As the United States just surpassed its most recent Independence Day and looks ahead to honor the 250th anniversary of its freedom from the rule of Great Britain in 1776, it is also a time to acknowledge the sacrifices that had to be made to achieve this liberty. Blood was shed, and courage was demonstrated to make this bold move to another continent and an unknown territory. This is something the United States acknowledges every July 4th, and lives through constant challenges and threats to its freedom and democracy daily. It is something to not only cherish but to protect as well.
A Sacrifice That Allows Freedom
Biblically, the journey to walking in faith as a Christian has similar merits. Sacrifices were made in the death of Jesus on the Cross and His ultimate resurrection. It is a bold move for every Christian to make the first step to accept Jesus as their Savior and to walk in this “newness of life” (Romans 6:4) that is afforded by the decision. It, too, is a freedom that we must acknowledge and protect daily because of the privilege and cost associated with the salvation it brings. For those who answered the urging of the Holy Spirit, it is a decision that opened the door to true liberty that can’t be taken away.
Salvation is the unshackling of the soul, where grace breaks every chain and love restores every name. It’s the moment exile ends and belonging begins—a freedom not just from bondage, but into purpose, into peace, into the eternal embrace of mercy. The freedom experienced as a Christian is fully dependent upon the authority and power of a Savior who desires to guide your every footstep so you can have true independence…true freedom.
Choose True Freedom Today
Today, choose Jesus Christ. In doing this, you will choose a freedom that is not an escape, like the early founders of America built upon, but an arrival to a destination that was created out of love, just for you. There is freedom in Christ, so let’s celebrate the liberties that were intended for your life.
Why am I thinking about Moses and the Red Sea? Maybe it’s because the movie, The Ten Commandments, just made its annual Easter appearance on television. Maybe it’s because current events are reminding me strongly of that scene where Moses and the newly freed Israelites, while being pursued by Pharaoh and his army, suddenly found themselves on a cliff overlooking a vicious body of water with nowhere to go. You see, as this blog is being written, we are in the sixth week of self-isolation in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. For some reason, this week feels like a Red Sea scenario, where the pandemic has no intention of showing those of us, caught up in the pandemic’s fray, favor.
The novel Coronavirus has impacted every continent in this world. As of today, it has claimed approximately 166K lives amid almost 2.4M reported cases worldwide. These numbers, along with smaller, more detailed numbers for our local communities, have become an ongoing byline to every news program or headline being broadcast. Sadly, during this week six, there appears to be no way out as we dangle on that cliff, waiting for something to make it end today.
But It’s Hard, Lord
And so, I think about Moses. I am pretty sure he was being yelled at, questioned, and cursed (because the Bible says so) by the very people for which he had just facilitated freedom. In these days of selfies, Moses probably would have been hit in the back of the head with sheep dung if he turned his back on this angry crowd to take a picture, or worse, pushed into the roiling waves of the Red Sea. It is also during these times that I wonder about all the ‘wonderment’ in the Bible and why the story of the Red Sea is so endearing. I think it’s a reminder to us that God came through during an impossible time. A time that truly was the difference between life and death.
God Knows
God could have only come through for the Israelites if He was mindful of the imminent need. He wasn’t off toiling with something elsewhere He could have missed their cries. God was very aware of their need and was present in the moment (read Exodus 14). Likewise, when we cry out to Him, God is a very present help already aware of the need (Psalm 46:1).
This COVID-19 season is a tough one. Tough because all the endings are not happy ones. Many are dying and there is no logic as to why some survive. The Red Sea is still being the vicious body of water that it always was, and it seems God is not willing to move it so we can get on with the rest of our lives. Inherently, I believe, that is the point. When we look at scripture, time and time again, we see God doesn’t necessarily remove the situation; He moves in the situation. Yes, we see lepers healed and sight restored in the Bible, but these miracles usually happen when the person is already dangling on that cliff crying out for an intervention. The ‘red sea’ is still there, looming in the background hoping to swallow up the person’s hopes and dreams – and then we also see, God is still there.
We are reminded that, just like Moses and the Israelites, God does not necessarily move our ‘Red Sea Situations’ out of the way. Instead, He moves in them. God moves in ways that give us a better understanding of His love and His power. Much like Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross, He didn’t make the cross go away. The movement came, through Jesus’ death; and that movement continues to today in lives again and again.
Give Your ‘Red Sea’ to the Lord
As this pandemic continues to make moves across this nation and this world remember, God is still moving in ‘Red Sea Situations’. God is moving in your situation. He is a very present help in times of trouble. God is our refuge and, more importantly, God knows your circumstances and what you are going through. Keep seeking God’s face and keep your faith. Like Moses, wave your staff (e.g. through prayer) and let God move in your life. God’s movement always has a plan (Proverbs 19:21) that can overcome any circumstance and is backed by a love that is greater than anything we could imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
There are times in life where we can hear God telling us to ‘Get it Together’! Much like the perpetual slap on each cheek or being picked up by the scruff of the neck when we get overly anxious, God must, at times, step in to stop us in our tracks – before we head over the figurative cliff just ahead.
The momentary detour may protect us from that path we are most familiar with that seems to lead to the same old outcome. There can also be detours to make us reflect on a path that we are terrified to take because it is unfamiliar or unknown to us. Whatever it is, if you are a believer, God is constantly trying to get your attention to remind you of your purpose and His plan in your life; to help you ‘get it together’. God manages everything and will help you manage the issues of life.
God Holds Everything Together
In the Bible, there is a reminder in Colossians 1:17 that says –
“He is before all things, and in him, all things hold together.“
The verses preceding this verse provide a more detailed context but verse 17 is something we should keep in the forefront of our minds – the fact that Jesus is our Sovereign Lord and knows everything we are going through. When we feel our lives are spiraling out of control, He is aware and knows how to get it back together. How? Because “in Him, all things hold together.”
On Safe Ground
So, when you feel the pressure to conform, give in, fight or get frustrated remember your faith. Your faith, along with the voice of the Holy Spirit, will guide you to peace and understanding. You never walk alone, and you never walk without a guide or directions to ‘get it together’ – if you have Jesus Christ as your Savior. There’s also peace in knowing that God works in ways that don’t make sense to others anyway. Again, God holds everything together and will help you manage the issues of life.
Sometimes, when I look back over my life, I realize how many times God has had to save me. As much as I hate to admit it, many times He has had to save me from myself! My Savior has had to save me, too many times, from doing things I know I shouldn’t be doing. That’s when God’s Holy Hand, reaching in to intervene, reminds me of the process used to get meat to a state where it is chewable and tasty. In the normal process of meat preparation, a good marinade should be all that is needed to make it palatable. But sometimes, when the meat is a little tough, you need a meat tenderizer to soften it up. God can be like a tenderizer at certain points in our lives when we need some ‘softening’.
Now, I believe God prefers to marinate us with His Word and Spirit. That is what I call the ‘spice route’, where He uses the salt of His Word and the fragrance of His Spirit to get our attention. However, there are those times God needs to be that tool, you know, the one that looks much like a hammer. That tool is a pretty harsh tool and it is used to ‘pound out’ the resistant areas of our lives to bring in the taste and tenderness.
Time to Tenderize
There are times in life where we are like the reference in Acts 7:51 where God looks at us like a “stiff-necked people.” That is when we resist the direction of the Holy Spirit to ‘do right’ and follow our own feelings and desires. That begins what I call the ‘tenderization season’ in our living where God steps in and creates a level of interference to get us back on track. It can be momentary, where the correction is only for an instant (like the marinade) or it can last longer if the actions warrant it. The hardest response is when the tenderization comes by way of the ‘hammer’ – think Jonah, when he disobeyed God’s direction because he wasn’t ‘feeling it’ (Jonah 1:1-3). Or the Israelites so many times throughout the Bible when they refused to follow God’s way.
Remember, when God’s refining fire comes into your life, it is much easier to BEAR if it comes via the light touch of God’s ‘marinade’ vs. the blunt force (and prickly points) of a tenderizing hammer. God loves us enough to give us the free will to choose His Will. He also loves us enough to use discipline to help us recognize that His course is the best course. Tenderization is discipline. I believe this allows us to understand the ramifications of our choices and not blame Him when our decisions are not aligned with His.
Tenderization is Discipline
His Word reminds us that He is always available to save us from ourselves. The door is never closed to make a ‘hard turn’ to get out of the trouble we have created and make to choice to choose Him. Think about the prodigal son, whose choices led him to a place where even pigs lived better than he did (Luke 15:13-16). Once he ‘got it’ he ran back home to the loving arms of a waiting father. That is how God is with us. However, one thing I have learned in my own faith walk, God will not continue to give you rope after life-saving rope without some ‘tenderization’. This is part of the loving discipline of a loving God who wants us to experience the best things in life.
So…Our humanity will sometimes create tenderizing seasons in life.
It is better to avoid the hammer by marinating in God’s Word, spending time in prayer to listen to His voice and following His directions. If you find yourself on the wrong end of God’s discipline, don’t ignore Him (like Jonah), follow Him. And always remember, God loves you and only wants the best for you.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
Walk it like you talk it or, more personally,
walk it like I talk it. That is the lesson I must keep in
mind as I walk through this life and as I tell others about Jesus. The
importance of this edict stays on my mind constantly, but it hasn’t always been
there. I had to learn that people are always watching how I respond to
events in life as God matures my faith and I have to be intentional in thinking
about my responses.
Button,
Pushed
I recently had an experience where I found myself in a disagreement with another person. Not just any person but one who was also a Christian, like me. Nothing unusual, we all get into differences of opinion, but for some reason, this disagreement spiraled way out of the context of what we were in conflict about. Their response hit me in my emotional core which made me want to reply far more aggressively than I probably needed to. The other person sensed this and put up their defenses and the next thing I knew, we were facing an all-out argument. Why and how did this happen? As Christians, we should know better right? Well, the other person was my husband who is the one person that can push all my emotional hot buttons. And boy, he did at that moment.
Take
a Breath
Thankfully, the outcome was not what it
could have been. If it had happened at an earlier time in my life this
would have resulted in some hurt feelings. That was during the early days
of my walk with Christ. It has taken some time, but controlling my
emotions was the first thing God had to deal with in my soul. I grew up
in a family where letting the other person know what was on your mind was the
norm vs. the exception so I had to learn to respond differently. Thank
God, He didn’t give up on me and realistically, I am still learning, one day at
a time.
Colossians 2:8 says –
“See to it that no one takes you captive
through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition
and the elemental spiritual forces[a] of this
world rather than on Christ.”
When you read this scripture, it speaks
to the importance of knowing the truth of God’s Word, so we don’t fall victim
to false interpretations embedded in human traditions. I take this one a
bit further because I believe our responses to the ‘things of life’ are also
related to our interpretation of what God says is appropriate. Just
because everyone is doing it or it is legal, doesn’t make it right. We
must ‘walk it like we talk it’ as God’s Ambassadors on earth. In my case,
responding in anger would have only made the situation worse and the Bible is
very clear that we should be “slow to anger” (James 1:19).
Let
Your Light Shine
We need to ‘walk it like we talk it’
because people are always watching. The enemy will use others, especially
those close to you, to get you to be an example that is opposite of
what God is telling you to be. That is why we need to understand the
importance of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5) and relying on the Holy
Spirit to direct our paths (John 14:26). Additionally, spiritual warfare
is real and determined to make you stumble. Our responses can not only
make us stumble but can also be an obstacle to another person’s faith
walk. Think about it – who wants to be around a bunch of angry,
impatient, abusive people? That’s why we need to understand how God wants
us to live and respond to life’s experiences. Don’t worry if you are
reading this and feel “oh, oh, I have not been responding appropriately.”
Thankfully God’s grace and mercy can pick us up, dust us off and give us
another chance to make it right.
Get into the Bible, pray and be in relationship with God. The Holy Spirit will tell you how to walk, where to walk and even when to walk away. And the reality of it all, God promised us He would fight our battles for us, so let God respond for you (Exodus 14:14).
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