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And Moses said to the people, Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.' Exodus 14:12-13

So, we just had Christmas. Did you get anything new?

New things are fun, at least for most people. The novelty of it hasn't worn off. It hasn't gotten any dings or scratches yet. It's new! It's fun! But there's one thing about new things-

you have to leave the old behind, and this is not always as easy or fun.

Consider a marriage-it's the start of something new, but it's also the ending of your single life. No more single life; you can't go back that way anymore. Or how about having a baby? That's amazing, but it is rarely easy, and not all of it is fun (labor pains and sleepless nights, anyone?). Or how about the death of a loved one? Boy, that always brings a new reality for us, but none of us have fun with that transition.

New things come at the cost of the old and we need look no further than Israel's exodus from Egypt to prove it. In an incredible story, Israel had just witnessed the ten plagues that God sent on Egypt-a raw demonstration of His power and the reality of His intent for them. Then the Lord Himself shows up to lead them out of the country, taking the form of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. In this appearance, He never left them, remaining as a continual, physical, right-before-their-eyes demonstration that He was with them and for them.

But when they came to the Red Sea and became trapped by Pharaoh's chariot army, they panicked, complained, and longed for their old life. Moses stood firm. He told them that they really had left the old, and that the new was bearing down upon them.

At God's direction, Moses raised his staff and the Red Sea parted. God Himself held back the Egyptians until Israel had finished crossing, and then released them to find their doom as the Sea came crashing back together. Israel crossed over the old into the new, forever leaving the old behind. Paul teaches us the same thing, saying that old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

This means that, if you believe in Jesus, the old is gone. Have you let go of your old life and truly received your new one in Christ? I'm telling you, this new life is the original and best Christmas gift ever.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You for leading me into my new life! I choose today to leave my old life behind and fully embrace my new life in You, but I need Your help. Please show me what it means to live in the new life You have given me!

Amen

This Changes Everything

Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. Luke 24:49

Who is doing the work in your life? As you go through each day, do you find that it takes all your strength to just get by?

We all know that life is not supposed to be lived this way, but we don't know the alternative. It's like we go through life like a child riding their broomstick horse. The farther they go, the more tired they get because they have to do all the galloping.

Our lives go through the cycle-we go to church, we go home, we go to work, we go home, we go to church again-and we say we believe, but how many of us are still doing all the galloping?

Jesus has a better way for us today, and that way is the Holy Spirit. He promised that He would send the Holy Spirit, and when the Promise came, He would clothe us with power from on high.

The word picture Jesus paints for us in this promise is incredible. He literally shows us that we will be clothed, wrapped in dynamite power from the ultimate of sources-Himselfwhere He is enthroned on high. This is top shelf power!

When we are clothed in this kind of power, everything changes. We are no longer forced to weary ourselves running our legs ragged trying to gallop our way through life. Instead, we ride on a mount who doesn't need to be guided, who never grows tired, but pushes on and rushes to His conclusion without ever missing His footing, never hesitating, threading His way with perfect skill through the challenges of life.

He wants you now to crawl up into His lap and enjoy the provisions that He has come to provide-the removal of fear, doubt, gloom, and loneliness-and just be with Him and enjoy all that He has accomplished for you.

We do not need to wear ourselves out in the old way of doing things anymore. God has given us something new, clothing us in power from on high.

Come to Jesus today and just ride and enjoy all that the He has accomplished for you.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You for all You have done for me! I believe in Your promise that I have been clothed with power in the Holy Spirit and I ask You to help me live more fully in that power every day!

Amen

Welcome to Corinth

Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:6-8

Have you ever met that kind of person? You know, the kind who's just been gifted at something. Maybe it's money, or maybe relationships, or maybe school, but whatever it was, it always came easy.

Maybe you are that kind of person. Either way, I want you to know today that we, as a church, have not come up short in anything. We are not lacking. In fact, we are stacked with blessings. But as wonderful as God's blessings on us are and have been, we cannot for a moment begin to take it all for granted or somehow allow ourselves to use His blessings for the wrong purposes.

No, the question isn't whether we've come up short in some way. The question is whether we are using His blessings faithfully. And in this, we can learn from Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth, because they had also been blessed beyond their needs, yet they had come completely off track because they were now using their blessings selfishly.

They had forgotten giving. They had forgotten serving. The only thing they were faithful to was their sin.

So if we are supposed to be faithful with the blessings we have been given, then what is our goal? I mean, what's our target, our aim, our purpose and destination so that we can be faithful on purpose?

Paul answers this question for us, too, naming our focus for faithfulness nine times in the first nine verses of 1 Corinthians. Do you know whom he names? Jesus Christ. He names our Lord, Jesus Christ.

He is our aim, our focus, our desire, and our measure of faithfulness. Are we using our blessings for Him, for His kingdom, according to His will? Or are we using our blessings for our desires, our flesh, or maybe even for the best charitable organization we think we can find?

The truth is that until we have made Jesus the focus not only of our faith, but of our entire lives, giving Him full say in what we do with ourselves and all that belongs to us, then our faithfulness is in danger of falling short.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

I know that one day You will hold me accountable for how faithful I have been with the blessings You have given me. Please teach me what it means to be faithful to You with all I am and all I have!

Amen

The Signs that Lead to Sin

And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.' Exodus 19:11-12

Have you ever really thought about how good we have it in this New Testament Age? If not, then you really need to consider our verses today.

These are verses that would stand out for us as an amazing contrast between the Old Cov-

enant and the New. The Old Covenant, the old way of life for the people of God, was pretty unapproachable when it came to actually being in the very Presence of God. In fact, it was only the high priest who could go in past that big curtain that separated the rest of the temple from the Holy of Holies. He could only go in on behalf of the people and only one time a year.

And so, here, God is saying that you're going to have to keep your distance and anybody that gets too close is dead on the spot, right? You're going to die. Don't let the people get too close.

What deal do we get in the New Covenant? Gang, listen, you've got to be praising the Lord for this. He says the opposite to you. He says, Draw near to me. Draw near to me! The access and availability for you to be in My Presence has now been paid for and atoned through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Run into my arms, Jesus says. Cry out, Abba, Daddy. You know, our God never changes. Even when He spoke to Israel, telling them to keep away, His heart was one of a Heavenly Father who desires fellowship in the raising of His kids, in developing us, in maturing us. But still in that relationship with Israel, they could only get so close. The rest they would have to live vicariously through someone such as Moses, on their behalf going up and meeting with God.

And yet for us, God welcomes us into His Presence. In fact, He even makes His Presence live in us through the Holy Spirit.

We have access to God that Israel couldn't even imagine having. The only question is, how often do we take advantage of it? How often do we really camp out and enjoy the Presence of the Lord?

Ask the Lord to make His Presence known to you today, and when He does, take the time to rest in it.

Prayer Lord God,

You are such an incredibly awesome and powerful God! Thank You for giving me access to Your Presence! Please meet me in Your Presence today and show me how to truly live in the fullness of this amazing gift that You give me!

Amen

His Presence

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Luke 2:9

Years ago, I invited a young kid up on stage during a sermon to open a present to help depict what happened with the angels and the shepherds. As this little guy ripped the present open, he was excited and surprised by what was inside: a horn. What in the world does a blow horn have to do with Christmas? I would say everything! It was a heavenly blow horn that hovered over those shepherds on that otherwise quiet first Christmas.

Our verse today says that the shepherds were greatly afraid. They weren't just greatly afraid, they were terrified! This is exactly what God's Presence is meant to represent for us. It's like a good wake-up call. That's exactly what the angels meant to do-to barge into their lives and say, Hey! Everything's different now. Everything that you've been waiting for has now arrived.

I love the shepherds' response. They say, Let us now go. Not, Well, let's think about it. Not, When we get around to it. Certainly not, Well, I don't know if I can get off work to do this.

They said, Let us now go. Just like they heard a starting horn-ready, get set, go! They were off to Bethlehem to find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. Those shepherds dropped everything, and everything became about one thing. Has that happened for you? Is Jesus everything you live for?

The horn of Heaven got the shepherds' attention. They listened carefully, and they were off. God wants us to listen up. There's a lot happening in the world right now. There are a lot of things coming down the pike, and if you are out of the earshot of God, it's time to get closer. It's time to wake up, catch up, and keep up. It's time to listen up, like the shepherds did. It's also time to look up.

Why should we look up? Because there is another horn that's about to blow. It's called the Rapture horn. Are you living to hear the sound of that horn? 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says, For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.

It's going to sound. I hope and pray that you are living your life to hear that horn, because it represents the gift of his Presence in your life.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You that You are coming again soon! I am waiting eagerly for Your coming and Your presence. Let my ears always be listening for Your call!

Amen

More Presence

And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM.' Exodus 3:14

I AM. There is no better name for God to prove His Presence to us-that He isn't some hasbeen or would-be or once-was God. He is I AM.

That gift of Presence revealed to Moses left Moses with a choice. The I AM Presence of God was about to become entirely reliant upon whether Moses would believe it or not. Through a burning bush or a newborn babe, God's Presence will either be fully realized or fully missed based upon our belief and acceptance of His Presence.

Moses easily could have turned away and not drawn near. Maybe you find yourself faced with that very same tension: Will you draw near and accept that God wants to reveal Himself to you in a new way?

Since the dawn of creation, it is through God's holy Word that God's holy Presence is clearly seen. It was through the Word of God speaking to Moses through a bush that God's Presence was revealed to Moses. God's Presence is most clearly found for us in the pages of His Word.

You might feel I am over-emphasizing things-that this is a hopeful, exaggerated wish that God's Presence shows up in his Word. Nonsense! Hebrews 4:12 tells us, For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

That's the power not of a book, but of God's Word, whether read on a greeting card, on an iPad, a Kindle, whether the NIV or the KJV. It is the Word of God. And the Word of God is the Presence of God. In fact, the NIV says that the Word of God is alive and active.

His Word is alive. In other words, Presence. I know that this goes contrary to popular opinion of a post-Christian society that wants to convince you that God's Word is boring and Christmas is dead. On the contrary, God's Word is boring for people who've not read it. I can assure you, there is nothing boring about Presence of God. Anyone who is being led to believe that the Bible is boring is being led to believe it by an unbelieving world.

Moses had that choice, and you have that same choice before you. Are you going to believe what you're reading? If you approach the Word of God apathetically, unbelieving, as though it were dead, then that's all it will be.

But Moses approached with a heart that turned aside. He turned toward the Presence. He believed that what was speaking to him was being spoken by the very Presence of God.

Prayer I AM,

Thank You that Your presence is still with me today every time I read Your Word! Especially at this Christmas time of year, I choose to receive and believe Your presence, just as Moses did.

Amen

The Christmas War

Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars...And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads...And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. Revelation 12:1,3-4

Pop Christmastime quiz, for you-ready? Why was Jesus born?

Be careful in how you answer, because I'll warn you that I'm setting you up. I imagine that most of you answered, Oh, well, Jesus was born to die. He had to be born so that He could take our sins on the cross and die in our place; He's the only one who could do that. If that's what you answered then I have good news and bad news. The good news is that you are 100 percent correct. The bad news is that you didn't finish the story, so you still got the answer wrong. Sorry.

Jesus did come to die, and He did that as only He could do. But ultimately, in the big picture of Christmas and why this Child was born, it was so that He would rule and reign forever and ever.

Now, it wasn't easy for Jesus to be born in the first place. The devil has been working and trying, from the very beginning, to devour Him and His people before He had a chance to come. Then, even after He was born, the dragon worked all Jesus' life to derail and destroy Him, finally killing Him on the cross.

Satan thought he had won this war when Jesus died on the cross, but three days later, Jesus rose again from the dead. That had to have been the devil's worst day! This child has become the conqueror of our enemy and foe, Satan, and He will reign forever!

I pray and hope that this war has been won for you, that there isn't a war going on in your heart or soul or mind. I pray that you have experienced this victory in the name of Jesus Christ for yourself up close and personal. I pray that Satan, who is cast down and cast out from Heaven, has also been cast out of your life once and for all, that he would be rebuked in the name of Jesus Christ.

And that's really what this Christmas War is all about, because we are the battlefield. Who is going to rule at the end of the day? Is Jesus going to rule your life, or is the devil?

For those who will choose Him, the victory has already been given to us through Christ Jesus, the everlasting Lord of all.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You that You were born to rule! I am so glad that You rule over my life today and every day. I give my life to You now and ask that You would be my King, winning this war now and forevermore!

Amen