Forgiveness: The Very Essence of Our Faith

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, you Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15

Joseph was the pride and joy of his father. Though Jacob had ten other sons, he favored Joseph, the one born to him in his old age. Jacob never bothered to hide his special feelings—not even from his other sons. In fact, he expressed his favoritism blatantly and visibly by having an expensive coat made especially for Joseph.

This did not go unnoticed by the older brothers, and they began to resent their spoiled young sibling. Joseph, who was either oblivious to their resentment or insensitive to it, made it worse by bragging to his brothers about his dreams that he would one day rule over them. In one dream, his brothers' sheaves of grain bowed down to his. In another dream, the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed down to him.

Eventually, Joseph's vivid dreams and their father's favoritism so infuriated the brothers that they plotted Joseph's death. While trying to decide the best way to accomplish it, they spotted a caravan of spice traders on the way to Egypt. Instead of killing Joseph, they decided to sell him as a slave. They said good riddance to their dreaming brother and made up a story to tell their father about his favorite son's tragic fate.

So much for dreams of greatness. At age seventeen, Joseph became a slave in Egypt, then a prisoner in a rank dungeon for a crime he did not commit. The situation provided Joseph with plenty of time to think about his life and what he had done. Somewhere along the way, Joseph made a choice. He decided to forgive his brothers. Eventually God fulfilled the promise he had conveyed through dreams to the brash young man, but not before refining Joseph's character through forgiveness.

Who is in the Driver’s Seat?

A great many saints today have pride of race, pride of face, and pride of grace - they are even proud they have been saved by grace! My friend, your salvation ought not to make you proud, it is not even something to brag about. It is something about which to glorify God, and it is something that should humble you. Aren't you ashamed of yourself that you have to be saved by grace because you are such a miserable sinner? I wish I had something to offer God for salvation, but I have nothing. Therefore, I must be saved by grace, and I cannot even boast of that.

Pride is that which is destroying the testimony of many Christians and has made them very ineffective for God. They go in for show, but the thing they are building is a big haystack. They are not building on the foundation of Christ with gold and silver and precious stones. Pride has a great many saints down for the count of ten; it has pinned the shoulders of many to the mat today.

What is pride? Pride of heart is the attitude of a life that declares its ability to live without God. We find in the Book of Obadiah that pride of heart had lifted up the nation of Edom just like Esau who had despised his birthright. Even in the home of Isaac, where there was plenty to eat, he liked that bowl of soup, and he liked it more than he liked his birthright. He didn't care for God at all. In despising that birthright, he despised God. And now Esau had become a great nation that had declared its ability to live without God.

"Thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?" (Obadiah 1:3). They dwelt "in the clefts of the rock." They were living in great buildings which were hewn out of solid rock inside this great canyon and up and down the sides of it. They were perfectly secure - at least they thought they were. The Edomites had signed a declaration of independence. They had a false sense of security and had severed all relationship with God. They had seceded from the government of God. They had revolted and rebelled against Him.

Now what is God going to do in a case like this? "Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord" (Obadiah 1:4). The eagle is used in Scripture as a symbol of deity. The Edomites were going to overthrow God as Satan had attempted to do, and they were going to become deity. They were going to handle the business that God was supposed to handle. "And though thou set thy nest among the stars" - this was the sin of Satan, for he sought to exalt his throne above the stars. God says, "Thence will I bring thee down."

How many people today are attempting to run their lives as if they were God? They feel that they don't need God, and they live without Him. The interesting thing is that when God made us He did not put a steering wheel on any of us. Why? Because He wants to guide our lives. He wants us to come to Him for salvation first, and then He wants to take charge of our lives. When you and I run our lives, we are in the place of God. We are in the driver's seat. We are the ones who are the captains of our own little ships or our own little planes, and we are going through the water or the air just to suit ourselves. That is pride, and anyone who reaches that position, if he continues in it, is committing a sin which is fatal because it means he will go into a lost eternity.

--From Edited Messages on Obadiah by J. Vernon McGee

9 Powerful Reminders from the Miracle at the Red Sea

Miracle after miracle God had performed on behalf of His people, finally leading them straight out of slavery, away from the cruel hand of the Egyptians. He set them free. Free from oppression. Free from captivity. Free from bondage. And the adventure was just getting started.

When Pharaoh let the people go, God didn’t lead them on the road that made most sense. The Bible tells us in Exodus 13, that though the path was shorter right through the Philistine country, God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” V. 17

So He led them around the desert road over towards the Red Sea. Hot, dry, barren wasteland. I can almost see the sea looming off in the distance. And hear the grumblings starting. Feel the fear rising. As the Israelites got closer that sea must have looked bigger and deeper. An obstacle that seemed too difficult to overcome. Their eyes focused on the problem. They forgot about the bigness of their God.

Questions loomed. How were they going to get across that thing? Surely someone had made a wrong turn. But just how do you go about doing a U-turn with 2 million people in tow?

9 Powerful Reminders from the Red Sea Miracle:

1.  God knows what He’s doing.  “So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea...” Ex. 13:18​  Even if the way He’s leading doesn’t seem to make much sense and His timing seems off, or the wait and journey get long, and wandering in desert places is the last thing we want to do, we can trust Him. Always. He knows our way. He sees the big picture. He has good in store. And though it may not have been what we would have chosen,  or how we would done things, we can thank Him for His Sovereignty, His care over us, and His leadership. 

​2.  God leads our way.  “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to given them light…” Ex. 13:21  God will not leave us to fend for ourselves, struggling to find our way. He will lead us. He promises to. We may not see him in a pillar of cloud or fire these days, but we have His Word, and the Holy Spirit to give guidance to our days. He is with us, He gives wisdom, He provides direction, so we never have to fear being left on our own to figure things out. He goes ahead of us, He walks with us, and He guards our way from behind. His Word gives truth and life and shows us the way to walk in this world.

3.  God is able to turn the hearts of kings. He holds all things in His hands. He can turn around the evil workings in this world to ultimately bring glory to His name, so that all will know that He is the One True God. “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” Ex. 14:4

4.  When we see obstacles, God sees opportunities. He will make a way where there seems to be no way out. The bigger the problem, the greater his ability to shine right through it all. “The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea...” Ex. 14:9 Things were looking bleak and dark, yet God had a plan. And it was amazing.

5.  We can focus on the problem or we can choose to trust God. The Israelites were terrified when they saw the enemy coming their way.  They doubted their leader, they questioned God, they complained, they grumbled, they panicked.  Yet God didn’t get mad at their humanity or fears. He only asked for their obedience. And their trust.  “The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.”  Ex. 14:14

6.  Prayer is vital, yet sometimes God says, “It’s time to get moving!” God may ask for stillness and trust and other times he might say, “Get going and keep trusting.” God said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” Ex. 14:15  It’s so important to listen for his voice, to know when to be still, and also to know when to get up and move forward. His voice will lead us, He never leads in confusion, but always with assurance and clarity. There’s times in life when we pray about a decision and even though God shows us what to do, we get stuck along the way. So, we just say we're still "praying about it." Over and over. Instead of moving forward. And doing what He’s already said to do. If we ask Him for wisdom to know the right steps to take, he will always provide direction. He will open doors on our behalf and close those that need to be shut too.

7.  God will work powerfully on our behalf, but He often asks for our obedience first. God asked Moses to do one thing. “Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.” Ex. 14:16  Moses was asked to obey God's voice. And with staff raised and hand outstretched, God's Mighty Power unleashed. That sea not only divided, but the people walked right through it on “dry ground.” Not even a hint of sinking sand. As God’s children, we aren’t destined to walk in mud and mire.  He dries up the path before us so we’re heading out on firm ground. He is our sure foundation. Our obedience to His voice will always lead to blessing.

8.  God will stand between us and the enemy. We never fight alone. He will send his angels to fight for us and guard us. He Himself will fight for us and guard us. That’s how much He loves us and desires to set His protection over us. “Then the angel of God…withdrew and went behind them.  The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them…”Ex. 14:19  He will hem us in from all sides and keep us under His care. It doens't mean we won't ever face the battle, but we can know that He is surely with us in the midst of it.

9.  Our God is a God of miracles. This same God who divided the Red Sea so the Israelites crossed on dry ground, and covered up the enemy in the depths of that same sea, bringing salvation to His people—this is the same God who works on our behalf today. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. “And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.” Ex. 14:31

We may be facing our own Red Sea moment this week. Maybe the enemy seems hot on our trail, lurking close, whispering lies and defeat, trying his best to trip us up. Maybe the obstacles that loom before us seem way too hard to overcome. We want to turn back. We want to give up. We find ourselves questioning God and doubting His care and love over us.

But it still doesn’t change this one Truth. He’s with us. And He fights for us today. As believers who have made the choice to put our faith and trust in Christ, we can stand on the assurance that He will never leave us or forsake us.  He will lead us. He will bring honor to Himself through even the hardest circumstances we face in this life.  He is strengthening us and guiding us continually.

His plans for our lives will never be thwarted by the enemy’s attacks. Though it may seem like he’s winning at times, he does not have full control. God’s still greater.

And sometimes when we’ve done all we know to do, he whispers these words down deep into our soul, “…you need only to be still.”

For the Lord fights for you.

Peace.

Debbie McDaniel is a writer, pastor's wife, mom to three amazing kids (and a lot of pets). Join her each morning on Fresh Day Ahead's facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/DebbieWebbMcDaniel, for daily encouragement in living strong, free, hope-filled lives.

Find her also at http://twitter.com/debbmcdaniel.