In this day we are concerned about two things: first, our escape out of the present world situation into the Kingdom of God, and second, what seems to be a very rapidly developing execution of a satanic plot toward world destruction. The Word reveals what God has to say about these things.
Imagine yourself as one of the children of Israel after the Exodus out of Egypt. As you look behind you, you see a cloud of dust. You know what it is: those Egyptians are coming. You thought you were out from under them, but you are not really, because Pharaoh’s crack troops are approaching right behind you. As you look straight ahead, there is the Red Sea, and on either side are mountains. You wonder what to do with the little children and the flocks and herds. How could the whole nation escape into the mountains? They could not do it. So there was born that day a saying: “I am between a rock and a hard place.”
But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by” (or literally, “take your stand”) “and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.” Exodus 14:13, 14.
“We can’t even holler?”
“No, keep silent.”
“All right.”
Now we come to the little strategy which the Lord revealed to Moses. God does some things that we do not understand. We may think that He is really putting us on the spot, that He must get a lot of pleasure out of putting us in these predicaments. In some ways it reminds us of a tiger hunt. The hunters find a little baby goat, take it from its mother, and tie it to a stake. The little goat bleats and bleats and bleats, and does that ever attract the tigers! The hunters can then shoot the tigers, but it is very hard on little goats. The Lord used the children of Israel in the same way. He brought them out, literally into a dead end. They were like little goats tied to a stake, standing there bleating.
The Lord said, “Now, don’t holler about anything; just stand still. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.”
“But I would like to make one little bleat.”
“No, the Lord will fight for you and you will keep silent, because He is after those tigers back there. He just has to woo them within range and then you will not see them anymore. So just relax.” That is virtually what verses 15 through 18 tell us.
The next two verses reveal what I consider the greatest strategy in the book of Exodus. And the angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night. Exodus 14:19, 20.
For several years now in this walk, there have been occasions when we have seen such direct guidance from the Lord that we have been led by the Spirit as though we were being led by a pillar of fire. It has been so direct and so beautiful that we have rejoiced in the way God has opened up things and how the word of prophecy has come. But then there comes the time when we realize that principalities and powers and the hosts of darkness are moving in on us. There must be prayer to release the apostolic wisdom to direct in many critical areas. A brain trust would not know how to lead the walk right now. I am committing to the Lord many difficult problems that are literally hanging in front of us. We cannot have any wrong decisions.
In addition to praying for wisdom and for God to lead us, there is an even greater need. We need to pray because the assault is becoming belligerent and vigorous against the walk to destroy its immunity. Recently there has been a rash of automobile accidents within several weeks’ time. The enemy has been doing everything he can to break through and to destroy.
This is a good time for us to have faith. All God has to do is to slow down the enemy, letting the pillar of fire that is leading us position itself between us and the enemy. The other side of the pillar of fire, facing the Egyptians, was dark. The Egyptians were staggering in that darkness. But for the people of the Lord the way was clear to see.
In this day, we are believing for the new day. We are not children of the night; we are children of the day (I Thessalonians 5:5). And all we need now, in order to make the difference, is for the Lord to darken the enemy’s side. The Lord shall stand between us and the enemy, and bring confusion and restraint upon the demonic powers while we go full steam ahead to do the will of the Lord. In fact, I think this is imperative, or the same thing will happen to the walk as would have happened to Israel if the Lord had not intervened. The Egyptians would have overtaken the Israelites and there would have been a terrific slaughter. I am glad God did intervene. We are in the same position. I think we need to appropriate that particular immunity which can come to us by the Holy Spirit—an immunity that will enable us to forge ahead, as it simultaneously lays the necessary restraint upon the powers of darkness.
There are forces in our government set to destroy this country. All we need is for God to slow down the enemy so that we have time to do the work of the Lord. I do not plan to get up on a stump and start talking politics, but I do believe that the people of God must be alert. There must be prophetic revelation and we have to pray, because I intend to see God show us the exact openings to move in. This will be like playing football. There will be a wide open space and we are going to make that touchdown. We are determined. There may be a host encamped against us, but God is going to help us to get this gospel out to the world. Regardless of the evil, subtle plots that are at work against this country, God is able to slow down the whole process. What will happen if it slows down? Oh, that is a delightful situation to contemplate. If He slows down the tide just long enough, the Egyptians will begin to bog down, right in the middle of that sea, while the children of Israel get over onto dry ground. The same waters that make a way of escape for the people of God become the source of judgment on the enemy. This is what we are facing now. I do not think we are going to see harm come to the walk. However, it will take more faith to walk with God during this next little while than it ever has before.
Which way are you going to turn? Which bank are you going to trust? For a number of years one of our brothers has held a rather high position in a building and loan association. The loan company with which he is associated has had to borrow money from the government to keep solvent. The company is making huge interest payments to the government just to keep its doors open and to avoid going under.
We are not aware of all of the manipulation and maneuvering that is taking place in our country. It is not a fairy tale; it is really taking place. We do not know how close this country is to disaster. What do we do? We pray, “Slow it down, Lord. Slow it all down. Give us a chance to fulfill Your will in this generation.” We know that the Lord is going to cut these days short, but He has to slow down the plan of the enemy. Two plots are apparent: the perfect plan of God to bring in the Kingdom of God and the tremendous spearhead effort of Satan to cut us off and to prevent us from getting into the things of God. Oh, I believe the Lord is coming. I believe He is coming forth in His Body, but I believe that the coming which is going to invade every realm, every kingdom of the world, is just ahead of us. We must believe it, prophesy it, and enter into it with all our hearts. We must walk with God!
Suppose everything goes under? Trust God. Trust Him! Suppose we run into utter disaster in the country. You know that God has to bring down one kingdom before He can raise up another. God has the new wine of His Kingdom to give us. He has paraded around with it throughout all of the denominations and the charismatic movement. All the denominations have had the Holy Spirit come to them and say, “Here, do you want some new wine?”
“New wine? Hmm. I can talk in tongues with that? And prophesy? Hmm. No, I don’t think I want that.”
“What do you want?”
“I want this old wine, this old vinegar stuff that we have had for years. It is better. I do not want that new wine.”
In these Christian circles, America had an opportunity. Even those who embraced the Holy Spirit’s moving went only so far, and then they backed off into something of Babylon. Many of those people may have talked in tongues for a little while, but they are babbling now; they want something else. We have chosen the new wine of the Kingdom and it will not be denied us. Even though all these others are in the majority, it is all right. The Egyptians were in the majority, too; they were deliberately in the majority. The Egyptians had attempted to destroy the Israelites by killing every male baby as soon as he was born. The midwives who helped the Israelite women to bear their children on the birthstools were to take the little boys and kill them as they were brought forth (Exodus 1:16).
There is nothing more vicious than the old order with its lies and its persecutions and what it causes, and yet there is nothing that seems to be more reasonable or more plausible. That we should be so tolerant of it is a mistake! We should be as tolerant of the old order and what it stands for as we would be of poison. Stay away from it. Forget Babylon and open your heart to prophesying to God’s people in it: “Come out of her, My people. Come out of her!”
Rise up in the Spirit and do the will of the Lord. I believe that we have a few years left, if God is good to us, and that the judgments in this country will not take place as soon as many people think. Believe the Lord that He will stay it for a little while and give us a chance to get the Word out to the nations. Believe for the chance to walk faithfully before the Lord, and to do each thing the Spirit of the Lord has instructed us to do. If God has told us to do something, I do not think we will run out of time, if we only have the faith to believe that God will give the time to us.
In every area, conditions seem to be very similar to the test which is on us when the Lord tells us to build a camp. We must have faith enough to control the weather, laws, regulations, and many other things. We may wonder why the Lord chooses the particular times He does. Why does He tell us to construct a huge building when everything in the construction industry is priced at an all-time high? So it is with everything God sets before us. What do we do? We rise up in the Spirit and do the will of the Lord; we press on with all our hearts, believing that this is a day for faith.
Has there ever been anything really as adventurous as walking with God? If God would say, “Arise, and go down to yon corner and buy a newspaper,” you would be surprised at how many devils would meet you on the way, how many things would happen before you got back with that newspaper. God is not sending you out for a newspaper; but He has said, “I have given you a Word that is fresher than next year’s newspaper. I have given you a message that speaks of a whole age to come. Take it and go preach the word. Spread that message.
Take dominion over principalities and powers! Every time a devil gets in your way, rebuke it and send it into the abyss. Each time, there will be one less.
Since the walk came forth, I wonder how many thousands of devils, of principalities and powers, have been judged and are missing from the scene today. We are always careful that when we cast them out, we do not let them go loose. We have learned this because we have seen little children and other people assaulted by them almost immediately. Once the Holy Spirit brings the devils out, they must be confined to the abyss.
This is the judgment day for the devils. It is the judgment day for the nations; but judgment has already begun in the house of the Lord. Even so, the Lord shall deliver us out of all these things and preserve us unto His Kingdom. The Lord will do this for us because He delights in us. It is a good day to be living. It is a good day to believe the promise: “The one came not near the other all the night long” (Exodus 14:20). The enemy is not going to overtake us or overwhelm us. We will walk in the victory of the Lord.
Cry out to God: “Position Yourself between us and the enemy. Protect us, Lord. Give us the jobs. Give us the immunity.” Pray for that immunity. Believe for it. Cry out to the Lord and prophesy against the plots against our government and our economy. Prophesy against those manipulators that are working on the money exchange and the economy. Go after the enemy and bind him in the name of the Lord! You have the authority to do it if you will accept it. Will you take it upon yourself? You have a responsibility for it. Arise and speak the word of the Lord.