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>Good morning ladies. This morning the FATHER has >drawn my heart back again to the book of Exodus. This >is where I will be for however long it takes to get >through it. I remember the first time I did this book >in my quiet time several years ago...GOD had a lot to >teach me about WHO HE IS and I am excited as I come >again to begin this book about how ALMIGHTY GOD lead >HIS people out of bondage and on toward freedom. I >believe there is great parallel and application in our >lives today. Bondage is a common theme in our hearts, >but sometimes we fail to see it. In this book GOD >will come to HIS people and deliver them from bondage, >but let's start with chapter one this morning. >Remember that the Israelites are in Egypt because of a >famine in the land that Abraham had brought them to. >Jacob had brought his family over under the watchful >care of his son, Joseph. In the beginning of this >book Jacob and his boys have all died off of the >scene. Verse seven says: But the Israelites were >fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly >numerous, so that the land was filled with them. >The next couple of verses explain for us that a new >king comes to power and he is afraid of the vast >number of Israelites living in Egypt. Because of his >fear he calls for the oppression of the people of GOD. > Notice verse twelve: >But the more they were oppressed, the more they >multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread >the Israelites. >In chapter one it is clear that the people of GOD are >"flying solo." They have not come to the place where >they are calling on GOD to deliver them from this >oppression in their lives. As the slave drivers of >Egypt demand more and more work, the Israelites just >continue to multiply at an even more rapid pace. This >is a frustration for the Egyptians. So what? What is >the point? Who cares if the Egyptians oppress and >GOD's people multiply. Let's draw a loose parallel >here. >We live in a world today that is much like Egypt. >They worshipped all manner of gods, but NOT the ONE >TRUE LIVING GOD. We live in a world today that is >trying with everything they have to oppress GOD's >people. If you stop and take a glance back across >history you will see time and again rulers who tried >to obliterate the people of GOD. The more they >oppress GOD's people the more hearty GOD's people >become. Is this coincidence? I doubt that. Even >though at this point the people of GOD are not calling >on HIM for deliverance from Egypt, THEY ARE BEING >PROTECTED BY HIS WATCH CARE. >I believe this is true in our world today. So many of >us who claim to be HIS people are living as if we are >our own. We go from day to day we never stop and call >on HIM. We don't stop and share our hearts with HIM. >We just keep living our lives in Egypt and the >oppression gets harder, and the days seem longer and >we just keep trudging along. I want to tell you this >morning that if this is where you find yourself today, >even if you haven't turned and called on YOUR FATHER >for HIS WATCH CARE over you...HE is there. HE DOES >NOT LEAVE HIS people even when we are terribly >unfaithful to HIM. Ma'am, I cannot possibly know what >goes on in your day to day living, but ALMIGHTY GOD >does. How are things with you? How is your >relationship with the FATHER today? Are you depending >on HIM? OR Are you like the Israelites still >multiplying but not calling on HIM for HIS HAND of >guidance and leading. You see, HE will allow us to >carry on in our own strength if we INSIST on this, but >HE does have a better plan for us. Are you one who is >strong and seems to rise above the circumstances in >your life. Notice that as the Israelites rose to the >occasion the Egyptians turned up the pressure. This >is true in our world today. The enemy of your soul >will continue to offer greater and greater oppression >in your life, and the FATHER will allow this to >continue as long as you keep carrying on in your own >strength. Think about this today: Has every day >gotten harder? Does it seem as if it will never ease >up in your life? Can I ask you another question and >ask you to ask the FATHER to examine your heart on >this point? >Would you be willing to go to the knees of your heart >today and ask HIM to reveal to you what it is that is >keeping you from calling on HIM and totally >surrendering all of your heart? You see, I believe >that when we come to the end of ourselves the LORD >JESUS is standing there with arms wide open ready to >envelope us and hold us close to HIS HEART. Does the >difficulty go away? Does the hurt vanish? I don't >think so, but when we are in the arms of our FATHER, >there is a safety and security that we can feel no >other place. >I believe this is true even when it seems that >everything is going OK for us. >If everything is going great for you and you are not >calling on HIM for daily renewal of your heart and >mind; HE may allow this for a time, but if you are HIS >CHILD, HE longs to have a relationship with you and HE >will allow heartache and hardship to call you back to >HIMSELF. > >FATHER, may we stop depending on ourselves and learn >to come to YOU and to ask YOU to empty us of our own >abilities and strengths. May we learn to walk in YOUR >strength. May we realize that every difficulty is >designed to bring us closer to YOU. While I do not >believe YOU desire to watch us struggle and writhe >with pain, I absolutely believe that YOU WILL ALLOW it >if it will make us more like YOU. JESUS, take my >heart and make it beat for YOU and YOU ALONE. May I >be willing to lay down my self-sufficiency and trade >it in for total and complete dependence on YOU, MY >SAVIOR. Thank you for YOUR WORD. Thank you for >speaking to our hearts from YOUR WORD. Thank you for >using the scalpel of YOUR WORD to cut away the things >in our lives that do not look like JESUS. YOU are SO >AWESOME. FATHER, make us the people that YOU DESIRE >for us to be. It is in the MATCHLESS NAME OF JESUS >that I pray. AMEN! > >Ladies, my prayer for you today is that you will take >the time to ask GOD to show you where you are >depending on yourself and then ask HIM to cut that >away in your life. Have a wonderful day. I hope you >will join me as I journey through the pages of Exodus >again with my FATHER. > >It is ONLY and ALWAYS Because of JESUS- >Vicky >Eph. 3:20

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