Promise 7 from Leviticus 9:5-6

Lev. 9:5-6 - "So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the whole congregation came near and stood before the Lord. Moses said, 'This is the thing which the Lord has commanded you to do, that the glory of the Lord may appear to you!'" - After Aaron and his sons spent 7 days in anticipation waiting for the Lord to show up, then He appeared to them. At that point the congregation got to join in and stand in His presence and His glory. The Holy Spirit works in us individually and draws us closer to the Lord, but He also works through us corporately in drawing others to the Lord when we are obedient in relationship to Him individually, and we have "no issues." When there is nothing "pressing" to be dealt with between us and the Lord then the Power of the Spirit increases within us, which then positions us to draw others into His presence and glory. Bill Johnson from Bethel church Redding, CA says, "Public battles are won only after the private ones are." When there is nothing else left to distract us regarding our own righteousness before the Lord, then it frees us up to see clearer how the Lord is working in the lives of others. As we remain in His presence and glory, then others will be drawn to that as well. They will see the freedom that righteousness brings and the peace and joyful results that living in the presence of the Lord yields. Others will be drawn into His presence once we find a comfortable place in it ourselves.

Promise 6 from Leviticus 9:4b

Lev. 9:4b. - "For today the Lord will appear to you." - After Aaron and his sons waited, worshipped and prayed for seven days, they were told by Moses that on that 9th day the Lord will appear to them. I'm sure, by the 5th day in the tent of meeting that Aaron and sons were probably wondering if God even knew they were there, after all they were sitting in His "house" for all that time but they hadn't seen Him yet. After the instructed time was over (the 7 days) then the Lord shows up. Many people feel like God doesn't see them, hear them or care for them, when they pray to Him and nothing seems to happen. They don't hear His voice, they don't feel His presence and they don't see any results of their time seeking Him. This tempts many people to believe that either God doesn't exist or He doesn't care. To have faith in believing that He will answer prayers requires a prerequisite of faith to believe that He is who He says He is. It requires a belief that not only is He there listening to those prayers but He is also caring for what is being prayed, even though we don't see any immediate fruit of that prayer. To have faith in believing that God answers prayers requires the prerequisite belief that God is good All the time. It also requires that belief that the terrible things that happen are not caused by Him. So many people loose out on the blessings of God because they turn away in their blaming of Him. They accept an offence from God that should be an offence that belongs to the enemy of God. But people are deceived. Once people begin to truly believe that God is good all the time, and that He truly cares for them, the power of the deceit will fade away and the presence of the Lord will be seen. That is the promise.

Promise 5 from Leviticus 8:33

Lev. 8:33 - "You shall not go outside the doorway of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the day that this period of your ordination is fulfilled, for He will ordain you through seven days." - In the verse the word "ordain" literally means "fill your hands." After Aaron and sons were cleansed and their sins offered up, after they were consecrated into their positions as priests, then they were commanded by the Lord through Moses to not leave the presence of the Lord for 7 days, so that He may fill their hands. Way too often people in ministry go straight to work with empty hands thinking that the robe, tunic and accessories are enough. The identity of a true priest or minister goes deeper than what he or she is dressed in, true identity lives within the core of the heart. There is no way we can have any effectiveness and joy in ministry if we just walk into our positions wearing our robes and tunics representing diplomas and teaching and preaching experience. All that is just preparation for entering the tent, like to earn the ticket to get in the door. The best comes after the education, after the "doing" of church responsibilities, the best comes during the encounter, during the glory presence time with the Father. The best comes as we stop doing and just "Be" in His presence. That is when He speaks our identity into us, that is when He fills our hands with the Kingdom riches that are meant to be shared with those outside the tent. It is His desire to fill our hands, it is His desire to spend that precious time with us. How full are your hands today?

Promise 4 from Leviticus 7:34

Lev. 7:34 - "For I have taken the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution from the sons of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons as their due forever, from the sons of Israel." - For all those meat lovers out there, this verse should be encouraging. God set aside just for Aaron and family both white and dark meat. The breast and thigh of the sacrifice for the wave offering. Actually I'm not sure that it is really classified as white or dark meat because they would be from an ox or calf, however they are the choicest of meats, God has reserved for those who minister to Him. His promise to us is that He rewards His children, His servants, not with morsels but of the good stuff, the best parts of what is given. God is a rewarder to those who serve Him. He is a God of abundance, He doesn't hold back the very best from those who He anoints.

Promise 3 from Leviticus 6:18

Lev. 6:18 - "Every male among the sons of Aaron may eat it (grain offering); it is a permanent ordinance throughout your generations, from the offerings by fire to the Lord, whoever touches them will become consecrated." - The commentary in the New American Standard Bible, Zondervan 1999 edition says that, "The purpose for the grain offering is an expression of a voluntary act of worship; recognition of God's goodness and provisions; and devotion to God." God specifically instructed that every male throughout all the generations from the line of priests should eat of this offering of worship and adoration to God. And by doing so, the promise is that they will be consecrated, or (be dedicated or declared sacred, holy, set apart for Him). God said that this is a forever ordinance. When we step into (or touch) that offering of worship, when we are drawn into a climate and environment of worship, when we taste the worship and adoration and let it become a part of us then God's promise is that through the worship we become sacred, we become holy, we become set apart, lifted up and recognised by Him as His. God is pleased with our offerings and when we join other's offerings of praise and worship to Him.

Promise 2 from Leviticus 4:20c, 26b, 31c, 35d, 5:10b,13a,16b

Lev. 4:20c, 26b, 31c, 35d, 5:10, 13a and 16b - "So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has committed, and it will be forgiven him." - The sons of Israel were instructed by God, through Moses, to bring their sin and guilt offerings to the priest so that he could bring he and she who has blame back to "oneness" with Him who is blameless, through the shedding of blood and the lifting up of a fragrance of that which is the sacrificial offering. There is a clear picture of the parallel between the animal sacrifices and Jesus' death. Jesus' blood was spilt and then He Himself became the fragrant aroma of sacrifice that rose up to the Heavenly Father, so that we who are at blame may become at "one" with Him who is blameless. I love the fact that God has always provided a way for His People to be restored to Him in righteousness. He made the way easy for man to be connected with Him. His promise has always been, "If you give yourself to Me, 'you shall be forgiven!'" He delights in being "at one" with His children.

Promise 1 from Leviticus 1:3

Lev. 1:3 - "If this is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting that he may be accepted before the Lord." - God is speaking to Moses from the tent of meeting (vs.1), He is instructing Moses to tell his people that when they bring their burnt offering, to bring it straight to Him, to the tent of meeting. Up until this point the sons of Israel have had to stay at a distance; a distance from the mountain and a distance from the tabernacle, they would watch God interactions take place between Him and Moses from their tents. Without the sacrifice of offering themselves to holiness and righteousness, they couldn't approach God, but with the sacrifice in hand, God says, "Hand it to me, place it in my hands so that I can receive personally what you are offering to Me. I want to see your face as you offer yourselves to Me." Verse 3 doesn't say "so that the burnt offering will be accepted before the Lord". It says, "So he (the son) will be accepted before the Lord." It's easy to give things to God from a distance. It's easy to go to church, its easy to sing the songs, its easy to hear someone preach the Word, its easy to listen to others give testimony of what God has done in their lives and its easy to think that we've fulfilled our part by "showing up". God desires so much more from us. Staying in the fringes, outside the borders of His presence is not enough for Him. He wants to see us offer our hearts, our minds, our souls to Him. He wants us to put those things right into the palms of His hands so that He can look into our eyes, smile at us and say "Thank you." He wants us to be intimate with Him, to share that moment of giving and receiving one on one, just you and Him.

Promise 96 from Exodus 40:34,38

Ex. 40:34,38 - "Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle... For throughout all their journeys, the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel." - There is great anticipation of great things to come while reading the details of the building of the tabernacle. God was so specific in giving Moses the details of the materials, who would make things and even where items were placed. THEN after wall was completed and Moses did all that the Lord instructed him to do, the fulfilment of anticipation came. Verse 34 starts with the word "then", and here it is, all that we've worked for, all that we gave toward, all that we sacrificed for, has arrived. THEN the cloud descends, can you imagine the scene? Moses and all his people are gathered, thousands of them all gathered with eyes fixed on the tabernacle. You can hear the stirrings of the crowd and fingers begin to point in the air as various people spot the coming of the cloud and as it grows larger the closer it gets, the crowd gets more animated, as the cloud stops over the tabernacle and thunderous sounds rumbles out of it, lightening flashes through the cloud, the people hush in silence and begin to fall to their knees, one by one. And then the moment comes .... GLORY! Glory blasts itself into the tabernacle from the cloud and all faces hit the ground in one synchronised wave from the front of the crowd to the back. The presence of God's glory forces all to fall to the ground in abandoned worship. The weight of His glory fills the camp and they dare not depart from it. Verses 36 and 37 say, if the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle they would set out, but if it wasn't they would stay until it was taken up. Who could move from Thy presence O Lord? Hebrews 8:1-2 says, "We have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man." Jesus sits in the true tabernacle, the kingdom of heaven. Eph. 2:6 says, "God in His great mercy and love made us alive together with Christ and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus." We are surrounded by God's glory! When we reside in the realms of His kingdom, there the weight of His glory draws us into holy worship and oneness with Him. That which once could not be touched by man has come to dwell inside each of us who walk in obedience to the Lord's instructions. He fills us with His glory as Kingdom reality becomes ours, we too experience all that Jesus experiences as we are seated with Him.

Promise 95 from Exodus 40:15

Ex. 40:15 - "And you shall anoint them even as you have anointed their father, that they may minister as priests to Me; and their anointing will qualify them for a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations." - When I think of any position of ministry leadership, I would see the purpose of that leader's anointing to be for the purpose of ministering to others. It is like a sealing of what God has put into them so that they can give to others what God had given to them. But this verse does not even mention other people. the purpose of the anointing is so that Aaron and his sons and all those who come after them can be Priests who minister in holiness to God. To have a position of ministering to God, one must be clean, must be holy, without blemish. To walk into the holy of holies is reserved only for those who have been anointed in purity, washed clean inside and out. Here God said this anointing qualifies them and all their generation to be as priests to the God Almighty. I believe the purpose of this verse in scripture is a prophetic one. Jesus provided the oil in the form of blood and water (Jn. 19:24) for our anointing. For those who step forward to Him and receive the anointing of His shed blood. His anointing qualifies us, purifies us through forgiveness of sins to be pure and holy so that we too may step into the holy of holies and minister to our Heavenly Father. It qualifies us to give of ourselves to Him, to serve Him and to give Him our unwavering attention. As we do that, then the results of our time ministering to Him flows out onto those who reap the benefits of our time with Father. 1 Jn. 2:20 says, "But you have the anointing from the Holy one, and you all know it." Let us accept the anointing given to us and live in such a way that it is evident we've been ministering to the Almighty in the holy of holies.

Promise 94 from Exodus 39:21

Ex. 39:21 - "They bound the breast piece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it would be on the woven band of the ephod, and that the breast piece would not come loose from the ephod, just as the Lord had commanded Moses." - Chapter 39 gives the description of how the priests' garments are made. Ten times in this chapter the phrase "just as the Lord commanded" is used. God gave very specific details of how everything should be made. This is such a good example of how He is interested in the details of our lives. He cares about all that we care about. He cares about how we are designed and develop, about what we decorate ourselves with, what we attach ourselves to and He is careful to give us instructions as to how we should function, react and respond. He doesn't leave anything out. He loves us so much!

Promise 93 from Exodus 36:7

Ex. 36:7 - "For the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it." - Back in vs. 35:21 we saw that it was those whose hearts and spirits were moved are the ones who contributed material for the building of the sanctuary. So much material was given that the craftsmen had to tell Moses that there was too much, so Moses had to ask people to stop bringing materials. When God stirs the hearts of people to give toward His work, there is abundance. When people allow the Spirit to stir their hearts, He provides an overflow for them to give. Two pence maybe an overflow for those who are used to living on one and a million pounds would be an overflow for the one that is used to living off of 500,000. What is overflow for one man will not look the same for another, yet God's working is still the same. The Holy Spirit provides extra for those who wish to give and therefore the receiver who needs the gifts gets more than needed. I receive this promise personally as I'm preparing for setting up the occupational therapy clinic in Gjilan. There are many items and resources needed, including manpower. The material barrel is low. As I receive this promise of God, as He, Himself has clearly made known through His word that this is His character, I can be assured that the One who stirs hearts of people to give, abundance will be received. I'm excited about how He is going to supply all my needs and then some!

Promise 92 from Exodus 35:21-35

Ex. 35:21-35 - v. 21 - "Everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the Lord's contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments." v. 30 - "Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, 'See the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur .... (v.31) and He has filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge and in all craftsmanship... (v.34) He has also put in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab... (v. 35) He has filled them with skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer ... and of a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs." - I just love this! God specifically told Moses back in 31:2-3 that He was calling Bezalel by name, He was filling him and others with His Spirit, in wisdom, understanding and knowledge and they'll be given the crafters gifts. When it was time to get down to work "everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him/ her" either did whatever the craft was and presented those things to the Lord and/or gave what they had to contribute (vs. 21,22,26,29). God not only filled Bezalel and Oholiab with His Spirit but filled many people. As Moses was watching all this take place He told them, "See... I told you so ... or rather .... God told us so "and then he recited once again the exact words that God told him to show the people that God did exactly what He said He would do. When we see God fulfill His promises, we should encourage those people who were a part of that promise, by showing them where it was that God gave the promise, show them how He carried it out and the final results. By doing this, their faith will rise as well as those who were on the outside looking in. There is power in testimony, when we see and hear what God is doing, faith rises which causes us to believe in even greater things from Him.

Promise 91 from Exodus 34:29

Ex. 34:29 - "It came about when Moses was coming down from mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses' hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him." - I just love the transforming power of God's presence! I've heard about it more than seen it myself, of people seeing gold dust on their hands or faces during times of worship. A friend of mine has experienced it personally two times and myself once. There is no way that a person can stand in the glory of the Lord and not have some kind of physical response or manifestation from being in that presence. The weight of God's glory is incredible, it can throw grown men to the ground. In His presence during these times it is like an electrical current shooting into or through the body. It can cause involuntary verbal outbursts or can cause uncontrollable laughter. Personally, my body begins to rock when it senses Holy Spirit action and presence and I don't even notice I'm doing it. There is no limit to the the way our bodies can potentially manifest the incredible presence of the Holy Spirit while being in His glory through times of worship, prayer and adoration of our Heavenly Father. I love the fact that it is not the same for everyone, yet there is enough overlap that it can be recognized in others so we can equally rejoice in other's great God encountering times. No matter what type of physical manifestation people experience, the truth and promise is that God's glorious presence brings transformation.

Promise 90 from Exodus 34:27

Ex. 34:27 - "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel'." - God is true to His word! When He has asked those who wrote the various books in the Bible to write the words He told them, He was providing the visual "contract" if you will, of His covenant to those who read it and follow it. All of the promises in the Bible are to be considered a "done deal" by God, not just for dream goals. For example, take Jn. 8:12 "Then Jesus again spoke to them saying, 'I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life." Here is a promise; If you accept the life Jesus gives you and follow Him, then you will have all that He shows you, He is light. You will have life, and life abundant (Jn. 10:10). So why in the world are there so many sad, unhappy, dreary, stressful, worrisome Christians (People who claim to be followers of Jesus)? Let me answer that, they don't embrace the promise. They hear it read or spoken to them, some even read it for themselves, but they don't make the connection that it is God's personal promise to them as an individual to accept and embrace. It's as if the Israelites said to Moses, "Moses, the words on these tablets don't apply to us because God just gave them to you." or "Moses, those words only apply to you, we aren't worthy to accept this covenant because we weren't allowed on the mountain, only you were." I would guess that over 90% of the reason why people don't accept and embrace the promises of God's word for themselves is because they do not feel as though they are worthy enough to accept them. And because they don't accept them they get offended, resentful or skeptical toward the 10% who do. Friends, God has so much more for you than you can ever imagine. He won't fulfill His promises to those who are not willing to accept them. He so longs for you to see what His Light desires to reveal to you. Ask for ALL of Him and you WILL have life abundant, you will be blown away when you realize what you've been missing.

Promise 89 from Exodus 34:23-24

Ex. 34:23-24 - "Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the Lord your God." - There is nothing that God will ask us to do that wont be protected by Him. He asks that 3 times a year all the males leave their wives and children to go meet with Him. This passage comes right in the middle of God telling Moses which holidays to celebrate. Three times a year the men are to take celebration holidays with God and leave their families behind in the meantime. God knows the risk in that and what would worry the hearts of man, so He addresses it straight away with a promise, 'No man will touch your families and not only that, I'll even enlarge your territory while you're away.' I'm sure it would be easier to understand if the men were called to leave their families as in to go into battle, but they aren't, God is calling them out to celebrate the great things He has done. How often do we purposefully set aside time just to celebrate the great things He has done in our lives? We don't have to worry about time lost while we take celebration retreats because not only will He protect our time, He will expand our territory. He will enlarge the territory of our hearts and also enlarge the territory of that for which we have claimed for His kingdom.

Promise 88 from Exodus 34:14

Exodus 34:14 - "For you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is 'Jealous', is a jealous God." - There are so many things that God can be jealous for in this world. If you see photos of the universe, He could be more jealous for that than us, or the beauty of the mountains, deserts, lakes, oceans and streams that He created, but no, He chooses to be jealous for US. He longs that we devote our attention and purposes to Him and for Him, because of His incredible love for us. The God of the Universe is jealous for those who follow Jesus. Now that is extravagant love!

Promise 87 from Exodus 34:10

Ex. 34:10 - "Then God said, 'Behold, I'm going to make a covenant before all your people I will perform miracles which have not been produced in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live will see the working of the Lord, for it is a fearful thing that I am doing to perform with you.'" - The Israelites had already seen many miracles, some fun, like the parting of the Red Sea and others very scary, such as the deaths of all the first borns in Egypt. Yet the Lord is telling Moses that they, who live among him, will see even more great and scary miracles. There are two things that jump out to me about this verse, One; It is those who live in Moses's camp that will see the glorious work of the Lord. Those who stick to the anointed men and women of God, will see what they see. God said that He will perform the miracles "with" Moses, therefore Moses is going to be in the centre of God's movement and those who stick with Moses will be able to "watch the show." If we tell the Lord, "Have Your way with us, no matter what it looks like!" God WILL. But what He does in us will not only impact and transform us, but it will flow though us and out to those around us so that they too will be impacted and transformed. The second is; With God, there is ALWAYS more to come. He will always work in ways unique to Himself and those things are beyond our imagination. If we truly want to have all that He has to offer us, we must press into the more of Him. If we are willing to say, "Have your way with me today" we must not settle just for todays bread but should yearn for and hunger for tomorrows" as well. No matter how different the flavour will be.

Promise 86 from Exodus 34:6-7

Ex. 34:6-7 - "Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, 'The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving kindness and truth; who keeps loving kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting and the iniquities of fathers on the children and on the grand children to the third and fourth generations.'" - The Lord, Himself is proclaiming His own character. I love this! He is literally standing with Moses and chatting about His own character, He starts off saying, "I am compassionate, I am gracious, I don't get angry very easy, My love never runs out, I am truth, My kindness flows to all who deserve it, I forgive mistakes even those which were intentional." His love characteristics are proclaimed before the warning that He wont let the guilty free to continue what they are doing, He will punish them. So many people have his characteristics missed prioritised. They think He is the punisher first and then He is compassionate only after we have ourselves sorted out. The Lord wanted Moses to get this, it was important enough for Him to come down and face to face tell Moses that He loves him and his people, He has compassion on him and His people. Its no wonder Moses was wrecked and immediately fell on his face before the Lord. God's love should wreck us all, it should absolutely blow us away that the truth is; He is not ready to "get you" when you fall, He is not ashamed of you nor disgusted but delights in you during His gracious act of forgiveness. Thank you Lord!

Promise 85 from Exodus 33:22-23

Ex. 33:22-23 - "'And it will come about , while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the Rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.'" - A while ago, though prayer, someone cautioned me, "Make sure you don't go before or ahead of the Lord, let Him take the lead." I love the picture of God's hand over us while His glory passes by and then seeing His back. When I see His back, I know He is leading my way, I know He is going before me, I know that I am on the right path and going the right direction. Even though He is in front of me, His hand is still on me. Only God can do that. He shelters us, He guides us, He directs us and He warms us with His love and adoration. That is our Almighty God!

Promise 84 from Exodus 33:21

Ex. 33:21 - "Then the Lord said, 'Behold there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock'." - The Lord calls us to His side and there is such a sense of security there. In this specific verse He isn't saying, I will lift you up or I will place you on the rock, but He is saying that I shall stand on the rock, a symbol of strength and security, which is right beside Him, Jesus is seated right beside the Almighty Heavenly Father. God says, come and stand on the Rock. The Rock is Jesus! There is our unfailing strength and security, in Jesus. I just need to heed God's call and come, to step forward to His side and then I need to step up on the Rock. Everything else is left to Him, He provides the strength and He provides the security. Thank you Lord!

Promise 83 from Exodus 33:19

Ex. 33:19 - "And He said, 'I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion'." - God is just soooo good! I don't understand why we grow up with this image of God as a mean, sour-faced judge ready to toss down His gavel as soon as we do something wrong. Or as a God that we have to beg and plead for His attention., favour or grace and mercy. That is just so wrong! God is good, He delights to reveal His goodness to us, ALL of it. He Himself said that He would pour out His grace and compassion and He delights to bathe His children with it. I don't know about you, but my gracious and compassionate God has a big smile on His face. He dances over me and shouts for Joy. He laughs and makes me laugh. He also cries when I cry and when I do do something wrong, He is hugging me as I seek forgiveness and He is giving it. Let's break out of our experience box where we see Him as a harsh Judge and Master and draw into His loving arms as our Abba Daddy today!

Promise 82 from Exodus 33:17

Ex. 33:17 - "The Lord said to Moses, 'I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.'" - Moses continued to press even further into God asking Him, "How will I know I have favour? If you will not go with us, don't send us out." Then God says those words that Moses was longing to hear. "You have found favor in My sight!" But not only that, God tells Moses why, "Because I have known you by name!" I just love that ! God didn't grant Moses favour because he pushed God's hand to say what he wanted Him to say, but He granted Moses favour simply because He knew Moses personally and intimately. He pours out His favour on us because He knows us personally by name, He knows us and He loves us and even likes us. Step into His favour today and you carry Him with you!

Promise 81 from Exodus 33:14

Ex. 33:14 - "And He said, 'My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest'." - Moses is pressing into the Lord and is longing to know God more and to have His favour. I think He was wanting to hear God tell him all His secrets and say "yes, Moses you have my favour." but God simply says, I'll be with you and give you rest." We learn the ways of the Lord, not from stressful striving, begging and pleading, but when we watch what He does from our place of rest. For those who are in Christ Jesus, He resides in us already so we already have His favour in His presence. Out of rest we can trust Him to show us more about Himself. His presence and rest are all we need to know Him more.

Promise 80 from Exodus 33:12b

Ex. 33:12b. - "Moreover, You have said, 'I have known you by name, and have also found favour in My sight'." - I just love this; not only does God know us by name but He finds favour in us. He loves to pour out His favour on His children. Even when we make mistakes, God is still ready to lavish us with His favour. Many people don't step into His favour because they don't recongnise that it is there to accept and to step into. Most Christians don't think they are worthy to receive God's favour because they equate how they feel about themselves with how God feels about them. But the opposite is true; God knows our potential as His children, He sees the treasure in us and favours us because of it. If we only understood who we are as God knows us, we would be able to freely step into His favour.

Promise 79 from Exodus 33:11a

Ex. 33:11a - "Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend." - Moses met with the Lord regularly, he had a very intimate relationship with the Lord in that there was a comfort with one another. Not only did Moses find it desirable to meet with God, but God found it desirable to meet with Moses. God is the same today as He was in Moses' day. Jesus was the identical reflection of His Father, who showed that same intimate closeness with His followers. God is not only the Heavenly Creator, Master and King but is also a Friend. He loves to spend time with you, HE delights in you!

Promise 78 from Exodus 33:9-10

Ex. 33:9-10 - "Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and the Lord would speak with Moses. When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent." - In an earlier verse it says the people who sought after the Lord would arise and stand at their tent and gaze upon Moses as Moses approached the tent of meeting. They were watching in great anticipation of the coming of the Lord in the cloud as Moses went into the tent to chat with Him. When the people saw the cloud cover the tent the people began to worship. There are times when we need to be chatting with the Lord and other times we need to just worship Him. As long as the Lord was present, the people worshipped. Our fist response when we see the presence of God should be to worship Him. This wasn't a one-off occurrence for God's people, vs. 9 says "whenever Moses entered the tent", God showed up and the people worshipped. That means every single time Moses sought God, God showed up, which means every time the people sought God they saw Him too and they worshipped, every time. When we make worship a priority "every time" we gather in a place where we WANT to see God working, either individually or corporately, God WILL show up!

Promise 77 from Exodus 32:34

Ex. 32:34 - "But go now, lead the people where I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you; nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin." - God does not hold a grudge against His people. God was not happy with the Israelites for making a golden calf and yes initially He wanted to wipe them all away, but Moses interceded on their behalf. The situation is settled when 3,000 people who did not choose the ways of the lord were killed by those who did, according to God's instruction through Moses. So Moses brings the sins of those who respect the Lord before Him so as to ask forgiveness. God says, "on THE day that I punish, I'll deal with them then." It is one day of judgement, not a life-long scourging. He even promises to put an angel before them so as to help them reach the promised land. Many people think that God carries a grudge and that He delights in making life miserable for those who have sinned in one way or another, even though they had asked for forgiveness. The character of God is to deal with it, i.e. forgive when you ask for forgiveness, and move on. God's love is greater than His wrath.

Promise 76 from Exodus 32:11a,14

Ex. 32:11a, 14 - "Then Moses entreated the Lord his God, .... So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people." - Moses prayed that God would change His mind from what He planned to do to His people and He did. God is a jealous God and it broke His heart when His people turned away from Him. He was going to strike them all down, then start with a fresh batch of people for which to fulfill His promise to Moses. But Moses pleaded on their behalf, and God changed His mind. This verse shows us the impact of intercession when we are in right relationship with the Lord. At that moment the people didn't know that Moses was praying for them, so they themselves didn't change, therefore their actions did not sway God's decision. I believe it was the loving relationship between Moses and God that was the deciding factor for the Lord. God listens to those who love Him and He answers their prayers.

Promise 75 from Exodus 31:15

Ex. 31:15 - "For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord; whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall surely be put to death." - This verse does seem a bit extreme, but in its extremity it reveals God's passion about the importance of it. Most western folk really struggle with rest. we need to hear this command over and over again and to fully understand God's intention. We will most likely not drop down dead right on the spot if we work on the Sabbath, it hasn't happened to me yet, however there is a figurative death that does take place when the Sabbath rest doesn't. There is a death of oneness with the Lord. As was written previously, the Sabbath day was consecrated as a holy day, so it was a day set apart specifically for God. When we busy ourselves constantly, we don't stop our minds and hearts at that place of rest. The place of rest is an interactive time with God where He moulds Himself into us and we in Him, the more we remove ourselves from that place or allow ourselves not to go there, there is death in that takes place; The promises God has for us, His words of encouragement, the acts of His miraculous touch and power on us are all memories that begin to die off and we begin to get self-reflective and problem focused. We loose sight of who He is to us and who we are to Him. The enemy takes advantage of our lack of focus on the Lord and uses those times for his purposes. Sometimes spiritual gains seem to die away as we get sucked into past thoughts, temptations and actions. This is the death that takes place. Thankfully, by God's love and mercy, He resurrects the dead when we come into that restful, abiding place with Him and stay in obedience to what He is passionate about.

Promise 74 from Exodus 31:13

Ex. 31:13 - "But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel saying, 'You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you." - God is explaining to Moses the crucial reason why it is important for His people to observe the Sabbath. He is saying, "when you make a conscious effort to observe the Sabbath, you will find during that time, every time, the sign that I leave you, or the stamp of your identity in Me. You will be reminded once again that I am the One who has chosen you and set you apart for Me!" To observe the Sabbath is to step into a personal sanctuary with your Heavenly Father so that He can remind you how much He loves you and He can reveal your role in His kingdom plans. It's like going on an all day one on one fishing trip out on a remote lake or stream removed from civilisation, it's just you and Him, imagine it! Chatting together, fishing together, Him giving some tips on best bait to use for which fish, and there is that sweet time of quietness just being there side by side in comfortable oneness enjoying His presence. The Sabbath day is not a choice but is an expectation that God has for us, that we would love Him enough to want to set everything else aside just for a day with Him.

Healing of stomach and head

Yesterday a young man who works in our ministry center was showing me the medicine the doctor suggested he take for his stomach, for which he has had problems with for years. After assuring him that the medicine was a good one, I suggested that the Lord's healing would be even better, so myself and a colleague prayed for him, taking authority over the pain. When I asked him if he felt anything different during prayer, he said the pain intensified. I sensed at that moment that it was a spirit of infliction, so we prayed again claiming him as God's child and Christ in him allows know authority for anything else to reside in him. When asked again if he felt anything, he said, "It was really interesting, it felt as though a bubble started blowing up inside of me, then it went away and all the pain is gone." Praise the Lord!

Also a while later, I went with a dear Kosovar believer friend to visit and pray for his sister who was diagnosed with a life threatening condition. When we arrived, she was lying down and could barely keep her eyes open, she was alert enough to agree for us to pray. So I prayed for her. Afterward she said she had pain in her head, so she allowed us to pray again. After the prayer, I left the two to be alone together. My friend asked her if she felt anything different during the prayer, she said the pain had shifted to one side. He asked if he could pray for her again, she agreed. After the prayer, she said the pain was all gone. A few days earlier, during the night she heard a voice telling her that she needed to call her brother so he could pray for her because there was healing power in his prayers. This lady follows a different faith, she has never in her life asked her brother to come to visit her by himself. It was evident that the Holy Spirit was working in her heart. After he had prayed for her she was greatly encouraged and she was much more alert, alert enough for them to converse and for her to express her appreciation and to recognise the saving work of Jesus over her life. God is sooo incredibly good!

Promise 73 from Exodus 31:2-3

Ex. 31:2-3 - "See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship." - I just love this! God begins by saying "SEE? Take note, I really want you to get this, 'I have called Bezalel by name!'" The holy God Almighty, creator of heavens and earth, called this man by name. He wants us to get this because He wants us to know that He calls us by name too. He purposely picks us out from among all of the people and creation in the heavens and earth and says, "I'm going to fill you up with My spirit. You will have wisdom and understanding and knowledge and you will be able to do many creative things." We never have to worry about whether or not we can do what God asks us to. The promise is right here, plain as day, He gives us all we need to do what He asks us to do. Thank you Lord!

Promise 72 from Exodus 30:10

Ex. 30:10 - "Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord!" - I love it when God very plainly expresses what is meaningful to Him. The atonement of man to God is a precious and holy act. When we were created, we were created in the image of God. God was reflected in us and us in God. Sin separated us and broke the oneness with Him. Atonement brings us back, at-one, with God once again. It erases all that which separated us from being one with God. I am not saying that when we are one with God that we are God, not at all, what I am saying is that the oneness recaptures the like image with God that God intended us to have at creation. Jesus made atonement possible. So the promise is, that God the Father delights in being one with us as we accept God the Son, Jesus' sacrifice for our atonement on the cross. We can look like our Daddy once again!

Promise 71 from Exodus 29:45-46

Ex. 29:45-46 -

I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God. They shall know that I am the Lord their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am the Lord their God." - I never get tired of hearing this promise from God. He will dwell among His people. Jn. 15:4 says, "Abide in Me and I in you." God can choose to be anywhere He wants but He chooses to be in you and in me. That is such an incredible thought. No one knows us better than those who live with us, (if we allow them). God knew us better than anyone and loves us anyway. He still chooses to stay with us and have that intimate relationship with us. What a great God.

Promise 70 from Exodus 29:41

Exodus 29:41 - "The other lamb you shall offer at twilight and shall offer with it the same grain offering and the same drink offering as in the morning, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord. It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generation at the doorway of the tent of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be consecrated by My glory." - During the consecration of priests God was very specific about what gets burnt up outside of the camp and what gets burnt up at the doorway of meeting as a soothing offering to the Lord. Now we don't hold the same traditions as the Jewish people; At the coming of the Messiah, Jesus, He became the blood sacrifice once and for all generations, so we do not have to burn lambs, rams or bulls on an alter, but we are not separate from a symbolic meaning that can be drawn from this passage. I look at my heart as the alter where I offer that which costs me nothing before Him. Just as we become fiery passionate for things of this world like our team winning the world series or world cup, or us winning the lottery, those fires can continue outside the camp if you will. God equally expects us to come to Him (at the doorway) with fire in our hearts for things of the Kingdom, for those things that excite His heart. We should come to the alter with a burning passion for more of Him, to know Him more and to love Him more. When we go to our personal place of meeting with Him, with that fire in our hearts, He promises to meet us there. He promises to speak to us and He also says that He will consecrate that place with His glory. His whole presence will surround us within the glow of our fiery hearts, in that moment of meeting.

Promise 69 from Exodus 28:3

Ex. 28:3 - "You shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister as priest to Me." - We can learn from books, from watching others or sitting in lectures, but it is God who fills us with a spirit of wisdom. The most intelligent man can be unwise and make poor choices. Maybe when it comes to choosing our leaders both at local levels and nationally, we should direct our interviews with them to ask who and where they have exercised wisdom with instead of how many diplomas they have, which schools they've attended or how many posts they've held. May the Lord pour out His Spirit of wisdom on our countries' leaders and into us!

Promise 68 from Exodus 28:1-2

Ex. 28:1-2 - "'Then bring near to yourself Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the sons of Israel, to minister as priest to Me - Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazer and Ithamar, Aaron's sons. You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty'." - 1 Pet. 2:9 says, "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light." Jesus called us into priesthood at the cross. For those of us who step into that calling as children of God, we are clothed in His sight as holy and beautiful. As priests, we are not here to minister to man, but to God. In so doing, it is the thoughts of God we should be concerned with, not of man. As we minister to God we can not bring offence to man. If they feel offended then that is their own problem. We are to present ourselves to God holy. Holiness is not meant to be a dream, never to be achieved this side of heaven. When He calls us as His children, into priesthood, He makes it possible for us to be holy. That holiness and beauty is just for God's delight as we minister to Him.

Promise 67 from Exodus 25:40

Ex. 25:40 - "'See that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain'." - God is giving Moses instruction of how the lampstand should be designed. Not only did He verbally describe how it should be made but He showed Moses the design, the pattern, so that it was clear to Moses what God wanted. God desires that we fully understand the details of what He wants us to do for Him. Not only that, He partners with us in setting up His work, He shows us His design for those things that belong in the kingdom. No matter what profession we have, where we are in life, whether be a stay-home mom, a student, unemployed, a child, a company CEO, a minister, God already has the design of what He is calling us into each day and He is waiting to show us. Maybe the design is in problem-solving relationships, maybe it's a project, or an assignment, maybe it's a change of job or location. He holds the blueprints of detail for those areas of life that we can't figure out, that causes us fear, frustration, worry. We need to meet with our Creator and allow Him to show us the blueprints in those areas. He is interested in the details of your life and of those things you do.

Promise 66 from Exodus 25:22

Ex. 25:22 - "There I will meet you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel." - I love how detailed God is. He gives such explicit detail in how the ark of the covenant should be built, then He tells Moses exactly where God can find Him. God makes sure His people know where to go to find Him. He makes sure the communication lines are always open to Him. Because of His great love for us, He longs for us to find Him so that we can chat with Him. You notice that God didn't tell Moses where He'll be so Moses can go and download his troubles to God? No, God says, "You can find me above the mercy seat and I will speak to you!" God longs to speak to us. He longs to give us instruction and direction. He longs to pour out His goodness on us, for He has great plans for us, not for calamity but for prosperity, good future and hope (Jer. 29:11). We are to go to Him so that He can tell us His great plans for us. That requires us to keep our mouths shut and listen. We have such a great God!

Promise 65 from Exodus 24:12

Ex. 24:12 - "Now the Lord said to Moses, 'Come to Me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction'." - God calls Moses up to the mountain to "remain." The literal word is to "be." I would say most people feel a bit uncomfortable around God. They either do not know how to address Him, so like the Israelites they ask someone else to speak to Him on their behalf (20:19), or they feel afraid or ashamed because of their lifestyle, or sins in their lives. Even Christians struggle with their time with God. They either are timid before Him, because they still feel unworthy, or they only make time to download their intercessory list of names or events on God, or maybe they are stuck in a habit, like I was for years, approaching Him as His servant, His armour bearer or His messenger. God loves to spend time with us, but I believe His preference is for us to leave our agendas at the door. Have you noticed in our western cultures that whenever we get a phone call from someone or someone shows up on our doorstep, the assumption is that they want something. There is always an agenda, simply because we don't clear out our schedule to just "be" with people unless its a holiday. We tend to treat God the same way, He doesn't want our agendas, He invites us before Him to just come and "Be" or "remain" before Him. Then... He will hand us something or give us something. The satisfaction of resting in Him, should be enough for us however.

Promise 64 from Exodus 24:1, 10a., 11b.

Ex. 24:1, 10a., 11b. - "Then He said to Moses, 'Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel, and you shall worship at a distance'... and they saw the God of Israel.... and they saw God, and they ate and drank." God invites us to draw close to Him and worship. God sent an invitation to Moses, Aaron and 72 others to draw closer to Him, yet the instructions are to worship Him at a distance. this seems odd, yet it is the exact message God wants to convey to us. Often times, when we feel distant from God, worshipping Him is the last and sometimes the hardest thing we do. We can feel distant from God in the midst of very difficult trials, or because of sin or shame of sin, or because we tie ourselves to a busy daily schedule where we leave attention to God as left-overs of our time. God is saying to us, "In your distance, worship Me!" It is through making the choice to worship Him that we are drawn closer to Him. We become more and more intimate with Him the more we engage in personal worship with Him. Those 74 men ate and drank together with God. He drew them into a special communion with Him. When we eat and drink of God in worship, we will find ourselves eating and drinking with Him in intimacy. Make that choice to worship in your distance today!

Promise 63 from Exodus 23:31c.

Ex. 23:31c. - "For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you." - It would be much easier if God, in His mighty power, would just smite our enemies or just remove the difficulties in our lives from us. Many people are apt to blame God for not using His power in efforts to spare us or others from our pain. In blaming Him, many turn away from Him. God says that He will put our enemies, and I want to add, life's difficulties, into our hands so that we can drive them out. He empowers us to take care of the problem ourselves, not through our own strength but His. He gives us the authority to deal with the difficulties. Are we going to allow the enemies of our hearts and mind destroy us, even though they have been handed over to us? The enemy has worn us down to passivity through the years, its time to stand up and take our spiritual place as children of the Almighty God and be aggressive toward the enemy of death, deceit and destruction. Its time to stand up and re-claim territory that has been stolen from us in our lives, time to fight for our peace, joy and control over those things that attack us. They are in your hands, let the power of God move through you today!

Promise 62 from Exodus 23:27c.

Ex. 23:27c - "'I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you'." - I just heard a testimony of a church in Iraq who has lost over a 100 of their attenders to death by the hands of evil men. When I read a promise such as this verse I find a divide between the written truth and my understanding. There are a lot of details around the verse that God provides in how He is going to deliver the land to the Israelites. I don't understand why so many christians die each day (one every 20 minutes to persecution). I can only guess because the land around them hasn't been conquered yet. But what I do know is, that it is the character of God to turn the backs of the their enemies against them. Yes, there are battles that take place and there is earthly loss of lives, but in the Kingdom, there is no loss. This is what we must remember. Just think of all the lives that have been saved because God turned the backs of the enemy. Thank you Lord!

Promise 61 from Exodus 23:25-26

Ex. 23:25-26 - "But you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water, and I will remove sickness from your midst. There shall be no one miscarrying or barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days." - These are incredible promises from God. The temptation for man, however is to read these and say, "But I know many faithful believers in Jesus who serve Him and yet have died too early from sickness or who have miscarried or are barren." We have a choice to make; God's will and desire and purposes are revealed to us in this passage. So are we going to choose to base our theology on what He says He will do, or are we going to base our theology on what we've seen happen or not happen? In 2 Chronicles 7:14 God says, "and my people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land." Our land, referring to our western lands, are far from serving God and humbling themselves before Him. Our western lands are full of idols that take people's attention away from God. Sickness, barrenness, premature death are what happens in nations who refuse to humble themselves before God. When our statutes say that it is unlawful to mix church and state, unlawful to pray in schools or with patients in hospital, we are very far from fulfilling the criteria that God has set out for healing. Obviously God is bigger than what the evil king of the land is doing to separate us from Him. As His people , God's people, we must press in and stand on His promises. As individuals we must believe that He is and He is the rewarder of those who seek Him (Heb. 11:6) We must lay down those things that distract us and worship God's presence into our land. When we have societies for whom the majority of Christians only pick up the Bible on a Sunday morning and only sing worship songs for 20 minutes during once or twice on a Sunday in church, its no wonder our land is not healed. We need to live in great expectation of our Lord daily, we need to live in praise and worship of our God and King. We need to start our day, end it and live out all the parts in the middle as if everyday was a Sunday. We must give up the notion that we can do things on our own and in our own strength. Its no wonder the people of our nations have so much debt, worry, fear, sadness. Its time to turn back to Him to worship God and to see children birthed into His kingdom., He will bless our bread, nor more poverty, He will bless our water, no one will be spiritually dehydrated. There will be no more miscarriages, new believers will cling to their faith in God, there will be no more bareness, children of God will be popping up all over the place. We need to get on our knees and claim it back for God.

Promise 60 from Exodus 23:22-23

Ex. 23:22-23 - "'Be on your guard before him (angel) and obey his voice ... My name is in him. But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. For My angel will go before you and bring you into the land of ... and I will completely destroy them.'" - I don't often think of the role of angels beyond their protective characteristics. They seem to appear in scriptures more often as messengers rather than protectors. Someone last night was just mentioning how she would love to see her angel of protection. I think I would rather see more messengers, because they would be bringing me a great word from the Lord. There are many times when I think I hear my housemate calling my name when I know she hasn't, or I'll hear sentences spoken when no one is around. Maybe I need to pay more attention to them to see which words are to come after I hear my name. Maybe I have more angels around me than I thought, but I just haven't taken time to hear their message.

Promise 59 from Exodus 23:20

Ex. 23:20 - "Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared." - I certainly accept this promise as I think about the transitions ahead. The most immediate one being from the UK, then to the US for a couple of months then the move back to Kosova. We don't ever have to feel as though we are alone in transition. God promises to prepare our ways. He prepares the hearts of those who will encounter for our meeting, he prepares the places we will stay, He sets us up for success, because He is the one sending us to those places. He will never send us to a place and leave us to our own strength and power to survive there. We just need to be courageous enough to trust in where He is calling us and to step out in that direction.

Promise 58 from Exodus 23:13

Ex. 23:13 - "Now concerning every thing which I have said to you, be on your guard; and do not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard from your mouth.'" - The spoken word is a powerful thing; what we say can bring life or tear down, even to death. What we say can bind the enemy but can also release it, or at least open a door for the devil imp to move in and take a stronghold. If we talk about something too much, let's say, 'how afraid we are of something', then that fear owns us, the enemy uses it as a stronghold in a way that it resides in us. But if we declare, "I have no fear, Christ is my strength, courage, peace, etc..." then that stronghold is broken. If we talk about what the enemy is prone to do, then we give him more attention than he deserves and it just encourages him. I'm not saying that we need to pretend fear, worry, or spiritual attacks don't exist and aren't real, I'm just saying we don't need to be talking about them so much, proclaiming their existence, and speaking them out. Rather in their place we should speak out the words that counter attack; "God is good, He is my strength, He will fight for me, nothing is too big for Him," and just praise and worship Him over those other areas.

Promise 57 from Exodus 20:26-27

Ex. 20:26-27 - "If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sunsets, for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his body. What else shall he sleep in? And it shall come about that when he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for I am gracious." - There are so many unfair things that happen in the this world. So many wrongs done to people, so many victims of horrific crimes, so much injustice. People experience the consequences of wrongs that are done to them for years. No one should have to remain living as a victim once they become one. God, Himself says that He will hear the cries of victims and will be gracious to them. He will not sit there and just listen but He will bring relief to their pain. Justice will be done, peace will be restored. He is a gracious God!

Promise 56 from Exodus 20:24b

Ex. 20:24b. - "In every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.'" - We cannot possibly do anything in ourselves to create a God experience, not for ourselves, nor for anyone else. But what we can do is position ourselves to seek after, to pray into and to expect to see where God is working. God says, that He will cause His name to be remembered. We can only remember things that we encounter through our senses; sight, sound, smell touch and taste. God promises that He will create events to be remembered in our lives and as we remember those events, we WILL be blessed. Whether they happen to us or to someone else, we have the opportunity to see them happen again; God blesses us by reminding us of the things only He can do and has done in our lives and the lives of others so that we know that those things are of His character, that He chooses to do those things and that we an ask Him to do those things for us and others in faith that He will do it. So remember the impossible things that God has made possible in our life and others and claim those as you need them.

Promise 55 from Exodus 20:20

Ex. 20:20 - "Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.'" - Moses is telling the people, "Fear God, but do not be afraid of God." It seems as though these days we've taken the "Do not be afraid" parts so far that we have forgotten the "fear God" part. Divorce statistics are still about as high in the church as they are outside of it. Sexual immorality is probably as high too but is just hidden more in the church. There is as much idol worship and covetousness from people inside the churches as there is outside. Sin still prevails among many people who consider themselves Christians because they feel they have a "free pass" card they can use each time they sin. The "free pass" that says, "oops, did it again, sorry!" and they slap that on God with a passing breath and they think it's all fine, all clear until the next time they lay the card. What people don't realize is that they are going to suffer consequences of their sin, and it happens while they are alive. Each time we sin we miss out on experiencing the MORE of God. We miss out on His working in us and through us. We miss out on the fullness of His riches and blessings. We miss out on the experience of seeing His Holy Spirit power manifested in us, through us and around us. Sin blinds us from having kingdom vision because, whether we admit it or not, a true Christian will not be able to turn very easily from the guilt and shame of sin. The enemy uses these to plant thoughts into the mind of the child of God who sins, that says, "You do not deserve what God has for you. You are not worthy, you are a terrible Christian, you have given up your rights as children of God." These thoughts then become the focus which replaces the focus on God because we start to believe them. People then withdrawal from God in their hearts and will even go the other way toward sin thinking that "they themselves are hopeless so why try?" This is what we should fear, being separate and distant from our loving Heavenly Father. God shows us who He is through the storm, to draw us nearer to Him, not for us to be frightened away.

Promise 54 from Exodus 20:13-17a

Ex. 20:13-17a. - "You shall not murder, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness against your neighbor, nor shall you covet your neighbor's house." I just love that freedom that God gives us. All of these promises tell us that we no longer have to strive or compete against one another. Freedom means no more jealousy or "whoa is me" attitudes. Why is that? Because when we are free from slavery, we are free from that orphan mentality we have security in our Heavenly Father. That means we don't need to look to the streets or others to find security, value, love, or honor because our Heavenly Father gives it all to us. We don't have to compete for respect, status, attention from others, we have all the attention, respect and value from our Heavenly Father. Freedom means there is no more loss or lack, He holds it all and is very willing to lavish it upon us. He is our God who is jealous for us.

Promise 53 from Exodus 20:12

Ex. 20:12 - "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you." - Honor is such an important virtue to carry with us. Its easy to honor great parents when they have been loving and kind, but for those who have not had that experience from the parents, it is difficult to honor people who have caused pain. Neither our society, nor do most of our churches, teach on the importance of honoring our loved ones and even those that seem to not deserve it. Our society seems to encourage a victim mentality which says its ok to pick sides and to hate or punish those who have done wrong. As Christians, who are secure in our positions as beloved sons and daughters of the Most High God, the Heavenly Father, we know that God restores us from our hurts from others and keep us securely at His side. We don't have to live with a victim mind-set, forever carrying the offences of others. He frees us to live in that Kingdom culture of honor. When we are in Christ we can honor the unhonorable. Because my parents are great parents, it is very easy for me honor them. I'm always saying, "I'm my mother's daughter!" But it has not always been easy for me to honor others around me who I've felt do not deserve it. God has been transforming my heart to be able to see people as He does. His creation is good, He created beautiful people. Even though people make terrible mistakes and choices in their lives, does not mean that they are any less beautiful in God's eyes. Therefore, they deserve to be honored. Let us try to create a culture of honor, if that takes place, and it is the poor behaviour that is punished not the spirit of the person themselves, then through honor people will feel valued, which will lead to right choices being made thereby making the "prolonged days in the land" God gives us more bearable. Honor someone today, start with your parents!

Promise 52 from Exodus 20:11

Ex. 20:11 - "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." - Did you know that every single week we have one day that is especially blessed by God? This should be very encouraging for those who live in exhaustion, who are stressed and tired. God gives to us a gift of one full day where we can be filled up, re-charged, have our joy restored. Those things will happen, its a given because they all come in the "blessing package." A blessed day is one where we encounter the presence of God, He opens the treasure chest of the riches of His glory and says, with a great big grin on His face, "Here honey, help yourself!" This is the day that all of our meter levers go up: love - 100%, peace - 100%, joy - 100%, rest - 100%, satisfaction - 100%. This is what walking into a blessed Sabbath day means. And ALL we need to do is take it, just as He says, "but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God, in it you shall not do any work!" vs. 10.

Promise 51 from Exodus 20:7

Ex. 20:7 - "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain." - The first time I heard the song, "O my God" I was just appalled. It came at a time that "OMG" was written everywhere it seems and now is a "normal" text expression that people use on their cell phones. To be honest the first time I saw that abbreviation I had to ask someone what it meant. It never entered my mind that expressions that use the Lord's name in vain so boldly could be so widely accepted without dispute in our so-called Christian nation of America. It breaks my heart to know how much it breaks God's heart that His name is used without any thought or consideration to who He is. We wouldn't normally talk bad about someone right in front of their face, that is the ultimate offence to that person. So why does our society think its ok and acceptable to do that to God? God is very clear and specific that He will not let those who use His name in vain go unpunished. We need some pop star to write and perform a song that will reverse the permissive use of "OMG" in our society by warning people what God says He'll do to those who use it. Lord, please forgive them, after you draw them to Yourself, for they know not what they are doing!

Promise 50 from Exodus 20:5-6

Ex. 20:5-6 - "You shall not worship them (idols) or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep my commandments." - God is so jealous to have us for His own that He is willing to strip out the generational sins that have been attached to the people of today, so that nothing will prevent anyone from having freedom to be children of God. He loves those who love Him and pursues those who don't so that they too will come into a relationship with Him. He wants us all for Himself. His love is so great that He will leave no rock unturned to seek out the lost and claim them for Himself. No generational habits or curses, sickness' or diseases can keep people from experiencing all that God has for them. He is such a great, loving God!

Promise 49 from Exodus 20:2-3

Ex. 20:2-3 - "'I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.'" - God is declaring once again who He is and what He has done for His people; He brought them out of slavery and into freedom. As I've read the 10 commandments many times, I've always thought of them as just that, "commandments" or laws., which it is the law of God, however something different stands out to me this time. God does not say here, "Do not have other gods before Me" but He is saying, "You shall not have..." There is a huge difference between those two phrases. To say "do not" do something, implies the person has a choice, to obey or not, but the preference is made clear for the receiver to be obedient. To say "You shall not..." is a declaration of what shall be. God is speaking over His people, "Because I am your God and because you are now free, you shall not have any other gods before Me." You see, God is describing what it means too be free; When we are free in Christ, when we are no longer slaves to this world or even to ourselves, all that took the place of God in our lives is wiped away and we are left in our righteous standing before Him, the one true God, the one who freed us out of His love and compassion for us. He is speaking over us "You no longer need other gods, other masters, because I've come to rescue you, you shall have no other gods before Me, you are free!"

Promise 48 from Exodus 19:21-22

Ex. 19:21-22 - "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, 'Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish. Also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, or else the Lord will break out against them.'" - Moses went to God, only after He summoned him to come. When I read these verses, I needed to ask God specifically the meaning behind them. Why would the people perish if they gazed upon Him, when Jesus says, "come to Me all who are weary?" There is a clash of character. What God revealed to me is the love that these verses represent. We cannot presume to go to God on our own volition, our own will and on our own merit. We can only go to Him through His bidding. He, only, draws us to Himself through the work of His Spirit. We cannot stand before Him with all our filth, and force His attention upon us. We can only stand before Him cleansed, pure and holy, which also can only happen through the cleansing blood of Christ. It is only By His grace and His love that He calls us by name, to walk through the blood bath of Jesus and approach Him anew as His beloved children, redeemed by love.

Promise 47 from Exodus 19:11

Ex. 19:11 - "And let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people." - There is something about 3rd day anticipation that God likes. As soon as I read this verse, I couldn't help but parallel it with Jesus rising up and revealing Himself to the people on the 3rd day. Here God comes down and reveals Himself on the 3rd day as well. There is something very prophetic about this verse in that, when Jesus rose from the dead, He was fully God, once again, shedding Himself of being fully man. When people saw Jesus alive again, they fully understood who He is. He is God! God revealed Himself to man. Of course He did that earlier but people didn't believe Him fully. Just as there were sceptics in the Israelite crowd who had difficulties believing Moses, God came down and revealed Himself.

The Israelites were asked by God to purify themselves before His coming. There was great anticipation in the camp, the waiting must have been torturous. I've been challenged by this verse. So often I rely on my encounter with God to be through heresay; by reading scripture, listening to a sermon, reading a book, singing a song. I don't take enough time to set aside everything and purify my mind's heart in anticipation of meeting Him face to face. I usually meet Him on the go instead of sitting down and letting all the thoughts of my day be set aside and wait for His special revelation to me. I want everyday to be a 3rd day revelation experience.

Promise 46 from Exodus 19:5-6

Ex. 19:5-6 - "'Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you shall speak to the sons of Israel.'" - God sets us apart for His very own. Verse 5 literally says, "You shall be My special treasure." Imagine that! The creator God who owns all the earth calls us His special treasure. For those who obey His voice, who know Him personally and loves Him, they will become kingdom priests and a holy nation. It's hard to imagine, in the context of our world, what a "holy" nation would look like. but God promises His people holiness. He promises to set them high as priests. These verses are not commands like, "you shall be holy! You shall act like priests!" These are gifts to us because He deems us precious in His sight. We are His treasure, not His pawns. We should not be obedient to His voice as pawns, out of duty, but out of love and desire, because He chose us out of His love for us. You are precious, you are a treasure, you are holy and a royal priest set apart to minister to Him out of love.

Promise 45 from Exodus 19:4

Ex. 19:4 - "'You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself.'" - I love this picture of our loving Heavenly Father placing us on the wings of Eagles and drawing us to Himself. If you remember, in Ex. 2:23-24 God initiated contact with the Israelites when He heard their cries. They weren't necessarily crying out to God, they were moaning, but God heard their cries and drew them close to Himself. God takes initiative in our lives too. He sees us and hears the cries of our hearts, He sees everything else about us too, and yet He still draws us close to Him. His love is unconditional! Nothing can separate us from that love. Thank you Heavenly Daddy!

Promise 44 from Exodus 19:3

Ex. 19:3 - "Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain." - I just love that relationship Moses has with God. He knew that he was in for a good chat once he went "up to God." If you think about it, there are no chats with God on ground level, we need to step into the kingdom and then He meets us there, Moses went out of his way to meet God, we need to do that too. Sure we can still keep doing physically what we are doing like, the dishes or riding the bus, but its our hearts that need to step into the kingdom, and our minds can join us there too. When we do, He will meet us.

Promise 43 from Exodus 18:19-20

Ex. 18:19-20 - "Now listen to me; I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You be the peoples representative before God, and you bring the dispute to God, then teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they are to walk and the work they are to do." - I love Jethro's wisdom. It is obvious through previous verses that Moses really loved and respected his father-in-law. God put just the right person in Moses' life. For years Moses was taking his cues and guidance from the Lord as to how to lead the people. God sent Jethro back to Him. You notice in verse 18 Jethro doesn't intend to step on God's toes by giving counsel to Moses, in fact he encourages him to continue to go to God, but at the same time to teach the people, instead of carrying the burden of judge on himself. God puts people of wisdom in our lives to help us, through encouragement and counsel. Its so easy, especially for those in full time ministry, to get caught up in trying to do everything on our own. I found on the mission field that we rarely take time for one another, let alone seek one another's counsel. We need to take time to appreciate the wise people God puts before us and listen to what God has to say to us through them. I thank the Lord for the many wise, lovers of God, that He has put in my life to encourage and guide. Embrace those around you!

Promise 42 from Exodus 17:14-15

Ex. 17:14-15 - "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Write this in the book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.' Moses built an alter and named it 'The Lord is My Banner!'" - Joshua just finished leading the Israelites in battle. It was a long day, I'm sure they lost plenty of men, and people were mourning out of tiredness and loss of loved ones. The dead needed to be buried and clean-up needed to take place. Meanwhile, up on the hill God tells Moses, "Write this down for Joshua. Send this message to him from Me, "You will never have to think of the atrocity that took place today again. You will never have to encounter this enemy again, for I am going to blot them out. No worries, mate! I am with you!" God was there during the battle, it was evident as Moses' hands were raised up that God was in their midst. As long as the devil roams on this earth, the enemy will be present and there will be battles. But God is present in the midst of those battles. He gives us the ability to prevail, overcome and beat the enemy. That usually happens when our hands are held up high toward the heavens. Joshua couldn't hold his hands up because he needed to hold onto the sword. And while Moses was praising, Joshua was battling and God was hoovering over him, like a banner over him that declares victory. He is our Victor in battle, He is present with us, we just need to keep our hands either up or on the sword and the battle WILL be won!

Promise 41 from Exodus 16:29-30

Ex. 16:2-20 - "'See, the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.' So the people rested on the seventh day." - The most difficult time for me to faithfully observe the Sabbath day is as a student when I have an assignment due or an exam the next week. It is so tempting to keep pushing on in my work on the day of rest. Because the Sabbath day is a "gift day" from God, He won't command us to rest and not make provision for us to get the work done that we need to get done. God gave the Israelites a double portion in advance. He set the scene, opened the schedule for them so that they can rest. I've found that at some point during my week, God often times gives me a double portion of motivation, energy and endurance to be more productive than usual, this frees me up to rest on the Sabbath without feelings of guilt or worry, He also tends to bless our work during the week when we live in obedience to Him, by observing the Sabbath. A day of rest is totally a gift from God, which He promises to provide for us. We just need to take it.

Promise 40 from Exodus 16:10

Ex. 16:10 - "It came about as Aaron Spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud." - Usually when I think of the wilderness, I think of hot, barren land with snakes, lizards, sage brush, no shade and very dry. Growing up in the hot Mojave desert I remember it being such a great relief when the rare little cloud would bring a bit of shade from the sun in the summer. Spiritually we think of the wilderness as being a dry, alone place where we long to hear the voice of the Lord or to see Him bring us relief from whatever burdens we face. The Israelites looked toward the wilderness, they looked toward the direction of adversity and there they saw the glory of the Lord in the cloud. He met them right at the time where they were hot, hungry, homeless and unhappy. The Lord will meet you in your wilderness times, He will bring relief in the clouds. You will know He is your God.

Promise 39 from Exodus 16:6-7

Ex. 16:6-7 - "So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, 'At evening you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt; and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, for He hears your grumblings against the Lord.' and what are we, that you grumble against us?'." I heard a message from a Bethel church, Redding, CA podcast where the preacher said, "Our day actually begins when we go to bed not when we get up." A new day was coming for the Israelites, they didn't have to grumble out of hunger anymore, because God heard their grumblings. The new shift began with the evening, God said that they would KNOW that it was the Lord who brought them out of Egypt. The next verse says, God will begin with providing meat in the evening then manna in the morning. Just as God provided that meat, He brings peace and healing of our minds and hearts from worry and concern in the night time so that we can see the manifestation of that in the morning. This is why it is important that we focus our attention on Him before we go to bed. The people ate meat in the evening and then they KNEW. What are we chewing on before we go to bed?

Promise 38 from Exodus 15:26

Ex. 15:26 - "And He said, 'If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the disease on you which I have put on the Egyptians, for I, the Lord, am your healer.'" - Can you imagine what our societies would look like if we really did heed to the voice of the Lord and do what is right and keep His laws and commandments?" Our hospitals would be empty, disability equipment companies would go broke, we would be healthier and happier people, we would see the power of God all around us, it would be a norm. Unfortunately, we can't even get past the 1st commandment; "You shall have no other gods before me." [Ex. 20:3]. What are those things that we praise or strive for the most? Success, prosperity, wealth, achievement, time to ourselves, safety, family, food, sports, entertainment, etc.? How do we spend most of our time? Working [focusing on our jobs], sitting at the computer, sitting in front of he television, eating and drinking, reading, etc.. What consumes our minds the most? Finances, health [ours or of our loved ones], our longings, how to become more successful, how to meet the right guy or gal, or how to get out of a relationship we are in, our stresses, etc... Who do we spend the least amount of time with? God! How much time do we as a society or personally spend heeding the voice of God, listening to Him? He promises healing, He makes it available to us. Verse 25 says, "He tested them" with this promise. How are we doing at passing the test?

Promise 37 from Exodus 14:31

Ex. 14:31 - "When Israel saw the great power, which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses." - It took a lot to bring the Israelites to faith in God and in Moses. Even after all the plagues and the death of the first born Egyptians, after the pillar of fire and cloud to guide them, they still had their doubts, until they walked through the sea, between the walls of water and then saw the enemy destroyed, then they believed. Even though God displayed His power over and over again, the Israelites still feared the Egyptians. It wasn't til their enemy was fully destroyed, it wasn't til the removal of the object of their fear, that they rested in the faith and trust in God. We do this over and over again don't we? As long as threat exists in our lives, we will tend to fear it more than fear God. We have a tendency to think that whatever our enemy is, it deserves the right to be feared. That is so wrong! If we TRULY believe that God is who He says He is then our faith in Him will trump our fear of the enemy. We will realise that it is ridiculous to fear the enemy when we are walking inheritance of the Almighty God, Creator of the Universe, giver of life and death, the ALL powerful One. We can be so silly sometimes.

Promise 36 from Exodus 14:19-20

Ex. 14:19-20 - "The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them... and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night." - What a great picture of God, our Protector and Guide. Not only does He go before us, providing light and direction through the obstacles and the darkness [no matter what time of the day it is], but He also comes behind to protect us on the backside. The great thing about this "cloud" was, even though it was night time, during the darkest hour, when normally clouds make things even darker at night, this cloud provided light for the Israelites. Can you just imagine how scary that would be, to be trapped between the sea and the enemy with nowhere to go, and it be night time, the time when they were most vulnerable for attack? Talk about that "monster under the bed" fear. But look what the loving Heavenly Father did; He gave them a night light so they didn't need to fear the darkness. He pushed the darkness away toward the Egyptians so that they couldn't see. He was their light that penetrated their darkness. God is the same today as He was on that very frightful day for the Israelites. He penetrates our darkness and sheds light on our fears, that bridges peace, comfort, it erases the dangers and brings guidance. I'm sure it brought warmth as well as they lay on the sea coast. We can also wrap ourselves in the warmth of His presence.

Promise 35 from Exodus 14:15

Ex. 14:15 - "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward'." - Moses was in such a terrible place. Here he was being obedient and was doing what God asked him to do [a job he certainly didn't want in the first place] and then here he was sandwiched in between a roaring sea and a roaring crowd, who was frightened to death that the approaching Egyptians were going to slaughter them, and they were blaming it all on Moses. If that wasn't enough, God says to poor Moses, "Why are you crying out to Me?" I can just imagine what was running through Moses's head at that moment, "But, but, but, YOU are the One who lead us here!" What Moses didn't realize is that God wasn't punishing Him or yelling at Him for joining the crowd in their cries out to Him, He was teaching Moses that, Moses already had what it takes to save the people right in his hands. God wanted Moses to know that He had already given Moses the power to do all that was necessary to bring the people to the promised land, so it wasn't necessary to be fearful, nor frustrated. Then God showed him, "all you have to do Moses is simply lift up your staff and stretch your hand out over the sea. The sea will obey because I've given you the authority to command it to part." Each of us who are in Christ are empowered with everything that is necessary for bringing the kingdom of God to the earth. Jesus said in John 14:12-15 [paraphrased], "Whatever I can do, you can do even more. Whatever you need, our Daddy will give it to you, just ask Him. All this will happen out of the love He has for you." We don't have to beg God for His presence and for Him to "take over." He is already in us, therefore, through faith and love we too can part the seas, heal the blind, the deaf, the crippled, raise the dead and we too can lead the people to the promised land, His kingdom!

Promise 34 from Exodus 14:14

Ex. 14:14 - "The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent." - I would venture to guess that most people who turn or cry out to God, cry out to Him while in a panic. He is usually the last card played when all other options within man's power and wisdom is exhausted, at this point, people are begging God for intervention and salvation from whatever is causing the grief. But Moses had it right when he said that the Lord will fight for us while we keep silent. When we are close enough in our relationship to God that we have peace in just hanging out with Him quietly, which means we don't feel we need to ask Him for something or beg Him for anything, He still will engage in our lives, yet even more. To sit quietly before Him indicates that you trust Him, whole heartedly, to take care of that which is going on around you, so much so that you don't even need to really discuss it with Him. That doesn't mean we don't pray or intercede. It just means we don't have to try to strive, beg, demand or manipulate His attention. He already has it and because He wants the best for His people, He'll take care of the environment around them so that each day will be experienced as a day of salvation.

Promise 33 from Exodus 14:4

Ex. 14:4 - "Thus I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will chase after them; and I will be honoured through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.' and they did so." - How many people do you know receive honour through the enemy? I don't know of any, but God declares that He will be honoured through the Pharaoh and ALL his army. God is setting the stage to receive honour. The sons of Israel are not going to like what that scene looks like. In verse 11, Israel becomes frightened and they complain out of fear, and blame Moses for leading them to their death at the hands of the Egyptians. Now one would think that it was God's priority for His people to know and understand that He is the Sovereign Lord, but God tells Moses that it will be the Egyptians who will know that He is Lord, [granted many of them perish as they realise the truth]. Why doesn't He tell Moses that both the Egyptians and the Israelites will know that He is Lord? Could it be that God is also setting a scene for much further down the line? When Jesus came to the earth, He came, was born and died for both Jews and Gentiles. Just as God desired that the Egyptians know He is Lord, He desires that all nations, equally know that truth; that He cares for them enough to want them to know who He is, to have a relationship with Him. God will continue working on the hearts of the Israelites, but in the meantime, HE will draw all nations into the awareness that He is the One true God.

Promise 32 from Exodus 13:21-22

Ex. 13:21-22 - "The Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people." - Growing up in the desert, I know that it is not common to see clouds in the sky, nor is it common to see light at night, unless it is the moon and stars. God provided what is the opposite of the norm for His people. He travelled with them in a cloud [it had to be a huge cloud for it to be a pillar cloud] by day, which provided some shade from the hot sun, and He provided light at night so that the people can see where they are going. God made sure the people knew that He was travelling with them. He was leading the way in a very visual way, all they needed to do is look up to see Him. I think of how often I hang my head in dispair or frustration, in disappointment, in insecurity, etc. when life gets difficult. I praise God for friends who tell me to 'look up!" When we lift our eyes to Him, He is there very evidently. If your head is hung low today, "look up!"

Promise 31 from Exodus 13:17

Ex. 13:17 - "Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, 'The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.'" - God is such a great God! He knows the thoughts of man. If He would have allowed Moses to lead the people the shorter distance, they would have probably had enough food and water for the journey, they would have held on to the excitement and had the adrenaline to walk faster in expectation. They would have held on to their respect for Moses. But none of that happened. Although the journey would have been easier, the outcome would have ended in tragedy. For some strange reason we tend to follow paths that look shorter and easier and that makes sense in life. We have an automatic aversion to pain or striving or walking into the unknowns of life. We like to keep things simple and within our control. But often times those short, easy paths are the most dangerous. This verse says that God was the one who was leading them, not Moses. The people saw and thought it was Moses, by God's direction, but it was truly God who lead. If we allow God to lead us, fully understanding that He just may lead us through the longer, more challenging path, then we'll know that the outcome will be good. We have that assurance that we will win! God will lead us to success, abundance and rest at the other end of the journey. Let's keep listening to Him and watching where He leads us.

Promise 30 from Exodus 12:41, 42, 51

Ex. 12:41, 42, 51 - "And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night to be observed for the Lord for having brought them out from the land of Egypt; this night is for the Lord, to be observed by all the sons of Israel throughout their generations... and on that same day the Lord brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts." - In Ex. 3:8 God says, "So I have come down to deliver them." It was at this time, I believe, that the hosts of God or should I say God and all His hosts, entered Egypt, for the purpose of extracting the Israelites from that land, from slavery, from bondage. Verse 41 says, "all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt." They came out because their mission was done. Verse 51 says something more, from my perspective, about the hosts. Many translations define "hosts" as armies or divisions, but I believe God assigned "hosts"; members of His army [heavenly] to each person, who then escorted them out of the city so as to bring them to safety and to protect them. I believe it was the Lord's army that is unseen who are the hosts who came, who delivered, who escorted the Israelites out. Verse 4c. says that the Lord brought them, Israelites, out of the land of Egypt. So not only was it 600,000 men plus their wives and children, but I believe there was also, intertwined with them, the Heavenly hosts of God walking with them and surrounding them, literally bringing them out of Egypt. Why is this important for us to understand? Because I believe God assigns members of His heavenly hosts to walk with us and to surround us and protect us as He carries out His mission for our lives. We are not alone as God works in us and through us for His glory!

Promise 29 from Exodus 12:35-36

Ex. 12:35-36 - "Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, for they had requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and the Lord had given the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians so that they let them have their request. Thus they plundered the Egyptians." - In the midst of mourning the death of their firstborns, the Egyptians handed their gold and jewellery over to the Israelites. You would think that it would be out of fear that they surrendered their valuables, but it wasn't. It was out of blessing because of the favour God gave to Israel. You would have to imagine being in this scene to appreciate the incredible miracle that was taking place. If man was in control, the Egyptians would have surely gone to war with the Israelites, simply because it was "their" god who caused all the death and plagues. They would have been jealous that their gods were not as mighty, that they didn't have the same favour, or even more, as the Israelites. But God was clearly in control by fulfilling what He said would happen. This happened because the Israelites did as they were told to do. They would not have experienced the miracle otherwise. I'm sure it wasn't for them to ask the Egyptians for their gold, but they stepped out in faith and God blessed them. When we step out to do the impossible, in obedience to what He instructs us to do. He will bless us!