Watch God Move Part II
Download MP3Welcome to a place of peace, hope, and divine encouragement. This is Joy In Every Step with your host, beloved preacher, retired teacher, and faithful servant of the Lord, Sarita Bernadette. Each week, Sarita shares heartfelt messages rooted in the Word of God, filled with wisdom, joy, and the gentle reminder that God cares deeply for you. Whether you're walking through the valleys or dancing on the mountaintops, Sarita's voice will guide you back to his promises step by step. So open your heart, settle your spirit, and take the next step in faith with Joy In Every Step.
Sarita Bernadette:Hi, I'm Sarita Bernadette and welcome back to another episode of Joy In Every Step. I'm so glad you're here. Last week we shared some thoughts on the topic Watch God Move. Our focus was the fact that God fights battles for believers. We have peace and protection and victory over life's challenges when we allow the Lord to fight for us.
Sarita Bernadette:One of the scriptures we shared is found in Exodus 14 verses 13 to 14. And for context, you might recall that this is after the Israelites have left Egypt and Moses is reassuring them as they stand trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh's army. I'm reading from the NLT this time. But Moses told the people, don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today.
Sarita Bernadette:The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm. See, that's not passivity, is it? It's it's not inactivity.
Sarita Bernadette:It's faith in action is what we said. And that's a state of mind. That's a state of mind. It requires us to let go of the need to control the outcome of a situation. Just stay calm is what that scripture says.
Sarita Bernadette:Faith is action, requires us to surrender, surrender to God's will and it also requires that we do something. That sounds a little confusing. Right? I was led to come back to dig into this very important question. What does God will fight our battles really mean?
Sarita Bernadette:The Bible is clear about the fact that there will be trouble in our lives. We will at times find ourselves on the battlefield. Many of us would need only a moment to recall a hard fought victory and we probably wouldn't have to look back far, right? God promises to take care of us by supplying all of our needs from his glorious riches which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. He promises to give us hope and a future.
Sarita Bernadette:He promises that nothing will ever separate us from his love. That's powerful. Beloved, I say this weekly, God is sovereign. He watches over us and that means when trouble arises, we must hold fast to the promises. We don't get to avoid the battles.
Sarita Bernadette:The word says in second Timothy three and twelve, yes and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. The word also tells us the suffering is purposeful. Remember that part. Romans five verses three through four, suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope. As we endure trials, we're made stronger.
Sarita Bernadette:The struggles help us work towards spiritual maturity and over time as our character is proven, we develop a confident, unshakable hope in the love of God. Has anybody ever come through something and when you're on the other side, you know it was the hand of God and that he loves you without a doubt. Yes, some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. That's Psalm twenty and seven. So in the Bible, when God tells his people to stand still, most famously in that verse that I read, Exodus 14 verses 13 through 14, they're at the Red Sea, and he's not calling the people to do nothing.
Sarita Bernadette:In actuality, standing still is a proactive spiritual posture that means we stop striving, we stop working so hard, we stop panicking when things get rough, we stop trying to hurry and solve difficult problems on our own. And that leads to the next point. We must patiently wait for the Lord to work on our behalf. That's important. God's timing is different from ours.
Sarita Bernadette:It's perfect. God's timing is more deliberate because it's connected to his divine purpose for our lives. Our human desires become unimportant as he builds our character and ultimately our trust in him. Father knows best. For my thoughts are not your thoughts nor are your ways my ways says the Lord.
Sarita Bernadette:For as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Our human understanding cannot touch God's wisdom. His understanding is infinite, ours is limited. God sees the whole picture. Next is surrendering the need for control.
Sarita Bernadette:In one of the early episodes of this podcast, I shared the story of Gideon and his army. It can be found in the seventh chapter of Judges. Gideon's army was originally 32,000 men and God narrowed that number down to 300 by first removing those who were afraid and then by a water lapping test. He did that to ensure victory was credited to him rather than human strength. The small group of men defeated a huge Midian army Midianite army.
Sarita Bernadette:One of the lessons in this story involves surrender. Gideon had to be willing to allow God into that place in him that was filled with distrust, insecurity, anxiety, and fear. I'm gonna read that again. Gideon had to be willing to allow God into the place in him that was filled with distrust, insecurity, anxiety, and fear. He had to be willing to put it all in God's hands and trust that he would handle the battle.
Sarita Bernadette:Once he did that he was able to watch God move. Lastly, standing still requires that we move from fear to faith, not a conflict. We're making a choice. We make the choice to believe in God's promise that he will fight for us. Psalm 56 verses three and four.
Sarita Bernadette:But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God. So why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?
Sarita Bernadette:Beloved, it's a conscious decision to anchor our faith in God's promises rather than give in to fear and anxiety or even threats from other human beings. That brings me to Peter. Oh Peter. In acts 12 Peter, one of the disciples, was arrested and jailed for belonging to the church. He was thrown in jail and four squads of four soldiers were assigned to guard him.
Sarita Bernadette:Yes, that's 16. 16 on one. Makes you wonder if Herod who had assigned these soldiers had some thoughts about the power of the early church. Almost sounds like he was afraid of divine intervention or something. Anyhoo, Herod's intention was to hold him in prison until after the Passover and then hold a public trial.
Sarita Bernadette:Let's walk through this story and beloved, watch God as he fights the battle on Peter's behalf. Watch God move. Acts 12, rather, Acts 12 starting at verse five. While Peter was kept in prison, the church prayed fervently to God for him. The church is praying for him beloved James five and sixteen reminds us the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
Sarita Bernadette:On to verse six, the very night before Herod was going to bring him out Peter bound with two chains was sleeping between two soldiers while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him saying get up quickly and the chains fell off his wrists. The angel said to him, fasten your belt and put on your sandals. He did so.
Sarita Bernadette:Then he said to him, wrap your cloak around you and follow me. So Peter went to sleep between the guards. That is not lost on me beloved. Peter was asleep. No anxiety, no fear, he wasn't wide awake, worrying, he wasn't worried about his fate.
Sarita Bernadette:And when told to get up, he moves. Peter moves as as as God through these angels instructs. He does what he is told to do quickly. Verse nine, Peter went out and followed him. He did not realize that what was happening with the angel's help was real.
Sarita Bernadette:He thought he was seeing a vision. So Peter was probably in shock, beloved. It's all happening so fast here that he he can't process in the moment. Has that ever happened to anyone else listening? It has happened to me.
Sarita Bernadette:I've prayed fervently about a situation, had other believers praying for me, and God began to move, and and I could hardly believe it. I could hardly take it all in. So that's what happened to Peter. Peter thought he was dreaming. Verse 10, after they had passed the first and second guard, they came before the iron gate leading into the city.
Sarita Bernadette:It opened for them of its own accord and they went outside and walked along a lane when suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hands of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting. Once freed, Peter realized what the Lord had done. Notice he says, I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hands of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting. He said I know it was the Lord.
Sarita Bernadette:The Lord rescued me. Beloved, there are times that things happen in such a way that you know it could only be the Lord. Verse 12, as soon as he realized this he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark where many had gathered and were praying. His community was still gathered together praying. Beloved, get you some people who will pray you out of whatever you're going through.
Sarita Bernadette:Verse 13, when he knocked at the outer gate, a maid named Rhoda came to answer. On recognizing Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that instead of opening the gate, she ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, you are out of your mind, but she insisted that it was so. They said, it is his angel. The people who've been praying on Peter's behalf cannot believe this news.
Sarita Bernadette:I've said many times we should pray with such a sense of expectation that we're not surprised when God fights for us and wins. We shouldn't be so shocked when he comes through. Back to acts 12 verse 16, meanwhile Peter continued knocking and when they opened the door when they opened the gate rather they saw him and were amazed. He motioned to them with his hand to be silent and he described for them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison and he added tell this to James and to the brothers and sisters then he left and went to another place. Peter quiets the group and gives his testimony.
Sarita Bernadette:Oh beloved sharing what the Lord has done for us draws others to the kingdom. Verse 18, when morning came there was no small commotion among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. When Herod had searched for him and could not find him he examined the guards and ordered them to be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. So according to Roman law guards responsible for a prisoner's escape were given the same punishment that the prisoner was supposed to receive.
Sarita Bernadette:The guards were pronounced negligent or complicit and so they were executed. And note the last detail here, this miracle, this move of God so frustrated and humiliated the king that he left Jerusalem. Psalm sixty two and eleven God has spoken plainly and I have heard it many times power o God belongs to you believe this friends certain people may have influence and strength here on earth but power belongs to God. He moves in amazing ways. Beloved pray with intention and wait with expectation and in obedient preparation.
Sarita Bernadette:Watch God move. He's faithful. You've been listening to Joy In Every Step. I'm Sarita Bernadette and I'm grateful you chose to spend some time here with me. Feel free to share this episode with someone you know would appreciate it.
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