Morning by Morning, February 7 - Victory and Deliverance through Every Spiritual Battle!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings and Lord of lords, be King of my heart and Lord of my life this day and every day. ...
"But Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.' Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Whey do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. But you lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the seas on the dry ground.... Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and chariot drivers.... Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.' So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. AS the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained" (Exodus 14:13-28).
The physical warfare the children of Israel faced under the Old Covenant speaks to us of the spiritual warfare we face under the New Covenant. All that they endured and learned in the physical realm of their day "serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us" for all we endure and learn in the spiritual realm today (1 Corinthians 10:11). Pharaoh and his armies speak of our spiritual enemy and his armies who pursue us to destroy us--"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. (You) came that (we) may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). "For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).
In the example and lesson of Moses, You told the Israelites to stand firm, to stand still and see the deliverance of the Lord. And at the same time You told them to go forward through the sea when You rolled back the waters. In standing firm and standing still, they were not to be merely passive in Your deliverance. They were to be actively obedient to take their steps of faith through the waters to the other side. Likewise, You were the One who parted the waters for Israel to pass and then closed the waters to destroy her enemies. But at the same time, Moses was not to be merely passive in his faith, but actively stretching his rod over the waters to open then and then to close them. You were their Deliverer, the battle belonged to the Lord; and at the same time, they were called to be actively engaged in their deliverance through the warfare they faced. And so it is with us.
Moses stretched out his rod over the waters. What is our rod of authority? The Israelites walked in obedient faith through the waters. What are our steps of faith? They walked across on safe and dry ground that had been at the bottom of the sea. Where is our place of our safe and holy ground? ...
As I ponder these questions, I believe I hear You speaking to my heart: "I Am your Rod of Authority. I Am Your Holy Ground. The weapons of your warfare are the means of My grace. As I empower you by My grace, actively use your mighty weapons to actively participate with Me in your deliverance. Humility, intimacy, authority, and praise--these are mighty weapons of your warfare for the bringing down of spiritual strongholds as I defeat your enemies before your eyes."
Yes, Lord. Thank You for these "weapons of our warfare" (2 Corinthians 10:4). Thank You for "humility," that we can humble ourselves in Your sight to willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone to be our Salvation, our Healer, and our Deliverer. Thank You for "intimacy," that we can draw near to You, forgiven from sin and secure in our identity as children of God, favored by our Father and resting in Your Presence. Thank You for "authority," that we can pray and speak in the power of the name and the blood of Jesus, grounded in the Word of God, confident in the certainty of Your promises and provision and protection. Thank You for "praise," that we can worship You in spirit and truth, looking up to You to behold Your glory as You change us into Your image from glory to glory, setting our minds and hearts on the things that are above, on the things that are eternal, seated with Christ in the heavenly places, and forever abiding and embraced in the unfailing love of Your Presence.
Help me keep learning and living into all You've provided for my deliverance from my spiritual enemies in every spiritual battle I'll ever face. Thank You for Your unbreakable promise in Your unfailing love that "in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37). "Thanks be to God, who give us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (1 Corinthians 15:57). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
