BETWEEN THE ENEMY AND THE SEA

by Gloria Phifer

        On our journey today, we are going to visit the children of Israel. They have been in bondage for 430 years. The Lord has plagued Pharaoh and Egypt with ten plagues.   The Israelites were eating the Passover (A lamb for one household.) the blood o How does this apply to us today? Is the Blood of Jesus on the doorposts of our hearts? Are we full of the Lamb?f the lamb had been applied to the doorposts of their homes. The Israelites were covered when the plague of death entered Egypt and killed all the first born of Egypt.  When the Israelites left Egypt they were full of the lamb.

             When the enemy knew I had left "Egypt" the enemy's kingdom: the forces of evil came against me. It was like they chased me to the Red Sea. There was an onslaught of fear. The Lord gave me Acts1:8 "You shall receive power (dunimus) after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you…" I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the following Sunday night, at the Assembly of God church.  My husband, mother, brother, grandmother, Carroll's family all thought I had gone overboard. As His new baby, In Christ, the Lord watched over me. Even at that tender age in the Lord, I knew it was an attack of the enemy. In my spirit I knew God would take care of all of it. And He did. That has been over 40 years ago. I was 22 yrs old.

        There is a scripture that means a lot to me. Isaiah 59:19. I have heard Kenneth Copeland say" the comma should not be where it is "and I agree with him…When you move the comma, the scripture takes on a whole different aspect. When people were translating the Bible they added punctuation. If you move the comma it is exciting…"When the enemy shall come in, like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him." The Lord gave me a visual one night about lying on the water. He said "When you rest, and don't strive, the water will bear you up." He also showed me, that as I rested, the water was so powerful it would move all things into place. I had a life visual, right after that, with the 1993 flood. We went to Saylorville.  The 100 yr flood had moved huge boulders and cut new grooves in the land. That is how powerful a flood is.

Think about the power of the Holy Spirit as a flood.

       Exodus 14:1-14. The Lord has led them to the Red Sea on purpose.

Have you had any Red Sea experiences lately, with the enemy coming at you?

Why does the Lord allow us to come to a Red Sea where it looks like it is impossible? 

       The Lord wants to be our Only Solution. He wants to show Himself Mighty on our behalf. 2 Chronicles 16:9."For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him."

       Remember when Moses said to Pharaoh "The Lord (Jehovah) says, "Let my people go!" Pharaoh answered, "I know not this Lord (Jehovah.) (Ex. 5:2.)

       Ex. 14: 4…The Egyptians will know that I AM the Lord!  (Jer. 9:23-24. We can glory in the Lord because we know Him. )

        The Pharaoh's called themselves gods. They were worshipped by their people.  They, themselves, were idol worshippers. After 10 plagues, even losing their first born, they still had not acknowledged that Jehovah is LORD.

       This is Israel's first test.  The Egyptians are coming from behind and the Red Sea is before them. They can't run forwards are backwards…they see no escape. In their fear they turn on Moses.

       I have been through tests and trials where I have said to the Lord…"Deliver me out of this!"  The answer has almost always been…"Go through."

       Had to go through lately?

       Isaiah 43:1-4.  When you go through, I will be with you. (He always promises "Going Through.")

       We are still looking at commands: "Be still…Rest…TRUST."

       The Lord will bring us through. He brings us to the preface… we are looking over the cliff….how will we ever get across? The chasm is wide…at these times we realize how helpless we are.  Our only hope is to Trust, Be Still and See the Salvation of the Lord. Vs.13. Fear not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.  These enemies they will never see again.

Are there some enemies you never want to deal with again? Why does the Lord always command "Fear Not?"  Do we see that as a command?  Why does He command that we be still? Do we even realize these are commands?

 When humans come up against problems one of the things they want to do is flee. But what is the Lord saying to do?

                   Vs.14 "The Lord shall fight for you and you shall hold your peace."

How do we hold our peace? Ps. 55:18…delivered in peace. Ephesians 6:10-18. Having done all to stand…STAND THEREFORE. In the Armor of God.

       1 Samuel 17:45-47.  When a young shepherd boy came against the giant he proclaimed…"The battle is the Lord's."

Do we let the Lord fight the battle? When the enemy is bigger then we are, and we are no match for them, do we stand still…hold our peace and let the Lord fight the battle?

What do you do when your flesh is screaming…"what are you going to do?"

       Exodus 14:14…We must believe the Lord will fight for us.

Do we know the Lord is a Man of War? Ex. 15:3. Deut.1:30, Deut 3:22, Do we know the Lord of Hosts is The Lord of Heaven's armies? Malachi3:1...

Are we trusting and letting the Lord fight our battles?

       I had a dream one night. I saw the Lord. (in this dream he had short hair, but I knew He was the Lord.) He was sitting in a chair. He was dressed in fatigues. I knew He was in war because there were tanks behind Him. He looked straight at me. What came to me was "God of war". And then I woke up. I looked in my Bible and in the Topics I found "God of battles." The impression from my dream was, even though there was a war, He was seated…resting…The battle is won…it is Finished. He finished it at the cross. John 19:30. 

Are we standing in the finished work of the cross?  You may ask "what is my part in this battle?" The good fight of faith. 1 Tim. 6:12. Describe how faith can be a battle.

  2 Timothy 4:7-8 Paul says he has fought a good fight…he has kept the faith…now a crown of righteousness is in heaven waiting for him. What does it mean to keep the faith?  The Armor we have on is the finished work of the cross.

       Jesus is sitting at the Right Hand of God till his enemies are made a footstool. Heb 10:11-14.  (In vs. 11.Every earthly priest that ministered in the Tabernacle or Temple could not sit down…their work was never finished. Jesus work is finished and He, as our High Priest, is seated.)

       Ex. 14:15" Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward."  Forward?  Into the Red Sea?

       Ex.14 Vs.19-20 I love that the Pillar of the Cloud came between the Egyptians and the children of Israel…The Cloud was darkness to the enemy and light to Israel. They were hidden from their enemies.

       Have you ever thought that the presence of God is Light to us and darkness to our enemies?   What a wonderful thought.  Hid: Ps 31:20, Ps 32:7, Ps 119:114, Eph 5:13-14, Col. 3:3, Ps. 138:7. Do you think about being hidden from the enemy?

       Many of the analogies of the Lord are places to hide…Refuge, fortress, Stronghold, Rock.  Isaiah 32:1-2. As the pillar was a shield for the people of Israel, the Lord is a Shield for us.Ps.3:3.

Do you think that in their fear and panic, the children of Israel realized they were being protected and delivered? Do we, in our panic and fear, realize the Lord is protecting, delivering and working on our behalf?  "Here is the battle of faith."

       Ex.14:21 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…

       He made the sea dry land.  I love in vs. 22 they walked across upon the dry ground and the waters were walls on each side of them. (Could they feel the moisture from the walls?)

How cool would that be to have walls of water on each side of you?

       Ex. 14:23-31.  When the people saw that great work the Lord had done...they feared and believed the lord.  Was it only after they saw that they believed?

       Is the Lord calling us to believe before we see? The Work of God that He wants from us always amazes me…John 6:28-29. John 20:24-29.  He wants belief before sight.  Genesis 15:6…Abraham believed in the Lord and He counted it to him for righteousness.

 Hebrews 11:10 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. To believe before we see.  Heb. 11:6 without faith it is impossible to please Him: for He that comes to God must believe that HE IS and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

       BELIEVE GOD EVEN WHEN YOU CAN NOT SEE! HAVE FAITH IN GOD!

STAND STILL AND SEE THE SALVATION OF THE LORD.

Exodus 14:24-31. The Lord fought for them. In vs. 31. Israel saw the great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord and believed

The Lord and His servant Moses. (After they saw the great work, then they feared and believed…just like Thomas.) John 20:29….Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. Vs. 30-31…These things are written that you might Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through His Name.

The work God calls us to is…Believing in Christ.

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