Good Morning Gorgeous,
It’s a brand new day. A fresh start! Every day, mercies are new. The morning is a reminder that again and again and again we can begin anew, shaking off what hurt us yesterday or our own mistakes of yesterday and just try again. Today is brand new. You have never lived today yet. It’s a brand new canvas ready for you to paint the day. And God is calling you forward each new day. Forward, forward, forward, never backwards. You will never be led back to captivity after you’ve been freed. Every new dawn is a reminder that we are moving ahead and even if the steps are so tiny, it feels like you’re barely moving in some areas, just keep your eyes ahead and recognize that you may not be where you want to be yet, but since today is a brand new start, you are not where you were yesterday. You are moving ahead.
A common temptation when we are moving forward in an area of our life, is the sudden desire to turn around and flee backwards. The familiarity of the old way even if it was painful is often more comforting than the fear of the unknown when we step into a new way, a new season, a new job, a new anything. We may have been brave and courageous to get out of our boat of safety, but as soon as we look around at where we are, it’s scary and we want to flee back to safety or perceived safety. This morning I was reading in Exodus, the miraculous events leading up to the Israelites fleeing captivity in Egypt and then their final escape through the red sea. And so much of that story can be applied to our lives. The Israelites had been oppressed and held captive as slaves by the Egyptians for 430 years. During this time, the Egyptians had become increasingly oppressive and the conditions were awful. The Lord worked a series of miracles to convince the Pharoah to release the Israelites. It was quite the deliverance story, and the Isrealites were finally released and travelling together. They hadn’t traveled too far when Pharoah had a change of heart and sent his army after them to recapture them and drive them back into slavery. The Israelites had just watched the Lord perform miracle after miracle after miracle to deliver them from Egypt to freedom and the moment they heard that their captors were coming after them, they cried out, “Let us be slaves to the Egyptians!”
At the very FIRST sign of trouble, in fear they were ready to go right back to the old way of oppression and to be slaves again. That quickly, they forgot the pain of slavery and they were ready to return. Moses said to them, “Dont be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today.” They didn’t even have to do anything, but be still and be ready to obey the next instruction.
God had bigger plans for them, and God equipped Moses with the instructions and the power to part the Red sea, so that the Israelites could pass through, and it closed up as the Egyptians tried to follow. God delivered them and put a wall of water between the Israelites and the Egyptians, so now the enemy was dead and the door was closed. They couldn’t return even if they wanted to, the sea of water separated them from their old bondage. When the enemy came after them, they only needed to be still, not turn back, and listen for instruction.
On this brand new day, as the dawn breaks you have the same opportunity. Don’t turn back to anything that you have been released from. Be still, and wait for the Lord’s next instruction. He will deliver you time and time again. And often times when it feels like the enemy is right behind you, you need only to be still and let God handle it as you walk right through the parted sea and into your promise. May this Friday be filled with blessings, opportunities, and movement forward, never backwards.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your deliverance again and again. Thank you for driving away the things, people, and circumstances that have hurt or oppressed us. Lord, keep that expanse of the sea between us and the old things that we have been released from. Keep us moving ahead each morning and our eyes fixed on You. Lord, I pray for miracles of deliverance and movement into the promises you have for each of us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
