Not Going Back! and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (Exodus 16:3 ESV) Why would anyone desire to go back into slavery after they have been set free? Thats exactly what Israel declared to Moses and to God on more than one occasion. Here is a people that had been suffering under the yoke of slavery for 430 years. During that whole time they had cried out to God for deliverance! Then, it happened! God showed up and set them FREE and promised them a land flowing with milk and honey! But, their excitement with their newly found freedom was short-lived. The first test was at the Red Sea: They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” (Exodus 14:11-12 ESV) Of course, God delivered them and destroyed Pharaohs army. After that they rejoiced again - until they got thirsty at Marah. They complained about the bitter water and God made it sweet. Time and time again they grumbled and complained at The Lord because they didnt like the way He was leading them in their new found freedom. God didnt treat them as they expected. His way was DIFFERENT and they rebelled time and time again. No wonder God called them a rebellious and stiff-necked people. Dont we have the same tendencies? When God doesnt meet us the way we want Him to or when He leads us into testing and trials, we have the tendency to want to go back to the way things used to be. We dont like tests! We certainly dont like change! We love a routine, security, safety, and comfort. Paul addressed a situation like this with the Galatian believers. They were being encouraged by certain Jews that grace was not enough and they must ADD certain works to really be saved. Paul admonished them, For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.(Galatians 5:1 ESV). He informed them they had been set free from the slavery of the law and sin. Dont go back! Jesus teaches us, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” . . . “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.(John 8:31-32, 34-36 ESV) There will be tests and trials that come with our freedom in Christ and these are for the purpose of training us to TRUST Him and obey all He says. There will be attacks from the enemy who accuses, lies, and condemns, but these should drive us closer to Jesus - not away from Him. We must resolve in our hearts to learn to walk in this new freedom we have been given and enjoy the promised blessing God offers. We must declare, Im NOT GOING BACK!
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 13:45:28 +0000
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