Leading The Way - Week of April 26
Faith in the Battle
By Michael Youssef, Ph.D.
Read Exodus 14:10-18.
Fear is the great enemy of faith, and it almost brought about the destruction of God’s people. After God had rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, they found themselves with their backs to the Red Sea, facing the mighty chariots of Egypt. They were trapped, seemingly with no way out. In their fear, they cried out to Moses, saying, “Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’?” (Exodus 14:12).
When faced with an impossible situation, the Israelites didn’t remember the Nile turning to blood, the frogs, the hailstones, the death of the firstborn, or any of the other miraculous works of God, who had powerfully worked on their behalf. Instead, their first thought was to return to Egypt. But God told His people to move forward, not backward—and He parted the Red Sea to make a way for them. There truly is no such thing as an impossible situation in God’s sight.
How many times has God wanted you to move forward, but instead you listened to your fears and went back? Faith requires that we move forward. Faith means taking risks. Faith is moving out of our comfort zone. In the Christian life, standing still is an impossibility, for faith is a climb. We’re either going forward in faith or we’re going backward in fear.
Prayer: God, help me to trust in You—to exercise and develop my faith even in the toughest circumstances. I know You are sovereign and that You are love. I believe Your promise to work all things for my good, but help my unbelief, Lord. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
“As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD” (Exodus 14:10).
Learn more in Dr. Michael Youssef’s sermon Treasure That Lasts: Giving Up Gold for Glory, Part 8: LISTEN NOW
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