FEARLESS FAST DEVOTIONAL - DAY 8

HOLD YOUR PEACE

And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:13-14 (NKJV).

Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s house and received the excellent education which he used to his advantage in writing the first five books of the Bible. One day, Moses killed an Egyptian in error and fled from Egypt to the wilderness of Midian.

Forty years later, God spoke to Moses and called him to return to Egypt, to lead the Israelites out of slavery. Moses returned and battled it out with Pharaoh, as plague after plague hit Egypt. Eventually, Pharaoh let the Israelites go, but changed his mind shortly after and sent out his chariots and soldiers after them. Israel seeing Pharaoh’s army coming behind, panicked.

Was it not surprising that the Israelites were unable to trust that the God who brought them out of slavery was able to protect them from Pharaoh’s army?

Unfortunately, at this point of their new relationship with God, they were unable to trust God above and beyond their circumstances. Fear gripped their hearts as they saw the Egyptian army approaching. The Red Sea was in front of them and Pharaoh’s army right behind them. The Israelites were paralyzed. Fear, panic and confusion set in. They felt trapped and helpless. They assumed it was a ‘hopeless situation’. “Why has Moses led us into this destruction”, they cried. They wanted to return to slavery in Egypt. They said they would rather servitude in Egypt, than death in the desert, which is what they predicted would happen. This is what fear does; makes you think like a coward, speak like a coward and act like a coward.

Today listen carefully to what you are saying. Are your words positive or negative? The good news however, was that Moses was there. Moses was strong enough to overcome the negativity generated by Israel’s lack of faith. He told the children of Israel “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord”.

Moses told the people “stop murmuring, stop grumbling, stop complaining”. He said, “Be still so you can hear what God is telling you. Be still so you can see things from heaven’s perspective”. This is the first principle in finding a way out of a troubling situation. Be still and listen to God. God was telling them He had prepared a way for them; that they would be victorious, but they complained so loudly, they could not hear Him. Moses took a step of faith and moved towards the Red Sea. This was when the angel of God stood between the Egyptians and the Israelites. God gave Moses instructions on what to do next and made a way for the Israelites in the Red Sea.

ACTION POINTS

You will need people who have faith to speak over your life at difficult moments. Through their guidance, they will inspire and steer you in the direction of faith and away from fear.
Associate with believers who are strong in faith. You will become like those with whom you associate.
Stop complaining. Speak positive faith-filled words. It’s time to look and see what God is saying about the situations around you.
The enemy would try to throw obstacles your way, to get you to murmur, grumble and complain. But align your thoughts and your words in line with the principles and character of God. He will do what He has promised.

SONG

This is how I fight my battles