Moving

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Exodus 33:1 Leave This Place

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying I will give it to your descendants.” Exodus 33:1

Moving to a new place is not always easy or looked forward to. People like to be where they know everyone and everything. It is often where they are most comfortable. Staying allows a person to maintain a routine that is familiar.

Change is often scary to most people and not desired. It comes with many uncertainties.

God told Moses to leave where he and the people were to go to a land God had promised his forefathers to give.

While staying in one place is very comfortable, it does not often allow for change or growth. It is easy to get stuck in a comfortable routine day in and day out. It feels safe because it is known.

If something does not grow or change, it is often dead and rotting. There is no longer any real life in it. That place becomes a place of captivity and death.

Once a person becomes a believer, he must be willing to pack up and move to a new place in life. God may have him physically move, but more often it is a move of the heart and actions.

It is moving away from sin and things that pressure one to sin. Believers are to step into a new life with God leading into a land that He has promised. The final destination is not a physical location on this earth, but eternity in heaven with God.

Just as Egypt was no longer the home or destination of the Israelites, so this earth is not the destination of believers. It is time to move out.

God has called you out of this world of sin and death into a new life He has for you. Be willing to step out in faith. You cannot see heaven or the complete path to it, but you can trust God to lead you on the way.

Step away from sin and death into a resurrected life in Jesus. This may or may not mean a physical move, but it does mean a move of your heart and actions into a new life that will last for eternity.

What place do you need to leave today?

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will hear God’s directions on where to go; that you will leave your life of sin to follow God; that you will follow God’s path towards holiness and heaven; and that you will see God’s provision on your path in life.

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Genesis 26:2 Don’t Go To Egypt

The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live.” Genesis 26:2

During difficult times people will attempt to find someplace easier to go to get away from their difficulties. Sometimes it is physically moving to a new place to live, but often it is moving to a new job, new friends or some other change, rather than facing the difficulties.

It can look easier and greener in another location causing the desire to move. While sometimes it may be greener, other times it is jumping out of the pan into the fire.

During a major famine in the land, Isaac gets ready to move to a new area. God tells him to not go to Egypt, but to stay in the land where God puts him, and that God would bless him there.

Walking the path in life that God places a person does not always look like the best path from the human viewpoint. Fleeing hard times is the first thing that most people want to do. They want to be in control of their life and do not want hard struggles.

Seeing a different path will often look easier, but one cannot see all that God sees on that path. God has each person on a path in life for a purpose and while on that path, He will provide for all that is needed.

The best spot that a person can be in is the location that God has told him to be, regardless if that is home, job, church, or any other place. God can provide better than anyone or anything in this world will ever provide. Despite the famine, God can bless richly when He is trusted and obeyed.

Famines will arise in your life, whether famine of food or of provision or something else. Rather than running to Egypt or the world to meet your needs, seek God’s direction.

Work to ensure that you are living in the place God has called you to live. Only move when God says to move. God can and will provide more abundantly than anyone or anything on this earth can provide.

Going to Egypt may ensnare you in the enemy’s trap of greed and selfishness and pull you away from God. Do not go to Egypt but live where God has placed you.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will obey God’s commands to you; that you will trust God’s provision in your life; that you will run to God, not Egypt for your needs; and that God will strengthen you in your walk with Him.

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Matthew 2:14-15 Needed Move

So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Matthew 2:14-15

Some people love to move, while others hate moving. It is something that requires change and often a great amount of uncertainty and risk.

The process of moving can often bring about an improvement in situations in life. At the same time it moves one away from the known friends and family to the unknown.

After Jesus was born Herod wanted to have Him killed. An angel warned Joseph and told him to move to Egypt. Joseph immediately got up and moved his family to Egypt, which fulfilled a prophecy about Jesus.

There are times that God will call a person to make a major change in his life, a move that is onto a very different path than he has been traveling. God, in His great all-knowing sovereignty, can see what is coming up and knows the best path to take in this life. He knows exactly where a person needs to be and when to be there.

Changes like this can be very sudden and extreme. Humans cannot always see the full reason why, but need to trust God in making the move.

As he was going, Joseph may have wondered why God was sending him back to Egypt where the Israelites had left years before. Joseph’s move protected Jesus from being killed and also fulfilled a prophecy at the same time.

God will move a believer to where it is the best place for him to be. This may be to help the believer, or to help someone else. Either way the believer must trust and obey God in making the move immediately without question.

You may feel comfortable and safe where you are, but God may be calling you to make a move. The type of move may be a physical move, a change of jobs, a change of church, or some other major change.

Do not ignore God’s call upon your life, but make the change. Trust that God knows what is best for you in fulfilling your calling in His great and eternal kingdom for both on this earth and for eternity to come in heaven.

Take that step of faith to move forward with God.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Savior; that you will hear God’s voice of direction in your life; that you will trust God’s word to you; that God will use you to build His kingdom here on earth; and that you will see God’s hand upon your life.

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Acts 8:4 Persecution Can Work For The Good

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Acts 8:4

When problems arise due to belief or choices made, many will abandon the beliefs. Others will choose to move away. When they move, they will carry with them their traditions and beliefs to wherever they move.

Some will keep those beliefs in the new location. Many will abandon the beliefs, because they do not want the same problems in the new place. They are seeking a new identity, rather than being bold with who they are.

After Stephen was killed, the persecution against the church increased greatly. Many believers moved to new locations to escape the persecution. Wherever they went they continued to spread the gospel message.

Persecution is something Jesus had promised will occur. Very few people look forward toward persecution and try to avoid it. It is often seen as something completely bad.

It is common to hear of believers complaining of persecution for their beliefs. They rise up and fight back, rather than just keep spreading the gospel message.

While it is terrible to go through persecution, it can get people to move to somewhere new. The moving will open new doors to spread the gospel message. Regardless of where a believer lives, there are people who need to hear the message of Jesus. Rather than staying and complaining about the persecution, one can seek to find new people to tell the message to.

God is willing and able to use persecution for His good. If the persecution had not occurred in the New Testament, the message of Jesus would not have spread to the whole world. As believers choose to keep preaching the word of God wherever they go, the church will continue to grow and have an influence in this world.

Everyday you will go to some place that has people who need to hear the gospel message. You may have times where you have to move to a new location for some reason. Regardless of where you are or why you are there, spread the gospel message. Seek to stay true to who you are in Jesus and let others know about Him.

Do not fear persecution and hide and be silent, but allow God to use it to be His witness in this world. Allow God to move you to new places to let new people know about His great love and salvation He will provide.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Savior; that God will give you strength in persecution; that you will spread the gospel message wherever you are; and that you will allow God to use you to be His witness.

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Packing Up And Moving On

There is a family who belonged to our church that had made a good impact on our community over a short couple of years. They had come into the area, from out of state, to run a boys home.

This boys home, Still Creek Ranch, is one where troubled boys could be sent to try to get their life back on the right track. It is Christian based and has its own school for teaching and training the boys. At the ranch, the boys learn to grow gardens and take care of animals, while learning about God.

The couple who ran the ranch, had chosen to become members and attend our church. They were always faithful to be at church and had a heart for God. Their focus was on God in everything that they did. They held a standard in their own lives that would mirror God’s standard.

It was only about two years ago that they came into our life. During that time, we had done several things together and talked many times about many different issues in life. Both, my wife and I, and this couple have had to go through various challenges in life and saw God work through them with great blessings.

About two to three months ago, this couple felt a call from God to move out of state to another ministry in New Mexico. This was something difficult to accept.

Many questions were asked as to why would God move them away. From the outside it did not make much sense. Everything appeared to be going great.

After talking with them, we found out that God was moving their hearts to a different type of ministry. The doors were slowly closing where they were. Although they felt that change was about to occur, they were not looking for a new ministry or for change. They just trusted God and kept doing what God placed them there to do.

As they were doing their ministry, God placed it on the heart of someone else to call them to a different ministry. It would be in a different state and would be doing a church plant. This was something brand new for them. After a lot of prayer, they felt that this was the direction God was leading the. Once this decision was made, the doors opened more for the new ministry and started to close where they currently were.

This last weekend was the weekend for them to pack up and move to the new location. My family was blessed to be able to help them load their moving truck up for the move. It was an event that took all day to finish.

It was a blessing to us to be able to help them load up their truck. During the time of loading we were able to talk about various events in our lives, and memories of the time shared together. We were able to share many more testimonies of how God had blessed us in miraculous ways. At the end were able to pray God’s blessing, provision and protection in this new journey in their life as we sent them off.

As hard as it is to see them leave, we know that God has great things in store for them. Often in life people like to settle down in one place and never move again. It is comfortable staying in one place where you know everyone and everything. Change is never easy and rarely is it fun, at least at the beginning of the change.

However, change can bring on new blessings. If they had never went through change and came to our area, we would never have had the chance to meet them. The blessings of knowing them and their children would never have occurred.

As much as we would love to keep them here, they have new blessings to pour out on other people somewhere else. There are new lives to be touched in an area that I cannot reach and I must be willing to let them go and do that ministry.

Letting friends move on is hard, but it does not mean the end of a friendship. The friendship will still remain, through phone calls, emails and Facebook. We will always be connected by God and prayer. We can touch each other through prayer.  Ultimately there will be a reunion when Jesus returns and we all meet up again in heaven, if not here on this earth.

We look forward to hearing about how God will bless their ministry and about the lives that will be touched in the new location.

If you have never had a friend move on, there will come a day when that will happen. Allow your friends to move forward in the will of God to make a change in this world. Not every believer needs to be in one location. Allow everyone to go where God has a place for them. Do not be selfish and want to keep the person tied down to you alone. Share them with the world.

Always remember that God is with them and will never leave nor forsake them. And God is with you and will never leave nor forsake you.