf, and then raised Him from the grave as a sign that our salvation is complete. And you can choose to do this whether you receive a ridiculous amount of money or not.

You can choose right now to begin to grow your relationship with God because God is indeed more valuable, more essential and more beneficial to have in your life than all of the Mega Million's Jackpots that have ever been paid out in the history of this country combined!