I Didn't Bring You This Far To Leave You: (Excerpts from my sermon last Sunday)

Exodus 14:10-15
¹⁰ As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. ¹¹ They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? ¹² Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" ¹³But Moses answered, " Don't be afraid! Be brave, and you will see the LORD save you today. These Egyptians will never bother you again. ¹⁴The LORD will fight for you, and you won't have to do a thing." ¹⁵The LORD said to Moses, " Why do you keep calling out to me for help?

My wife stays on me for being overly sarcastic (as she calls it).  She encourages me to be patient with people who ask the same question in a different form when my answer has not and will not change.  So I can only imagine and I like to imagine what God was thinking when he asked Moses in verse 15: "Why do you keep calling out to me for help"?  You would think that Moses would have enough trust in God by now to know that even when it looks bad. . . . . . if God has anything to do with it. . . .. it's going to work for my good.  The children of Israel, God's chosen people, had experienced a miracle by being released from bondage and had witnessed God working even while in Egypt, but that wasn't enough.  They witnessed plaque after plaque.  From frogs, lice, boils and locust, to the decree that the first male child of all the Egyptians would die. . . . . but that still wasn't enough.

The word says that when they looked up and saw the Egyptians coming after them, they were terrified and cried out.  And I can imagine the Lord could have said what I am saying to you today: He didn't bring you this far to leave you!

All of us are facing challenges in our lives and oft times these challenges cause us to loose our focus and forget where God has brought us from or what He has already done in our lives.  We become overwhelmed with the issues of life and if we are not careful, we will forget the wonders that God has already performed in our lives. That's the enemy's job.  He will have us living in fear and we'll get a bad case of spiritual amnesia - a disorder which cause a believer to forget.  And we will become so consumed with our present circumstances that we forget where He's already brought us from.  God has brought us too far to leave us now.  He didn't bring you through your last crisis for you to be consumed with your next one.  He didn't deliver you out of one bad relationship for you to get caught up in another one.  He didn't heal you of cancer for you to die of heart disease.  He did not bless you to get in school for you to have to drop out.  He did not bring you this far to leave you now.  He did not deliver you from sin for you to have to resort back to your old sinful ways.  He didn't save your child (family member) for you to lose them again to the enemy.  He didn't bring you this far to leave you.  Don't believe the lie! 

I know you may be having it hard right now.  I know it's uncomfortable right now.  I know the enemy has suggested that you resort back to who you were and what you used to do because it doesn't look like God is concerned and you were better off doing it your own way.  "It was easier" said the Isrealites. . . "we were better off in Egypt".  Do you see how the devil will have us speak foolishly and make foolish decisions right before our next miracle?

If he was going to leave you, he would have left you when everybody else walked off.  If He was going to leave you, he could have left you when you were worse off than you are now.  If he was going to leave you, he would not have brought you through all the other junk, but would have let you lose your mind after the last ordeal.  So I speak to you as God spoke to Moses: Why do you keep whining to me?  He didn't bring you this far to leave you!  You've been in tougher situations than this.  You will complete your God given task.  You will prevail.  You shall not die and you will not loose your mind.  You will move forward.  He did not bring you out to let you go back.  He brought you to where you are now to position you for your next miracle.  You see, it's not a miracle if you can make it happen of your own strength or cognizance.  Remember that!

I receive calls and emails about how people forward these inspirational words to friends or family members that are in their address book.  And I am grateful for that.  But I ask you today before you forward it to anyone, go ahead and speak to the enemy of your mind that has imparted fear and then speak to the enemy of your situation.  And let the enemy know that God did not bring you this far to leave you now.  Declare to the enemy that you are already Victorious.  Declare to the enemy that you will go forward just as the Israelites did and although it may look like the enemy is gaining on you. . . . .know that you are just right for your next miracle. 

Be blessed,
Pastor Mike