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!