DAILY ENCOUNTER

MOVE FORWARD

"And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:" Exodus 14:15

Glory to God! One of the greatest challenges we can experience on our way to the place God has prepared for us is the temptation to look back or become overly conscious of how things used to be. Sometimes, the familiarity of the past can become more attractive than the possibilities of the future. However, no matter how glorious the past was, God can still take us into greater dimensions of His purpose. The children of Israel came to a critical point in their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. They had left Egypt by the word of the Lord, but suddenly they found themselves standing before the Red Sea. Behind them was Pharaoh and his army, while in front of them was an apparently impossible obstacle. Humanly speaking, there seemed to be nowhere to go. Fear began to speak. The people started complaining against Moses and wished they had remained in Egypt. They said, “For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness” (Exodus 14:12). This is one of the dangers of difficult seasons. When we encounter an obstacle on the way to God's purpose, we may begin to remember the past differently. We may forget the pain, limitations and bondage associated with where we came from and focus only on what seemed comfortable about it. But God had not brought Israel out of Egypt to take them back there. Their destination was ahead of them. When Moses cried unto the Lord, "Go forward," God responded. God did not tell them to go backward because there was an army behind them. He did not tell them to stop because there was a sea before them. He told them to go forward.

There will be times in our lives when the instruction of God will appear unreasonable because of what is standing in front of us. We may see the Red Sea, but God sees the pathway through it. We may see an obstacle, but God sees an opportunity for His power to be demonstrated. The presence of an obstacle does not necessarily mean that we are on the wrong path. Sometimes, the obstacle is encountered precisely because we are moving in the direction of God's purpose. We must therefore learn not to interpret every difficulty as a divine instruction to retreat. There will be obstacles. There will be roadblocks. There will be moments when the next step is not obvious. There will be seasons when what God has promised seems completely contrary to what we can presently see. But faith keeps moving in obedience to God's Word. The way to the Promised Land was in front of Israel, not behind them. In the same way, we must understand that God's purpose for our lives is in front of us, not behind us. Therefore, when we encounter our own Red Sea, we must not turn back to Egypt. We must keep moving forward. If God has spoken, keep moving. If the journey is difficult, keep moving. If the road is unfamiliar, keep moving. If there is a Red Sea before you, keep moving. If there are obstacles, keep moving. If others do not understand the journey, keep moving. Our confidence is not in the absence of obstacles but in the presence of God. The God who brought us out is able to take us through. The God who began the work is able to complete it. The future God has prepared for us is ahead. Our promised land is in front of us, not behind us. Let us therefore refuse to return to what God has delivered us from. Let us refuse to allow fear to make us abandon God's purpose. Let us refuse to allow temporary difficulties to make us question God's faithfulness. Keep moving forward. Hallelujah!!!

FURTHER STUDY

PHILIPPIANS 3:13–14; ISAIAH 43:18–19; LUKE 9:62

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. What past experience, failure, disappointment or comfort is presently tempting me to look back instead of moving forward?
  2. What step of faith and obedience is God asking me to take now as I move toward the future He has prepared for me?

PRAYERS
Father, I receive grace to let go of the past and keep moving forward into all You have prepared for me. Give me the courage to face every obstacle with faith and obedience in Jesus's name

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