Exodus 23:20-23 – “I am going to send an angel before you to protect you as you journey and to bring you into the place that I have prepared. 21 Take heed because of him, and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my Name is in him. 22 But if you diligently obey him and do all that I command, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will be an adversary to your adversaries. 23 For my angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will destroy them completely.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, something in Exodus 23 captured my thoughts and drew me to a powerful promise and covenant provision of God.

Exodus 23:20-26 reveals something we relegate to Israel and fail to see this as a provision for believers.  What is that?  Angelic guidance and protection.

God told Moses, “I am going to send an angel before you to PROTECT you as you journey AND to BRING YOU INTO THE PLACE that I have prepared.”   The instructions were, ‘ Obey him, and do all I command, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will be an adversary to your adversaries. ‘ God promised to bless their food and water AND remove sickness from them.

I contend that God’s desire for believers is reflected in this promise to Israel to lead them to their place of promise.   I refer to Psalm 91 and the Psalmist’s portrayal of this truth for those who follow God.

This promise is for those who make their abode in God.   Living so near to God, they are in His shadow.   He is their stronghold and shelter, and they trust Him completely in all things and at all times.  The outworking of that condition and position is assurance protection and the banishment of fear.

Psalm 91:11-12 – “For He will order His angels to protect you in all that you do.” They will lift you up in their hands so that you will not slip on a stone.”

He continues with incredible promises, which include answered prayers, rescue in trouble, fullness of life and longevity, and entrance into the fullness of God.

We are given promises, and God dispatches angels to help us reach that place of promise!   Yet, we live with no concept or expectation of that provision.  The result is that we walk out from under that protection.   Let’s live expecting angelic guidance and protection.  They respond to the Word.

Lord, send your angels to guard and guide each one today!

Exodus 15:24-26 – “So the people murmured against Moses, saying, “What can we drink?” ²⁵ He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When Moses threw it into the water, the water became safe to drink. There the Lord made for them a binding ordinance, and there he tested them. ²⁶ He said, “If you will diligently obey the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, and pay attention to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, then all the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians I will not bring on you, for I, the Lord, am your healer.”

The world is in turmoil, and hate is prevalent, but God’s love is consistently constant and complete. Regardless of the circumstances, know that God loves you!

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, something from the book of Exodus burst forth in my heart.   Jesus!   Yes, Jesus!   No, He is not mentioned specifically, but Moses’s act in response to the Israelites’ complaints reflects Him and His impact on us.

The waters of Marah, also known as Marah (meaning “bitter” or “undrinkable”), were bitter and undrinkable. God showed Moses a tree (some renderings refer to it as a branch).   Jesus is referred to as The Branch.   Moses threw the tree or branch into the bitter waters, and they were transformed.   Jesus is The Branch, and His presence sweetens the bitter waters of life.

A key is in the verse that follows that event. Exodus 15:26 – “If you will diligently (will and diligently are keys) obey the LORD your God AND do what is right in His sight (another key element – His sight), AND pay attention to His commandments, AND keep all His statutes, THEN all the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians I will not bring on you, for I the LORD, am your healer.”

This is the Old Covenant, and we have a better Covenant established on better promises through Jesus.   God has done His part.   We must do ours.   No, we cannot earn it, but obedience is a necessary element. God cannot bless disobedience and rebellion.  But desires to lavishly bless obedience.

When Jesus is in our lives, life is sweeter!   All the problems won’t disappear, but His presence makes life sweet, even in trials, because He is there.

One biblical scholar noted regarding this event and the tree, ‘God created all things with healing properties, including our bodies.’ Jesus leads us to health and wholeness, and Jesus is our source of health and wholeness.

Do you have bitter waters in your life?   Let Jesus be the ingredient that sweetens them!   Diligently obey and give heed to the Word of God. Keep His commandments, live by His revealed precepts, and watch God manifest Himself as THE I AM!

May the sweetness of Jesus in you make the waters of your life potable.

Exodus 3:14 – “God said to Moses, “I AM that I AM.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God, the tenses of God captured my thoughts.  What do I mean by the tenses of God?  When Moses was at the burning bush in Exodus 3, God said, “I AM that I AM.” That encompasses all three tenses: past, present, and future.  

Remember in Revelation (was, is, and is to come)?   Hebrews 13:8 tells us Jesus is all three tenses.   God does not go into the past or future. He’s already there. He told Moses to tell Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.”

We mistakenly make “I AM” a title rather than a description of function. In Exodus 6:2-3, “God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD.” I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but by My name, I was not known to them.”  Yahweh is His name, and that is explained by the description I AM.

He is the one who is Always there!   He is the one who guarantees the future!   Everything He does is consistent with His nature.  He is eternal and NEVER changes!

That God is our God!   Something interesting caught my eye in Exodus 3:10.   God said to Moses, “So now go, and I will send you.” Among the other things that this expresses is the reality that when God calls for that call to be fulfilled, we have a part to play.   Moses had to respond to the call, and when he did, the I AM would be his authority and constant companion!

This God, who has no limitations, sends us forth and is not only with us but in us; the power and authority of God are “in” us.   It is; the I AM operates within us, but we must release it through faith, obedience, and trust.   If God says, “Jump through a hole in the wall,” our responsibility (our role) is to jump; His is to make the hole in the wall.

Matthew 28 is our commission and promise! We have the I AM living inside us, wanting to be manifested through and by us. Our only limitation is us! We give excuses like Moses! But when Moses moved past the focus on self to dependence on The Great I AM, Israel was delivered and ultimately reached their place of promise. That’s what we must do, knowing I AM is with us, in us, and manifesting Himself through us!

May your mind and heart be filled with the consciousness of God’s presence, Provision, and Providence!   This is your day; seize it and live it to the full.

Ephesians 4:31-32 – “ You must put away all bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and slanderous talk—indeed all malice. ³² Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word, I was again challenged by a liberating truth most Christians have modified.   The truth is that forgiveness must be from the heart.  We are to forgive “just as” God forgives!  Do we truly do that?

I’ve heard believers say, “I forgive them but will never trust or associate with them again.”   I have a probing question, “Is that how God treats us?”  

• Does He forgive us, then push us aside?
• Does He forgive us and then never trust us again?
• Does He forgive us and then withhold fellowship from us?

If we forgive from the heart in total forgiveness, “just as” Jesus forgives, is the slate ripped clean?   It is with God, and if it isn’t with us toward others, is that total forgiveness?  You may not have deep personal interaction with someone, but if it is because of a past action, that is not “just as” God forgives and restores us.

Grace cannot be earned!  Trust is earned, but not forgiveness.  Forgiveness is given by grace in love!   Don’t push this out of bounds, but evaluate your motivation for rejection of another person.   If your personalities, interests, and visions are incompatible, that’s one thing.  If it is because of the previous offense, that’s another.  Just as is the key.  In light of our forgiveness and restoration by God, we forgive others!

Always remember that grace cannot be earned.  It is given out of love!   If we trust God, we can trust Him in forgiveness!

God is challenging me to examine why I draw near some and avoid others!   I would like to say I avoid no one, but I have, and it stemmed from a judgment over an offense.   If we forgive “just as” God forgives, we do not see them as what they have done but as a creation of God, a fellow member of the human family, and somebody God loves and for whom Jesus died.

It’s easy to identify the depth of forgiveness by the thoughts and emotions when they show up, or we hear their names.   Can we treat them as God treats us?  He forgives and chooses never to hold our sins against us.   Do we forgive that way?

In a short post, I cannot address all the ramifications of forgiveness and interpersonal relationships, but the words “From the heart and Juust As” are inescapable.  Father, forgive me for my failure to forgive and love “just as” You!

In other places, Jesus linked forgiveness with answered prayer!   Victory is in “just as!”    May God’s Heart and ability to Forgive fill your hearts today and lead you to the ultimate victory in Jesus!  May His presence, peace, power, and provisions pursue you and be your constant companions.

Have a victorious day in Jesus, and be more than a conqueror through Him!