Mon.’s Devo - Death is the Cost of Freedom

Read: Exodus 4:1-5:21; Matthew 18:1-20; Psalm 22:19-31; Proverbs 5:15-21 Moses had a hard time wanting to go and try to convince the Israelite leaders to follow him. He told God they wouldn’t believe him. God gave him three signs that would convince the Israelites God had sent him. The first was to throw down his staff and it would became a snake. Then he was told to take the snake by the tail (a sure way of being bit) and it would turn back into a staff. That took some faith. The next was told to put his hand into his cloak. When he took it out it was leprous. He was to put it back into his cloak and this time when he took it out his hand was healed. The third was to turn the water in the Nile into blood on the ground. *** Moses’ next excuse was his speech. He couldn’t speak well. God told him that he made his mouth so who is he to complain about it. But God conceded with Moses and told him that Aaron would be his mouth. Moses would tell him what to say. *** Moses went home and told Jethro, his father-in-law that he wanted to return to Egypt and to his relatives. Jethro blessed him with a peaceful journey. God assured Moses that the people who had wanted him dead were now dead themselves. *** Moses left with Zipporah and Gershom, his son. God told Moses that when he spoke to the Pharaoh and performed all his miracles, that God would harden his heart so that he would refuse to let them go. Moses was to then tell him that Israel was God’s firstborn and since he had refused to let them go, God would kill his firstborn. That night Moses got to experience what God had told him. God came to Moses and confronted him. He was about to kill him when Zipporah stepped in and circumcised her son. She touched Moses with the foreskin of her son and the Lord left Moses alone and didn’t kill him. *** Moses stood for Israel in this encounter. He was being killed off by Satan (who was being played by Pharaoh here on earth.) Zipporah stepped in and sacrificed her son to let Moses live. Zipporah stood for God and Gershom stood for Jesus. The blood of Jesus saved us and Moses from dying. *** It makes you wonder how Zipporah knew that the blood of her son would save her husband, but she did and acted on it. *** Moses met with Aaron and together they went to the elders of Israel and showed them the miraculous signs. It did convince the Israelites that God had sent Moses, it just didn’t convince the Egyptians. The Egyptians came up with something to distract them from their goal… more work. *** This is the same playbook they are still using today. When ever the people begin to join together and protest, they raise taxes, raise interest rates and create inflation. Then we have to worry about how to make a living and feed our families. They hope this will discourage us from standing up against them. We cannot give up if we want freedom, and Moses and the Israelites had to make this decision also. *** Pharaoh required that they find their own straw to make their bricks, but their quota would stay the same. They beat the foremen when they couldn’t make the quota so that made the foremen angry and blame Moses and Aaron for their pain instead of blaming the real culprit, Pharaoh. That is another tactic of the enemy. Shift the blame to the our leadership and put confusion in our camp. They will do anything to divide us so we won’t meet our goal of freedom. *** In Matthew, Jesus was asked by the disciples who was greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. Jesus gave them the example of a little child because of their innocence, humility and blind trust. But, anyone who causes one of them to fall into sin would be punished. It would be worse than being drowned. The world would get the same judgment because they tempt people to sin. Jesus said, whatever it is that tempts you - get rid of it. *** Jesus also told us not to look down on a person who followed God like a child because God loves them. Even if one of God’s children wandered away, he would go and get them and bring them back. It is not his will that anyone gets lost or dies. *** If a believer sins against us, we are to go to them privately and discuss it. If they listen and repent then you have won that person back. If they don’t listen and repent then you need to bring a witness or two with you to talk to the person. If they still wont, listen, then it should be taken to the church to let them handle it. If they won’t listen to the church officials, then that person is to be treated like an unbeliever. *** Jesus tells us again that what we bind up or capture here on earth, will be bound up or captured in heaven and what we break up, destroy, dissolve, unloose, melt, and put off here on earth will be broken up, destroyed, dissolved, unloosed, melted, and put off in heaven. *** Jesus added that if two of you agreed concerning a thing on earth, God will do it for us because if we gather in his name, he is with us. *** Lord, may we walk in the authority you have given us and may we clean up this kingdom on earth so your kingdom can come to earth.