Finding God in the Impossible

Part 2 of 3

by David A. DePra

     God gave Israel a four-fold solution to their impossible situation.

His words to them apply to OUR trials and impossible situations.

And Moses said unto the people, Fear not, stand still, and see

the salvation of the LORD, which He will show to you to day. For the

Egyptians whom you have seen today, ye shall see them again no

more forever. The LORD shall fight for you, and you shall hold your

peace. And the LORD said unto Moses, "Why do you cry unto Me?

Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward. But lift up your

rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it. And the

children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the

sea." (Exodus 14:13-16)

     Now it is vital that we keep this in mind: God is not giving us a

solution as to how to get out of an impossible situation. No. Rather,

He is telling us what we need to do IN it. In other words, this is not a

matter of our problem getting solved. It is a matter of how to allow

God to accomplish His purpose in us THROUGH the problem.

God's purpose is only indirectly related to external conditions.

     He cares about those, but they are, in fact, only tools and vehicles

unto another end. God is really doing an INTERNAL work in us.

The internal -- the spiritual -- is what God is addressing in this matter.

It is there that we are to follow His instructions in Exodus 14. It is in

the inner man that we are to experience what He is after through the

impossible situation.

     Now this does not mean there will never be any deliverance for

us out of a certain trial. But what it does mean is that the REAL

deliverance is somewhat other than we think. We usually want out

of the trial so that the pain and uncertainty will stop. God usually will

wait until the trial has done His work in us. He may wait until we have

overcome IN the trial and it no longer can move our faith. Then God

may or may not end the circumstances of our trial. But either way,

we are delivered, for we have overcome in the name of Jesus.

The Way of Escape

     Have you ever thought of the "way of escape" that God promises

regarding trials in that way? We think it must always mean getting

out of the circumstances. But sometimes it means overcoming

them by growing bigger than the trial. That is an even greater and

more profitable "way of escape."

     This is, in fact, exactly what the Bible says on the subject.

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:

but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what

you are able; but will, with the temptation, also make a way to

escape, that you may be able to bear it. (I Cor. 10:13)

     Carefully read this. God is saying that He will "make a way to

escape" -- that WHAT? That we might get out of the trial? Nope.

Rather "that you be able to bear it." Bear what? The trial. In other

words, the "way of escape" isn't a way OUT of the trial at all. How

could it be -- if the purpose is "that you be able to bear the trial."?

No. The "way of escape" makes us able to BEAR the trial --

something not possible if there is no longer a trial to bear.

     Furthermore, God says, "but WITH the temptation, will also make

a way to escape." Not "INSTEAD of the temptation." Again, the

suggestion is not that we will necessarily get out of the trial. God is

going to make "a way of escape" WITH the trial -- so the trial must

remain. Therefore, this "way of escape" must be a spiritual thing.

God must be referring to a "way of escape" through the victory of

Jesus Christ. A victory WITHIN us over the trial.

     The impossible situation brings us to the place, not where we

get out of a trial -- although this may or may not be included -- but

more importantly, to the place where we see the victory of Jesus

Christ made manifest in US over the trial. Then God is free,

according to His purpose, to let us out, or keep us in. Only He

knows the beginning from the end in these things.

The Four-Fold Solution

     Note the four-fold solution God gave to Moses:

Fear Not

Stand Still

See Salvation

Move Forward

     In these four things we find God's solution for the impossible. It

is, as it were, the "way of escape" -- the way to overcome in Christ.

Through these four steps, if we will obey, we will come into God's

purpose.

Fear Not

     The first of God's four-part solution is "fear not." So often in the

Bible, when God approaches a person, or begins a work in them,

He says, "Fear not," or "be not afraid."

     Now right here we discover a great irony. The impossible

situation is one in which we do not have what we need, and have

no way of getting it. It is therefore a situation in which we are prone

TO fear. Indeed, the first NATURAL reaction we are likely to have,

even as Christians, when we find ourselves this helpless, is TO fear.

Yet God tells us to "fear not."

     What makes this more ironic is that, as we have seen, it is God

Himself who orchestrates the impossible situation. God often

deliberately puts us into a situation designed to bring out all of our

fears, and then turns around and says, "Fear not.."

Why? Why does God do that?

     He does it, not to scare us, or make us uncomfortable, but to set

us free. It is by creating a situation which tends to gender fear, and

then telling us to "fear not," that God sets the stage for our freedom

FROM fear.

     How? Well, the fact is, the only way to defeat the enemy, and to

overcome fear, is to face it head-on. God must therefore create a

situation wherein we have our fears exposed, met in Christ, and

overcome by the power of the resurrection.

Good Fear and Bad Fear

     Now, again, don't misunderstand. We aren't here talking about

God making sure we face such fears as the loss of a loved one, or

some other horrific thing. No. God doesn't do such terrible things.

When they happen, they are allowed by God. But God never

causes tragedy.

     When we speak of "facing fear" -- in the present context -- we

are talking about facing the fear people have of God Himself. It

it that fear -- being afraid of God -- that God wants us to face and to

overcome.

     There is a good fear of the Lord, which is really REVERENCE.

To revere God is to ascribe to Him great worth. It is to respect Him

as the holy, righteous, just God that He is. It is to value Him to the

point where I do not want to violate my relationship with Him. All of

that kind of "fear" is good, and it is the fear of the Lord spoken of in

the Bible.

     But there is also a wrong kind of fear of God -- which really

amounts to being AFRAID of God. Being afraid of God is never

good, because it is based in a lie. Indeed, all of the wrong kind of

fear of God goes back to somewhere I have embraced a lie about

Him.

     Get that. Being afraid of God always goes back to somewhere I

have embraced a lie about Him. If I know the TRUTH about God

I cannot be afraid of Him. I can't be afraid of Him because there is

nothing IN Him to be afraid of.

     Two scriptures point this out more than any others:

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of

love, and of a sound mind. (II Tim. 1:7)

God is love....There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out

fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made

perfect in love. (I Jn. 4:16, 18)

     Here we see that God has NOT given us the spirit of fear. Thus,

if we are afraid, where did we get this spirit of fear? Not from God.

We got it from ourselves, or from the enemy.

     Secondly, we see that the antithesis of fear is LOVE. And that

God IS love -- that is -- is the very personification of it. Therefore,

there in nothing in God to incite fear in us. If we are afraid of God,

it is not because HE made us that way.

     Put the two scriptures together: God is perfect love, and perfect

love casts out fear. Therefore, God casts out fear. This means

that the wrong fear of God is never OF God. He will, in fact, seek

to cast it OUT of us. He will never gender it in us.

     Note also that "fear has to do with torment (punishment)" It

always does. We are afraid of God because we fear some

punishment from Him -- rather than know He loves us.

     The bottom line is this: The proper reverence of God makes us

want to draw near to Him. The wrong kind of fear of God, however,

makes us want to run and hide from Him. It is evermore so.

Adam

     As mentioned earlier, if I am afraid of God, it goes back to

somewhere I have embraced a lie about Him. I am NOT seeing or

believing the Truth. I can't be, for there is nothing in God to cause

me to be afraid. There is, however, plenty in ME to cause me to be

afraid.

     We carry this fear of God today. We are naturally afraid of God,

and blind to the true knowledge of Him. God wants to set us free

from this blindness. He wants to expose our fears of God for what

they are: Lies. And the only way to do this is by exposing them;

bringing them to the surface. The impossible situation is His way of

doing that.

     To discover the origin of fear we need only go back to Adam in

the garden. The first mention of fear in the Bible is when Adam said,

"I was afraid." Adam also gave the reason why he was afraid. He

said, "I was afraid because I was naked."

     Now, clearly Adam's fear was directed towards God Himself.

Afterall, Adam was hiding from God among the trees of the garden.

There wasn't anyone else around to hide from! Adam also made

for himself a covering of fig leaves in an attempt to hide his

nakedness.

     The picture is so clear. Adam had walked awa;y from his union

with God. He had declared his moral and spiritual independence.

The result was terrible damage -- not to God -- but to Adam. Adam

had, in effect, DIED.

     Before the sin, Adam was naked, but not afraid. After the sin, he

was naked, but terribly afraid. What had changed about Adam?

Nakedness denotes lack. It denotes dependence and a total

spiritual bankruptcy. This was good when Adam walked with God

because he had found everything he needed in God Himself. His

union with God compensated for his nakedness. But once Adam

left God, He really did have nothing. He was empty. He did not

have what he needed and had no way of getting it. THAT is why

he was afraid.

     There was more, however, for Adam wasn't merely afraid of

what had happened to him. He was afraid of God -- he was hiding

from God in the garden. Why?

     I John says that "fear has to do with punishment." (I John 4:18)

Adam evidently thought God would punish him for his sin. Adam

evidently did not consider that God would help him, redeem him,

or even chastise him as a LOVING Father. Indeed, Adam was

afraid of God in the wrong way. This, despite the fact that he had

known the perfect love of God -- and "perfect love casts out fear."

So why was Adam now so afraid of God?

     God had not changed. Adam had changed. And this tells us

something about the root of fear. It tells us something about the

real essence of it. We have already seen that all fear goes back

to a lie about God. But how could Adam believe such a lie -- seeing

that he had known God in Truth? He could believe it because at

the root of fear is a MORAL cause. You and I fear when WE will

not surrender and trust God.

     It may not seem like it is a moral choice to not trust God. But it IS.

When we won't trust Him, we are choosing independence. We are

saying "it all depends on us." And that leads to fear. Always.

     The kind of fear which comes with real unbelief is not rational.

Fear never is. You can know intellectually that you should not be

afraid, but you will be afraid, because you are standing on the

ground of unbelief. THAT is another realm. And in that realm, you

are going to be subject to the power of the enemy.

     Adam's fear was irrational. It was not based in fact. But it was

based in sin -- his sin. And that sin was in HIM. Thus, the reason

Adam was afraid was not because of anything God did. It was

because fear was not IN HIM. It was now a part of his makeup. It

always goes along with the choice to declare independence from

God. Fear is always the result of taking my nakedness and trying

to go it alone. I can't.

     Fear is born into through Adam. It is part of the package which

comes with the old creation. Thus, it is normal in the fallen creation.

But God wants to set us free from it through Jesus Christ.

A Chance to Overcome Fear

     So now we see why God puts us in a situation which will incite

our fears about Him, only to turn around and tell us to "fear not." He

is saying, "I know you are afraid of Me. I know all about your fears.

They are born into you through your natural birth in Adam. And they

are all coming to the surface through this trial. But rejoice. For this

is all under My control. This is your opportunity to be set free. The

first step is to stop fearing. To stop believing lies about Me. Fear

not."

     Ok. But how? How do we "fear not?" Well, think about it. If I am

choosing to "fear not," then what am I really doing? I am actually

BELIEVING and TRUSTING.

     For a Christian, I cannot fear if I am believing. And I cannot

believe if I am fearing. Note that we are not here talking about

emotions as much as a choice -- since it is possible to FEEL afraid

even while we are believing. But in the final analysis, the way to

stop being afraid of God is to abandon oneself to Him. By faith we

sell out completely and trust Him. The fear then, over the course of

time, begins to have less and less power to move us.

     Many Christians do not understand that it is possible to FEEL

afraid, and yet refuse to let fear run their lives. Neither do some of

us realize that to "fear not" does not mean that fear is going to shut

up. No. The truth is, we can "fear not" even if fear is shouting to us

loudly, trying to get our attention. We can "fear not" even if we feel

quite afraid emotionally. Having faith does not "turn off" our

humanity. It does not necessarily make our flesh behave the way

we'd like.

     Imagine being in a room with two radios playing, one at each

end of the room. One of the radios is playing a sermon by a man

who is preaching the Truth. The other is playing a sermon by a

man who is a false teacher. Both of them have the volume turned

on high. And you are not allowed to touch either one of them.

     Now ask: Suppose you want to listen only to the radio playing

the Truth? How would you do that without touching the radios? Well,

you could do it by mentally tuning out the bad message, and by

mentally tuning in the good. We do this all the time. We can, to a

degree, tune out noise and other conversations so that we can

focus in on the one we want to hear.

     This is how it works spiritually. We may never get to the point

where we FEEL unafraid. Or to the point where fear NEVER tempts

us. But we can tune fear out. How? By tuning the Truth IN. We

turn our thoughts to that which is good and right. To the Truth about

God.

     This tells us HOW to deal with fear: NOT by fighting it. NOT by

arguing it away. NOT by reasoning it away. NOT by asking God

to make it stop. NO. We deal with it the way we would deal with

any lie: By refusing to give it audience. In effect, by ignoring it, in

the sense that we will not allow it to move us or motive us.

     Now obviously, we cannot do any of this unless we BELIEVE.

Note that: You and I aren't going to tune out fear if we still believe it

might be of God. Thus, wrapped up in "fear not" is a very clear

necessity for FAITH.

     Some of us spend years trying to figure out which of our fears

are of God. We wonder if being afraid of God is the right thing to

do this time, or whether our doubts and fears about God might just

be of the Holy Spirit. But we can stop all this work. NO part of our

fear is of God. Period. Fear is never, ever, of God. Ever.

     If we really believe this, we will then be able to FEAR NOT. We

will be able to STOP letting fear control us, and START speaking

the Truth in our hearts. We will be able to obey this necessary

first step God gives for finding Him in the impossible situation.

     So, in conclusion, how do we "fear not."? Well, we "fear not,"

by...........fearing not! In other words, we must eventually take a stand

against the fear which would otherwise control us and refuse to

any longer be moved by it. WE have to do this. God will show us

the Truth about all of this, but in the final analysis, we have to make

the choice to "fear not." God would not command us to "fear not,"

if the choice wasn't up to us.

True Freedom

     We've all heard the expression, "Let a sleeping dog lie." The

idea is that as long as you don't address a problem, it can't hurt

you. But if you disturb it, then you will have to contend with it, and

possibly be hurt by it. So let it alone.

     God doesn't work that way. Indeed, rather than "let a sleeping

dog lie," He walks up to the dog and kicks it in the teeth. And if we

will simply go through these things with Him, we will be set free from

the dog!

     Why continually step over a "sleeping dog?" Why should we go

around him, and continually arrange our entire lives so as to not

disturb him? Would it not be better for him to be gone altogether?

     Thus it is with fear. God sees to it that fear is exposed in our

lives so that we can be set free from the power of it's grip forever.

He uses trials and impossible situations to accomplish this work.

Through them, we do see our complete inability to overcome and

prevail. But we see that the victory over Christ is already finished,

and that God knew it all the time!

     The result? We come to less and less rely upon ourselves, and

to more and more rely upon God. And THAT always breaks the

power of fear -- to realize that it doesn't depend on me. The trials of

the impossible show the faithfulness of God in a way which we could

not see and experience any other way. They are therefore

something for which we should be thankful.

Standing Still

     The first thing which God said to the children of Israel was "Fear

not." He said this to them in the midst of a terrible crisis which HE

Himself had created. He wanted them to get their eyes off of

Pharoah, and to make the choice to BELIEVE HIM. Then, and

only then, were they -- and we -- able to go to the next step. That

next step is STAND STILL.

     The ability to "stand still" is the direct result of "fearing not." You

cannot "stand still" if you are afraid -- in the spiritual sense. Instead,

you will be fragmented, on the wrong basis, and operating from the

irrational. "Standing still" means to BELIEVE, and to refuse to move

from that faith -- despite all that would come against it.

     Note again the words of the Lord to Israel in Exodus 14:

And Moses said unto the people, Fear not, STAND STILL, and see

the salvation of the LORD, which He will show to you to day. For the

Egyptians whom you have seen today, ye shall see them again no

more forever. The LORD shall fight for you, and you shall hold your

peace.

     Now ask: How much did God require Israel to do to save

themselves? Zero. Israel was not required to turn and fight

Pharoah. In fact, Israel was not even told to make a deliverance

for themselves away from Pharoah. All God said to Israel was,

"Stand still....the Lord shall fight for you and you shall hold your

peace."

     God is, in type, showing us something here. We see it more

clearly once we remember that Pharoah is a "type" of our flesh;

of our "old man in Adam." And this Truth fits perfectly into all of the

New Testament teaching on the subject. That Truth is this: We

ARE dead to sin. Period. But now we must BELIEVE -- and then

live out our obedience through works and overcoming.

Pharoah is Coming

     The command to "fear not" was a command to believe. The

command to "stand still" is a command to STAND in that same faith

against all that would come against it -- and try to get us to move

away from faith. Pharoah was coming against the faith of Israel.

And we have our own personal Pharoahs; our own personal

aspects of the old man. "He" comes against our faith.

     Herein we see the battle. It is not to win the victory. No. Egypt

and Pharoah are defeated. We ARE delivered. The battle is to

BELIEVE and STAND in our faith against what seems to be a

contradiction to that. Pharoah is coming. God is letting him. In

fact, God saw to it. Who will we believe -- God, or what our eyes,

ears, and emotions, and fears tell us?

     Overcoming is never accomplished by turning and fighting an

enemy which God tells us is already defeated. No. It is done by

standing in His victory and refusing to move. And that will take

plenty of warfare. But again -- it is not a battle to TAKE territory.

Rather, it is a battle to HOLD territory, and to expand our actual

possession of it by experience.

     Note again: The victory IS won. It IS finished. But now we must,

by faith, stand still IN that victory.

     This is typified all through this story of Israel's deliverance.

Israel, if we remember, was actually delivered from Egypt on

Passover night, followed by the next morning. That deliverance

was finished. There were as free as free could be.

     Israel's deliverance from Egypt through Passover and the next

morning corresponds to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

On that first Passover, all the first born of Egypt were slain. Thus,

all of the "generations" of Egypt were totally cut-off. Not one first

born, to which all inheritance would have been passed, survived.

This is clearly typical of the fact that through the death of the old

Adamic creation IN Jesus Christ, the old creation's power over us

was cut-off forever.

     Now note: That first Passover night, Israel was delivered. They

actually walked out of Egypt into a new life of freedom the next

morning -- it was a very real resurrection unto newness of life. At

THAT point their deliverance was a finished reality. They could

not have been more free. God said so. And it did not matter what

Pharoah thought about it, or intended to do. It mattered only what

God said.

     There was, however, still a problem. Israel was completely

delivered out of Egypt. But unfortunately, Egypt was still IN Israel.

In other words, Israel still had a lot to learn as to what it meant to

be free. They still had a lot to learn about God.

     The same goes for us. We are totally delivered from the realm

of sin and darkness by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It IS finished. But we do NOT really understand what this new life of

freedom is all about. Why? Because we have never lived it before.

It is new territory. All we know is the OLD -- with the patterns of

slavery and bondage. Thus, we barely get around the corner in our

new walk -- and what happens? Pharoah comes after us! The old

man in Adam tries to re-capture us. He tries to exercise his prior

authority over us and bring us back into slavery.

     Now note something vital to see in this. We MUST see this or

we will miss the point. We ARE delivered from Egypt. Pharoah

has NO power over us. NONE. In Jesus Christ, the power of the

old man of sin is broken. BUT -- and this is the point -- sometimes

it won't seem like it. "Our Pharoah" will seem to pursue us. He will,

as it were, continue to ACT as if he has power over us. Our flesh,

our emotions, and our intellect, will LIE to us -- and try to get us to

fall back into a position of slavery.

     We have to get it settled: Flesh won't behave. And God never

tells us that the flesh is dead. NO. He says that we are dead to the

flesh. In other words, the flesh is capable of doing what it has

always done. But we no longer have to obey it. Because of Christ,

we are free. But if we don't believe this, or worse, don't want to

be free of the flesh, then our freedom won't do us much good. We

might as well BE a slave if we are going to continue acting like one.

Discouragement

     Imagine what it must have seemed like to Israel. All that God had

done to deliver them, and to bring them to this place by the Red

Sea. But then, in a moment, all of it seemed futile. Pharoah was

coming down on them. He wasn't defeated after all. He was alive

and well. They were still his slaves despite it all -- they must have

surely feared.

     Such an experience can be discouraging if we really don't

understand what is going on. We may even say to God exactly

what Israel said:

Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to

die in the wilderness? Why have You dealt with us this way, to carry

us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we spoke to you in

Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it

had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should

die in the wilderness? (Ex. 14:11-12)

     Israel expected deliverance and a new life in the promised land.

THAT is what God promised them -- right? But what they got was a

terrifying impossible situation. To them this didn't make sense.

They felt like they were better off back in Egypt where they at least

knew the rules, were alive, and did not have to contend with this kind

of trial.

     As we progress in the Christian life, we are going to have to face

trials and difficulties which we would never have to face "in Egypt."

Sure, unsaved people have plenty of problems. But they aren't

even in an arena where they think about things like FAITH, the

FLESH, or STANDING STILL. These things are spiritual and can

be terribly difficult issues with which to deal. As Christians we face

issues within ourselves having to do with spiritual growth that we

never would even know about if we hadn't believed God and

become saved. There is a temptation, therefore, when we get into

these situations which make us face these issues, to say to God,

"You know, I almost feel like I was better off before I was saved. I

was dumb and didn't know it. I never had to face these terrible

trials of faith."

     Delivered from Egypt? Free from slavery? Free from Pharoah?

It sure doesn't seem like it sometimes. It didn't seem like it at all for

Israel. Why does God let things like this happen? If we are

delivered, why does He allow Pharoah -- our Pharoah -- to come

after us?

See Salvation

     So often, those things in our Christian walk, which we think surely

must be oversights by God -- which cannot be His will -- end up

being exactly that. We end up finding that God not only had things

fully under His control, but it was actually God who saw to it that we

were in the impossible situation in the first place. God not only knew

we would have no way out of our trial, but He also knew our old man

would pursue us.

     Why would God allow such a thing? Aren't we delivered? Aren't

we set free from the power of the flesh by the Blood of Christ?

Yes, totally free. But we aren't set free from the PRESENCE of

the flesh. We still live in a body which is subject to all of our old

patterns and habits -- those we learned from birth, in our Egypt.

Therefore, God creates situations where we are forced to face

them! Why? For the purpose of overcoming them.

     What good is freedom if we never believe we are free? What

good is freedom if we never act like we are free? What good is

freedom from sin if we continue acting like sin has power over us?

     Not much good at all. Therefore, we must EXPERIENCE our

freedom and begin walking in it. And the only way this can come

to pass is if God creates situations wherein we might learn to face

the flesh and overcome it through Christ. Then our freedom will be

real and experienced, not just so "far off" fact that never seems real.

     So God brings us to the Red Sea. He sees to it that we come to

the place where we face the impossible. We come to where we

KNOW we cannot deliver ourselves. We come to the place where

the flesh is bearing down on us and there seems to be no escape.

Perhaps our attitudes, our actions, our emotions, and our thinking,

all seem so empty and unholy. We cannot find deliverance, and

maybe we cannot even seem to find God.

     What would God say to us? Exactly what He said to Israel. He

would say, "Fear not and stand still. And you will see the salvation

of the Lord." In other words, BELIEVE and stand still IN the faith of

Jesus Christ. And if you do, you will SEE the salvation God has

given you brought to pass in your experience. You will SEE

Pharoah and all of his hosts brought down. You will SEE with your

eyes what God has told you is already true: You are free.

     When God said, "And you will SEE the salvation of the Lord," He

was not saying that He was about to GIVE them salvation. No. He

gave them that already, on Passover night. Rather, they were

about to SEE the salvation which they already had! It was about to

be made manifest.

     In our experience, we already possess full victory in Jesus

Christ over all sin and death. The flesh, as earlier mentioned, has

NO power over us. But it acts like it does. It lies to us all the time,

and will not behave like a defeated enemy. This makes it difficult

for us to believe, let alone to obey and refuse the power of the

flesh. Therefore, God puts us in the position of the impossible

situation, so that we might SEE that the salvation He has wrought

in us is real. It is there that if we stand still, we shall SEE the

salvation of Jesus Christ come forth in us.

     So we see that the impossible situation is really God's way of

making articulate and real that which is already ours by faith. When

God is in the process of doing this, things can be scary. But if we

will obey God -- fear not and stand still -- we shall SEE. We shall

not only SEE it "out there" in our lives, but we shall SEE it within.

Strength In Weakness

     Of course, it would be easy to assume at this point that what God

wants is to somehow make us strong enough to overcome the flesh.

Most of us are so used to trying to overcome the flesh through the

power of the flesh that somehow we cannot shake the notion that

God's way is totally different. The fact is, God has not put us in the

impossible situation so that we will become spiritual giants, able to

defeat Pharoah. No. He has put us there so that we will be reduced

and depleted, and come to see that we have NO strength at all.

It would seem to be the only way that we will finally throw up our

hands and embrace the finished victory. It would seem to be the

only way we will stand still and see the salvation of the Lord -- rather

than keep on trying to do for ourselves what Christ has already

done.

     The impossible situation is geared to putting ME to death -- so

that the life of Christ may come forth. And God will use Pharoah or

anything else He chooses to push us to this point. God has not

brought us to the Red Sea for nothing. We are going to have to

pass through it -- and be "buried." That will mean the end of

something in us.

     We can never even get to this point, however, unless we STAND

STILL. We must stand in faith against all that would make us scatter.

Otherwise, we will not be in the moral position to make our way to

the other side when God parts the Red Sea.

Standing by Faith

     "Standing by faith" is a spiritual position which is found all through

the Bible. Men and women of God were given a promise or a Word

of the Lord, and they chose to believe it. Then came the opposition

and the contradiction to what God had said. It is at that point that

they -- and of course, US -- must STAND STILL by faith on the

Word of God.

     Embodied in this idea of STAND STILL is endurance. It is the

place that, having believed, our faith is tried, and if we stand, is

made strong.

     Here again we see that opposition results in overcoming. God

puts us in a fearful situation and tells us to "fear not." Then once we

"fear not," He tells us to STAND STILL. But then what? Then comes

all kinds of things to get us to MOVE! It is when we STAND STILL

against all that would seek to move us that we are made strong. It

is through our standing that God is able to do a great work in us.

We see this need to stand most profoundly stated in Paul's

letter to the Ephesians:

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His

might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to

STAND against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against

flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against

the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness

in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God,

that ye may be able to withSTAND in the evil day, and having done

all, to STAND. STAND therefore, having your loins girt about with

truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet

shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking

the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery

darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword

of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer

and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all

perseverance and supplication for all saints. (Eph. 6:10-18)

     The picture here is one of possessing a FINISHED VICTORY,

and STANDING in it. It is NOT one of trying to win a victory. Even

the "wrestling" that Paul mentions here is not a wrestling to win

ground from the enemy. It is wrestling to HOLD ground. It is just

another way of STANDING and refusing to give away what God

has given us in Christ Jesus.

     The command to STAND STILL is reflective of the fact that

there is a finished victory in Jesus Christ. Otherwise, what would

there be to stand IN? Nothing. You cannot stand and withstand

unless you are defending -- unless there is a position from which

to defend. This shows that the believers position is not one of

trying to attack the enemy, or one of trying to fight our way into the

victory of Jesus Christ. No. We already possess the victory. We

must believe that, and then STAND in it against all that would come

and try to get us to move.

     When will we finally believe that IT IS FINISHED? Sometimes it

seems that no matter how many ways God tells us that the victory

is finished, that we still don't get it. We continue to try to finish it,

whether it be through our works, or through some attack we try to

launch upon the enemy. But no. The victory is finished. There is

no victory which Jesus Christ left for US to win. There is only the

victory -- His victory -- we are told to BELIEVE.

     This tells us something about the nature of all spiritual warfare.

It tells us where the real battle is fought. The fight of faith is not

to WIN the victory. THAT is finished. The fight of faith is to STAND

IN the finished victory.

     If we don't understand anything else about faith we must get this.

We are not called to win the victory by faith. We are not. We are

called to stand by faith IN the finished victory already won by Jesus

Christ. THAT is the battle: To STAND STILL, by faith, and refuse to

be moved, from what Jesus Christ has done. If we do, then we shall

SEE salvation. But if we don't -- then sadly -- we won't.

Practicalities

     Many of the spiritual problems -- problems with our faith -- that we

have in our Christian walk go back to one problem: We have not

seen, or we will not believe, that IT IS FINISHED. Thus, we are still

trying to finish it. Or, we are still trying to get God to finish what He

has already finished. The result is confusion at best, but usually

defeat. Afterall, if we don't believe it is finished, then how can we

ever come to walk in the victory?

     But wait. Let's step back a moment. Let's ask: WHAT is

finished? If we are to "stand still," WHAT are we to "stand still" IN?

Some of us don't even understand that.

     What is finished through the victory of Christ is everything that is

necessary for your salvation. That is the beginning, to be sure. But

most of us make the mistake of thinking that once we get salvation

out of the way that the "rules" change. In other words, sure, God

saves us by His grace because Christ won that victory over death.

But once saved, we forget what saved us, and grace is out the

window. We then proceed to try to develope a relationship with

God on a works basis. This is, of course, a receipe for disaster.

     The fact is, if you are saved by grace, you are living IN grace.

You are in the process of experiencing salvation. Salvation is

not merely some "classification" God pastes on us. It is a new

birth with a new life. Thus, the Christian walk is a walk IN salvation,

in grace, and in the love of God.

     What this means is that you do not enter into salvation through

the total forgiveness of God, only to pop in and out of forgiveness

once you are saved. If you are a Christian, you ARE forgiven

forever. Nothing you do can change that -- although you certainly

must believe it or it will do you little good.

     Likewise, if you are in Jesus Christ, there is NO condemnation

for you. This isn't the case only if you obey God. It is the case

EVEN when you sin. And if there is NO condemnation, then there is

no unforgiveness. The two always go together.

     Also, there is absolutely nothing between Christians and God.

God has, in Christ, reconciled us back to Himself. We enter into

this reconciliation at salvation and nothing can change it. Our

works do not chase God away.

     All of these things are finished through Christ. God is essentially

DONE working on them. There is nothing to add to them, and

nothing can subtract from them. Not our works and not our sin.

They are eternally in place -- and will remain so even if not a single

person ever believes or receives them. BUT -- and this is the

whole point -- we will not benefit from them or experience them

unless we BELIEVE. And then, having believed, we must STAND

To be continued