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.