Do You Want Something to Cry About?

Exodus 2:

23 During that long period, the king of Egypt died.The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 

24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 

25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.

I think the interesting part about this passage is that the Israelites groaned, but their groans were not recognized. Groaning could be seen as simple complaints or possibly as frustrations, but not an issue that requires God's immediate attention. Complaints and groans are issues that he feels you can handle or something that you should not be invested in otherwise.

But when you cry, God becomes concerned. When he becomes concerned he has to act. I am pretty sure that God will not be tricked by a cry that is really a groaning situation. He will only attend to your earnest cry. Let your cries be sincere and real.

"Be careful not to cry prematurely because you will need those tears later when He gives you something to cry about." - C. Holmes

When Right Feels so Wrong

Exodus 2: 11-14

11 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 

12 Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 

13 The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?" 

14 The man said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "What I did must have become known."

What does this scripture teach? What is the lesson that can be learned.  Moses, although justified in his feeling of anger toward the Egyptian, decided to be the ruler of justice. He took judgement in his own hands, while knowingly committing an act NOT of God.

How do you know he understand that what he did was not right? Let's start with verse 12. It says that Moses killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. If he felt justified in his actions, why would he hide the man? Moses had decided that the man needed to die based on his behaviors. But the Bible does tell you that you should not judge unless you want to be judged also.

In verse 14, the second second sentence, it says that he was afraid. Fear only comes from a place of discomfort and an awareness that your current situation does not seam favorable. When you act on behalf of God, that action should be accompanied by a feeling of peace, not panic.

As we continue, we will see what happens when man determines that he can make judgement and justify the actions of others.

"Don't be to critical of others' judgments, when you don't have the power to justify." - C. Holmes

JOIN THE SITE AND BECOME A MEMBER

Cry Baby!

JOIN THE SITE AND BECOME A MEMBER


Exodus 2: 1-10 1 Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, 2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. 5 Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it. 6 She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said. 7 Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?" 8 "Yes, go," she answered. And the girl went and got the baby's mother. 9 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took the baby and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water."

Looking at verse e, it should you remind that when you under God's covering he hides us and protects us from the hand of the enemy. He hides us until he knows that we are ready to deal with the struggles of the world, but first you have to been up your strength in Him, your faith.

But at some point he let you veer into the land of the lost, the world. But it is a blessing to know that even when we are in the world, God will send a vessel in the form man (woman), to rescue us. But when you look at verse 6, you should notice that when God sent his vessel in the form of the slave girl, the baby was crying. Only when you are vulnerable and are limited to crying out for help, will God send someone to your rescue. Because the verse says that because the baby was crying, the girl felt sorry for him. Although he was distraught, she was determined. He cried, but she was courageous. He was lost, but she could take the lead. He was alone, but she was on assignment.

What happens as a result of the tears is that the child is comforted and nurtured until maturity as seen in verse 9 and 10. Think about that. When you stay under God's covering, He will comfort and nurture you until you are mature enough to deal with the next situation. But what happens when we remove ourselves from the covering before maturation? Disaster, which leaves you to return back to God with the same situation.

"When you give God your Problems, you still try to retain Power. But when you give Him your Tears, He is ready to Takeover." - C. Holmes

What happened to the Kings?

We will continue in Exodus for this conversation.  Picking up with verse 12 [But the more they (Isrealites) were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites ]..

13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly. 15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 "When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live." 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, "Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?" 19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, "Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive." 20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. 22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: "Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live."

Question 1: Keying in on the mid part of verse 16, the question that I want to pose to you is "who or what is trying to kill the king in you?" Is there something that has been placed inside of you that someone is trying to kill before you birth it into existence?

Question 2: Have you aborted your own king? Unlike the the Israelites, who were forced into bondage and captivity, we willingly place ourselves in bondage with the things that we engage in, the people that surround ourselves with and the unhealthy thoughts that we have about ourselves and others. Do you have vision but are not a visionary (this is for another time, because this is series by itself)? Sometimes we are not living in kingship because we do not walk, talk and behave in the manner of a king/queen. But like all great kings, timing is imperative and patience in paramount. You have to know when to make your move. Too much activity or stress while your king is in the womb could abort the promise.

Questions 3: The other question that I have to ask is, "Have you have ever been a king killer?" Sometimes, unbeknownst to ourselves, we can say or treat others in a way that could be demeaning or discouraging and kill their hopes or dreams. We need to have a "midwife mentality", which is a spirit of love and faithfulness to do what the Lord asks of us. But you first have to know what He expects from you. When you allow someone else's inner king to live, God blesses you and your king to live.

But thank the King has called us to be kings and queens.

"In order not to abandon your kingship, you can't abandon the King" - C. Holmes

Please leave comments if you wish to create dialogue.

Haters Aren't New!

Here is where the thought for today stems: [Exodus 1: 6-12] 6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them. 8 Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country." 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. If you look at your life, when it seems like all things are falling in place, there will always be someone who will not bask in your favor. There will always be someone who doesn't seem to be supportive or excited about your success or opportunities or happiness or promotion or love life. Haters are not new. Like Pharaoh they will try limit and minimize you because they are envious based on what they don't have. But you need to have an Israelite mentality. Even in bondage you can be bountiful (in abundance). When you are in the will of God, oppression by man will not disturb opportunities provided by the Master. Be fruitful today and watch how your haters respond. It is not your responsibility to prove haters wrong or right. But when God responds on you behalf, your haters are placed in a position to behave.

"Haters can't hate, more than God can Love." - C. Holmes