Oasis In The Desert...

This life offers a variety of experiences. Some challenging and some wonderful. Some enriching and some impoverishing. Some it gives and some times it takeS away. In all of these back-and-forth realities we better know how to be refreshed. Because we’re going to need that…
“They came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. They set up camp there by the water. ~Ex. 15:27
By now it was probably dawning on the Israelites that the wilderness was a harsh place to live. If it hadn’t been for a miracle at the last stopping point they wouldn’t even have had water to drink. But that was yesterday. Today they looked up and saw palm trees in the distance. They probably thought it was a mirage. But no, when they got there they found springs of water, green foliage and actual palm trees. I almost guarantee that they all let out a sigh as they looked upon the beauty contrasted against the wilderness all around it. I like this Elim part of their story. It’s so picturesque of a mankind’s need for refreshment. And it’s somehow a rather accurate picture of life. A good part of our experience on this earth has a wilderness quality to it. We get up early, we work hard, tomorrow we do it again, it’s three steps forward and two steps backwards like we’re waking in sand, and then there’s Murphy’s law. And then we look up and there before us is our Lord, welcoming us and celebrating us and caring for us and resting us and refreshing us…our OASIS IN THE DESERT! ~Verlon

Sweet Blessing From Bitter Places...

There are many unpleasant places in this life that we find ourselves trudging through. They are often unavoidable. We all have them and we all loathe them. In fact, there is nothing that drains hope and joy away any faster than being in a place that only serves up distasteful things. Relationships can turn sour like this, and some jobs end up going down this road too.
“They travelled for three days through the wilderness without finding any water. They couldn’t drink the water at Marah; it was bitter. And the people complained to Moses. God pointed him to a stick of wood, Moses threw it into the water and the water turned sweet.” ~Exodus 15:23-25
It was only 3 days after the Red Sea miracle, and Israel was struggling. Here they were, over a million people with women and children, and there was no reasonable water to drink. It remains true that interspersed with the miracles of God are the challenges of daily life. But God showed up again for the Hebrews and turned the rancid water into something drinkable and even satisfying. I am fascinated by God’s commitment through history to do things like this. His ability to reverse distasteful realities is extraordinary and comforting. It should be a significant part of your divine expectation that God will show up at times and bring SWEET BLESSING FROM BITTER PLACES! ~Verlon

Confidence Soar...

There is an old saying, ‘losing builds character and winning builds confidence’. We actually need both from time to time to be a well balanced person. Everyone loses at times. And yes when God’s plan is being followed, there is plenty of winning…
“God is my strength, God is my song, God is a fighter, and yes God is my salvation. This is the kind of God I have and I’m telling the world.” ~ Exodus 15:2-3
Right after the Hebrews walked out of the Red Sea, they turned and witnessed the wholesale destruction of their oppressors. They stood there in sober silence for a while, then the joy of their newly won freedom came bursting forth. Moses composed a song and all the people clapped and sang and danced. Then Miriam, Aaron’s sister took over and composed another song. It was a long awaited day of joy for Israel. They had been losing at the hands of the Egyptians for centuries, but on this day they won. On this day they won big! It was at this moment they got the clearest picture of God they’d seen. There was no fear or worry to blur the divine picture. And with that clarity their confidence soared. They saw God as their strength and a fighter on their behalf…and their confidence soared. They saw God as the reason for their song and their joy…and their confidence soared. They saw God as one so great that He needed to be shouted to the world...and their confidence soared. All these years later it’s still true, a clear vision of God makes our CONFIDENCE SOAR. ~Verlon

You Will Be Free...

There are things in our lives that have great power to withhold us from our best. Sometimes it’s fear, other times it’s a memory of failure, still other times it’s a character flaw and sometimes its an outside pressure like a person that continually tears us down or an activity that weakens us. Whatever the case, these things have great power in our lives. Because of that, the Savior takes a stand against these oppressors and wrenches us free from their grip.
“God delivered Israel that day from the oppression of the Egyptians. And Israel looked at the Egyptian dead washed up on the shore of the sea, and they realized the tremendous power that God brought.” ~Exodus 14:30
And just like, the giant struggle to be free from the Egyptians was over. I don’t think we can adequately imagine what it must have been like to watch the two towering walls of water collapse upon the Egyptian army, but it must have been frightful. And then in a few minutes to watch dead soldiers wash ashore in the surf, wow. There was an ominous silence as the people watched and wondered at the raw power of their God. This enemy that had been so powerful against them for hundreds of years was now utterly defeated and laying lifeless in clumps on the beach. This is the take-away today. Christ has scheduled some remarkable days of victory for you too. And on that day the things that were once so powerful to weaken you will be utterly defeated and lay lifeless...and YOU WILL BE FREE! ~verlon

Shut Up...

Things happen in this life that are outright scary. And in our fear we jump to some outrageous conclusions and say some things that are as faithless as faithless can be. It’s sure part and parcel of our fallen nature to overlook the ‘God factor’.
“The Israelites looked up and saw them – Egyptians coming at them. They were totally afraid. They told Moses, weren’t the cemeteries large enough in Egypt so that you had to take us out here in the wilderness to die? Didn’t we tell you, leave us alone here in Egypt. Moses spoke to the people; don’t be afraid, stand firm and watch God do his work. And you? you keep your mouth shut!” ~Exodus 14:10-14
This was scary. The Egyptians were miffed. They were charging across the desert floor. They had superior strength. And Israel remembered their cruelty all too well. After all it was only a matter of weeks since they were slaves to these Egyptians. Add all of that up, and then overlook the 10 miraculous acts of God that freed them only days ago, and it’s cause for fear. These things still affect us the same way today. If fear is running amok in our souls, we rush to blame and faithless talk too. But when you factor back in God’s presence, it’s not time to run wild with fear at all, there is another season being called for. It’s actually time to engage your faith. It’s time to stand firm with great courage. It’s time to take a seat in the stands overlooking your life and watch God do His miracle stuff in your story. It’s time to silence your fearful talk and SHUT UP! ~verlon

Before The Miracles...

Prayer is a great thing. Meditating upon God’s word is a great thing. Resting on the Lord’s timing is a great thing. Trusting God to do His work is a great thing. Enjoying the movement of the Holy Spirit is a great thing. But there is a time to just ‘move out’! Many great Christians seem to miss that cue…
“God said to Moses, why cry out to me? Speak to the Israelites. Order them to get moving. Hold your staff high and stretch your hand out over the sea.” Exodus 14:15-16
This Egyptians were charging, there was no place to run and the Israelites were in a panic. You would think that would be a great time for prayer. At least that what Moses thought. He sounded brave, but he quickly ducked into his tent to offer up a panic prayer. God’s response to him was blunt and abrupt. Why is it that humanity instinctively misreads the day of action? We can see so many other spiritual seasons as they approach, but we overlook the season of movement. But be sure of this; as truly as there is a day of prayer, there is a day for some old fashioned, roll up your sleeves, put the pedal to the medal…ACTION! We just have to be able to hear God say, ‘move em out’, or our obedience will remain ill-formed and our future remain under-achieved. Did you notice that Moses had to get the people moving toward the water even before he was told to part the sea? Interesting isn’t it. The call to ‘move out’ comes first…EVEN BEFORE THE MIRACLE STUFF. ~verlon

Shut Up!

Things happen in this life that are outright scary. And in our fear we jump to some outrageous conclusions and say some things that are as faithless as faithless can be. It’s sure part and parcel of our fallen nature to overlook the ‘God factor’.
“The Israelites looked up and saw them – Egyptians coming at them. They were totally afraid. They told Moses, weren’t the cemeteries large enough in Egypt so that you had to take us out here in the wilderness to die? Didn’t we tell you, leave us alone here in Egypt. Moses spoke to the people; don’t be afraid, stand firm and watch God do his work. And you? you keep your mouth shut!” ~Exodus 14:10-14
This was scary. The Egyptians were miffed. They were charging across the desert floor. They had superior strength. And Israel remembered their cruelty all too well. After all it was only a matter of weeks since they were slaves to these Egyptians. Add all of that up, and then overlook the 10 miraculous acts of God that freed them only days ago, and it’s cause for fear. These things still affect us the same way today. If fear is running amok in our souls, we rush to blame and faithless talk too. But when you factor back in God’s presence, it’s not time to run wild with fear at all, there is another season being called for. It’s actually time to engage your faith. It’s time to stand firm with great courage. It’s time to take a seat in the stands overlooking your life and watch God do His miracle stuff in your story. It’s time to silence your fearful talk and SHUT UP! ~verlon

Daily Presence...

Many of our difficulties in this life are made worse because we cozy up to the idea that we’re all alone. But the truth is, God has provided a large supply of His own presence to walk with us at all times. This truth dates way back to our spiritual ancestors…
“God went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud during the day to guide them on the way, and a night in a pillar of fire to give them light, thus they could travel both day and night. The pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire never left the people”. ~Exodus 13:21-22
This isn’t the first time God revealed His prevailing presence for His people, but it sure is the most vivid. As Israel left Egypt and entered into the dark and isolated desert God had a grand surprise awaiting them. Their concerns of how they would survive in such a harsh environment were immediately resolved. His presence awaited them in a wonderful form. Notice how His presence affected them: protection from the heat, comfort in the dark of night, leadership in which way to go, and the unusual ability to keep traveling into the night to speed their journey through arid places. Can you even imagine what it must have felt like for the average Hebrew to step out of their tent and look up at the warm glow in the sky burning softly over them? What a comfort. And to think God’s presence is just as meaningful for you and me today; breathing comfort in the night, protecting us from the elements, giving leadership and extraordinary strength for the journey. I love God’s DAILY PRESENCE. ~verlon

Done Deal...

Life has many challenges. There are ‘ups’ and ‘downs’, only to be followed by ‘twists’ and ‘turns’. Sometimes they come so fast and furious that it challenges our faith. We find ourselves doubting if God is really working out a good future for us at all…
“When God brings you into the land of the Canaanite, a land lavish with milk and honey, you are to observe this service during this month.” ~Exodus 13:4-5
The Hebrews marched out of Egypt. Actually they were urged out. It was night as their captors told them to grab their things and be gone. I’m sure it a bit more disturbing than we’ve romanticized the story to be. After all, they were leaving a civilized place and heading out into a wilderness. I am sure their minds were filled with questions. What happens now? How will we eat after our meager supply of unraised bread is gone? What will we drink? How will we keep our wives and children safe against the wild animals and marauders? This was an adventure of faith, in which they had to lay themselves completely into the care of God. I find it so interesting that they hadn’t even got out of Egypt when God starting talking about the land of milk and honey. Here they were struggling to get their stuff together and march into the night and God is gazing at their future, their land of blessing, talking about it like it was a done deal. That’s God! If we pause for a moment we’ll hear the same thing, God gazing at our future and talking about ‘when we get there’ as if it’s a DONE DEAL! ~verlon

A Definite Plan...

At times our lives feel more random than ordered. It’s true we live between the dual effects of cosmos and chaos, things coming together and things coming apart. At times it’s more chaos than cosmos…and then there are days when the clouds of randomness clear and we see a the precisely timed hand of God…
“At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, God’s entire army left Egypt. God kept watch all night, watching over the Israelites as he brought them out. That very day he brought them out of the land of Egypt tribe by tribe. Ex. 12:41,41,51
The Hebrews had been enslaved for a long time. And that slavery affected their self-image. They felt abandoned by God and powerless under the hand of Pharaoh do anything about it. Its interesting to me that this scripture still referred to them as God’s army. God looked at them as His strong force. He could have called them a weak band of sheep and been accurate. But instead He viewed them by what they would become…an strong army. But they didn’t see that, they were immersed in the feeling of being bounced around by many forces. They didn’t realize till later that God marched them out of the land of their slavery 430 years ‘to the day’ of the time they moved in. Paul in Gal. 3:17 tells that God promised Abraham He would free his descendants after that time. And God did it, to the day. God has made specific appointments for your life too. And when they happen you can’t help but see there is A DEFINITE PLAN! ~verlon

Is Time...

There is a common sense among Christians that God moves slowly. And often that is true, especially when we are waiting for Him to answer a prayer. Yet there are many instances in scripture when God made a move very quickly.
“The people grabbed their bread dough before it had risen, bundled their bread bowls in their cloaks and threw them over their shoulders. They baked unraised cakes with the bread dough they had brought out of Egypt, but hadn’t raised, they’d been rushed out of Egypt and hadn’t time to fix food for the journey.” Ex. 12:34,39
The children of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 long years, and the latter ones as slaves. Then Moses began his work to pry free from Pharaoh’s hand. But despite nine attempts, there was no sign that Pharaoh was softening, nor any sense of impending release. But after Moses brought that 10th fateful judgment, and most of Egypt's’ first born sons died in their sleep, the dam broke. The Egyptians woke up the Hebrews in the night and ushered them out. Israel didn’t even have time to prepare food for travel. Here’s the point; God prepares definite chapter changes for us. But I have observed we seldom see it coming. But when God is ready to switch gears in our lives, it switches fast. From one day to the next the entire universe seems to see us differently, and we see a different kind of freedom. Don’t be one of those who are so addicted to the status quo that you can’t expect God to change a chapter or ever hear him say, ITS TIME! ~verlon

Salvation On Your House...

Many cultures in the world are considered collectivistic, but we are not one of them. We are categorized as an individualistic culture in America. As such we measure the value of something based on it’s affect on each person, rather than the group as a whole. This approach to life has some benefits, but it has some weaknesses too. Namely, it blinds us to things that ruin our families, our churches, our neighbors. Here is a sobering time in Israel’s history that they had to pull together or suffer together.
“Select a lamb for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the bowl of blood and smear it on the lintel and on the two door posts. When he see’s the blood, God will pas over the doorway, he wont’ let the destroyer enter your house to strike you down with ruin”. ~Ex. 12:21-23
There are some very deep God things going on here, more than I can cover in this blog. Suffice to say this was a night that God used as a living picture that explains many things about salvation reality. One interesting part is how God expected each family to pull together in their redemption. Either they put the pass-over blood on the door and were saved together, or they didn’t and suffered together. We tend to think salvation is an individual thing. Actually, there is a social component to it that has a radiant effect on entire families, churches and groupings of people. Even today God approaches us as families and groups and breathes SALVATION ON YOUR HOUSE. ~verlon

Deep Respect...

Every person needs to be respected. It’s a feed-back we all long for. But sometimes we’re around people that are better at suspicion and aren’t generous with their respect. Then there are times when our role pits others against us and respect is hard to find. This is true for the new manager who has to lay people off. Hard to be appreciated on that day. Walking with God has times when we are derided, but then there are times when we are respected...
“Moses was greatly admired by the Egyptians, a respected public figure among both Pharaoh’s servants and the people at large.” ~Ex. 11:3
This must have been a meaningful time for Moses. He had seen himself as a failure, and wandered in the desert herding sheep for years. His training for nation-ruling and the call he thought he felt I’m sure sat in the back of his mind and mocked him. He had no idea God had him out in that desert scouting it so he’d know how to lead Israel back through it in a few years. And now, as the new leader of the Hebrews he has produced 9 miraculous signs, and he see’s respect in the eyes of the Egyptians. In fact, they admired him. That must have felt like cold water to his thirsty self-worth. It’s interesting that this respect didn’t come because he was liked, after-all he was calling down wave after wave of destruction. No his was a respect that came from being a ‘God empowered man’. And believe it or not, there is room for all of us in that identity. Truly we are called to that. And ‘yes’, it does come with times of DEEP RESPECT! ~verlon

The Stubborn Hearts...

Melodee and I have a favorite old movie entitled ‘wild hearts can’t be broken’. It’s a tale of a young girl that just wouldn’t let anyone tell her what to do and her blatant rejection of authority is hilarious. I suppose stubbornness makes for good movies, but perhaps doesn’t always make for a good life…
“When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped he kept right on sinning, stubborn as ever, both he and his servants. Pharaoh’s heart turned rock-hard. He refused to release the Israelites.” ~Exodus 9:34-35
How many times does God need to talk before the Pharaoh’s of this world get the point? The human capacity for ignoring the leadership of God is significant. And yet the results are always the same. The timeless point God is trying to make through this Egypt story is whenever people refuse God’s lead, pain follows. This isn’t because God’s mean, it’s because mankind can’t see the future and tends to choose poorly. So we ignore…ignore…ignore God and His all-knowing counsel. What is it that makes us ignore good counsel so easily and so repeatedly? It has to do with control. If we give over control to God we might not get what we want. But if we keep the controls of our life in our hands we can favor our own wishes each day. Many people are desperately trying to work out a relationship with God in which He is an ‘advisor’ rather than the ‘driver’. Ah the spiritual endeavors of THE STUBBORN HEARTS. ~verlon

There Is A Difference...

What is the benefit of walking with God? This questions becomes more punctuated when we’ve had a string of challenges hit us or we see someone who is a scheming liar being blessed out of their brain. These comparisons can drive us crazy if we look at them too much. Truth is, life has a random side to it. But another truth exists, there is favor on those who walk with God.
“The hail hit hard all over Egypt. Everything exposed out in the fields, people and animals and crops, was smashed. Even the trees in the fields were shattered. Except for Goshen where the Israelites lived, there was no hail in Goshen.” ~Ex. 9:25-26
Moses had now accurately called down five destructions on Egypt because they wouldn’t cease their cruel enslavement of Israel. On this day he forecasted the worst hail storm in Egypt’s history. Amazingly, some of Pharaoh’s officials still left their workers out in the field, even though they’d watched Moses’ previous miracles. And true to his word, a sky grew dark with foreboding clouds, and then horrific hail of epic proportions poured out of those clouds and literally pounded everything into the ground in all of Egypt. Even the trees split and broke to the ground. But, not a single hail stone fell in Goshen where Israel lived. They were surrounded on all sides by ravaging hail, but it didn’t touch them. They still had the challenges of enslavement, but no hail. There’s an important lesson here; We who follow Christ still have our challenges, but THERE IS A DIFFERENCE. ~verlon

This Time...

God’s works on the earth usually have other explanations. There are circumstantial reasons that surround many of God’s show-ups. The presence of these other explanations leaves room for doubt. When Jesus walked the earth he told demons to leave people alone and they did. But there were other Jewish exorcists in the land that did the same thing, so many doubted He was the son of God. And then there is the resurrection, even something as powerful as that was masked by the possibility that the disciples stole Jesus’ body to fool everybody. So did the resurrection really happen? Other explanations abound, but there will come a point when a person admits if even to himself, only God could do this…
“The magician tried to produce gnats wit their incantations but this time they couldn’t do it. The magicians said to Pharaoh, this is God’s doing. But Pharaoh was stubborn and wouldn’t listen. ~Ex. 8:18-19
Moses had performed several miracles. The snake, turning the Nile into blood and the frogs covering the land. But Egypt's magicians could do them too with their magical arts. But then came the gnats. These irritating insects covered the landscape. Again Pharaoh called the magicians. Why did he keep doing that? The same reason any of us look for other explanations, to disprove God’s authority in our lives. But this one was different for Pharaoh. It couldn’t be explained by other means. After-all, circumstantial reasons can only go so far. All of us will ultimately experience a THIS TIME. God will see to it. ~verlon

Power To Deceive...

There is a God that is working daily to deliver His favor and blessing to us. But there is another spirit that is focused upon us with quite opposite intentions. Many people hold the notion of the devil as folklore. This isn’t the first time humanity has down-played this present evil. Only 100 years after Christ, the Christians that formed in Greece began to refer to the Christianity of Christ’s miracle days as ‘primitive Palestine’. We too look down on some spiritual things as primitive. But if we go too far with that, we’ll make a serious mistake. Whether we grasp it or not, the works of the devil are real...
“The magicians of Egypt did the same thing by their incantations; each man threw down his staff and they all turned into snakes.” ~Ex. 7:11
Moses threw down his rod before Pharaoh, and it became a snake. He did this to prove God had sent him. But within the hour numerous Egyptian magicians were called in that did the same thing. Soon there were many snakes crawling around on Pharaoh’s floor. Now its true that Moses’ snake ate up all the other’s before turning back into a rod, which was God’s way of showing He was the superior power, but the fact remains those other men were actually able to utter incantations that caused their rods to become snakes too. And it caused Pharaoh’s eyes to become unimpressed by God. And that is Satan’s goal, to cause man to be unimpressed by Christ. Lets not be ignorant to the fact that this present enemy does possess the POWER TO DECEIVE. This fact bids us to be alert & discerning as we walk on this earth. ~verlon