Exodus 13:14 - 14:14, Matthew 23:1
Do you think that you can actually stick to your New Year's resolutions? If you depend upon your own strength, your own intelligence and your own old habits you are like me and you probably won't achieve your difficult goals.
The Bible is full of promises that God will take care of us but today let's look at the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. You might say that their New Year's resolution was to be a free people. After working as slaves for 400 years, they left Egypt and thought they knew the shortest route to their new home. But God told Moses to take them toward the sea. The Israelites whined that they wanted to go the short easy way, not toward the sea.
It is human nature to want to do anything the fastest and easiest way. But sometimes God leads us into the wilderness to teach us something that we would never learn if we take the obvious, simple route. In this case, God told Moses that the winding route would allow God to display His glory to the Pharaoh and his army. God was not kidding. If you read on, you find that by parting the sea, God rescues the Israelites and causes the entire Egyptian army to be wiped out.
Your New Year's resolution could be a big one like to leave the home you have been comfortable in for 400 years and strike out on foot for a new way to live. If it is God's plan for you, God will clear the path. He will wipe out your enemies, give you the discipline to focus and the insight to make the right decisions. If you are a follower of Christ, He'll forgive and forget all of your mistakes, give you a fresh start every day and fill your heart with courage.
In Matthew 23:1-10 Jesus warned his disciples not to worry about a list of dos and don'ts and to simply focus on following Him. Just as Moses lead the Israelites to follow God's plan, Jesus will lead each of us today to follow God's plan for our lives.
Jesus came to remove our guilt and to lighten the burden of life. In following Jesus we find freedom from guilt, fear, and dos and don'ts. Does this mean you should not set goals for the new year? Of course not. As a coach I not only set goals for myself, I demand that my coaches and players set dozens of goals. The good news Jesus brings is that we are not alone. It means that you can ask Jesus to give you the goals and pray that He strengthen you to be all that He wants you to be.
Cling to the promise in Exodus 14:14. It says, "God will fight the battle for you. You need only to be still." Just walk and God will do the rest. God wants to use your life to display His glory.
