​    In Genesis Chapter 1 we read about God’s creative activities. He created the heavens and the earth, the seas, all living things, including human beings. At the end of that first chapter, in verse 31, it says: “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” What that simply tells me is that everything that God created was good. He did not create anything and consider it defective or ugly or useless. Everything He created with passion and purpose. He loved all of it.
    But although He viewed all of His creation in a favourable light, there is one part of His creation He gave special care and attention to - man. “And God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” When God created us, He chose to  let us be a reflection of Himself. He did not bestow that privilege on any other creation. To me that reveals the depth of God’s love for us. He could have created us like the animals but He did not. He created us in His image and likeness.
    We should keep that in mind the next time we are tempted to criticise our physical appearance - our shape, our size, our nose, our eyes or any other part of our body that we, or others, think is not good enough. When God created each of us in our mother’s womb, He was fully aware of what He was doing and took great care in how we were being formed. Psalm 139:13-14 says: “For You created my inmost being, You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” God knew exactly what He was doing and He made no mistake in our creation. He loves us that much.
    And as if that were not enough, He created us to have a relationship with Him. He did not want little toys that He could play with or admire. He wanted a relationship with us and that says a lot about His unique love and care for us.
    In the cool of the day, He delighted in walking and talking with Adam and Eve in the garden. Similarly, God enjoys communicating with us. He delights in spending time with us. He doesn’t get tired of us but enjoys our presence and wants us to enjoy His.
    The Bible may be filled with stories of God’s love for us. In fact, some would say that the Bible is the greatest love story ever. Yet, at the end of the day, we can’t forget or ignore the first of His love stories - His creation of us and the fact that He chose to create us in His image and likeness. To me that’s a special kind of love that God has for us. He chose to make us perfect. He chose to make us beautiful. And there is nothing we can do to change that.
    So, be encouraged. God did not make a mistake when He created you. He created you with beauty and purpose in mind. You are not an accident, you are not a mistake. God loves you and will always want the best for you.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God knew you before He even formed you. He had purpose and a plan in mind for you. And when He created you, He did not say that He had made a mistake but rather that what He had created was indeed very good. Be encouraged.

    Daniel lived in a home filled with violence. At seven years old, his parents divorced. Not long after that, he was molested. But when he told his parents they did nothing. He felt unloved and abandoned and became very angry with God. He began getting into fights, smoking, drinking and using drugs. At sixteen he became a drug dealer. He was attracted to the money, power and the influence he had over the people who wanted drugs. At the age of nineteen, he got married. It was a toxic, abusive relationship much like his parents’ relationship had been. When he caught his wife cheating, he was arrested for domestic violence. His life was full of chaos and falling apart. 
    While in jail, he found a Bible and as he began to read the story of Samson, he felt that God was telling him that He saw him and that He had never left him. Unfortunately he felt unworthy and found it difficult to accept this. When he was released, he attempted to rebuild his drug dealing business. Instead, he became high on his own drugs and ended up homeless. The one bright spot in his life he found at a local church where they fed him and allowed him to stay in the church building when he was homeless. In spite of this, it wasn’t until a year later when he finally turned to God. 
    At the age of twenty-two, he was arrested for numerous charges and sentenced to nineteen months in prison. He cried out to God to help him because he realised that he kept making the same mistakes over and over again and it always ended with the same results. As he sought God, He felt God telling him to look to Jesus because He was the only way to heaven. He finally surrendered completely to God. As he spent time in God’s Word, he received healing in his heart and mind. He began to understand God’s love for him and that he did not have to be perfect to have a relationship with God, God would meet him right where he was.
    When he was released, he began giving back to the community. He founded a non-profit organization and three Christian rehabilitation houses. He finally realised that all that he had been striving to achieve his own way, when he surrendered to God, God gave him all of those things.
    Daniel’s story is truly one of redemption. God did not give up on him and kept pursuing him no matter how many times he failed. God did not focus on his numerous faults and mistakes but on him. God was interested in him and loved him in spite of all that he had done. It’s the same with each of us. God does not just abandon us the minute we do something wrong. In fact, many of us can testify that, like Daniel, we failed over and over again and yet, God was still there. He did not leave us or abandon us even though we may have deserved it. People may have given up on us but God did not. He loved us anyway. 
    I think that’s the greatest take away from this story. God loves us. Period. We don’t have to be perfect or have it all together. As Daniel realised, God will meet us right where we are. Isaiah 54:10 (NIV) comes to mind: “‘Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord who has compassion on you.”  Everything around us might be falling apart, but God’s love for us will remain stable. His love doesn’t change because He doesn’t change. 
    So be encouraged today. No matter how unworthy you may feel, remember this: God. Loves. You. You don’t have to be perfect, you don’t have to get it right all the time. God loves you just as you are and will work with you to bring the healing and peace you need. 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. You don’t have to do anything for God’s love. He loves you no matter how many times you have failed. Just surrender to Him and trust Him because He is well able to do the change in your life that you can’t do on your own. 

    In Numbers Chapter 13, the Lord directs Moses to send twelve men, one from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, to explore the land of Canaan before they entered it. When they return, ten of the men give a bad report. They acknowledge that indeed the land was flowing with milk and honey but the people were intimidating and they were not convinced they could defeat them (vv.26-28). Even when Caleb from the tribe of Judah assures them that they would be able to take possession of the land, the other men silence him with negative comments. They focus on the fact that the inhabitants of the land were giants and therefore too powerful for them to conquer. 
    In Chapter 14 the people complain against Moses and Aaron and threaten to choose a new leader to take them back to Egypt. But Joshua and Caleb speak to them and assure them that the land was indeed a good land. They encourage them not to rebel against the Lord and not to be afraid of the inhabitants of the land. They tell them that the inhabitants of the land had no protection while they, the Israelites, had the Lord on their side (vv.6-9).
    Just like many of the Israelites, Joshua and Caleb had witnessed the Lord’s goodness and protection over His people. They chose to trust what they had seen God do. This faith is what caused them not to focus on the negative things they had seen in the land of Canaan. They were not disheartened by the size of the people there or the strength of their cities. The reality was God had promised them this land and they were confident that He would help them possess it. Their fellow spies, on the other hand, were distracted and discouraged by what they saw. Although they admitted that the land was good, they could not get past the reality of the challenges in their way.     
    When you think about it, we all face situations like this one. God may have given us a promise but when we are faced with challenges on the way to that promise, we get discouraged and disbelief steps in. We focus on the negative we can see instead of on the God who has been consistently faithful to us over and over again. The negatives feel so real that we start wondering if we would ever receive God’s promise; if we would ever be healed; if we would ever get that financial breakthrough; if a significant relationship in our life would ever be healed and restored. The devil’s job is to distract us to the point where we stop believing; and when we stop believing, we can miss God’s best for us. Once we can recognise the enemy’s strategy, we can stand and determine in our hearts and by our actions that God is well able to bring His own word to pass. 
    And so I am encouraged by Joshua’s and Caleb’s persistent defence of their God and His ability to bring His promise to them to pass. Their faith was persistent in the face of opposition. They chose not to be distracted by the challenges they faced. They chose instead to believe that God would be the one - not them - to give them that land. “If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us ‘a land which flows with milk and honey’ ” (v8). It was never about their ability, but their God’s ability to do the impossible. 
    Similarly with us, it’s not about our ability but our God’s ability to get the job done … in His own time and way. Sometimes we just have to choose to believe even in the face of opposition. The entire camp of Israel opposed Joshua and Caleb’s stance on moving forward to possess the land, yet, they both stood firm believing that the One to get them there would be Jehovah God.
    At the end of the day, God will never promise us anything that He can’t handle. No matter what obstacles, challenges, distractions, present themselves choose to remember who your God is; choose to remember His faithfulness and the reality that nothing and no one could ever be more powerful than Him. If He has given you a word, a promise, He is obligated to fulfil it. He can do no less.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is not a god who will leave us alone to figure it out. He is right there, ever-present, willing and able to guide us along the way. Whatever He has promised us, He will bring it to pass, no matter the obstacles that seem to tell us otherwise. God is able. He will do as He has promised. Be encouraged.

    In Genesis chapters 6 to 9, we read the account of Noah and the ark. Noah was found righteous before God but those around him were filled with wickedness. Subsequently, God, no longer being able to stand the wickedness of man, decided to bring an end to it. He instructed Noah to build a huge ark, large enough to house him and his family and two of every kind of animal on the face of the earth at that time. God’s plan was to send rain and flood on the earth which would wipe out the entire human and animal race, except for those in the ark. 
    Noah proceeded to build and complete the ark after which God directed him and his family and all the animals chosen to enter. When they were safely inside, God shut them in. The rains and the flood came and the latter lifted the ark off the ground. The rains fell for forty days and nights. When it stopped, the water gradually receded until the ark was on dry ground again. Noah and his family and the animals were then able to leave the ark with God’s command to be fruitful and increase and to fill the earth.
    Noah was clearly a man of faith. He believed what God told him and followed His instructions explicitly. God told him that rain and floods would come. The interesting thing is that no one up to that time had ever seen or experienced rain or flooding before. But God told Noah that that is what would happen and Noah believed Him. Noah did not need a second or third opinion from anyone else. If God said this is what would happen, Noah believed Him even though no one had ever seen it. That’s a perfect example of walking by faith and not by sight. I love the fact that Noah never questioned God. God said it and as far as he was concerned, that settled it. No wonder why God was able to trust him with this responsibility. Wouldn’t you like God to trust you like that? Knowing that whatever He told you, you wouldn’t question Him but simply trust that He knows and He would not lead you astray? I know that’s the kind of faith and trust that God wants from each of His children, trusting Him especially in those times when it doesn’t make sense and we can’t see how it will all work out. 
    Here’s the other thing - Noah had to exercise faith to believe in a God no one else in the world at that time was willing to believe in. Noah is described as righteous while everyone around him was wicked, hence the reason for the coming rain and flood to destroy them. Even though they may have seen him building the ark and would have asked questions, they still did not believe because their desire was not for God the way Noah’s was. In short, Noah had to stand alone and that may not have been easy - believing when everyone else around him did not. Like Noah, sometimes, we too have to exercise faith when no one else is believing with us. It’s a faith that stands alone. But, when you think about it, faith does not need a crowd…it just needs you! Of course it would be nice to have support but then again God answers our faith not because we have support but because we choose to trust Him ourselves even when no one else is standing with us. I think sometimes that’s the kind of faith God loves, a faith that chooses Him instead of choosing others.
    And the beautiful thing about when we choose to trust and have faith in God is that He takes care of us. One of the things that caught my attention is that God shut them into the ark (Genesis 7:16b). God … not Noah and his sons. God made sure that they were safe and secure. It’s the same for us. When we choose to trust God, He will take care of us. I would imagine Noah had built the ark with a doorway that he knew how to close himself. Yet, God was the one who shut them in. Think about it. Noah may have built the ark according to God’s instructions but God was the one who secured it. He made sure that nothing could come in to harm them after He had shut them in. They were safe.
    So, my encouragement to you today is to trust God, have faith in Him no matter how things look, no matter if you have support from others or you don’t. Faith and trust is always between you and your God. And He is quite capable of taking care of you even when life’s greatest storms and challenges come your way. So, just trust Him. He knows, He truly knows.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is faithful and when you put your trust in Him, He will not fail you. In Him, you are safe and secure. Be encouraged.
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    In Matthew 15:21-28, Jesus finds Himself in the region of Tyre and Sidon. There, a Canaanite woman approaches Him and begs for help for her daughter who is demon-possessed. Initially, Jesus seems to ignore her and His disciples beg Him to send her away. When He finally responds, after she persistently cries out to Him, He tells her that He was sent to the lost sheep of Israel. She then kneels before Him begging for His help and He responds that it is not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs. She replies that even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table. Jesus could not help but acknowledge her great faith and granted her request. Her daughter was immediately healed.
    In this brief account, Jesus may initially appear insensitive and uncaring of this Gentile woman’s obvious need. Clearly, she had heard about the miracles Jesus had performed and when He came to her area, she sought the opportunity to seek help for her daughter. The story does not reveal if Jesus did other miracles in that area. But I would like to believe that Jesus went there just for her. Although He told her He was sent to the Jews, His compassion extended even to the Gentiles. 
    It’s a beautiful thought to think that no matter where or who we are, Jesus knows exactly how to get to us. We could be living the worst life, believing that we are beyond help, but God knows exactly how to reach each of us. I don’t think we can ever go so far that God cannot reach us, that He cannot deliver us. Imagine, this woman was not even a Jew but Jesus went to where she was to help her right where she was. She did not have to change address or nationality, He was right there to meet her where she needed Him. And He will do the same for us.
    As I mentioned earlier, it may seem as if Jesus was being insensitive and uncaring. But I don’t believe that that was the case. Maybe He was simply testing her to see how determined she was for His help. Would rejection stop her? Clearly it did not. I think we tend to sometimes give up too easily because we face a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. What seems to us like a ‘no’ may just be God testing our faith; testing to see if we would give up or if we would persist. There are times when we would need to exercise a persistent, determined faith. The kind of faith that interprets a ‘no’ to mean keep going, keep trusting, DON’T GIVE UP! Because that’s what Jesus was essentially telling the woman, “no.” And she heard that “no” and simply chose to ignore it. She wasn’t going to give up, she was going to keep pressing. She wasn’t going to leave Him until He had granted her request. 
    Sometimes that’s what we have to do. We have to keep pressing, keep trusting until the answer comes. Sometimes we “press” through prayer. Sometimes we “press” through praise and thanksgiving, thanking God before the answer comes.
    She was not insulted when Jesus seemed to compare her to a dog. In fact, she argued that even the dogs ate the crumbs that fell from their master’s table. For her, she did not need a full plate of food. The crumbs were sufficient. The crumbs were as powerful as an entire plate of food! No wonder why Jesus told her she had “great faith!” She knew the little or much Jesus gave her would be more than enough! That’s the kind of faith we need to have. A persistent, determined faith that knows that simply eating crumbs or even touching the edge of Jesus’ clothes would be more than enough to do the job! Because after all, it was never about the crumbs or the food or the edge of His clothes, it was about HIM, the One with the power and authority and ability to give us the deliverance we need!
    So, no matter how great or high your mountain seems, it’s not bigger than or more powerful than your God. God is more than able and He is more than willing to do what He says He can do. So don’t give up, keep pressing, because God will come through for you.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God loves you and truly desires to help you. He wants what is best for you and when you keep pressing and keep trusting Him, He will make a way for you. Be encouraged.

    In Mark 5:21-43, Jairus, a synagogue ruler, went to Jesus for help. His daughter was sick and hearing that Jesus was in town, he went to Him and begged Him to come to his home and lay hands on her so that she would be well. On their way to his home, Jesus stopped to address a woman with an issue of blood who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had touched the edge of his clothes and been instantly healed. By the time Jesus was finished, servants from Jairus’ home came and told him not to bother Jesus anymore because his daughter had died. Jesus in turn told Jairus to simply believe. At Jairus’ home, the mourners there mocked Jesus because He had declared that the girl was not dead but sleeping. Jesus then put everyone out, except for her parents and three of His disciples. He then held the little girl by her hand and commanded her to get up. When she did, he instructed her parents to give her something to eat. 
    A few things come to my mind. One, Jairus’ faith. Jairus had obviously heard about Jesus and the miracles He had performed. When he realised that Jesus was in town, he instantly went to Him expecting that He could heal his daughter. The good thing is that Jairus knew exactly who to go to when he needed help. Many times, we too, know exactly who to go to when we need help. We may turn to others for help or support, but at the end of the day, as God’s children, we know to run to God when we are facing dire situations. It’s about having faith in a God that we know is able to do impossible things. 
    Two, on their way to Jairus’ home, a distraction came up. Many people were pressing against Jesus as He passed by, eager, I am sure, to connect with Him and to receive healing or deliverance. Yet, for some reason, Jesus chose to stop to address that one woman with the issue of blood. He could have left it alone but He chose to stop, possibly preventing Him from reaching Jairus’ daughter on time.
    God does not always work with our timing. I am sure Jairus was impatient and anxious. After all, he knew how seriously ill his daughter was. But, guess what? Jesus knew it too…and He knew that everything was going to be alright. He knew that He was going to get to Jairus’ daughter in time, even if it was not Jairus’ time. It’s the same with us. We would like at times if God would move a little faster. After all, our situation seems serious enough to warrant a speedier response from God. But God’s timing is always perfect. 
    Three, Jairus had to truly trust Jesus. When his daughter was ill, faith was easy to feel. But, when she died, his faith must have vanished. Maybe that’s why Jesus told him to not be afraid but to simply believe. Jesus had to let him know that his faith did not stop at death. It did not stop when the situation had become totally impossible. I believe that at this point, Jairus had to move beyond faith to trust. He had to trust Jesus to still come through for his daughter even when others laughed in disbelief. He had to choose to believe even though it did not make sense. I think that’s more than belief. That’s trust. Trust that God would still come through. 
    Similarly for us, there will be times when faith is easy. Then there will be times when faith is downright impossible. I think that’s when we have to choose to trust the God that we know, the God who knows best and will not fail us. It’s about relationship at this point. It goes far beyond trusting in “a God” and choosing to believe in “your God” who has a  personal and intimate interest in you! And if He says He will never fail you, then that speaks of someone who deeply loves you and will never do anything to hurt you or destroy you. He loves you enough to do what’s best…His way. Be encouraged.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God loves you so completely. He will never do anything to hurt or stress you out. You just have to trust His timing, trust His way of doing things and know that your best interest will always be His greatest desire.

    In 2 Samuel 5:17-20, David finally becomes king over all Israel. However, when the Philistines hear of it, they go in search of him. David hears of it and seeks shelter in the stronghold. The Philistines spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim. David asks the Lord if he should attack them and if the Lord would deliver them into his hands. When the Lord assures him of victory, he goes out against them and defeats them. David declares that just as the waters break out, even so the Lord had broken out against his enemies before him. He therefore calls that place Baal Perazim which means “The Lord who breaks out” or “the Lord of the breakthrough.”
    Interestingly, David inquired of the Lord if he should fight against his enemies. It might have seemed obvious that he should fight against them. After all, he would simply be trying to defend himself. But, David had learned to consult God about everything and to ask for His leading in all that he had to do. It should be the same with us. Even when some situations may not seem to require God’s assistance, it doesn’t hurt to allow Him to lead. His Word says, “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:6). It’s about trust. It’s about dependence on Him. It’s about relationship. 
    When David was assured of victory, he went forward in confidence. It’s a good thing to have assurance in all that we do, to have that assurance of God’s presence, that He has our back and that He will take care of us. It really isn’t about what you can or cannot do on your own or what you should or should not do on your own. As I said earlier, it’s about relationship and choosing to include your God in everything that you do.
    But, I love the name that David gives to the place of battle - Baal Perazim. That’s where we get our title, “The God of breakthrough.” It’s about a God who can do the little things for us but also about a God who can carry out those great, impossible tasks that are beyond our ability. When those Philistines were spread out in that valley, of course they must have looked like a formidable army. They must have been confident of victory or else why would they have challenged David and the Israelites - twice! Yes, after being defeated the first time in that valley, they went back to that same valley to face off against David and his army (vv.22-25). Yet, this was one of those times where the God of David would get to show up and to show out! Even though giving them a different strategy than the first, they were able to defeat their enemies again.
    God is not just the God of breakthrough once or a few times. He is the God of breakthrough. Period. Whenever we need Him to defend and fight for us, He will be there. That’s just who He is. When He makes a promise, He keeps it. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us and to fight for us. And if He has given us these promises, He will keep them. We just have to choose to remember His faithfulness toward us and that He will never fail us. Just trust Him!
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. The God of breakthrough loves you and will fight for you, He will never abandon you. Just trust His leading, trust His presence. He will never fail you.

    The story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17, is a reminder to us of God’s ability to help us overcome impossible situations. Young David found himself in an impossible situation and chose to trust his God to fight and win on his behalf. 
    David was looking after his father’s sheep when his father sent him with food supplies to his brothers, soldiers in the army. Both the Israelite and the Philistine army were faced off in battle. However, by the time David arrived, the Philistines had an advantage. Their champion, the giant, Goliath, had sent out a challenge to the Israelites. If one of their men could fight against him and win, they would serve the Israelites. However, if Goliath won, the Israelites would serve them. 
    The Israelites were terribly afraid of Goliath and none of them were brave enough to take up Goliath’s challenge. But, when David arrived and heard about his challenge, he decided to fight against him. David was not comfortable in battle attire and decided to remain dressed as he was. Instead of using a sword, he chose to use five smooth stones and his sling. While Goliath cursed him by his gods, scorning him for his youth and inexperience, David boldly declared that he was coming against him in the name of the God of the armies of Israel. David ran towards him, struck him with one of the stones and when he fell to the ground, cut off his head with Goliath’s own sword. The Israelite army thus pursued and defeated the Philistine army.
    One of the first and most obvious things is the size of the challenger, Goliath. Immediately, Israel knew that they were at an unfair disadvantage. It would have taken many men to defeat Goliath but the challenge was for one. Sometimes, that’s how our challenge may seem to us and we know that we can’t fight against it and win. So, we can understand Israel’s fear. They could see no way of winning and Goliath used his size and his words to drive fear into their hearts. Similarly, with us, it’s not just the size of our problem but the negative words the enemy may use through others and even through ourselves to heighten the fear we feel. And when that happens, we feel discouraged and too weak to fight back. 
    Interestingly, David saw the same giant the Israelites saw. He heard the same words of intimidation but his response was different. Why? Because he knew what his God could do. God had helped him fight and kill a lion and a bear who had come to kill his sheep. Think about it. That lion and bear were just as big and intimidating as Goliath but David had watched God fight and win on his behalf then. He expected the same God to do the same in this situation now. 
    I know it can be difficult to trust God in every situation. It’s amazing how short our memory is as we face each new challenge. It’s as if we forget what God has done before in other challenging situations each time we are faced with a new one. But the same God who killed the lion and the bear was the same God who helped David defeat Goliath. The challenge may have looked different but the God was the same. 
    Sometimes we just have to change our expectation of how God will fight. When David had to fight the lion and the bear, God showed him one strategy. When he had to fight Goliath, he showed him another. Different battles, but same God, same victorious result.   
    The God of breakthrough is a God who remains the same even when our challenges might look different. God is not bold in one situation and fearful in another. That’s our attitude and response. God will always respond with confidence on our behalf because He knows who He is and what He is capable of doing. We are the ones who forget. God does not. The God of breakthrough is more than able to fight and win on our behalf time and time again. The thing is we have to learn to trust Him. He is the God of breakthrough in every situation, not just some. God is consistent and when He promises to never leave us nor fail us, He keeps His promise. 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. Each challenge you face may be different, but your God of breakthrough remains the same. When He says He will fight for you, He means it and will do for you what you cannot do for yourself. Be encouraged.
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    In Exodus 14, the Israelites who had been slaves to the Egyptians for many years, are finally free. However, when the Egyptians realise that they have released the help they had come to depend on, they decide to pursue after them. It turned out that the Lord had lead the Israelites through a particular path where they would be trapped. The Egyptians saw this as their opportunity to get them back.
    With the Egyptians marching behind them and the Red Sea in front, the Israelites saw no way of escape. They were indeed trapped. They cried out to God and to Moses. Moses encouraged them not to be afraid because God would deliver them. He also promised that they would never see their enemies again. The Angel of the Lord who was in front of them, moved and positioned Himself behind them, thus protecting them from the Egyptians, while God made a way for them. As Moses stretched out his hand toward the Sea, a strong east wind blew during the night and parted the waters until they stood like a wall on two sides. The Israelites were able to walk between them on dry ground. The Egyptians tried to follow but God removed the wheels from their chariots so that they moved with difficulty. Too late, they realised that God was fighting for the Israelites. After the Israelites reached the other side safely, Moses stretched out his hand again over the waters and they moved back into place drowning the entire Egyptian army. 
    At times, we may find ourselves in situations where we may feel trapped. We can’t see any way out. It is at this point that we can choose to complain or to trust. As fear overwhelms us, the temptation to complain may most often prevail. When we can’t see God and we don’t understand what is happening or why He is allowing it to happen, we may quicker respond to fear instead of faith. Yes, we know what God’s Word says and we know that He is able, but when faced with a real challenge, it can be hard to see a way through. 
    I am sure that this is how the Israelites felt. They had seen what God had done in Egypt through the various plagues, yet, memory may have failed them as they found themselves faced with a new trial. They naturally began to complain as they saw the possibility of losing their recently acquired freedom. Yet, if God delivered them before, He would do it again…and He did. God had allowed them to be in a situation where they were completely powerless. He wanted them to see how He was able to break them free from a hopeless situation because He wanted them to learn to trust Him. 
    It’s the same with us. There is no situation we go through that is too hard for our God. As I mentioned last week, a breakthrough from a biblical perspective, is a sudden, powerful act where God steps in. The Israelites needed their God to step in. They were completely powerless before the Red Sea and the Egyptian army. But, what was too hard, even impossible for them, was not too hard for their God. It’s interesting that before they died, even the Egyptians realised that it was God who was fighting for the Israelites (v.25). God got the glory even from their enemies!
    Whatever you may be going through, God is right there with you. You may not feel Him or see Him but He is there. As His child, He has promised to never leave you nor forsake you. The Israelites had to wait while that east wind blew to part the waters. But while they waited, the Angel of the Lord positioned Himself between them and their enemies. Their enemies could not touch them while they waited. They were safe! It’s the same with us. While we wait for deliverance, healing, restoration, breakthrough, God is protecting us, preventing the enemy from being able to destroy us. Yes, the enemy may feel very near, but our God is even nearer, dictating how far the enemy can actually go. 
    Our God of breakthrough will come through, in His own way and time. He will not fail you. Be encouraged!
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is a God of breakthrough. He knows exactly how and when to step in and bring the relief we need. He will never fail us. He is nearer than we think. Just trust Him.

    In the book of Judges, there are a number of accounts of God delivering His people, the Israelites, from their oppressors. On one such occasion, after being oppressed by the Midianites for seven years, the Israelites cry out to their God (Judges 6). He, in turn, decides to use Gideon of the tribe of Manasseh. Although Gideon points out that he  is from the smallest clan in the tribe and the youngest, God chooses to use him anyway. 
    Gideon gathers his men from various other tribes as well as his own, yet, interestingly, God tells him that the army is too big (Judges 7:2). God knew that if they were to win the battle, they would not give the glory to Him but to themselves and their own ability. He finally brought the army down to a mere three hundred men. This was indeed a tiny number because the Midianites had been joined by the Amalekites and the eastern peoples to fight against Israel and their army was many times the size of the Israelite army (v.12). Yet, even with the odds against them, God uses this tiny group to defeat their enemies and bring deliverance to Israel.
    Typically, the word “breakthrough” denotes an important development or achievement. In a biblical context, however, it signifies a sudden, powerful act where God steps in. This is what happened in the account in Judges. The Israelites were being oppressed by the Midianites and were unable to break free on their own (6:1-6). They needed God to step in and fight on their behalf and deliver them from an impossible situation.    
    In our own lives, we will find ourselves in situations where we know that we know that only God can deliver us. We may have tried everything but nothing worked. The Israelites had reached the point where they sheltered in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds just to get away from their enemies. They were terribly afraid of them and felt powerless to defend themselves. Their enemies, on the other hand, were relentless in their destruction of Israelite crops and livestock. They ravaged the land so much so that the Israelites struggled to survive. It was truly an impossible situation. But when the Israelites cried out to their God, things changed.
    Crying out to God is always the perfect solution to any challenging situation. On various occasions, when faced with difficult situations, I would hear God say “Give it to me,” and I would release it to Him, knowing that He is the answer to whatever I am facing. The battle is still not ours but the Lord’s. The reality is, we are always trying to handle it on our own. But when we turn to God and allow Him to step in and take over, there is always that sense of release and relief because the burden is no longer ours to carry.
    Interestingly, Gideon chose to point out his inability to defend his people. He told the angel of the Lord that he belonged to the smallest family in the smallest tribe and that he was the youngest. He could not see himself as a great deliverer. Unfortunately, it didn’t help when God whittled down his army to a mere three hundred men. The thing with God is that He doesn’t see the way man sees. We see our insignificance, our inability to do the job. God sees Himself working in and through us to get the job done. It was never about Gideon’s or his tribe’s or even the army’s  ability or strength but God’s. God was going to do the fighting. They had to do the trusting. It’s the same with us. God will do the fighting, we have to do the trusting. The God of breakthrough is still able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or think. That’s why He is the God of breakthrough. He is able to do that sudden, powerful act that will bring us the deliverance we need when we need it. 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is more than able. He is not moved by numbers, or human power or strength. He knows what He can do in spite of the odds. We need to know it too. Just trust Him.