Scripture:

Exodus 17:11-12,15

11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset

15 Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. 16 He said, “Because hands were lifted up against[a] the throne of the Lord,[b] the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”

Jehovah Nissi (The Lord Our Banner)

I love this portion of Exodus because it reminds us that we need others, that there is a victory ahead, but we need others to rally with us, to hold up our hands when we get weary from the battle.   As long as Moses held his hands up, the armies of Israel held the victory.  This highlights the need for intercessors in our lives, people who recognize that the victories we will have together will be the ones that we fight together.    People who stand in the gap, hold our arms up, lifting up the Holy Name of God over us, over our situation, plead the blood of Jesus over us, and cover us in prayer.  It is the Lord (Jehovah Nissi) that brings the victory, but this portion demonstrates that God wants us to unite in prayer, unite in speech, unite in vision, and then we will see the victory.

When you get to the other side of your battle, you too will declare that the LORD is Johovah Nissi, your VICTORY BANNER.

The application here is that we need a prayer life; we need to support those who are in the battle, who have become weary, or have a heavy load.   We need arm lifters (Intersessors) who recognize that our strength comes from the Lord, and they draw upon that truth and pray over the situation, pray for the LORDS provision, His power, His presence, His purpose and His VICTORY.   

Lord, I pray for those who are struggling in the battle and have become weary, that you would strengthen them, that you would cause strength to come into the situation, that they would have endurance to see the victory that you will bring, break off the attack of the enemy, Lord be their Jehova Nissi, let us declare that today, the LORD, our BANNER, you are the victory in our lives, we thank you and praise you in the name of Jesus, Amen!

Scripture:

Exodus 14:13-14

13 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. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

"What Makes You Great"

When I read this passage, I am reminded that the Exodus was about displaying His great power to deliver His people from bondage, to declare that He is LORD to Egypt.    Something you might miss in each of the plagues correlated with the gods that they worshipped (see below).   

The LORD was telling Egypt, I AM THE LORD, and there is no other... So, to answer the question, what makes us great is that we have the LORD on our side, and when we face things too big for us, He is able to deliver us from them, He is able to hold back disaster, and most importantly, He is able to lead us to the place we belong.   

Maybe you are facing something too big for you, the Lord says to you this day, "Don't be afraid, stand firm, be still, and you will see the deliverance of the Lord, He WILL fight for you."

Plagues and the Egyptian gods:

• Hapi (god of the Nile) Plague of water turned blood
• Heket (goddess of fertility, had frog head) Plague Frogs
• Geb (god of dust of the earth) Plague Lice
• Khepri (god of creation, had the head of a fly) Plague Flies
• Hathor (goddess of love and protection, had the head of a cow) Plague Live Stock
• Isis (goddess of medicine and peace) Plague Boils
• Nut (goddess of sky) Plague of Hail
• Seth (god of sky storms) Plague Locust sent from the sky
• Ra (god of the sun) Plague 3 days of darkness
• Pharaoh (god of Egypt) Plague of death of first born

The application here is that in the midst of our trouble, our circumstances, it is easy to focus on the wrong things. When facing a giant, we often focus on how big he is in comparison to us and the situation, and we feel like the 10 spies, like grasshoppers, but what we should focus on the bigness of our God and how He is able to "Hold the Waters Back," how He is able to "Silence the Enemy," and to bring peace and resolution to our impossible situations.  Today I would say don't lose hope, be still and know that He is God and is able to still slay giants, hold back the waters, keep you from the hand of the enemy.

Lord, I pray for those who are in the midst of a struggle that seems way to big for them, who are facing a giant and feel crushed by the weight of the situation, who feel that it is too much, that they would stand still today and watch as you hold back the deep waters, hold back the enemy, as you bring peace into the storm, into the circumstance, as you show your self strong on their behalves, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Exodus 12:13

The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

"Whosoever"

Passover, I think many of us miss that this was a symbol of the sacrifice that Jesus would make for you and me, life for life. He would lay down His life, the "Lamb of God," for the sins of the world that whosoever would believe in Him would not "perish" but have everlasting life.   The passover represents the shed blood of the lamb covering those who were inside the house, that when death passed through Egypt, it passed over their houses, and "anyone" who was inside would "live," their lives covered by the blood of the lamb, life for life.  

This is what Jesus did for you and I, He gave His life to spare our lives, and it doesn't matter what you have done in your past, if you come under the covering of His sacrifice you too will be saved, you will find life, if you believe in Him, you will step into eternity, you too will be forgiven and given new life. 

The application here is to remember the sacrifice, to not allow its power to become dull in our minds or our lives, to tell of the greatness of our God, to proclaim His wonders to as many as will hear it, how Christ saved us, how death passed over our lives and how we can live because He sacrificed everything for us.

Lord, thank you for your sacrifice, your forgiveness, thank you that you gave it all, that I might have everything, that I might have life and life more abundant, that I might know the length and the depth of your love for me, I pray that we would proclaim your goodness from the mountaintops, in the streets and everywhere we go, that others may enter in and be saved, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Exodus 8:15, 9:12

15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said

12 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses.

When we resist God and His ways, His knowledge, when we resist His Lordship, He honors our request and gives us over to.   In fact in you go over to Romans 1:21-29, you see this picture of the results of rebellion, and stubborn, hard hearts, they become calloused and resistant to the leading and direction of God.   The reason people don't hear God more is that they have stopped listening, stopped being obedient, and because God gave us free will, He gives us over to our decision.    The good news is that God is able to reverse this effect when we decide to turn back to Him.  Ezekiel 36:26  "I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."

The application here is to guard our hearts, to give ourselves over to the Lord, to be humble, to be obedient, to be "surrendered" to Him and His ways.   Question:  If we believe His way is better, then shouldn't we step into it?

Lord, I pray that any place in us that is resistant to your leading be removed, any calloused area of our hearts be removed, let your fruit be evident in our lives, let the fruit of the spirit that is at work in us be the greater portion, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, let that be our portion, so that our hearts would always be turned towards you, in Jesus name, amen!