CONDITIONS IN ENTERING THE MIRACLE ZONE

CONDITIONS IN ENTERING THE MIRACLE ZONE

Bishop Craig L. Oliver, Sr. 

As we go about our series and look deeper into Exodus 14, we see how God can exit us out of things that hold us captive and bring us into what He has destined for us. Last Sunday, we talked about how He delivers us or “exits” us from our Egypts – our places of oppression, sin, and bondage.

This week, we’re going to focus on the miracles that God did during the remarkable Exodus story. Exodus 14: 13-15 says, “And Moses said to the people. “Listen to this. Fear not, stand firm. See the salvation of the Lord which He will work for you today, for the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see them never again. The Lord will fight for you and you will only have to be silent,” the Lord said to Moses. Why are you crying to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.”

Here we see the context of the miracle. God has now led the Israelites to a point and place where they cannot go any further unless God divinely intervenes.  They're on the edge of a place of impossibility, impracticability, and impassibility. They're at the edge of the Red Sea. They're at the edge where the sand transitions to the Sea.  They're in a contest of human limitations. And this is how God sometimes works. Sometimes He strategically sends us to the edge, a point where we cannot pass, a point where we cannot take ourselves beyond unless God does something. 

So, God led them to the place of impossibility, and we call that the miracle zone,  a place where they had to embrace their limitations. A miracle zone is a place where they have to come to terms with their vulnerability and utter limitations that precede their liberation.

WELCOME TO THE MIRACLE ZONE

Today, I believe God is saying to some people, “I have led you to a point in place strategically wherein you have to come to an end of yourself, where you cannot rely on your skills. You're at the edge. You can't rely on your knowledge.  You can’t rely on your former experiences. You can’t rely on your networks. You cannot rely on your resources. You cannot rely on your talents.  You cannot rely on your know-how. You cannot rely on your own strength. You can’t rely on anybody but God. And God is saying, “Welcome to the miracle zone!”

Have you ever been in an impossible situation? Maybe you have said to yourself, “God, if you don't show up. God, if you don't make a way. God, if you don't get involved in this situation, there's nothing else I can do.”

God is saying to you today, “Welcome to the miracle zone! I have you exactly where I want you to be, even when you thought I had your life off course. When you thought I was misguiding you. When you thought I was leading you in the wrong direction. I want you to know that I was leading you exactly to the edge.”

Now you see, God didn’t want us to understand the context of the miracle. He leads us to impossible and dead-end situations so we can see the conditions for the miracles He’s setting up for us. 

Exodus 14:13-14 says, “And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

The first big miracle that God did for them was the crossing of the Red Sea, and the second big miracle was keeping their mouths closed. The first big miracle is God bringing them through, and the second big miracle is keeping them silent. Why? Because frequently, we talk ourselves out of God's blessing. He says, “for the Lord said to Moses, “Moses, why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.”

And this is why God gave them the following conditions for the miracle. 

ABANDON YOUR FEARS

The first condition that God gives them is: Abandon their fears. Fear not. 

Abandon your fears because, in the miracle zone, fear is what forfeits God's preferable future. You have to abandon your fears. The very first thing God tells them as they enter the miracle zone is “Fear not.” (Exodus 14:13)  

Can I tell you why you have to get to a point in a place where you abandon your fears? Because fear will terrorize you. Fear will get so deep in your psyche that it will cause you to start thinking about the most negative outcome. Fear will scare you. It will immobilize you. Fear will get you to a point where you become stuck and neutral, and you become inoperative in moving forward with God's vision for your life. 

Now, here's the exciting part. There's a particular aspect of fear that is coming to us all, and we have to embrace the reality that life can induce fear in us, but we cannot consent to the spirit of fear. Don’t give in to fear!

ADJUST YOUR FOCUS

 The second condition for the miracle is: Adjust your focus. 

What incited the Israelites’ fear? It was when they adjusted their focus to what was behind and who was behind them, Pharaoh and his army. When they looked behind, they heard the horses and the chariots coming close to them. They heard the sounds of the horses’ hooves as they bounced and pounded against the desert sand.  They saw the dust behind them getting closer to them, but they were stuck between two clouds: They were stuck between the cloud of dust and the cloud of destiny.

The truth is, there’s another cloud that they should have been focused, which was destiny's cloud. Remember, God gave them a cloud that would lead them by day and a pillar of fire that would lead them by night. But what happened? Instead of focusing on what God gave them, they started looking at the other cloud, the cloud of their past. 

You will never find freedom if you're always looking at the dust and dirt of your past, where you come from, and how life was in Egypt.  And here's the reality, if you're ever going to experience God's blessings in your life,  you must adjust your focus. 

What are you focusing on right now? What intentional focus are you allowing to consume you that has become an element of distraction from your destiny? 

God says today, “Abandon your fears and adjust your focus!” 

ACTIVATE YOUR FAITH.

Faith is only activated when you have the bold and daring attitude to say, “I believe God. I believe that whatever You said about this situation, it doesn't matter how it looks, it doesn't matter how it feels, it doesn't matter what I think. If You said it, I believe it!  God, I'm going forward. I believe what you've said!”

The Bible tells us that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). So, when you find yourself in a crisis, when you find yourself at a dead end,  it’s time to activate your faith. And your faith is only activated when you believe what God has said in His Word.

When you find yourself in a crisis, ask God, “God, what does your Word say about my situation?  I believe Your Word. I believe what You've said. Activate my faith, Lord. Help me to stand firm and allow You to handle this.”

Whenever you try to handle something when God says, “I got it,” you mess up. When God told Moses to stand firm,  it was like God was saying to the Israelites, “I'm going to handle this. Why? Because my glory is on the line. I'm going to fight this one because I want Pharaoh and all the Egyptians to know that I'm the one and only true living God out of all of the gods they've been serving!”

God is going to display His glory like never before! If you’re feeling stuck today or in a place where you can’t see God’s promises and purpose, God is saying to you, “I have you exactly where I want you. I don't need you to fight anybody in a situation right now. Stop trying to fight, and let me handle this!” 

Begin to abandon your fears, adjust your focus and activate your faith today, and see your miracle happen! God will fight this battle for you!