Rise Into God's Best
// Kenneth W. Hagin
Sometimes when we begin to talk about God's desire for us to move to a new level in spiritual growth, people start asking questions. They say, "What's going to happen to us now? Is this new level going to be better than what we already have?" Moses dealt with questions like this. Let's look at what he told the children of Israel when they were on their way to God's next level for them.
EXODUS 14:10–14 (NLT)
10 As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, 11 and they said to Moses, "Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness?
Weren't there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt?
12 Didn't we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, 'Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It's better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!' "
13 But Moses told the people, "Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.
14 The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm."
Moses had led the people of Israel out of Egypt, and they were headed for the Promised Land. They were excited because Moses had told them to rise up and get ready. They left a life of slavery rejoicing, and they were moving toward the better life God had for them. Then suddenly, they found themselves in a difficult situation. Pharaoh was behind them, pursuing them with his army. The Red Sea was in front of them. They had no way out, or so they thought.
Rise Into God's Plan
God wanted the Israelites to rise to new a level in three areas, and He showed them exactly how to do it. What He revealed to them can also help us rise up into all His blessings for us.
First, we must be willing to rise up into the plan God has for us. As the Israelites moved out to follow God to the next level, they encountered hardship. They faced the Egyptian army and the Red Sea. And when we start out following God, we also will run into opposition.
God showed Moses how to handle the obstacles that were keeping the Israelites from rising to a new level. Moses stretched out his rod, the waters parted, and the seabed dried up. There was solid ground for the Israelites to walk on. As God reveals His plan and His will to us, He will show us how the obstacles we encounter can be removed.
Rise Into God's Place
To go to the next level with God, we must rise into the place He has for us. As we obey His Word and follow His plan as He unfolds it for us, we can step into our proper place. Sometimes people pray for God to take action in some area, but when He starts to move, they start backing up. They say, "Wait a minute. This isn't what I had in mind."
The Holy Spirit guides us in different ways. Some people want Him to move in the same way every time, but He doesn't do that. It's better to move with God on unfamiliar ground than to say no to God and stay with what is familiar. We can walk in the confidence that God's plans for us are good and that He is always ready to bless us.
Rise Into God's Promise
To move to the next level with God, we must rise into the promise that He has for us. In Exodus 14:15 (NLT) the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!" If the Israelites hadn't moved forward, the enemy would never have been destroyed.
When the Red Sea parted, the Egyptians tried to follow the Israelites across on the dry land. But as the children of Israel moved forward into God's provision, the whole Egyptian army was destroyed. If the enemy is hounding you and breathing down your neck, get hold of God's promises and start going forward.
Let's let the experiences of the Israelites serve as examples for us. As we move forward with God and rise up into His plan, His place, and His promises, we will rise into His best!
FAITH IN ACTION
You Have A Divine Destiny
Every Christian has a divine destiny. The Word of God says, " 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future' " (Jer. 29:11 NIV). God has a plan for your life.
To discover and fulfill your divine destiny, you must know what God's Word says. And the only way you will learn that is by reading it. The amount of attention you give to the Bible determines whether you will find and follow God's destiny for you. That doesn't mean grabbing your Bible for five minutes and finding a scripture nugget. God told Joshua to meditate in His Word day and night so Joshua could do what it said (Joshua 1:8).
I challenge you: Open your eyes wide to the truth of God's Word and then walk in it. Your divine destiny awaits you!
