God-Who Are You, and What Do You Want from Me?
Study Course
A new lesson is posted each Friday morning
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Lesson 14 - God Wants You to Know Him as Your Protector
You can go to a car dealer and buy a car that will get you where you want to go, as well as offer you a certain degree of protection when disaster strikes. A friend of mine bought his wife a very large SUV with a huge metal bumper on the front. His logic was that he wanted something she could hit back with to keep her safe. While she probably would rather have a stylish sports car, she definitely felt much safer in the SUV.
You can go through life getting from one situation to another with a relative degree of safety, but when the serious attacks from the enemy, Satan, come one after another, you need something much stronger than your own strength or will-power.
Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
A buckler is a smaller shield, usually up to eighteen inches in diameter, and is used against the enemy in close, hand-to-hand combat.
Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield;
A shield is much larger than a buckler, and is used to defend against airborne attacks from arrows, etc. While a shield is much too large and awkward for close hand-to-hand combat, and a buckler is much too small for things coming through the air, when they are used in combination, they provide an almost perfect defense.
Psalm 35:1-2 Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me. (2) Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help.
What is the picture you see here? It is God who is our Protector both in the large attacks and wars, as well as in the small battles. God is truly able to defend you in any situation you may find yourself in physically, mentally, or spiritually. As you read through the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, you will see time and time again where God delivered the nation of Israel as well as individuals from impossible situations. God never changes, and still is the Protector of His children.
In the book of Exodus, Moses who was God’s appointed leader of the nation of Israel at that time was given the ability to bring the nation of Israel out from under Egyptian slavery. As they left Egypt, the Red Sea was in front of them, and the king of Egypt was closing in behind them to bring them back. There was absolutely nothing Moses could do. They were surrounded on every side with the Red Sea or the army.
Moses prayed to God for His deliverance, and God did the thing that only He could do. He parted the Red Sea. The Israelites went across on dry ground. When the army attempted to follow them, God did another miraculous thing. He removed the wheels from their chariots while they were in the middle of crossing. When Moses and those with him reached the other side safely, God closed up to sea and the Egyptians were no more. You can read about the entire event in Exodus 14.
God was their Protector in that instance, as well as throughout the Bible. But what was the one thing that Moses needed to do to put God’s Protecting power into action to save them from destruction? Did Moses need to pray a certain prayer? Did he need to somehow convince God that they needed His help? What did God tell Moses to do to be able to see His hand of deliverance? The Israelites were ready to kill Moses and surrender to the Egyptian king, Pharaoh. What made the difference?
Exodus 14:13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
There are three things God wanted Moses and the people to realize before He displayed His protecting power. First, God did not want them to fear. Fear is the opposite of faith. Consider how fear caused the Israelites to act irrationally.
Exodus 14:10-12 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. (11) And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? (12) Is not this the word that we did tell thee 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.
They were actually considering surrendering to Pharaoh and returning to captivity. Fear will get your mind considering things that go against God and His plan. As you read through Exodus 14 you see the plan of God miraculously unfold, but they would not have known what God could or would do for them had they allowed their fear to control them.
The second things God had Moses tell them was to stand still. We are a people who do not like to stand still. It is extremely difficult for me to just wait when something needs to happen, and I am certain I am not the only one who has that problem. Many times, when God wants you to simply stand still (wait) Satan will give you all kinds of thoughts. He will suggest that maybe God didn’t hear you and that you need to keep begging Him for His help. Satan will suggest that since you have done some really bad stuff that you need to make all kind of promises to God if He will just get you out of “this one.” Of course, you have very little intention on keeping any of the promises once the crisis is over, and God knows that. Satan will remind you that something needs to be done now, so you need to take things into your own hands, and run ahead of God. Every time you do, of course, the situation just gets worse.
Why did God tell Moses to direct the people to stand still when the enemy was closing in? Did God need to fine tune His plan, and needed a little more time? Did God want the people to “sweat” just a little longer? Absolutely not. God’s plan is complete, and He knew exactly what He was going to do. When He told the people to stand still it was a demonstration of their faith and trust in God to deliver them from Pharaoh. Commanding them to stand still and wait also showed them their own weakness and helplessness apart from God.
The third thing God told the people was to “see the salvation of the Lord.” God wanted them to know without a doubt that their deliverance came entirely from Him, and not one bit from anything they did themselves. There was little doubt that their deliverance was from God when the Red Sea parted, and the people walked across it on dry ground (Exodus 14:22). Moses could never have done that or even came close to having a plan to rescue them from the enemy, but God did. All they needed to do was to fear not, stand still, and “see” or realize that it was God who was working.
That was really cool what God did for them back then, but how does that effect my day-to-day life today? I have issues and crisis's almost constantly, and God has never done something that spectacular for me. In fact, most of the time I’m not sure He even hears me when I call out for help.
There was a man who was at home when the river he lived next to flooded. He wanted to stay in his house, but knew if he was going to survive, he needed to get to higher ground. As the flood waters rose, he found himself on the roof of the house praying for God to rescue him. It wasn’t long before a guy came by in a small boat, and wanted the man to get in. He told the man in the boat no, that he was waiting for God to rescue him, and the boat driver left. As the waters kept rising, he moved higher and higher up the roof. Then a rescue boat from the fire department came along and told him to get in. Again, he said no, that he was waiting on God to rescue him. Soon he was on the very peak of the roof and the water was still rising. A helicopter was hovering right above him and tossed down a rope for him to grab. He refused, sure that God would rescue him. Eventually, the waters became too much, and he was swept away and drowned. As he was entering heaven, he asked God why He didn’t rescue him. God replied, “I sent you two boats and a helicopter. What more did you want?”
While that is just a story, it illustrates how we act towards the things God sends our way. We are so set on what we think God should do, that we miss what He is actually doing. We get our focus on the fear that Satan is trying to put into our minds, that we cannot see how God is actually working on our situation. Notice that the first thing Moses mentioned to the people from God was that they were not to fear. When you fear something, everything else that is the actual truth becomes distorted. Since your thoughts govern your actions, when you think fearful things, your actions will show it by being wrong. For instance, you may be fearful about not having any friends. If you allow that fear to control you, you will make friends with anyone who comes along regardless of their standards.
Fear is a God-given emotion you have been given to protect you from harmful situations. However, when you are tempted to fear the things that God has designed to help you, not hurt you, you will reject God’s working in your life for what you feel is right. Life, if it is to be successful, must not be based upon fear, but rather on the truth God gives.
When fear is the controlling factor in your life, your actions are all over the place. You will make wrong decisions that could impact the rest of your life. For instance, the fear of not having friends can drive you to be accepted by those who have made poor choices. To be accepted with them, you must also accept their poor choices for yourself. If they smoke cigarettes, you think you must smoke to be accepted by them, and show them you are as good or bad as they are. Fast forward fifty years, and you are laying in a hospital bed dying from lung cancer, gasping for any breath of air you can get. Not one of those “friends’ that you compromised your standards for is there to help comfort you. Out of fear, you allowed yourself to choose what would eventually cut your life short.
Instead of fearing, God says to “stand still.” That certainly does not mean you we are to be frozen in place, but that you are to wait upon the Lord. Don’t do anything that would compromise God’s Word; just wait. Notice that God never tells you how long you should wait, but it is very clear that you are to wait until God shows you plainly what you are to do. Just like the guy on the roof in the story, God plainly showed him His plan for rescue three times, but he had some preconceived idea of how God was going to accomplish it, so he missed God’s marvelous plan. When you go rushing off to “help God out” with His plan in your life because what you are going through is uncomfortable, you will make many mistakes that will delay what God is trying to accomplish in you.
God works on your heart from the inside. Often instead of just solving the issue you are dealing with at the moment as you have asked Him to do, He will work on your thoughts and your attitude to be able to adjust your actions based upon knowledge and convictions, instead of circumstances and impulses. The way He often does that is by allowing you to experience even greater challenges, so you realize what needs to be changed in your life to get the results He wants for you.
The third thing God told Moses to tell the people was to “see the salvation of the Lord.” The word “salvation” means “deliverance.” As God is working in your life, it can be a difficult thing to experience, and you will tend to complain even more, and many times to God Himself. The problem with complaining is that you are focused on yourself, and what you are going through, instead of seeing the big picture of what God is doing. It is difficult to realize that God has a plan of deliverance from your situation when you are experiencing even greater problems. When you cannot see the end, you must trust that God is in control, and that His plan for you is for your best. I have driven into many tunnels in the mountains without being able to see the light at the end. Why would I go seventy miles per hour into a tunnel where there is absolutely no stopping or escape without seeing that the other end is open for me to exit? Faith! I place my faith in the people who built the tunnel to have completed it, and when I get to the end, I will be able to get out of it. When you are going through a “tunnel” in your life, and God has not shown you the light at the other end, trust Him to have completed it, and that you will have a safe exit at the end.
God wants to be your Protector, but you must be willing to allow Him to be. God will never force Himself upon you because He has created you with a free-will. You always have a choice as to what you allow Him to do in your life. If I were walking down a dark alley in a really bad neighborhood at two o’clock in the morning, I would much rather have the biggest, strongest, wisest, most powerful one walking with me than someone who is just as scared and defenseless as I am. Wouldn’t you? The very best Protector to have walking with you through life is the One who created all things, understands all things, controls all things, and knows the beginning from the end.
Lesson 14-
1. God is truly able to D______ you in any situation you may find yourself in P__________, M________, or S___________.
2. Since your T________ govern you’re A_______, when you think F_______ things, your actions will show it by being W______.
3. Fear is the O________ of faith.
4. Satan will remind you that something needs to be done N___, so you need to take things into your own hands, and run A_____ of God.
5. Fear will get your M_____ considering things that go A______ God and His plan.
6. When you go rushing off to “H____ God O___” with His plan in your life because what you are going through is uncomfortable, you will make many M________ that will delay what God is trying to accomplish in you.
7. Many times, when God wants you to simply S_____ S_____ (wait) Satan will give you all kinds of thoughts.
8. There was little doubt that their D___________was from God when the Red Sea parted, and the people walked across it on D___ G_______.
9. The fear of not having F_______can drive you to be accepted by those who have made poor C_______.
10. Fear not, S_____ S_____, and “see” or realize that it is G___ who is working.
11. God never tells you how L____ you should wait, but it is very clear that you are to wait until God shows you P_______ what you are to do.
12. We are so set on what we think God should do, that we M____ what He is A________ doing.
13. We get our focus on the F____ that Satan is trying to put into our minds, that we cannot see how God is A_________ working on our situation.
14. You will not know what God could or would do for you if you allow your F____ to C______ you.
15. When you fear something, everything else that is the actual T_____ becomes D_________.
16. Fear is a God-given emotion you have been given to P_______ you from harmful situations.
17. God did not want the Israelites to F____.
18. Life, if it is to be successful, must not be based upon F____, but rather on the T_____God gives.
19. God never C_______, and still is the P_________ of His children.
20. Instead of fearing, God says to “S_____ S_____,” which means you are to W____ upon the Lord.