The Red Sea Rules #10

We have come to our last installment of this book. I have really enjoyed it and I think it has really helped me. This book along with a couple of other books - the Bible and The Refiner's Fire(that a sweet friend gave me.) I still struggle but at least now I have Hope. A couple of months ago - I did not feel hope. Life seemed hopeless.


Let's Review:

#1. Realize that God means for you to be where you are.
#2. Be more concerned for God's glory than for your relief.
#3. Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord.
#4. Pray
#5. Stay Calm and confident, and give God time to work.
#6. When unsure, just take the next logical step by faith.
# 7. Envision God's enveloping presence.
# 8. Trust God to deliver in His own unique way.
#9. "View your current crisis as a faith builder for the future."
Last but definitely not least:
#10. Don't forget to praise Him.

"Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying,
I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 2. The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him." Exodus 15:1-2

This is the very first song recorded in Scriptures. God had not only brought them out of Egypt but when it looked like their end had come - he miraculous saved them by opening up the Red Sea - and letting them walk through on DRY land! Isn't that awesome? Then when the Egyptians followed behind- trying to get to them to kill them - the waters no longer help up and they were all killed.

What gratitude they must have felt. God had done so much for them up to this point but it seems that they just had not really realized how much he loved them and that he could and would take care of them till this point.

I think sometimes in our own lives we struggle with this too. But if we can learn to Praise God - even for the little things - I think our lives will become much more full of praise.

My Mother-in-law has told me - when it is the hardest to Praise God - it is probably the most important time to Praise Him.


"He lets out His mercies to us for the rent of our praise, and is content that we may have the benefit of them so He may have the glory." John Trapp

"...I'd like to suggest that praise and worship are the sand and cement that hold the bricks in place along life's daily pathway." page 109

"Develop a perspective of praise." page 110

Start today - look around your life and make a list of things you are thankful for. You might be surprised at how many things you can find!
I hope you all have a wonderful day! :o)

The Red Sea Rules #9

Let's Review:

#1. Realize that God means for you to be where you are.
#2. Be more concerned for God's glory than for your relief.
#3. Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord.
#4. Pray
#5. Stay Calm and confident, and give God time to work.
#6. When unsure, just take the next logical step by faith.
# 7. Envision God's enveloping presence.
# 8. Trust God to deliver in His own unique way.

Now we are at

#9. "View your current crisis as a faith builder for the future."

"Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. 31. And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses." Exodus 14:30-31

"I know He tries me only to increase my faith." J. Hudson Taylor

As I read through this section several main definitions for faith stood out:

• believing that what the Lord has said to us will be accomplished.
• being fully persuaded that God has the power to do what He has promised.
• believing that things will happen just as He has told us.
• considering Him faithful who has given us promises.

Everyone lives by faith - even those with atheistic philosophy because, "God created this universe so that the faith principle is always at work."
"A faith that can't be tested can't be trusted." Warren Wiersbe
This chapter goes on to say that there are different degrees of faith, "and Jesus richly rewards those who fully trust Him."


"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Hebrews 11:6

If we need some reminders of the many things that God has done for His people in the past - all we need to do is read the stories that show God's faithfulness.

"This was done, and recorded, in order to encourage God's people in all ages to trust Him in the greatest straits." Matthew Henry

"God intends to develop us spiritually. How? Like any good teacher, He bestows truth, then devises tests to review and reinforce that truth, to transfer and translate into lasting, life-changing experiences."(page 101)

"Jesus taught the disciples on the mountainside, then loaded them into a boat and sent them into a terrific storm designed to help them apply truth to life.......This, then, is the principle: our faith grows when we choose to apply God's promises to today's problems and use the experiences to mature us for tomorrow's challenges. In a sense, we are storing up faith for times ahead." (page 102)

"Faith, then, is simply finding and claiming the promises of God in every situation, and, based on those promises, making logical assumptions, being fully persuaded that God has the power to do what He has promised." (page 104)

The Red Sea Rules #8

Let's Review:

#1. Realize that God means for you to be where you are.
#2. Be more concerned for God's glory than for your relief.
#3. Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord.
#4. Pray
#5. Stay Calm and confident, and give God time to work.
#6. When unsure, just take the next logical step by faith.
# 7. Envision God's enveloping presence.

Now # 8
"Trust God to deliver in His own unique way."


"And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left." Exodus 14:21-22

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. " Psalms 34:19

"He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee."
Job 5:19

"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:" 2 Peter 2:9

"And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." Psalms 50:15

I think too often we put God into a box - not realizing that he is so amazing and so powerful! His ways are not our ways. He can find solutions for our problems that we could never find. This is why "Let Go and Let God" is so important. We need to step out of the way and let God work in the way that He wants to work.

"God marks across some of our days, "Will explain later." Vance Havner

John 13:7 says: "Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter."

It was confirmed to me today that God wanted me to post this Red Sea Rule. How..you ask? Well on Facebook this morning a relative of mine posted two great quotes that go along the same line as what this Rule says. So I wanted to share them as well:

‎"No matter what you're worried about, one thing is for sure: You can't possibly know the extraordinary manner by which God is going to work it out. So pray to Him and express your trust in His magnificent ways. There may be much you don't understand about how He's going to help you, but you can be sure He will." Dr. Charles Stanley

‎"There are no formulas with God. The way in which God heals our wound is a deeply personal process." John Eldredge

So it all comes down to TRUST - we need to TRUST God to deliver us in His own unique way.

The Red Sea Rules #6

So far we have:

#1. Realize that God means for you to be where you are.
#2. Be more concerned for God's glory than for your relief.
#3. Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord.
#4. Pray
#5. Stay Calm and confident, and give God time to work.

So for today:
#6. When unsure, just take the next logical step by faith.

"And Jehovah said to Moses, Why do you cry to Me? Speak to the sons of Israel, that they go forward." Exodus 14:15

"I have found that if we go as far as we can. God often opens up the rest of the way."
_Isobel Kuhn

At this point the children of Israel are trapped with mountains on either side and the Red Sea in front of them. They are afraid. And Jehovah tells Moses to tell them to go forward. The Red Sea did not totally divide so that they could see that they would have a safe crossing of the Red Sea. In fact, "The nineteenth-century expositor C.H. Mackintosh believed the Red Sea did not divide throughout all at once, but opened progressively as Israel moved forward, so that they needed to trust God for each fresh step. Mackintosh wrote," God never gives guidance for two steps at a time. This keeps the heart in abiding dependence upon God."

And it is pointed out that the phrase day by day is used quite a bit in the Bible. God provides what is needed for that day. So the "One Day at a Time" thought is really one that has been around since the beginning of time.

"Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand." Thomas Carlyle

Too often, I think we get bogged down in trying to solve ALL of our problems at one time. When we try to do that it can be so overwhelming.

"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow; for tomorrow shall be anxious for its own things. Sufficient to the day is the evil of it." Matthew 6:34

When the children of Israel were brought into the situation of the Red Sea - they learned an important lesson - that they needed to trust God - step by step and moment by moment. "In the process they discovered the lesson later expressed by this beloved hymn, which is true now for you and me:"

"Never a trial that He is not there,
Never a burden that He doth not bear,
Never a sorrow that He doth not share,
Moment by moment, I’m under His care."

And by reading the Bible stories like this one -we, too, can learn these same lessons. God will take care of us. We need to trust him day by day.

*****Again this has been such a blessing for me to review. I think it is timeless advice to help us and to encourage us. I hope it was encouraging to you too.

Red Sea Rule #5

To review:
#1. " Realize that God means for you to be where you are."
#2. "Be more concerned for God's glory than for your relief."
#3. Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord."
#4. Pray


Red Sea Rule #5
"Stay calm and confident, and give God time to work."

"And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 14. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." Exodus 14:13-14

"I am waiting on Thee, Lord, to open the way." - J. Hudson Taylor

"In our distresses in life when trapped by the Red Sea, we must trust God with the impossible and leave room for Him to work, for the Lord has promised to fight for us." (page 54)

"Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." Deuteronomy 31:6

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?"
Romans 8:31

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." Romans 8:37

"Many times we cannot solve problems, heal hurts, change circumstances, or win our own battles. We must kneel in prayer, then stand to see what He will do. We must leave room for God, staying calm and giving Him time to work." (page 56)

God's timing is not our timing. Many times we get impatient and want things to happen now. But that is not always the best way for things to happen. God knows the end from the beginning and there is a reason why He seems to take his time at answering our prayers at times. So we must trust Him and be patient. Give Him time and space to work. Not always easy but the best thing for us to do.

***Wow- it amazes me that these are as relevant to me today as when I read the book and wrote these posts up. I am glad I decided to re post them. I really needed to review them. I hope that they are a blessing to you as well. :o)

The Red Sea Rules #4

To review:
#1. " Realize that God means for you to be where you are."
#2. "Be more concerned for God's glory than for your relief."
#3. Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord."

Now:
#4. Pray

"And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD." Exodus 14:10

"Their fear set them a praying, and that was a good effect of it. God brings us into straits that He may bring us to our knees." Matthew Henry

The cool thing about prayer is that it is like our life line to God. There is a lot of power in prayer. James 5:16b tells us: "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."


"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;" Colossians 4:2

Even Jesus knew the importance and power of prayer. There are many times in the Bible that tells of him going off by himself to pray. And we can not forgot when he went to Gethsemane.
"And he went a little further , and fell on his face, and prayed , saying , "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will , but as thou wilt." Matthew 26:39

Thomas Watson, the Puritan writer, said, "Faith is to prayer what the feather is to the arrow; it feathers the arrow of prayer, and makes it fly swifter, and pierce the throne of grace." (page 48)

So when you find yourself in a tough time - don't forget the importance of prayer.

The Red Sea Rules #3

So far we have learned:
#1. "Realize that God means for you to be where you are."
#2. "Be concerned for God's glory than for your relief."

And this brings us to #3:
"Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord."

"And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us? 6. And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him:
7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them. 8. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.
9. But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon." Exodus 14:5-9

"The great tyrant has not forgotten you, and he designs your capture and re-enslavement." Charles Spurgeon

The Bible warns us many times that there is a Devil and he is out to get us.



"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12

But there is good news:

"but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action." Dan 11:32b

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you..." James 4:7-8

"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm." Ephesians 6:13



If we will hold onto our faith in Jesus Christ - He will give us the victory.



"For all his insights and explanations about the evil one, the apostle Paul, in reality, focused on Christ. In the Pauline letters, the word Jesus occurs in 219 verses, the word Lord in 272 verses, and the word Christ in 389 verses. Satan, on the other hand, occurs in only 10 verses, and the word devil in only 6." (page 38)



God will see us through what ever trials we may face.

The Red Sea Rules #1

The first year that I had this blog- I found this cool book and did a series of the 10 God given strategies for difficult times. I have decided that I will be posting one each week. I think it will be a good reminder to me at least since it has been a while since I have read the books - I might just learn a thing or two. And I hope that it is encouraging to you as well.





Realize that God means for you to be where you are."

"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2. Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea." Exodus 14:1-2

There may be times in our lives as we are going through these rough times that we feel as if God has forgotten us, or that He does not realize what is going on in our lives, but this is not the case.

"The sea was before them, Pharaoh's hosts behind them, and the mountains around them. And all this be it observed, permitted and ordered by God." C.H. Mackintosh

We all face hard times throughout our lives. We can even find many people in the Bible who found themselves in really tough situations. To name a few: Joseph, David, Moses, Hagar, Hezekiah, the disciples and even Jesus, Himself.

1 Peter 4:12 tells us not to "think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you....."

As Christians we will have our faith tested. How is this done? By allowing trials and temptations into our lives. We may not think we can handle the situation that we find ourselves in, but the Good news is that we have a heavenly Father who will provide what we need, when we need it.

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand." Psalms 37:23-24

Now I realize that not all the trials that we find ourselves in are orchestrated by God. Sometimes we get ourselves into trouble all on our own.

But there is good news here as well! When we confess our sins- God "is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." 1 John 1:9

"Sincere repentance routes us back into God's will." (page 14)

And we remember what Romans 8:28 tells us.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

So no matter the reason behind why we find ourselves in a tough situation we know that God knows exactly where we are. He loves us and He will get us through.

Red Sea Rules #2

"Be more concerned for God's glory than for your relief." (p. 17)

"For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. 4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so." Exodus 14: 3-4



"If we could only look upon a difficult crisis as an occasion of bring out, on our behalf, the sufficiency of divine grace, it would enable us to preserve the balance of our souls and to glorify God, even in the deepest waters." C.H. Mackintosh



As many of you know, I have been going through a rough time. In the past month or so I finally feel like I am finding my joy and peace again. If you'd like to read about our rough time click here.



As I read this Rule and the information provided. I find one of the main reasons why I had such a hard time - for such a long time. I was asking the wrong questions. "Why is this happening to me?" Along with other type questions. These questions did nothing to help me.



This book points out that when we are going through rough times ask the question: "How can God be glorified in this situation?"


"One's perspective is entirely changed by the spiritual realities behind that approach. It's like switching on floodlights in a dark stadium." (page 19)



"I know He tries me only to increase my faith, and that is all in love, well, if He is glorified, I am content." J. Hudson Taylor



We find that Jesus "practiced Red Sea Rule #2 when difficulties and demands complicated His agenda."(page 21) When Jesus was "facing the most excruciating week of His life, Jesus asked not, " How can I get out of this? but "How can God's name be glorified?" (page 22)



"God doesn't waste suffering. If He leads us into impossible spots He will deliver us in His own time, in His own way, and for His name's sake. Our job amid the difficulty is to learn our Lord's simple but submissive prayer: What shall I say? Save me from this hour? No, Father, glorify Your name. " (page 22 - 23)



So now I realize that I had been asking the wrong questions. I had been focused on me and that was not helping me at all. Now I have taken the focus off of me and am learning to ask the question: "How can God be glorified in this situation I am facing?"