God Still Parts Waters
HELP!!!!!!!!!
Have you ever prayed that 4-letter prayer? It is a deep, guttural prayer that comes out of the pit of your stomach motivated by an overwhelming, paralyzing fear.
We were standing at the edge of an economic Red Sea. I could hear the sound of Pharaoh’s financial chariots bearing down on us. I had no job, and no prospects. I was terrified.
Anne and I and our 2 “toddler” sons had left Winnipeg to move back to BC. I’d been working with the Winnipeg Jets, who were going to Phoenix. We believed the Lord was leading us back to BC.
I had spent a lot of time during my last year with the hockey club cultivating an employment opportunity with a Kelowna organization. They had indicated they wanted to hire me to start a program I had presented to them. There were a few details to work out, but they were excited to bring me on.
So, with faith in our hearts that the Lord was calling us to Kelowna, and the assurance of this organization that they were intending to hire me, we sold our home and shipped all our belongings to Kelowna. We headed to Langley for a few weeks to stay with Anne’s parents prior to the anticipated date for the start of my new job.
Then the day came of the dreaded phone call.
We had been at Anne’s parent’s farm for 4 weeks when I got the call that the deal was off. What? Did I just hear you correctly? We have been talking about this for a year…everything was planned…everything was about to fall into place…
I was gutted. I was winded. I was devastated. How could God let this happen? We were following Him. He was supposed to provide.
I went for a desperate prayer walk with the Lord and prayed that gut honest 4-letter prayer – HELP! I felt like we were the Israelites who had been led out of Egypt only to be trapped at the Red Sea, waiting to be slaughtered by Pharaoh’s financial forces. The economics of reality were about to drown us.
In the midst of my fear laden, anxiety ridden, terrorized state, the Lord asked me a very simple question. He gently whispered to me,
“Do you believe I still part waters?”
I was taken aback. What? What does that mean? I hadn’t initially seen out situation through the lens of the Israelites escape from Egypt, but the similarity of our situation began to dawn on me as I chewed over what the Lord has said to me. We believed the Lord was leading us to a new land. We had moved a great distance to take hold of that which we believed the Lord had promised us.
But now there was something in our way we had not anticipated. We were trapped by something we didn’t know how to get around. I realized I had no option. I had to believe that God can still part waters, or we were dead.
I confessed, “Lord, if you don’t part the waters I don’t know what we’ll do.”
It was at that point I felt the Lord tell me to start my own company. Are you kidding? I have no idea how to start or run a business. I don’t even know how to spell “entrepreneur”.
Unbeknownst to me, this was the beginning of an amazing entrepreneurial journey the Lord has called me on. He completely changed the trajectory of our lives. This was the beginning of discovering my new found glory.
And it started with a shattered opportunity.
Are you facing a Red Sea of sorts? Are you staring into a pile of broken dreams wondering what on earth is going on? Do you feel abandoned by God when you stepped into the very thing you believed He had promised you?
I am here to tell you that God still parts waters. God will make a way. As you cry out to Him, surrender your expectations and ask Him for direction He will make a way through.
God still parts waters. He did it for the Israelites, He did it for us, and He can do it for you.
Exodus 14: 13, 14
“Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.’”
Psalm 32:8
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.”
Isaiah 30:21
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”
Keep Moving Forward
They spotted me.
I could hear their commander barking out orders,
“Bravo Charlie – bogie 10:00, move, move, move! Surround and terminate!”
What the…what’s going on?! My two fellow combatants immediately ran away. They were not up to a fight with these guys.
Before I knew it, I was all alone.
Being alone was bad enough, but by the time I thought through what had happened, what was happening, and what was about to happen, it was too late. I had not moved from the position in which I was originally spotted. They not only knew my location, but they had moved with such precision they now surrounded me.
I was behind a very large west coast cedar tree, which provided me with some cover, but any lateral movement made me wide open to their expert marksmen. So I did what any cocky early twenties weekend warrior would do – I froze with fear. I know, I know, I should have wheeled out from behind the tree with guns blazing, but I didn’t.
I’d like to say that I fought bravely and died quickly. But it would be more accurate to say that I thought slowly and died quickly. These guys we were fighting against knew how to keep moving forward as a unit, and we didn’t. I got caught alone; I got caught standing still.
And now I was dead. They simply confirmed their kill and kept moving forward.
It was the early 80’s and a group of my friends and I were playing this newly created war game known as Paint Ball. We were in the woods of BC and just happened to be pitted against the reigning BC Champs. These guys were serious weekend warriors. Truth be told, they were a little odd, but they knew how to fight together.
They sure dispatched us with expert precision.
I learned a valuable lesson that day: if you want to live, keep moving forward. And I learned that sometimes to move forward you need to move sideways and even backwards.
If I had kept moving, together with the rest of my fighting friends, I would have lived to fight another day. Or at least I would have lived for more of the day.
Moving = life. Standing still = death.
I believe this is not only a principle for success at Paint Ball, but it is a principle for spiritual success as well.
If we are not intent on moving forward in Jesus; if we do not keep “pressing on toward the goal” as Paul says, we will find our faith declining. If we think we can rely on “yesterday’s manna” we cannot sustain a vibrant spiritual health.
I thought I was safe where I was comfortable in a good hiding spot, but the enemy soon found me, surrounded me, and killed me.
If we choose to say in a safe, comfortable place in regard to our relationship with Jesus, or in regard to how we are choosing or not choosing to serve Him and serve others, we will begin to die. Faith is like a muscle, if it is not exercised it atrophies (shrinks) and gets weaker and weaker until it has no strength left.
Our faith must be exercised to be vibrant and growing – we must choose to keep moving forward in Jesus. We must choose to walk in communion with Him, listening to and obeying His leading in our lives even when it may be intimidating, or perhaps terrifying.
If you think you can sit still in a comfortable place of hiding and continue to grow, you are fooling yourself. Your spiritual enemies have already begun to surround you to take you out and take you down.
If we are going to experience the victory and life Jesus has for us we must keep moving forward. We must continue to seek Him. We must continue to walk in community with our fellow freedom fighters – the Church. We must continue to appropriate His Truth in our lives. We must continue to serve. We must continue to love. We must continue to give.
Press on to take hold of that for which Jesus took hold of you.
Keep moving forward.
Philippians 3:13, 14
“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Hebrews 12:1
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,”
Hebrews 10:35, 36
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”
What Are You Prepared To Do?
“You said you wanted to know how to get Capone. Do you really want to get him? You see what I’m saying? What are you prepared to do?”
“Everything within the law.”, replied Ness.
“And then what are you prepared to do?…You must be prepared to go all the way because they won’t give up the fight until one of you is dead.”
And so the conversation goes between rookie Federal Agent Elliot Ness and his street smart veteran police officer recruit in the movie The Untouchables. The Untouchables portrays the real life struggle of Elliot Ness to put notorious criminal Al Capone behind bars.
Ness was born on April 19, 1903, in Chicago, Illinois. He joined the Bureau of Prohibition in 1927 at the age of 24 and assembled a team of Prohibition enforcement personnel known as “The Untouchables” to combat the bootlegging activities of gangster Al Capone. Ness is the man recognized for destroying the liquor empire operated by Al Capone, including his arrest and conviction of tax evasion. Ness was instrumental in breaking the power Capone had over the city of Chicago.
The Untouchables movie depicts Elliot Ness as a young, idealistic agent of the US Treasury Department who really had no idea how to bring down Capone. His right hand man – the veteran Chicago cop portrayed by Sean Connery – knows what he’s up against.
And so, when he asks Elliot Ness, “What are you prepared to do?” it is with an understanding of what they are facing. He understands the nature of the battle in which they are about to engage. He knows when they open this door they have to be 110% committed to go all the way. This battle will not be won half-heartedly. Victory will only be accomplished if they are wholehearted in their commitment to this overwhelming challenge.
So what challenge are you facing? Is it daunting? Is it overwhelming? Is it terrifying?
Are you filled with faith, or are you full of doubt? Are you energized and engaged or are you at your wits end and the end of your rope?
“You must be prepared to go all the way because they won’t give up the fight until one of you is dead.” – this is actually a fairly accurate reflection of the nature of the opposition you and I face every day. Jesus told us that we have a spiritual enemy who is out to steal, kill and destroy. Our enemy’s objective is our spiritual death, and total carnage in our lives here on earth.
This would be utterly overwhelming if we were on our own. Sadly, many men choose to live alone and fall prey to the ruthlessness of our spiritual opposition. However, we’re not alone. Regardless of where you’re at, Jesus is up for the challenge. And, He said He would never leave or forsake us.
He’s already triumphed over our enemies by the cross. The spiritual opposition set against us has been defeated by Jesus’ death and resurrection. However, we must get hold of what He’s accomplished on our behalf. In Christ, in His authority, we have victory of the spiritual opposition sent to destroy us and those we love.
We must understand that living in the authority of Christ only comes by surrendering to the authority of Christ; by taking up our cross and following Him.
So, what are you prepared to do to get hold of the life of Christ? What are you prepared to do to get hold of the victory of Christ? What are you prepared to do to get hold of the authority, the healing, the deliverance, and the transformation of Christ?
Will you surrender and worship Jesus when it’s difficult? Will you walk in openness, authenticity and accountability within community? Will you meditate on Truth and reject the lies of the enemy? Will you pray? Will you be ruthless with sin in your life? Will you submit yourself to the input of others who can see your blind spots? Will you live a life of repentance? Will you serve and love others? Will you keep saying “yes” to Jesus?
What are you prepared to do?
Philippians 3:12-14
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:8
“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.”
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (The Message)
“You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally. I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.”
Colossians 2:15
“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
Saviour AND Lord
Have you made the transition?
It’s one we all have to make. If we’re ever going to mature in our faith we have to make this shift in the nature of our relationship with Jesus.
When we first come to Christ we typically meet Him as our Saviour. He is saving us from our sins. We are trading our rags for His riches; our death for His life; our brokenness for His wholeness; our wounds for His healing; our weakness for His strength; our failures for His victory; our sorrow for His joy; our sin for His forgiveness; our loneliness for His family; our guilt and shame for His love and delight.
Classic evangelism is about “salvation” – getting people “saved”. This has to do with meeting and receiving Jesus as Saviour.
We all need to be saved. We are all lost without Jesus. Salvation is the beginning. However, we cannot stay there…
I believe Jesus wants us to know Him as both Saviour AND Lord.
Salvation is the gift of God – it is free because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Our salvation transitions us from being citizens of the Kingdom of Darkness to becoming citizens of the Kingdom of Light. Our citizenship is changed: we become children of the Father in the family of God.
Once saved, we have to choose to live differently. We have to choose to surrender to Jesus as Lord. He said if we love Him we will obey His commands. Our prayer becomes, “Not my will, but yours be done.”
Knowing and walking with Jesus as Lord is choosing God’s will, God’s way. Surrender and obedience to God marks the life of someone who knows Jesus as Lord.
Salvation is free, but the Kingdom costs us our life. In order for us to appropriate the Kingdom – the Government of God – we must surrender to God. We must get off the throne of our lives and ask Jesus to take His place as Lord. We are no longer Lord, He is.
If we only know Jesus as Saviour our faith can be very selfish – what can Jesus do for me? When we grow to know Him as Lord our faith becomes very selfless – how can I serve Jesus? Jesus said that if we love Him we will obey His commands. He then said that He commands us to love one another.
The hallmark of a follower of Jesus who knows Him as Lord is a tangible, selfless love for others.
Men who only know Jesus as Saviour are always asking Him to take away the difficulties of life. Men who know Jesus as Lord invite Jesus into the difficulties. “Lord, I would love you to take this away, but not my will, yours be done. What is your will for me and for others through me in this situation?”
Men who have chosen to surrender to Jesus as Lord seek to know God’s will so they can walk with Him in that. Men who only know Jesus as Saviour communicate their will to God and ask Him to provide for their needs.
There is certainly no issue with asking the Lord to provide for our needs, but if that is all we are doing we are missing more of what God wants to do in us and through us to others.
The process of making Jesus Lord always involves difficulty, because He wants to know if you are willing to surrender your will to His. Are you willing to bring your hopes, dreams and expectations to the cross and lay them at Jesus’ feet? Or, are you simply willing to bring your troubles, trials, and failures to the cross so Jesus can take them away?
When we let Him know that we want to make Him Lord he invites us to join Him at the cross and surrender our “rights” to Him. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said,
“When Christ calls a man He bids him come and die.”
We can only truly experience the life of Christ when we have died to ourselves.
Do you know Jesus as Lord, or do you simply know Him as Saviour? True life is found only when we know Him as both Saviour AND Lord.
Ephesians 2:8, 9
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Acts 4:12
“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
John 14:15
“If you love me, keep my commands.”
John 13:34
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
Matthew 16:24
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’”