Why Trouble Can't Touch God's People
"And I will put a division between my people and thy people" (Exodus 8:23).
Today's message is "My People and Your People." In the plagues of Egypt, God did something that shows His lordship very clearly. He made a difference between those who were His and those who were not.
Let My People Go
Again and again God sent the same word to Pharaoh: "Let my people go, that they may serve me" (Exodus 8:1).
Notice the words "my people." God was not only freeing slaves. He was calling out a people for Himself.
When the swarms of flies came, God said, "And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. And I will put a division between my people and thy people" (Exodus 8:22-23).
The flies filled the houses of Egypt. In Goshen there were none. Same country, same time, but a division.
God Separates a People for Himself
God calls, God chooses, God makes a people His own, and God separates them. The word the New Testament uses for the church, ekklesia, means the called-out ones. The church is a people called out and set apart.
I believe for many of you this is a season of deliverance. Whatever has been holding you will have to let you go, because God has a special plan for His people.
Your Life Is Not Your Own
A person must understand that his life is not his own: "and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). I did not choose Him first. He chose me.
When that becomes real to you, the way you see your life and the way you see the world change.
Hard or Humble?
Ask yourself this question: are my circumstances making me hard, or are they making me humble?
If they are humbling you, it means God is using your troubles to establish His lordship in your life. Behind your troubles there is a mysterious hand shaping your life and telling you, "You are mine."
If Israel had been comfortable in Egypt, they would never have cried out. God makes us uncomfortable in our present position so that He can move us.
I thank God for letting many of my plans fail. I thank Him for not answering many of my prayers. He did not leave me in my foolishness.
The Plagues Show Who Is Lord
Every plague did two things. It showed that the LORD is supreme over everything Egypt trusted, and it showed the difference between God's people and Pharaoh's people. Egypt was ruined, and Israel was kept.
Water Into Blood
Moses lifted the rod, "and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood" (Exodus 7:20). "And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments" (Exodus 7:22). They could copy the plague, but they could not reverse it. "And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river" (Exodus 7:25).
The enemy can imitate. He cannot undo what God has done.
Frogs
The magicians copied the frogs too. But only one person could remove them. "Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me" (Exodus 8:8). The proud king had to ask God's servant to pray.
Lice
Then came the lice, and this time the magicians could not copy it. "Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened" (Exodus 8:19).
Cattle, Boils and Hail
"And all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one" (Exodus 9:6). Pharaoh even sent people to check, and it was true (Exodus 9:7).
With the boils, "the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils" (Exodus 9:11).
God told Pharaoh, "And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth" (Exodus 9:16).
When the hail came, "Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail" (Exodus 9:26).
Locusts and Darkness
The locusts covered the land (Exodus 10:15). Then came the darkness. "They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings" (Exodus 10:23).
Darkness over the whole nation, and light in the homes of God's people. That is the division between "my people" and "thy people."
When God Gives People Over
When people keep rejecting God's works and His grace, there comes a point where God leaves them to their own minds. "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind" (Romans 1:28).
The day a hard, proud person refuses God's grace is the day his fall begins. That is what happened to Pharaoh.
God's People Are Not Hard People
God's people are not hard people. Trouble is one of the ways God tests what is in us. Hard times reveal who is only pretending. Those who have God's Spirit draw closer to Him when the pressure comes.
So pray like this: "Lord, I surrender. My ways did not work, and I thank You that they did not. Use my circumstances to bring me to the place You have made for me."
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). Change the way you look at your situation.
The Lordship Series
This is Part 3 of a 4-part teaching on the lordship of God, first preached in Hindi as Prabhutv. Here is the full series in order:
Part 2: How God Breaks Every Bondage
Part 3: Why Trouble Can't Touch God's People (you are here)
Previous: Part 2: How God Breaks Every Bondage
More Teaching Series
The Mystery of Open and Closed Doors: Start with Part 1: The Stealer of Joy
The Decision Series: Start with Part 1: Why Decisions Matter
Marriage in the Lord Series: Start with Part 1: Marry Only in the Lord
Declarations
I am one of God's people, called out and set apart.
The LORD puts a division between His people and the darkness.
My life is not my own. I was bought with a price.
My troubles will humble me, not harden me.
Whatever has been holding me must let me go.
I have light in my dwelling.
Stay Connected & Grow Deeper
Watch the full message: Part 3 of the Lordship (Prabhutv) series on YouTube. Please note that the message is preached in Hindi.
Follow the blog: Don't miss upcoming spiritual insights and teachings. Follow this blog for more life-changing content.
💬 Leave a comment below: Are your circumstances making you harder or more humble right now? Share it below.
Comments