Bishop-Elect Dr. Monterey D. Lee, Sr.
“And Moses said unto the people, ‘Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He [God] will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will see them no more forever,” Exodus 14:13.
How do you respond when a word from God has been released into your life? Do you fear or act on impulse? Do you act on things suddenly without careful thought? Do you plan? Stand still so you will not regret moving too fast. Let’s heed the word of the Lord in today’s text.
Today let’s not look at Pharaoh or the Egyptian army; you already know about them. But let’s focus our attention on the people of Israel.
Let’s remember the word of God that is released. “The Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn from their situation and encamp. For the Lord has promised that He will go before you as a pillar of cloud by day to lead the way and a pillar of fire by night to give you light. Look at the word of God to His people: I will be with you by day and by night, just heed my word,” Exodus 14:1.
Look at what will happen when you stop heeding the word of God and begin to look at your circumstances. Exodus 14:9 exclaims that the Egyptians pursued the people of Israel. In verse 10, when Pharaoh’s army drew near, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes to the Lord. They cried “Behold the Egyptians are marching after us, and we are afraid.” They forgot about the Logos and the Rhema that was released to them. “I will go before you as a pillar of cloud by day to lead the way and a pillar of fire by night to give you light.” They forget that God was bringing them out and into His knowledge and His wisdom.
They complained, we do not hear the word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, life or power. All we hear is the Egyptians marching after us. Moses what did you do? There were no graves in Egypt, so did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Why are you doing this to us, why did you carry us out of Egypt?
What did we say unto you in Egypt? leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians. For it had been better for us to serve them, than to die in the wilderness.
Their focus was the problem, not God’s word that was spoken unto them. The mindset of the people was bondage rather than being free.
“And Moses said unto the people, ‘Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord,’” Exodus 13.
We need to stand still when we face crisis. But we feel that we must do something, anything. Your impulsive actions may be the wrong thing.
This is why it is wise to stand still before God and let Him work on your behalf.
“Be still and know that I am God,” Psalm 46:10.
Let God exercise His power as you walk by faith. God’s work is a sign that He is at work for you. Just stand still.
What keeps a people bound? Frustration. It means that something or someone has a tight grip on you. This can be people, places, or situations that are harmful. Usually it’s the things that keep us bound or things that we are emotionally attached to that give us pain and are difficult to overcome.
We submit to things that are comfortable to us, but this becomes a dangerous life. Everything around us is toxic [harmful, unsafe, dangerous, and deadly]. You become the property of your condition. You’re a slave. You are owned by something or someone. You are strongly influenced and controlled by your condition. You are without life.
When you’re bound you cannot do the work of the kingdom of God. God is all about being free. If you are bound, you will not receive God’s divine Spirit of wisdom and knowledge. God is looking for a people that desire a relationship with Him.
So how can one become free? By completely submitting yourself to God and His will for your life.
The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. Stand still!
