“And Moses said unto the people, Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you today:” Exodus 14:13

We’ve been talking lately about “seeing,” but not so much with your natural eyes, though they may aid in the process. I am talking about seeing in a higher dimension. We already know there are sound frequencies at a higher and at a lower frequency than humans can hear but animals can hear quite clearly. Just because you can’t hear them, doesn’t mean they don’t exist.  Animals can sense tornadoes and earthquakes enough in advance to save lives, if we are paying attention.

On occasion I have seen into that higher dimension and on all occasions it has made a significant difference in the outcome of the circumstance in which it occurred. As a young copier salesman in Tennessee, my boss accompanied me on a call to close a sale at the courthouse. Our equipment had been on trial for some time and had performed unbelievably poorly. The decision maker was not leaning in our direction and there was a competitor in the lobby begging for the opportunity to compete.

We had superior equipment and his bad experience was an anomaly but he didn’t know that and was resisting (understandably) our attempts to close the sale. We were giving many assurances but he wasn’t hearing us. Unexpectedly, my eyes were opened to see in the spirit realm. I wasn’t looking for that. I had never experienced it before and would have been suspect of others making such a claim. Nevertheless, I saw perched on this man’s shoulder a black “cat / monkey-like” figure, only far more hideous, chattering constantly into his ear. Surprised by the vision before me, especially as it occurred in a business meeting at the courthouse, I left the room without explanation.

I began taking authority over that demonic presence and praying fervently, whereupon my boss came running into the room I had ducked into to tell me the man suddenly changed his mind and I was needed to go over the numbers to wrap up the sale. Seeing into the spiritual dimension revealed the true problem and the solution became instantly clear. When you are faced with a challenge, ask God to reveal any other forces that may be at work to hinder your progress, then act accordingly.

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen in eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians, “For now we see through a glass darkly….” Now up until this week, I thought Paul was trying to convey the idea of peering through some dark colored glass and only vaguely be able to make out figures or images on the other side. That is until I read how James used similar language when he said, “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass.” The word, “glass,” used in both cases is the same Greek word, esoptron, which is commonly understood to be a mirror.

While it is true that any glass in Paul’s time would have been less pure, less clear than today and thus any image reflected in it would also be less clear, I want to draw your attention to another aspect — whether intended by Paul or not. When you look in a mirror you are seeing a two-dimensional reflection of a three-dimensional reality. What you see in the mirror is temporary. It only exists while standing in front of it. When what is real walks away from the mirror, the thing that is real still exists but the image in the mirror no longer does.

Now, think of the image we see in the mirror as being comparable to seeing in the natural realm with our natural eyes… and what we don’t see with our natural eyes without the aid of a mirror (e.g., our face) as comparable to the unseen, eternal or spiritual dimension. The image we see in the mirror is temporal but the object casting that image is the “real” thing. It reminds me of the story Einstein wrote about a world where everyone was a floor tile. They only knew length and width.

One day, one of the tiles got lifted off the floor and for the first time discovered height and depth. He was stunned and shocked and excited to learn about this new dimension that opened up all kinds of possibilities. When he shared his revelation with his other tile buddies, they thought he was crazy, that he was imagining things, that he should be locked up or at the very least glued down to the floor again. As we begin to have our eyes opened to see what is unseen as Paul said, people who only have their eyes fixed on what is seen will want to have you committed. But that doesn’t make it wrong. And yes, I know there are some real kooky folks out there, but let’s not use that as an excuse to remain on the floor and justify our blindness. To be continued…

“And Moses said unto the people, Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you today:  for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall see them again no more forever.” Ex 14:13

As I have laid out previously, one must escape the paralysis of fear and learn to be still so you can see the salvation or deliverance God has. Nothing calms fears quite like being in right relationship with God. When we sin, it is not God who turns away from us, but rather it is we who turn away from Him. We feel shame, unworthiness, etc. because our heart condemns us (and so do many of our brothers and sisters), but John says, “If our heart condemns us, God is greater than our hearts. If our heart does not condemn us, then we have confidence towards God.” When you sin, run toward God. That in itself is an act of repentance, and He will not condemn you. Rather, He will restore you. When you are “still” in His presence, it is the same as “waiting on the Lord,” and it is in that process, you experience the restorative process and find strength again. (Psalm 27:14)

Now to my point. Seeing. Do you believe there is a spiritual dimension, a heavenly realm that is a higher dimension than our earthly existence? I do. When I say “higher,” I am not referring to altitude. I am speaking of higher “authority,” greater excellency, superior strength, the eternal vs. temporal. Remember how Elisha answered his servant who was terrified by the armies surrounding the city?  2 Kings 6:16 records his response, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.”  How did he know that? Is it possible he had trained his eye to see? Is it possible that his walk with God had attuned him to see in that realm? And more to the point, is it possible that we might also learn to see like that?

Elisha prayed for his servant who had never seen in that dimension, “LORD, I pray you, open his eyes, that he may see.” And the Lord opened his eyes and the servant saw the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire. If God would answer that prayer for Elisha, do you think God might open our eyes to see? I am going to suggest that we can learn to see in ways we may never have seen before, whether with the eyes of our understanding (Eph 1:18), our spiritual senses (Heb 5:14) or through spiritual giftings (1 Cor 12). And I am going to suggest that seeing in that realm is as much of an advantage as natural eyesight is an advantage in life over those who cannot see. Even though we see through a glass darkly, “in the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king.”

In many ways we are sight deprived and we don’t care because everyone we know is also similarly afflicted. But when a man or woman with spiritual vision comes along, we discover there is a higher way of life. In the next several weeks, we are going to explore what it means to see in that realm and I will be calling upon you to share your experiences of receiving sight and seeing the salvation of the Lord!

“And Moses said unto the people, Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will show to you today….”  Exodus 14:13

Believe it or not, there really is a time to stand still — to bring our physical body into a state of peace. Moses wanted the children of Israel to get out of fear and see the salvation that God was about to bring, but first he had to bring them to a place of rest.  Suppose you have a small child who is afraid and is running around the yard in a panic. To help them get control of their emotions, you must not only calm their fear, you need to get them to stop running around and stand still so they can receive the next instruction. As long as they are running around the yard in fear, they will never be able to receive their deliverance.

Try this today. At some point in the day, simply stop what you are doing, bring your busyness to a standstill and commune with the Father. Stay long enough to see His salvation. Experience the exponential impact of bringing your whole spirit, soul and body into alignment with God. Many of you are gripped by fear, paralyzed by depression, riddled with guilt and see no way out. But there is. And it begins with stopping. Stopping your fear. Stopping the continuous motion or activity that keeps you from hearing the still, small voice of God.

And when you have come to a stop… when you have come to the end of yourself and you stand at the precipice of faith, open the eyes of your understanding and see His salvation. See the hope of his calling, the riches of the glory of his inheritance in you and the exceeding greatness of his power toward you who believe. Then lift up your rod (the Word of God) and declare with everything in you the outcome you know God has for you. Fully express with every fiber in your being what you know God wills for you.  Then walk confidently into the future, trusting God to make a way where there appears to be none. This is not theory. I have walked this path and experienced His great deliverance and so can you!

Look to God. Change your self-talk. Declare a different outcome. Set a new expectancy. What have you got to lose? Now, what are you doing that is equivalent to running around the yard in fear? What action or movement is keeping you from coming to a place of self imposed rest so you can see the salvation God has for you? That’s what you need to stop today. Selah.

P.S. On an unrelated but important note, David Johnson of Epiphany Marketing has a very few openings remaining on his calendar for the free 30-minute consultations he offered. If you haven’t heard it yet (or if you’d like to hear it again), listen to last week’s call here and take advantage of this unique opportunity!

“And Moses said unto the people, Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will show to you today….”  Exodus 14:13

As I write these words this morning and reflect on the series of discussions we are having on this passage, I can’t help but think we shall be tested on this topic very soon. Change is in the wind and with that comes uncertainty. It will soon be more important than ever to know how to “fear not,” to know how to “stand still” and to learn to see the salvation of the LORD. This is a time to strengthen your cords, not just lengthen them.

When you “fear not,” you have gotten your mind, will and emotions under control. The next thing God required of the Israelites was to get their body under control. Stand still! Don’t run. Don’t walk. Don’t lie down in a fetal position. Stand. It’s getting your soul and your body in agreement so that by the Spirit you will be able to see the salvation of the LORD.

“Stand still” literally means to present yourself. Think of it as facing your accuser, facing your challenger, facing your circumstances. Take a stand! Put your body posture into agreement with an inner decision to fear not. Nearly 14 years ago, a business venture went bad. I was overwhelmed with unpaid bills and very much in fear. The fear I had was evidenced by one major thing: I couldn’t stand still (so to speak) and present myself both to God and then to the adversary.

The turning point came for me when I laid my bills out on the floor. I presented myself to God and faced my bills. Something happened in the spirit that day that began to turn things around. One year later, the bills were long gone and provision was not an issue. It’s not enough to say you have no fear. Sometimes we need to take a stand. Present ourselves. Face our trials head on… and then we shall see the salvation of the LORD. What do you need to face?

“And Moses said unto the people, Fear not…” Exodus 14:13-14

In our last blog we began the discussion about fear. (My thanks to all of you for posting your faith-building remarks and stories!) Before God would deliver Israel from Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea, he instructed them to get out of fear. Fear not! That would seem like a tall order because if ever a people had justification to be afraid, it would be them. The night before, every Egyptian family lost their firstborn son. They had endured nine other plagues from the Hebrew God and now the perceived perpetrators, the Hebrews — who had been their slaves as long as anyone could remember (400 years) — had left town with their families and with a bunch of the Egyptian gold, silver and jewels. After a night of intense grief and reflection, they were more than ready to exact their revenge on these defenseless, huddled masses and get their stuff back too!

The Hebrews, well aware of their plight and backed up against the Red Sea with no way of escape could hear the mightiest army on earth racing toward them with swords drawn and blood lust in their eyes. Yet the first thing God told them was, “Fear not.” Before we go any further, let me ask you, what have you been afraid of? How does it stack up against what the Hebrews were afraid of? I’m just asking. This isn’t to say that you don’t have plenty of natural reason to experience fear. It’s to make the point that God delivered them from a very large fear without breaking a sweat and He will do no less for you.

But the first thing you must do is obey His command and, “Fear not!” You see, fear and faith are very similar. Fear believes a negative outcome is imminent while faith believes a positive outcome is in store. Faith comes by hearing the report from God. (Rom 10:17) Fear comes by hearing the report from the spirits of darkness. Faith hears (Gal 3:2, 5) and fear hears. It boils down to who, or what, are you going to tune into?

God is always transmitting His report, His perspective, His answers. But if we are in fear, it means we are tuned into the wrong station — hearing the wrong message from the wrong source — and we can’t hear Him. We must turn the dial over to the faith station, so to speak. We must tune into the report God is giving. If we are in fear, it is evidence that we are tuned into the wrong source and therefore will miss the instruction, the wisdom, the hope that He is transmitting on the faith station.

Think of it this way: suppose there is a category five hurricane bearing down on your town in which there are two radio stations. One is telling the people they are all doomed and the other is directing them to strong area shelters. One station produces fear while the other gives confidence or faith. The one you listen to determines your outcome. When we are in fear, it’s time to change the station. It’s time to change the input we are receiving. We need to adjust our receiver to the Word of God, both the written (logos) and the freshly spoken (rhema). We hold the tuner in our hands and God expects us to tune into His station so we can get the right information and experience the result He has in mind. So, how does one actually go about tuning in to the faith station? What does that look like to you? Please share your thoughts with the community.

“And Moses said unto the people, Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall see them again no more forever. The LORD shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:13-14

This, of course, is from the most dramatic deliverance in human history, yet it applies to all of us in any situation in which we find ourselves needing God’s intervention. I want to draw your attention to a couple of things here. First of all, was the simple yet important statement God begins their deliverance with… “FEAR NOT!” To begin the process of deliverance, God instructs the Israelites to first of all quit being in fear.

One summer as a teenager on three different occasions I saved someone from drowning. One was a baby floating face down in a pool but no one noticed but me. The second was a child, but the third and most memorable was an adult who couldn’t swim. He had gotten into the deep end of the pool and when he realized he was over his head, fear took over and he began flailing and screaming for help, and he began to sink.

I swam quickly over to him and began to pull him over to the side of the pool, but something happened I was unprepared for… His abject, uncontrollable fear caused him to grab me and use my body to keep him afloat, nearly drowning me. With great difficulty, I was still able to keep his head above water and get him to the side, but it was his fear, not the water, that almost drowned him.

Fear can make you lose rational sense. It can also make you completely miss God’s voice, His leading and/or His deliverance. The first thing you must deal with when you need God’s deliverance is fear. Your fear. And according to God, it is within our ability to take responsibility for and to control our fear. We will deal with this subject in the coming days, but today I want to ask you to share with the group how you have overcome fear in the past. It might just be a lifesaver to another reader. Thank you.