Moving Forward
//Kenneth W. Hagin
Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place—Part 2
After being under Egyptian bondage for over 400 years, the day finally came when Moses led the children of Israel out of a life of slavery. The Israelites had not gone far, however, before it seemed as though they were caught between a rock and a hard place. Pharaoh and his army were in hot pursuit behind them, mountains and hills were on both sides of them, and the Red Sea was in front of them. No matter which way they turned it didn’t look good. Their hope for a better future quickly faded.
When they left Egypt, the Israelites were focused on their deliverance from slavery. But as they ran into hardships, they lost focus and began whining and complaining. “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?” they cried out to Moses (Exod. 14:11). They were overcome with fear, and suddenly the oppressive life of slavery didn’t look so bad.
Faith in Action |
No Fear Here! Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power
(Eph. 6:10 NIV 1984). Jesus already defeated Satan, so we don’t have
to. We simply have to walk in the victory Christ won for us. Resist fear. No one can resist fear for us. We must decide to face adversity boldly. But we can Stay focused on God’s Word. Make time to read and meditate on the Word of God every day. That Word has a calming effect on our lives in the midst of adversity. |
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Moses said to the people, “ ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again’ ” (Exod. 14:13 NIV 1984).
The most important thing to remember when circumstances, trials, and disease come against us is not to fear. We can never allow fear to grab hold of us. It paralyzes us. If we give in to it, we won’t move forward in what God has for us. Fear never talks back or fights. It only looks at the situation and trembles.
Moses went on to say, “ ‘The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still’ ” (v. 14 NIV 1984). All too often, we try to fight the devil in our own strength. But we’re no match for him. We’ll lose every time.
Jesus battled Satan and won, so we don’t have to fight him. And we should never worry, fret, complain, or whine. We only have to rest in the everlasting arms of Jesus and let Him take care of our problems.
In Exodus 14:15 the Lord told Moses to tell the Israelites to “move on” even though their situation hadn’t changed. They were still being pursued by Pharaoh and his army, and the Red Sea was still in front of them.
In our own lives, the Lord often tells us to “move on” when the financial need is still in front of us; when the disease is unabated; and when the temptation, circumstances, and trials are still there. Those of us who live by faith do that. As we move on, it may look as if we are walking into destruction. But we have to remember that God is fighting the battle for us. We aren’t walking into defeat. We are walking through to victory!
When we stare at the problem in front of us, focus on what’s behind us, or say, “I don’t see any way out,” we will be defeated. But when we look to God and move on with Him, we will walk through adversity and into victory.
The Israelites’ safe place was on the other side of the Red Sea. If they hadn’t crossed the Red Sea, they would have been destroyed. They had to walk through what seemed like impossible circumstances to see their deliverance.
It’s time for us to move forward in God. Like the Israelites, we can rest assured that when the Lord tells us to “move on,” He will part the barriers that confront us and we will walk through to victory. We will no longer see the problems we were facing because the Lord is fighting for us.