Exodus 14:31 English Standard Version (ESV) Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

Exodus 14:31 My Literal Version (MLV) We saw the great power that the Lord used against Sin, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his apostles.

There is no MLV and I have taken liberty to invent it for only one purpose. When we were enslaved by sin we did not see the chains that took away our freedom. We look to the work of the Cross of Christ and hear the words of salvation but do not instantly connect the freedom we gained with putting sin to death, ending its reign of terror.

It is much easier to see Moses leading the slaves away from Egypt than it is to see Christ has removed our chains to sin.

1 Peter 1:22-23 English Standard Version

22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

Our flesh was born in sin and there is nothing we can do about that.

We are born again in the spirit and there is nothing we can do about that.

We are now free to choose to obey the truth because of His abiding love.

Love is always going to give you a choice. Sin does not. Freedom is all about choice.

Galatians 5:1,13 English Standard Version

1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

John 7:6 English Standard Version (ESV) Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.”

Jesus’ earthly ministry was always about doing the will of the Father at the right time. Here in this hidden little gem is a truth associated with our time. It is always our time.

It is our time to do what? The answer to that is doing what He has asked us to do without involving Him.

The larger part of following commands is understanding what to do at all times. For those who have not walked with the Lord for very long it is difficult to be this new creation in Christ. That is what some like to call a grace period. It is a time when we are still acting according to old habits and behaviors. We have not yet discovered who we are in Christ.

The gifts which we are given are not discovered in secret. It is in the communion of fellowship that mature members will recognize those gifts. They should make room for you to have those gifts developed and practiced.

When I was in the workforce and acquired a promotion, the first thing my boss told me was to find a replacement and make sure they knew how to do my job.

Raising up Christians is exactly like that. The church develops and grows, making room for all believers. Seed churches cannot be formed without it. 

What we must remember is that the universal church is His church, HIs bride and it does not belong to us. We are merely members in our own time.

We spend more time outside of church building than in it. We must remember to be “in character” at all times. The world cannot see the light if we hide it by acting like the “old man” who has died.

The Lord put it to me so that I would understand. “Resist the urge to be yourself at all times.”