Living Water

Read Exodus 17.

Exodus is the story of the Lord delivering Israel out of Egypt.  It is the story of the mighty hand of the Lord working among men.  We know Him as the Almighty.  He is able to bend nature to His will.

Exodus 17:1 says:

At the LORD's command, the whole community of Israel left the wilderness of Sin and moved from place to place.  Eventually they camped at Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink.[i]

First we notice that the community of Israel moved at the Lord’s command.  It has been some time since they left Egypt.  On the day they left Egypt we are told, “The LORD went ahead of them.  He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire.”  (Exodus 13:21)

The phrase “moved from place to place” is otherwise translated “in stages.”  This is not random wandering.  It is a measured journey to Mt. Sinai, where the people were to meet with the Almighty. 

According to Exodus 17:1, “Eventually they camped at Rephidim.  Rephidim most likely means “rests” (Bibleatlas.org).  A book called “Deserts of the Exodus” says this about it:

It is the most fertile part of the peninsula, well watered, with a palm grove stretching for miles along the valley.  Palmer speaks of passing through the palm grove as a "most delightful" walk; "the tall, graceful trees afforded a delicious shade, fresh water ran at our feet, and, above all, bulbuls flitted from branch to branch uttering their sweet notes."  (http://bibleatlas.org/rephidim.htm)

Ironically, the community of Israel found no water there.  Therefore, a place named for rest became a place of quarreling.  Exodus 17:2 tells us:

Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”  And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me?  Why do you test the LORD?”  (ESV)[ii]

The quarrel was severe enough that Moses told the Lord, “They are ready to stone me!”  (Exodus 17:4)  Moses even gave the place a new name calling it “Meribah” (which means quarreling).

The people were thirsty and feared for their lives.  They said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt?  Are you trying to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?"  (Exodus 17:3)

This is consistent with the pattern that the people established.  Even though it was at the command and leading of the Lord that they move, they complained against Moses.  They maintained this pattern throughout their 40 years in the wilderness.  However, at this point in the book of Exodus we see a serious turn in their attitudes.  Moses called it testing the Lord, and Exodus 17:7 tells us what they said.  They said, "Is the LORD here with us or not?"

Considering the fact that they were eating Manna every morning and quail every night this is a remarkable question.  Considering the fact that they witnessed the plagues in Egypt and crossed the Red Sea on dry ground with the water standing up as a wall on each side, this is a remarkable question.

This same incident was repeated almost verbatim at the beginning of the 40^th year in the wilderness.  The account of the second occurrence is found in Numbers 20:8, the difference being that Moses was instructed to speak to the rock.  Because of these two incidents God gave a command in Deuteronomy 6:16.  He said, “You must not test the LORD your God as you did when you complained at Massah.”  The complaint referenced is, “Is the LORD here with us or not?” 

Many years later, immediately after Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit led Jesus out into the wilderness.  He too was without bread and water.  Satan came and tempted him.  At that time, there were three tests.  First, Satan tried to get Jesus to turn stone into bread.  Second, Satan tried to get Jesus to worship him.  Third, Satan tried to get Jesus to leap from the highest point of the temple.  Each time Jesus answered with Scripture.  The third and final answer Jesus gave that finally shut the devil up was, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the LORD your God.’” (Luke 4:12)

Deuteronomy 6:16 gives a command that we must not test the Lord and Jesus repeats it in dealing with the temptations in His life.  This incident with the water seems to be the example of what it means to “test the Lord.”

A short explanation of testing the Lord would be to call His character or promises into question.  The community of Israel had experienced and seen time after time that God was both there and on their side.  Now, they were demanding that He prove once again that He was there and on their side.  God was clearly leading them.  God was clearly providing for them.  In this process, God was testing them to see whether they would trust Him.  God knew what He was going to do and it was His purpose to provide them with water.  Of course He would.  God did not lead them out into the wilderness to kill them with thirst.  They did not need to put God to the test.

God tests all of His children.  He led the community of Israel to a place with no water.  The Holy Spirit led Jesus out into the wilderness.  God will lead you into the wilderness.  It will just be you and Him, and you will need to trust Him.  There will be no water.

Jesus said, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me!  Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!  For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”  (John 7:37-38)

Believers of all ages have found this to be true. 

One day Jesus was traveling north from Jerusalem going to Galilee.  He chose the most direct route, which passed through Samaria.  After walking all morning, Jesus was hot and tired so He sat down by a well near a Samaritan town.  He sent His disciples into town to buy food.  While He waited there by the well, a woman came out to draw water.  One of the things Jesus said to her was, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”  (John 4:10)

This woman was thirsty, but she did not know what she was thirsty for.  It took an encounter with Jesus for her to realize that her real thirst was spiritual.

We all need this living water.  The experience of the community of Israel in the wilderness teaches us three things about this water.

The first thing is that God leads us to it.

God leads us to the living water by first showing us our need. 

God led the children of Israel to a place called rest, but there was no water.  God purposely leads us to these places.  For the children of Israel it seemed as if God was trying to kill them.  After all, He led them into a barren, hostile environment and there was no water.  Circumstances may seem to indicate God is against us, and we must learn to trust God’s word and promises in spite of circumstances.

The second thing we learn is that God goes before us. 

God told Moses, “I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb.” (Exodus 17:6)

God was there all the time.  It was in the presence of God that the people said, “Is the LORD here with us or not?”  Jesus says to us, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:20)  This is important for us to realize.  When we are going through the dry times, we need to remember that God is right there with us.  Jesus taught of our close association with the Father when He said:

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.  The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him.  But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.  No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.  (John 14:16-18)

God leads us.  God is with us.  God refreshes.

Moses struck the rock and water gushed out, not because the people deserved it, but because of God’s grace.

Striking the rock was a picture of how God brings grace to us.  Isaiah 53:5 says, “He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.  He was beaten so we could be whole.  He was whipped so we could be healed.” 

The children of Israel deserved the blow for even asking their question, but God struck the Rock instead.  Even the Apostle Paul had to learn the lesson, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”  In Paul’s case, he had a weakness that he called a thorn in the flesh.  It was such a problem that he pleaded with God three times that it be removed and each time God said, “My grace is all you need.  My power works best in weakness.”  In this, Paul learned to boast in his weakness because it glorified the strength of Christ.

If we never thirsted, we would never know the refreshing that only Jesus can bring. 

If God has led you to the point of thirsting, realize that it is an opportunity to call upon Him for refreshing.

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

[ii] Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

Warning Signs

When Moses finally convinced the elders of Israel that God sent him to deliver Israel from slavery to the Egyptians, the elders all bowed and worshipped God.

Then the people of Israel were convinced that the LORD had sent Moses and Aaron.  When they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.  (Exodus 4:21)[i]

However, when things got tough they were thrown into a panic and said:

“May the LORD judge and punish you for making us stink before Pharaoh and his officials.  You have put a sword into their hands, an excuse to kill us!”  (Exodus 6:21)

The Israelites witnessed the plagues and God’s judgment of Egypt.  As they left Egypt, the Lord went ahead of them guiding them with a pillar of fire by night and cloud by day.  (Exodus 13:21-22)

They had witnessed the power of God for at least a few months now, probably longer, but they panicked when they saw Pharaoh’s army chasing them.  They were camped by the Red Sea and Pharaoh and his army came at them from the other side.  The people then said to Moses:

“Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness?  Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt?  What have you done to us?  Why did you make us leave Egypt?  Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt?  We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians.  It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”  (Exodus 14:11-12)

The next day the whole community of Israel stood on the opposite shore of the Red Sea and worshipped God as they saw the bodies of their enemies washed up on the seashore.  (Exodus 14:30)

The Lord then led them from the Red Sea into the wilderness.  After three days of travel where they did not see any water they came to an oasis.  However, the water was too bitter to drink.  The scriptures tell us they grumbled against Moses and demanded of Him, “What are we going to drink?”  (Exodus 15:24)

We see a pattern here.  Each time the people faced a problem they grumbled against Moses.  Moses then went to the Lord. 

The Lord had sent Moses because the people had cried out to the Lord, but now they did not cry out to the Lord when they faced problems.  They grumbled against Moses.

This was their pattern as we enter into the 16^th chapter of Exodus.  Exodus 16:1-3 says: 

Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Mount Sinai.  They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt.  There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron.

“If only the LORD had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”

The Lord heard their complaint and worked a mighty miracle, feeding the people with bread out of heaven.  This bread showed up on the ground every morning for 40 years.  However, the pattern we have just looked at revealed a serious problem.  Over 1,000 years later the New Testament says of this generation:

I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago.  All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground.  In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses.  All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual water.  For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.  Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

These things happened as a warning to us.  (1 Corinthians 10:1-6)

Let us stop here and consider this.  “These things happened as a warning to us.”

What was the problem?  Was it the grumbling?  Well yes, but grumbling was a symptom of a condition of the heart.  Grumbling was not so much the problem but the symptom or manifestation of the problem.

In another passage, the New Testament puts its finger on the issue.  Hebrews 3:7-9 says:

Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness.  There your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles for forty years.

In this passage, the issue is named when it says, “don’t harden your hearts as Israel did.”  The problem was hard hearts.  It is fascinating to me that the very problem that Pharaoh manifested, a hard heart, also plagued the whole community of Israel.  In fact, because of pride, it tends to plague the entire human race.  No wonder the New Testament warns us not to harden our hearts.

The New Testament tells us that these things happened as a warning for us.  So, I want to look at the warning signs of a hard heart.

There are three and we will look at each one in turn.  These three warning signs are: 1) grumbling, 2) Scapegoating and 3) Anger.

First, we will consider the grumbling.

According to Google to “grumble” means to: “complain or protest about something in a bad-tempered but typically muted way.” 

It is important to understand that this is different from being dissatisfied with circumstances.  When the people grumbled they had legitimate concerns.  Pharaoh’s army was a real threat.  Water was a necessity.  Food was a concern.  In each case, God intervened and provided the things that were the cause of concern.  The problem with the grumbling was that it was the people’s response to the issue at hand. 

But, what should they have done?  Could they take on Pharaoh’s army?  Could they clear up the bitter water?  Could they make food where there was no food?

Let us ask another question.  What did they expect Moses to do?

Here I want to make an important point about our beliefs.  Christianity and the church universal have always taught that the individual is responsible for his or her response to God.  One does not find peace with God because he or she belongs to the right church.  One does not find peace with God because he or she is born into the right family.  This is part of why we stress that the Bible is the Word of God.  The normal person can easily understand this plain book.  We do not rely on a priest or church or another person to explain it to us.  Each person is responsible for his or her own response. 

This grumbling response shows the first step in turning away from this responsibility.  In fact, Hebrews 3:10 says, “So I was angry with them, and I said, ‘Their hearts always turn away from me.”  Consider what God is saying here.  He has warned us against hardening our hearts as the Israelites did, and now He says, “Their hearts always turn away from me.” If we go back to the question, “What did they expect Moses to do? We will see that Moses always went to the Lord for them.  Why did they not go to the Lord for themselves?  Why did they not turn to the Lord?  Would this not be a much more appropriate response?  “Oh, God help us!  We are hungry.”  Would God not bless such a heart?

The first warning sign was grumbling.  Take a third person view of yourself and see if you do not grumble.  Then look for the second warning sign: scapegoating.

According to Webster a scapegoat is: “one that bears the blame for others.”

This shows itself quite plainly in the complaints of the Israelites.  “Moses, why did you take us out of Egypt?”  Each time the Israelites grumbled did you notice that they grumbled against Moses and Aaron?

A cloud in the shape of a pillar led them.  The Red Sea parted before them.  Frogs, flies and fleas plagued the land around them.  Was Moses the source of these miracles?  Listen to what Moses told them.  “What have we done?  Yes, your complaints are against the LORD, not against us.”  (Exodus 16:8)

Rather than looking to the Lord for help, their hearts turned away from the Lord and they looked for someone to blame.  Moses and Aaron were right there up front.  So, in an unreasonable and senseless manor, they directed their complaints against Moses and Aaron.

If we take a good objective look at ourselves and find that we are grumbling in our dissatisfaction, the next step we should take is look for the person we are blaming.  Once we identify that person, we should repent and apologize as necessary.

This extends to politics and presidents as well.  If we are concerned for our country, we should not grumble and complain.  We should turn to the Lord.  Never think that the solution is in men and women.  Our hope is always in the Lord.  This can be said for the church, the work place, the home and the community.  We are each individually responsible to call on the name of the Lord.  We do not need a Moses to do that for us.

Next, after scapegoating, the people expressed their anger.

They said, “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt.”  (Exodus 16:3, ESV)[ii]

Whoa!

This is anger.  These people are afraid that they might die, and they are so angry and frustrated with Moses that they wish they had died already. 

If you have gotten to the point where you wish you were dead, talk to a good Christian brother or sister.  Do not go it alone.  We all get to this point at some time in our lives.  Do not deceive yourself.  You are not alone, and need a friend at this point.

God’s solution to this problem was not the manna.  The manna was the food they needed.  However, there was a much greater issue that needed to be addressed.  Moses explains part of the lesson in Deuteronomy 8:3, and Jesus also quoted this lesson as being more important than food.  Deuteronomy 8:3 says:

Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors.  He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

If we look at Exodus 16, we will see something interesting.  Exodus 16:10 says:

And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness.  There they could see the awesome glory of the LORD in the cloud.

God’s solution was to show His glory. 

There is a very simple lesson here.  When we are tempted to grumble, when we are tempted to scapegoat and when we are tempted to anger, remember this statement:  “It is not about me.”

God wants to bless you.  Call on Him.  You will see His glory and understand, “It is not about me.”

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

[ii]  Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

Impossible Situations

“Of all the Egyptians who had chased the Israelites into the sea, not a single one survived.”  (Exodus 14:28)[i]

A few short hours before, the Israelites said:

 “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness?  Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt?  What have you done to us?  Why did you make us leave Egypt?  Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt?  We said, ‘Leave us alone!  Let us be slaves to the Egyptians.  It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”  (Exodus 14:11-12)

The Israelites were in a panic.  God had led them into an impossible situation.  In a minute, we will look more at the situation they were in. 

We all face situations in life that cause us to panic.  Have you ever had questions like the Israelites asked?  Why did you lead me here?  Have you deserted me?  Why is this happening to me?

Why does God lead us through these situations? 

First, we need to understand that we can never answer this question completely.  Faith is required in our relationship with God.  Hebrews 11:6 tells us:

And it is impossible to please God without faith.  Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

We know that God loves us.  He demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.  However, it is not given to us to know everything.  Isaiah 55:9 explains:

For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

However, God does reveal to us what we need to know and teaches us as we walk with Him.  In answer to the question, “Why did you bring us here,” we will see that one of God’s purposes is to strengthen, grow and encourage us. 

This is a lesson taught throughout the Bible.  James 1:2 even goes so far as to say, “When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.”

Having laid this important groundwork, let’s now consider the events of that day in the wilderness at the side of the Red Sea, recorded for us in Exodus 13 and 14.

First, we see that God did not lead them along the most direct route.  Exodus 13:17 says:

When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land.  God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”  (Exodus 13:17)

God was obviously leading.  Exodus 13:21-22 says:

The LORD went ahead of them.  He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire.  This allowed them to travel by day or by night.  And the LORD did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.

These people, following the Lord’s leading and knowing they were where he led them, now found themselves in an impossible situation.

How could Israel survive an attack by the world’s mightiest military?  They were unarmed.  The day before they had been slaves, trained in such skills as brick making, farming, ditch digging, cleaning and cooking.  They could now see the mightiest military on earth coming after them.  They were like sheep waiting to be slaughtered, defenseless.  Therefore their question to Moses, “Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt?” 

God had purposely led His people to this point.  The Israelites were asking, “What have you done to us?”  (Exodus 14:11)

But the Lord had said, “I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army.”  (Exodus 14:4)

This reminds me of a time when the disciples were in a boat with Jesus.  Jesus was sleeping in the back of the boat and a storm came up and threatened to swamp the boat.  The disciples cried out, “Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?”  (Mark 4:38)  Jesus rebuked them.  He said, “Why are you afraid?  Do you still have no faith?”  (Mark 4:40)

The Psalmist teaches us, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”  (Psalm 23:4)  The Psalmist had this confidence through experience.  The Lord leads us through the valley of the shadow of death.

God led His people into an impossible situation in order to show His glory and so that the world would know that there is no other God. Through this process, their faith was strengthened.

In Deuteronomy 8:5 Moses is reviewing the Israelites’ 40 years in the wilderness and says, “Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you for your own good.”

This same concept is taught in the New Testament.  Hebrews 12:6-8 says:

For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”  As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children.  Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?  If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.

If you love the Lord, this is very good news.  How much confidence can we have in facing impossible situations?  This is why James 1:2 says to consider it an opportunity for great joy.  However, this was not good news for the Egyptians.  They had set themselves in opposition to God. 

Although everything looked like the Israelites were facing annihilation, it was the Egyptians who were running headlong into a truly impossible situation.  Whenever anyone sets his or her self in opposition to God, that person is running headlong into an impossible situation.  If you are fighting against God in your life, the impossible situation you are facing is an opportunity to repent.  Call out to God for forgiveness before it is too late.

Exodus 14:9 says, “The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-zephon.”  There was nowhere for the Israelites to go.  They were pinched between the sea and Pharaoh’s army.

God set the whole thing up.  He was in control.  The Israelites could see their death in the glint of the armor and the roar of the chariot wheels.  Just think how their faith was strengthened and their hearts encouraged at what happened next.

 Exodus 14:19-20 says:

 Then the angel of God, who had been leading the people of Israel, moved to the rear of the camp.  The pillar of cloud also moved from the front and stood behind them.  The cloud settled between the Egyptian and Israelite camps.  As darkness fell, the cloud turned to fire, lighting up the night.  But the Egyptians and Israelites did not approach each other all night.

The Egyptians were in darkness.  They could not see to attack.  At the same time, the Israelites had light.  They could see to avoid the Egyptians.  God used darkness to shield the Israelites from the Egyptian army, and light to give added safety and comfort.

While the Egyptians wandered in darkness, the Lord was making a way for the Israelites.  Exodus 14:21-22 says:

Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the LORD opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind.  The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land.  So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!

The Lord made a way where there was no way.

He does the same thing for us when we face impossible situations. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”  (ESV)[ii]  Notice especially the words “he will also provide the way of escape.”  He always makes a way 

He did the same thing at the cross.  There was no way to cover or pay for our sins.  Humanity was lost without hope, and God made a way where there was no way.   2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

When God made a way for the Israelites, the Egyptians saw it and used it as well.   They followed the Israelites into the heart of the sea.  Exodus 14:23 says, “Then the Egyptians—all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers—chased them into the middle of the sea.”

The Israelites were not out of danger.  The army with horses, chariots and trained fighting men could move much faster than the Israelites.  However, the Israelites had God on their side.  God fought for the Israelites.  He made the wheels come off the chariots and threw the Egyptian army into confusion.  By the time the Egyptians realized what was happening, it was too late.

Exodus 14:27-29 says:

The Egyptians tried to escape, but the LORD swept them into the sea.  Then the waters returned and covered all the chariots and charioteers—the entire army of Pharaoh.  Of all the Egyptians who had chased the Israelites into the sea, not a single one survived.

But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides.

The very thing that proved to be a way for the Israelites was the destruction of the Egyptians.

At the cross, what the devil intended to be the defeat of Jesus, proved to be a great victory for Jesus.  In our lives, it is the same.  The things that our enemy intends for our destruction, God turns into our greatest victories.

Darkness appears to be winning the battle in the world around us.  2 Timothy 3:13 tells us, “evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”  (ESV)  We can have confidence that God will work and use these things to His glory and our victory through faith.

One reason God leads us through impossible situations is to teach us the truth of Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

[ii]  Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.