Rev. E.Anderson
March 27th GOD WILLS TO USE YOU – Exodus 3: 10 -12; Romans 12
Moses never thought at this particular point in his life that the Lord had any interest in Him whatsoever, let alone being used of him at this late stage in his existence. The past forty years had been rather drab and dull looking after a flock of sheep away from all society. Here he is being confronted with the supreme task of bringing God’s people out of Egypt and into a land of untold promise. It seemed and looked ridiculous but it wasn’t. God had turned up to get hold of His man that would become an instrument in his hands to do a major work.
His real usefulness was about to begin at a time when he must have thought his life and work was all over. He was to lift him out of non-entity and give His authority and backing to stand before Pharoah and perform the role of deliverer of God’s people. Assurance was give of the Lord’s presence – v12 “Certainly I will be with you.” This was to make the difference and bring about the deliverance. A new sense was to possess him and he was to act out of great conviction such he had never known before.
We are to be encouraged by this event and incident. God has been planning and working for the moment when He can visit you in order to inform that He has a job none but you can do. At this hour He is summoning you to rise to join with Him in a partnership so that a great work can be performed through you. The good thing is, ‘He will be with you as He was with Moses.’ This is to be moment of a new start that is to open out a meaningful future.
March 28th HE IS YOUR GOD, NOW – Exodus 3: 13-22
There was little doubt that Moses believed in the God of his fathers. He knew He was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the personal sense. He would be familiar with the biographies of their lives and of God’s intimate dealings with them. What had occurred to them impacted him and caused him to embrace the promises given to them. Wonderful hopes had been stirred in his being because of such. But then God was to reveal Himself and His Name to him and give a personal understanding of His greatness. He was not to be left in the dark or guessing who it was engaging him for a supreme task.
It is always a great moment when God suddenly begins to personally reveal and identify Himself to and with a person. The truth that was to hit him that day and for the rest of his life was that his fathers’ God was to be his God and that this God was and always is ‘the God of the Now.’ This was to change His whole concept of life and future experience. He was to come to know the reality that God would always be around to deal with everything. It did not matter what was to be faced. He was to discover through relationship that he could handle everything with and through God.
You need to know that God would seek to break in upon your life as God and as the ‘I AM that I Am.’ He is now in your life and affairs and desires to prove Himself in so many remarkable ways. It is time for you to believe it and to enter into this vibrant accord with Him that will produce so much good not only for you, but others through you. Remember at all times, God is never outdated but always keeps up to date with His servants and people. You, too, can rely upon to reveal Himself as the One who is always on the scene to work in your life.
March 29th WHAT IS IN YOUR HAND? Exodus 4
It was a question that was first put to Moses that was to have a major contribution to the success of his spiritual career in God. His simple reply was: “A rod.” It had been a faithful companion with him over many years as he had attended to the needs of his flock. He could use it to walk with or to defend the sheep with. No doubt it was an item that had always been with him and so became inseparable.
Little did he realize what this rod would become through God in his new vocation? It was going to be part of his equipment as he became engaged in this new enterprise with Jehovah. In no way was it to be left behind as he moved out on this divine commission. As he was commanded to throw it on the ground it became a writhing, wriggling snake from which he hurried away terrified. The Lord encourages him to take it by the tail and it is back into a rod. This was now going to be a symbol of his divine authority in the future as he cared for God’s sheep, Israel.
It is essential to know what the Lord has placed in your hands to be employed sacredly for Him. Be assured, as He has called you to work for Him, so He has given the necessary power to achieve His designs. Consider that one of the things is the right to use the Name of Jesus. The authority of heaven is behind and backs it and you can use it with powerful results when called by God to employ it.
March 30th WHO IS THE LORD? – Exodus 5
Here is another question – v2. It comes from the pagan monarch of Egypt, Pharoah. He is confronted by two men that represented the Lord and speak on His behalf: “Thus saith the Lord . .” -v1 , and his reply was, “Who is the Lord?” As far as he was concerned the Lord was a non-entity and not a real issue at that time. He was far from being impressed by these men and who they stood for. There was no way, at that moment; he was going to recognize either. He was dismissive of the Sovereign Lord and believed he would easily cope with anything that would come up in the immediate future. At that juncture he was in a state of assumption, and because of the seeming strength of his position, felt he could handle anyone and anything. He was yet to make a great discovery!
His re-action to their seeming impertinence was to make things more difficult for God’s servants and people. He issued the directive to make things much harder for Israel and the people were in a worse state. Pharoah felt he was the lord and that he would dictate the situation. The two men were disappointed at this and made their complaint to the Lord – vv22, 23. They were in negativity but they ought not to have been because the Lord indicated earlier that this would be the pagan monarch’s reaction – Exodus 3: 19 “And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.” He was going to prove difficult!
When the Lord calls to an impossible task there will be major problems to be encountered and overcome. It is not all plain sailing and He would have you aware of it from the start. The obstacles and oppositions will appear in the way but He is Lord and will prove more than adequate to deal with them. Learn to rest in the knowledge that He will answer them in His way and on time. He has already foreseen every difficulty and in His wisdom has planned to deal with them in an omnipotent manner so that you may rejoice in His grace and power.
March 31st NOW YOU WILL SEE WHAT I WILL DO! – Exodus 6
Into the hopeless conditions the Lord moves in to prove and show to His people and servants in particular what He is capable of accomplishing. He permits this extreme situation to arise to make obvious that it presents no problem to Him. In this awful environment He is able to turn and change it through His presence, wisdom and power. He confirms to His appointed messengers what he intends to do – vv1-8, and He concludes by stating, “I am the Lord.” This covenant people were to discover that He was present to demonstrate His Godhead.
Moses had to get rid of his fear and become a man of faith and so be ready to go back into the presence of this godless king. The Lord was nerving and strengthening him so that he would become a very strong leader for the rest of the schedule that was before him. He was to move out of his own weakness and inferiority to become a mighty man of God. Thankfully he was prepared to receive the directives of God and moved on as a man of faith, courage and achievement. It was essential that he become what the Lord wanted him to become so that he would see what God would do.
Nothing in the past is to be lost because God has quietly worked in the background in that time phase to make ready for what He wills to do. Do not write off that period as of being no worth or consequence. It has all been part of the divine schedule and ordering to get you primed up for this hour. The timing of God has brought you to your NOW. You are to see what He is about to do, but remember, you have a role to fulfil. You have to face up to yourself and allow God to fill you with divine assurance and boldness and go on to succeed in achieving great things within His programme.
April 1st THE BEGINNING OF MIRACLES – Exodus 7; John 2: 1-11
It was now time to start and wage war with the enemy that was keeping them captive. God chose the ways and means by which the deliverance should come. It was to be by the route of the miraculous. In this fresh encounter, Moses was informed beforehand as to what to expect from this heathen monarch – v9 “Shew me a miracle.” The rod was to be thrown down in his presence and it would take on a living form that of a serpent. It would be very challenging stuff!
The wicked king felt that his magicians and sorcerers were up to the same ability and he called them to perform this feat. It must have been quite a scene. Pharaoh would have been rather pleased with their act until he saw Aaron’s rod swallow up their rods. The obvious interpretation is that the Lord was manifesting His authority and the king didn’t like what he saw and resisted it. God’s servants became emboldened by this and began to move into the driving seat.
The first miracle that Christ enacted expressed the start of an onslaught against evil and there was much more to follow – John 2. The same could be said of the infant Christian Church. It can be rightly argued that there is a real need for the miraculous today so that we may make great advancement over the forces of evil. Pray this to be so in your life and for the local witness through your fellowship. The Lord would seek to initiate something of a divine order but requires you to cooperate with Him in creating the miraculous.
April 2nd UNDER DIVINE PROTECTION – Exodus 8
The moment arrived when the Lord had to teach Pharaoh and His own people a lesson. God was able to place a division between the Egyptians and the Israelites and to let them both know that He was Sovereign Lord. It states in v23 “And I will put a division between my people and thy people: tomorrow shall this sign be.” In the immediate programme He would undoubtedly prove that He was judging one and protecting the other and both needed to get the message. It was not to be a one off incident – 9: 4-7, 26; 10: 23 etc. A programme was to commence that would not end until total deliverance had been accomplished.
The encouraging fact is that the Lord was able to safeguard the well-being of both persons and property of those that belonged to Him in sacred covenant. It became an evident revelation that He was in control and that He could provide complete security at all times from every opposing force of evil. All that the Israelites had to do was to believe and rest in the goodness of God knowing that He was outworking His plan for their release and ultimate blessedness. They were under the shadow of His wing and no evil could come near them.
It is essential to know that we are a people that are living under His new covenant and that He is committed to protecting us in the midst of life. Christ came as the Good, Chief and Great Shepherd in order to care, tend and protect each of His sheep that He has purchased to Himself. Live content and assured under His watchful eye and He will make evident to you that He can keep and sustain you through every invading evil foe and force. You are His and this makes a difference!
Barnabas Ministries UK 