Praise

I have been studying and meditating on the topic of praise recently after the Lord inspired me on a scripture in Hebrews (13:15). Again, this isn't an exhaustive study of the topic, but it's a collection of a few thoughts I was inspired by. I hope this will bless someone else, too.

Hebrews 13:13-16
“[13] Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. [14] For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. [15] By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. [16] But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”

We are instructed to leave the camp -- leave the refuge, and bear the reproach Jesus bore for our sake. Go out of the way of our convenience for his cause. The city we have here isn’t eternal. It will melt with fervent heat eventually, but we seek an everlasting one to come in heaven. Because of all of this, give the sacrifice of praise to God, continually, without ceasing, by giving thanks to his name. It’s a sacrifice of thanksgiving. It means we give up our emotions, despite the situation we are in, and offer him praise and gratitude for the love he’s shown for us, for the reproach he bore for us, for the heavenly home is preparing for us. Praise the Lord! Don’t be shy or quiet about it, have that continually be the fruit, or the production, of our lips. The fruits of the spirit are to govern our character. Our speech, and the fruit of our lips, should be praise and thanks unto God. Communication is Holy conversation as well as communicating to God our thankfulness and praise. Those are things a true Christian must offer to God: doing good and communicating praise, thanksgiving, and purity with others.

Psalm 50:23
“Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.”

Offering praise is glorifying got God. And ordering our conversation in a way that is glorifying and thankful and pure will cause God to show salvation to us. It gives him the liberty to exercise his saving keeping grace for us. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice, so he deserves our praise.

Psalm 69:30-31
“[30] I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. [31] This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.”

Praise can be offered through song and thanksgiving. Both are important things which are pleasing to God. Also, praising through song and thanksgiving were practiced by exemplary Biblical characters who found favor with God. This was a Psalm of David. Giving praise is essential. More important, in fact, than an ox or bullock. These were the traditional sacrifices under Old Testament law. Now, our sacrifice to God is given in praise and the surrendering of our will. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice, all we have to do now is praise God. He is pleased with it. Singing is a wonderful expression of love and gratitude to our maker and our Savior. Making a regular practice of being thankful to God and telling him that is likewise pleasing to him -- more than old, fleshly sacrifices of animals. These praises and songs are from the heart.

Hosea 14:2-4
“Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. [3] Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. [4] I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.”

Hosea was advocating here of using words to show penitence to God. Prayer for forgiveness was accompanied with the “calves of our lips.” This is an interesting phrasing, but it has a greatly revealing implication. Calves were generally used as offerings in repentance to God. The supplication they have here is using the calves, or more accurately, the sacrifice of their lips -- which is praise. They will render praise to the Lord to gain forgiveness. Just like the fruit of our lips should be praise, our lips should sacrifice praise to the Lord. They acknowledge that Asshur (which is in reference to Assyria) will not save them despite their positive diplomatic relationship of the time. They won’t fix their hopes on prestigious military horses, and they won’t turn to manmade idols or other fake gods. The I Am is their God. For everything they worship, all the gods they turn to, he is the only one complete. And in him is the way the fatherless, those lost without hope, find mercy. God promises to heal their fall and backslidden nature and love them because they turned away from wrong and offered their praise, or the calves of their lips, to him. It specifically highlights the dependency on God and the value of our words in praise to God.

Ephesians 5:19
“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord.”

This is in reference to being filled with the Spirit. This praise is harmonious to the Spirit and well-pleasing to our Lord. It’s clear instruction to give honor and reverence to the King. In psalms, hymns, songs, all by singing. It is an instrumental (ha - get it?) part of our worship to the Lord.

Colossians 3:16
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

This is another reference similar to Ephesians 5:19. The instruction is to give praise with our hearts in tune with the Lord.

Acts 16:25
“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.”

We know the end of this story: deliverance. When we are in a difficult trial, our example is to pray and sing. Worshiping God is incredibly important. It’s a display to Christ of the contents of our inner man. Other people heard Paul and Silas, but that did not faze them. It’s a challenge to us to not be ashamed of our praise to the Lord. He deserves it. As with Paul and Silas, the Lord was pleased and saw fit to relieve them of the burden of imprisonment. Might he relieve burdens of our own if we are willing to humble down and offer the sacrifice of praise ourselves?

James 5:13
“Is there any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms.”

When we have reason to be happy, let it show! Don’t hide your candle under a bushel. Let that positivity in the Lord glow. Praise the Lord for his mercy to you. It is of that mercy alone that we are not consumed, and that’s reason to praise the Lord! He’s asked for it in our good times. Here is the only time in these verses I’ve referenced that the prerequisite is being merry. All the other times, it just says to do it. Paul and Silas were under immense pressure and in a strenuous situation. Yet, they praised the Lord. He asks for our praise not ONLY when things are going well, but even when we don’t see the way out. Praising him for his goodness and faithful to us, and in the assurance that he has a plan of deliverance from whatever we’re facing, is something that pleases him. We’re sure to receive a blessing of some kind, even if we don’t get our answer immediately.

Our heart's condition is also important to note when we consider giving praise to God. Whether the condition of our heart be ungrateful, fearful, worried, bitter, jealous, or anything else, a remedy to those unhealthy feelings is praise. When we set aside those unprofitable emotions and focus more on the things that ARE working for our good (which is God, all the time), then we find ourselves conditioning our heart to a better state. It's a way of victory over temporary feelings. When we analyze a situation, we'll always find a few key things to be true: a) God is still on His throne, b) Jesus is still at his right hand, being our mediator, c) God's love remains, amidst any other changes. Those three things, however much they seem to directly make contact with our situation, are praiseworthy. God is still there, looking over the matters in my life! Jesus is still interceding on my behalf, petitioning for my well-being to the Father! God truly LOVES me, he hasn't withdrawn his affection! We'll find ourselves rejoicing in the trial instead of dreading the length of our battle.

He is so worthy of any praise we can muster, so we ought to give it to him. Most of the time when we pray, we bring needs of our own and petition him to undertake in circumstances that contradict our happiness in life. Yes, he asks us to cast our every care on him, but that’s not all he asks. He asks for praise and desires that we worship him.

Here's a song that came to my mind in relation to this topic: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRB4cJsxJck]

The requirements were so much more tedious in the Old Testament, we ought to be thankful for how easy it is for us now. Praising God does not require us to be on the mountaintop, nor does it ensure that we are. But, it’s a sacrifice of ourselves that we can give to God to show him the gratitude he deserves. Jesus died as the ultimate sacrifice. It’s our duty to give back, even if the avenues opened to us to do so seem menial. God asks for the sacrifice of our lips, the humbling of our speech before his majesty. The challenge to me is great. I need to offer more praise to the one who gave EVERYTHING to me. I would appreciate you all praying for me. :)

Keep encouraged!

Patience

This post will definitely be incomplete on the subject of patience, but I felt inspired to share a few thoughts I got a few days ago.

Patience is something that doesn't come to me. I normally like things to move consistently and quickly. I don't like to wait for things I think should happen immediately. Our world is inundated with instant gratification. It's fast-paced, and most things we do don't take us much time. We get frustrated if a website takes too long to load, if a video buffers, or if the drive-thru at McDonald's takes too long (side note: that's why you go to Chick-Fil-a, btw). I also don't like to wait for an answer... I want a yes or a no, and then like to move along. However, that's not always the way things work. The world doesn't spin to the whim of my desires. All that said, this is an area God has used to work on me.

Romans 8:25
"But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it."

Hoping in Christ is equivalent to having the patience to wait for it. We don't have a real hope if we aren't willing to wait and aren't patient about it. This spoke to me because I am often an impatient person. I expect things from people to be done quickly -- with my family, friends, peers, even people I don't really know. I expect them to operate based on the timetable I deem acceptable for myself... or perhaps even faster sometimes. But the act of impatience bears unpleasant fruits, and reveals some ugly traits as well. It can spur anger, discontentment, grumblings, murmurings, and so on. There are plenty of different things that can rise up from an instance of impatience with other people.

However, this isn't even the most important point. It made me think: If I'm impatient with other people, am I impatient with God?

We ask things of God all the time, but are we hoping for them and having the patience to WAIT for them, regardless of how long it takes, in God's perfect timing? That's a challenge. Being patient with God is absolutely essential to getting the right thing he has for us at the right time. This can be the case with anything. With education, job situations, relationships -- any of those things are things that require patience and a HOPE in God, regardless of what we see and don't see. Our vision of the future is not perfected like God's is. We have to be patient while we have HOPE in Christ that the right thing will work out for us in any circumstance, instead of getting upset that the answer doesn't come immediately. As I mentioned earlier, we are conditioned in our world today to expect instant gratification. Yet, God still requires the same thing he always has -- to wait on Him.

Psalm 27:14
"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord."

I was reading in Streams in the Desert a few days ago, and one phrase particularly caught my attention.

"God's promise is equal to his presence."

What does that mean? In my interpretation, it means, independent of time, God's promise is just as good as his immediate, "now" presence or answer. If we don't feel like God has spoken or given us an answer right now, his promise remains unchanged. We shouldn't lose hope, it doesn't mean he has forsaken us. Just because we don't see him actively working or changing something in our favor doesn't mean he's not. He's promised to never leave us or forsake us. That doesn't change based on our human expectations or timeline of things. We just have to have the patience to wait, while hoping in Christ for the best outcome of whatever situation it is facing us. This thought was a real encouragement to me to know that our hope in Christ should not be dependent upon time or what we see. God's promise is sure. Living up to the first verse is a big challenge to hope in Christ while having the patience to wait.

Keep encouraged!

The Importance of Bible Study

From Natalie Sorrell:

The month of January is the time where people decide to make goals or resolutions, and last month I made a decision to start spending more time with God and studying His word more. I doubt that I was the only one that made that goal, too. I can't say that I have been perfect since then, but I definitely have tried. I realized my need for taking more time to study and decided I would do the best that I could.
So, today I would like to talk a little bit about the importance of Bible study. Okay, I know life is busy, people. I realize not everyone has time every day to spend 2 hours studying. I knew I didn't, but I did know I needed to spend more time than I had been.

I think it's important for us to know our reason why we study, and not just a random goal that we decide to fit into our lives. Why should we study? In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 it says, All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (17) That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. That to me sounds like an encouragement to study the word, right? We need to read and study the word of God so that we know the doctrines, for reproof, and for correction, so that we can grow and believe with our eyes that this is the way to go. It's also a way of knowing why we believe what we believe. It's not just because our parents told us we should do these things, it's because God commands in His word. Studying won't only perfect the man, but it will also help us with witnessing to others. In 1 Peter 3:15, it says, But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: So not only does studying help with us personally, it helps to be able to witness to others more effectively. People won’t believe doctrine if it’s just coming from your personal mindset. They will be more accepting if you show where that is at in the Bible (that’s where Bible memorization comes in).  Besides these two obvious reasons to study, there are also other reasons to why studying can be beneficial in your walk. I know for myself, procrastinating is a weakness of mine. I put off things when they should be done first. Studying gives me a reason to work on my procrastination. Procrastination really shows where our affections are. Will I choose what I want, or what God wants? I need to put away my wants... and do what God wants out of me— to spend time with him more. Another reason why studying is helpful is that it can truly show our devotion to God. In a way, we don’t need to prove to God where our affections are because He already knows our hearts, but at the same time... we do need to show Him how much we care and how much we want to spend time with Him. Finally, studying helps us overall to stay focused on Him. After we have made Him our number one, we will gain ground and gain knowledge. We will become a better person in general.  I can say for myself that studying gives me a chance to breathe, to not get so caught up in life. We have a lot of pressure from the world. Whether it be from outside friends, social media, or work. There is pressure.
I am getting a headache just thinking about it.
Studying is a gust of fresh air to me. It’s exciting and fun to find things in the Bible that you didn’t know before, and knowing that you have a better understanding gives confidence.
Another point I would like to say is... MAKE STUDYING FUN. Use highlighters, pens, sticky notes, etc. It’s fun to make your notes personal.

This has been a challenge of mine and I hope that this will encourage anyone else who has had the same goal this year. Keep up the good work! Have a marvelous day!
- Natalie Sorrell

Fasting

Submitted by Damar Randle:

Recently I faced some very hard situations that I needed the Lord's Saving Grace to get over. I didn't know what to do, but knew something must be done. I had heard and remembered hearing a scripture that says "...this kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting" Mark 9:29. I finally got an answer, it was FASTING. But, what is fasting really all about? Is it just suffering and giving up food and drink? I haven't heard too much teaching on this. So I decided that I needed to search it out.

I looked up fasting in the Old Testament and found some key part. First, Psalms 35:13 David says "...I humble myself with fasting..." when fasting we are realizing that this spiritual thing is greater than my physical needs. We must humble down and realize at this time there are things of God that are of such importance and are delicate that I need to put MY norm aside and spend this time sacrificing myself to God in a fast.

Jonah gives a great visual of another part of fasting and for the sake of space I won't quote it, but look at Jonah Chapter 3. When the warning came forth the King made a decree that everyone will put on "sackcloth" and "let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything: let them not feed, nor drink water" v. 7.

Sackcloth is an item that is typically worn when in mourning. Here, and in much of the Old Testament, they wore sackcloth when fasting. They were acknowledging their sorrows for their sins. When fasting if we have sin on hand we must acknowledge that first and foremost. We mustn't play around. These people were so serious about this fast and having God hear them that even the animals were affected. Through their denial of food and their seriousness concerning the matter at hand, the Lord heard and honored their fast.

I don't have all the answers or the perfect way to a fast. But, it is biblical. From the Old Testament to the New Testament. Jesus flat out said "Howbeit this kind goeth not out, but by prayer and fasting" Matt 17:21. There are some things that a fast is just required or we won't break through to God. When fasting we must deny our temporal needs in order to sit in Heavenly places, we must humble down, and we must confess our sins if any. Barnes commentary says "That faith is produced and kept vigorous only by much prayer, and by such abstinence from food as fits the mind for the highest exercise of religion, and leaves it free to hold communion with God." May the Lord bless and help along these lines.

Damar D. Randle

Continue Steadfastly

I was inspired by a thought recently. One of the biggest things I struggle with is maintaining my walk with God on a daily basis. There are ups and downs, times when I feel more “spiritual” and capable than others, and times where lethargy threatens my peace. I read some verses which gave me some great encouragement. I hope that my feeble words can express the burden I have in a way that is understandable (and not too boring, hehe) for all of you.

Acts 2:41-44
“[41] Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. [42] And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. [43] And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. [44] And all that believed were together, and had all things common.”

They GLADLY received his word and followed Jesus’ example of baptism. That in itself is a challenge. To joyfully, expediently, and readily accept salvation is not always the way in which we come into favor with God. The immediacy with which they responded to the teachings the disciples delivered should be a challenge to all of us. Spiritual lethargy today is something that is a danger for all Christians, especially in this age. So many distractions await, tantalizing our fingertips and seeking our attention and devotion. It takes dedication to keep our lives centered in Christ and our mind free of worldly distractions that rob us of the blessings of obedience to Christ’s dealings. I believe we can look to the example of this crowd to whom Peter preached the gospel; we ought to gladly receive God’s word, not only in salvation, but in the things he desires to teach us in our daily walk.

But, receiving the word was not where it stopped, and that’s the great encouragement to me. The crowd of new converts continued STEADFASTLY in the doctrine which was taught and in fellowship with each other. It’s important to be steadfast. That means unwavering, continual, and fervent. Clearly, they believed the doctrine and retained and acted upon its principles. Our duty as Christians is to learn, retain, and adhere to the doctrine we find in the Bible as well as things God personally convicts. It’s not simply the teaching that we’re responsible for, but the action we take based on that knowledge. This is something I have struggled with. I learn and better understand the Bible along the way, but I have admittedly struggled with making the things I’ve learned a reality in my life. Acting on what we have learned is part of being a steadfast Christian. It means not giving up when we’re down in the pits. It’s not always easy being a follower of Jesus, but the suffering produces holy fruit. I’m encouraged by this example we have of the crowd here that willingly submitted to God and continued steadfastly. I pray I do the same.

I’d also like to mention a few things about the fellowship it mentions here. It is derived from the Greek word “koinonia” which refers to community, meaning association for religious and spiritual purposes. Fellowship is vitally important to the believer. It’s taught in the scripture and practiced by these new converts here as well. Being connected with other believers is such a blessing and help. Sharing our struggles and victories is helpful, at least to me. I really appreciate hearing testimonies from others of what God has been teaching them or doing in their life.

It says that fear came upon every soul. We should all have a proper fear of God, and willingness to obey his commandments. Proverbs 9:10 says “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” It was Godly obedience when Abraham prepared to sacrifice his own son. These people had a similar fear of God following their conversion. We ought to as well. Their faithfulness and steadfastness is an example to us.

I love how the last verse says all that believed were together and had all things common. It’s such an encouragement to know that we aren’t alone. Our battles, our struggles, our fears — they’re the same things other Christians face. You’re not alone. That’s why I feel such a burden to share with others the things that I’m dealing with and how God is helping me. I know I’m not the only one with questions about my future. I’m not alone in trying to get the victory in certain areas of my life. I’m not alone in my desire to serve God in whatever way he would be pleased, but not always understanding what that looks like. Any struggle, temptation, or weight we have is not uncommon to fellow young people or Christians. We are in this battle against Satan together — we’re the Church of God, and Christ is counting on us to stay faithful, stick together, and be steadfast in the midst of a wicked world.

I hope this is as much of an encouragement to all of you as it was to me. It’s not easy to be steadfast, and I know I have room to grow in that. Consistency hasn’t been easy, and I won’t declare perfection. But, I know God loves me and is willing to help me, be with me, and work with me as I strive to live for him daily. These verses were an encouragement for me to stay steadfast, value fellowship, fear God, and recognize that we aren’t alone. I’m praying for all of you, and please pray for me that I would live in obedience to Jesus. :)

Keep encouraged!

Living a Christ-Centered Life

From Emalie Sorrell:

Hello there. What’s up? I hope everyone is doing well and staying encouraged. I had a little something to share that I’ve been thinking some on. Just want to let you know though, that I am a speaker not a writer. I struggle so much with communicating my thoughts through writing, texting, etc. I’ve tried really hard though so hopefully this will make some sense and you’ll be able to catch my drift. :}

Today, I wanted to share some thoughts on living a Christ- centered life. Too many times I find myself experiencing a watered down walk with the Lord that’s filled with balancing God with worldly counterfeits and other things that I try find fulfillment in. It’s like I try to find joy in God but yet kind of at the same time try to find fulfillment in social media, relationships with people, etc.

I’ve found though, that it doesn’t work that way. Sure, you could probably get by living that way but you’ll never be fully satisfied. God has created us for so much more than that. He created us to thrive for Him and live a life that completely revolves around Him...not Instagram or Spotify or the pop-culture of today’s society.

I get so caught up in myself and what I need (and want) to do. I give my energy and time to things that don’t matter and then try to fit God in somewhere. I honestly confuse myself when I do that. It’s like I prioritize worthless things that won’t matter at all in the end and then barely make time to spend with the One Who died to save me, the Creator of my existence, and the Reason for my being. Like c’mon, Em.

I’m not supposed to be fitting God into my life.
I’m supposed to be letting my life revolve completely around Him.

God didn’t create me to just say a quick prayer in the morning and then continue the rest of my day living selfishly with no purpose. He created me to live a life that is thriving for Him and serving Him. I was created to find joy in Christ and to put all my focus on Him.

I really want to grow in this area and learn to build my entire existence around the Lord. I want to find all my fulfillment in Him. I want to live with passion and purpose. I want to focus on serving others, not myself. I want to say goodbye to worthless things of the world, and spend my time focused on the One that really matters. I know that this is where real joy and satisfaction will grow.

So, I pray that God would help me and all of us as young people to rise above the mediocre life that Satan tries to trap us in. God is calling each & every one of us to a life that is focused on loving and serving Jesus & others. He’s calling us to learn to find all of our fulfillment and satisfaction in Him. I pray that God would help us all to prioritize Him into our lives and be able to really thrive in Him.

Colossians 3:1
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”

Hebrews 12:1-2
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Jeremiah 29:13
“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

Hope everyone has a gr8, Christ-centered week! :)
-Em S.

Obstacles

This year, I started reading Streams in the Desert, and so far it has yet to disappoint. It's a great devotional, and I'm sure many have read it. If you haven't, or if you started and didn't finish, take this as an encouragement to start AND finish it. ;) 8 days in, I can assure you it's worth it.

The Lord revealed something to me in one of the devotions a couple of days ago. The text was Isaiah 43:2. "When thou passest through the waters....they shall not overflow thee." The scripture is certainly a common one, but the commentary it gave with it stuck out to me. "He does not remove obstacles out of our way before we reach them. Yet when we are on the edge of our need, God's hand is stretched out." That's the basis of my thought here, and hopefully, I can express it as it was impressed in my mind.

First of all, it's important to note that the verse is definitive on multiple points. It says WHEN thou passest through the waters, not IF. Trials are a part of life, it's guaranteed that we will, as Christian's face opposition from the devil. It also says through. It doesn't say into. That means we will enter and then exit, passing THROUGH. We won't stay in a permanent state of trial. God is faithful to bring us through each and every temptation, disappointment, trial, and issue we face.  The verse also says they SHALL not overflow thee. Despite how difficult the obstacle is, it won't be more than we can bear. Scripture backs that up in 1 Corinthians 10:13 "but God is faithful... but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it." In Isaiah 43:2 again, God also promises "I will be with thee." We aren't alone. I'm encouraged that God has promised us to be able to handle and escape temptation.

But that doesn't prevent obstacles from appearing in our view. Some seem easy enough to deal with, while others, which we seem to take greater note of, seem larger than life. The latter are the ones which tend to cultivate fear, dread, and ultimately test our faith in God. Do we really believe He can remove that obstacle that seems so impassable? Take it a step further. We can say we believe He's able. But do we believe He WILL? Lord, help us all to have greater faith. That's something I definitely struggle with.

One component of faith I really struggle with is timing. I want to walk the straight and narrow way, but I want it to be cleared of all the brush, thorns, and obstacles that are between here and heaven. That's not always the case for our vision, though. We see an obstacle up ahead, and it plants a seed of worry that germinates as we approach and it still hasn't moved. The *straight* and narrow way isn't to go around it, so we worry how we'll get past it. Recall the children of Israel, freed from the bondage of slavery in Egypt and quickly approaching the Red Sea. They arrived at the banks, awaiting God's direction, and growing hastily displeased with the apparent lack of help from the God that had just delivered them. Yet, when the time was right, God parted the sea, replacing their obstacle with a clear path to safety.

How often do we come to a problem in our walk, and cry out to God that He isn't helping us? Even if we don't say the words, is our heart doubting? Do we so quickly forget the redemption He gave us? It's easy to let our fears go wild when we don't see an open, easy road ahead. But every time, God is faithful to clear the path and get the obstacle out of our way when He sees the time is right. He gave the Israelites just enough time to escape from being recaptured. The story of the Israelites is a parallel to our spiritual salvation now. God will make a way of escape from the bondage of sin. He's promised it. The daily obstacles teach us to consistently depend on God to help us and die daily to our own will and accept His will step by step.

Psalm 66:12 says "Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place." This sounds like the testimony of someone who has faced difficult obstacles. "Men to ride over our heads" is a description of belittling oppression, and possibly an alludes to the chariots of Egyptian bondage. Going through fire and water is indicative of trial by referencing elemental extremes. Fire can be dangerous and hot, while water can be just as deadly. Through all of these things, and despite the magnitude of the obstacles -- the testimony is that God brought them through and into a "wealthy place," a place of abundance and blessings.

The obstacles we face in life are guaranteed. It's not an easy road to heaven, and our daily walk with God will have obstacles that we have to deal with. The more pressing question is how we will deal with them, and if we'll have the faith to let God move them when it's His will to do so. The lyrics of a song say you have to have faith "when you don't see it but you believe it anyway." We might not see a clear path or a passable road, but we have to believe it anyway. We see the obstacle, but God sees our heart and how much faith and trust it has in Him. It's my prayer to surrender my own thinking and let Him handle the obstacles I see ahead, however big or small they may be. Please pray for me.

Keep encouraged!