Man oh man.
Well here it is, the first devo.
As I was praying for God to give me a message I never thought it would
be one that was kind of heavy! I thought, you know, God will give me something
simple. Something to help me get my toes wet.
Something to test the waters before jumping in. In service yesterday the message was loud and
clear: We are in a battle. And that’s
when I got the subject for today’s message.
As I sat in my pew and blinked as the subject came to me I was reminded
of the scripture in Luke chapter 5 that says 4 When he
had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the
nets for a catch” And I realized that I get to just jump right into the deep!
So…here it goes!!!
Today’s reading: Exodus 15:1-11(*click here*)
To
set it up we need to review (or learn) what is going on. The Israelites had just been delivered from
slavery in Egypt . They had seen the sea parted, they had walked
on the ocean floor and then as they reached the other side they watched as the
sea closed in around the Egyptians that were on their tail and swallowed them
whole. In our reading today this is
their song of praise to God. Thanking them for the great miracle of
deliverance. Hallelujah!
I
want to focus however on something else in the text. In verse 9 we see words from the enemy. “I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils; I will draw my sword
and my hand will destroy them.” This of
course is talking about the Egyptians wanting the Israelites brought down.
The
enemy is still pursuing us. He is still
wielding his sword to divide and overtake us.
So where are you going with this Vanessa? Easy, family! ☺
The easiest way for Satan to
divide, overtake and destroy us is attacking us in our home. It doesn't matter if you’re married, single,
young, old, male, female, Satan wants to cut our ties with our support and make
us question our beliefs. He is “aiming
his fiery darts” (Eph 6:16) at us “to steal and to kill and to destroy” (John
10:10).
Thanks for the message of doom! Well good news! The Bible helps us figure out what to do. 9 Two are
better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe
to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.11 Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how
can one be warm alone? 12 And if
one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not
quickly broken”.
So call that bestie that you haven’t talked to for a
while. Get involved in your local
church, give your Mommy a call and tell her how much you love her. Grab onto your neighbor and hold on tight so
that when you fall you have someone who can lift you up. Protect the ones you have, let go of the
things that don’t matter. Do NOT let the
enemy come in and put a wedge between you and your family- blood or otherwise. They are the strongest earthly allies that
God has given you. Remember to treat
them like the blessings they are! That way you have someone to hold on to, while you're crossing the barren ocean floor that can seem so deep and so long that you'll never find your way out. Then when you reach the other side you can hold their hand and sing praises to God- together.
