Speaker 1: Most of us eat every day, some of us too
much because yesterday's food is not enough to supply energy
for today's needs. Why then, do some of us expect
yesterday's portion of heavenly manna the word of God to
keep us through today's challenges. On this program, we are
going to change all of that. Let's experience God's words
today and receive the power we need to live healthy,
vibrant lives. Welcome to Your Daily Portion with your host,
author speaker Elle David Harris.
Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning, Good morning. It is Wednesday. It's
July twenty three, twenty twenty five. Hello, my name is
El David Harris. I am your host, and this is
your Daily Portion where we give you God's word every
single day, and today is no exception. We are continuing
in our Lesson study series through the Book of Exodus,
and our caption for today is flies, livestock and boils, Flies,
livestock and boils, and of course you know these are
the plagues that fell in Egypt way back in the day.
Before we get into this, I'd like to just say
welcome to you and ask you to go over to
your Daily Portion dot com. Please join our online community
pick up the Your Daily Portion life application guide and
let us know where you are in the world at
your Daily Portion dot com. This is one of the
ways that we continue to build faith and fellowship. Let's
go ahead and pray and then we will get underway. Father,
We thank you for this day. Please teach us how
to have a right relationship with you. Please teach us
how to love you in Jesus name, I pray Amen
and a man again. I remember a quote, a quote
that said something like, we have no fear for the
future except we forget how God has brought us in
the past. And so in the time of of when
God's people were bound in Egypt under slavery, this is
after Joseph is resting, he has died, he's off the scene,
and the new pharaoh said he didn't know Joseph, he
didn't know Joseph's God, and he wanted to oppress God's people,
and that he did. Yeah, we see how God protected
his people even through their hardships, even through their trials.
And you have to be thinking, well, if there were
plagues back then and God protected his people through those plagues,
then when the seven last plagues are unleashed upon the earth.
God will protect his people as well. Unfortunately, there are
many Christian sets of people around the world that believe
that God is not able. And I know those of
you who are listening are going to say, well, that's
not how we really believe it. But think with me here.
God is not able to keep his people through the tribulation.
God is not able to keep his people through the plagues.
God is not able to keep his people through the
time of trouble. And it's like, well, we never said that. Well,
just take a second here. The Bible doesn't teach that
God is going to take his people out of the
earth before those plagues happen. The Bible teaches us plainly
that God will take care of his people in the
same way he took care of his people in the
context that we've been studying during the time of Egypt.
I really have to just jump in now and see
how God is firing on He is firing on the
different false gods like we did the other day. Okay,
so we're going to go here and see that in
Exodus chapter eight, verses twenty one through twenty four, that
God is firing on the false gods Capri Capri he's
challenging those the God of creation and rebirth, often shown
as a square rab beetle. He's firing on that. So
this plague mocks the reverence that the people have for
insects as sacred, especially those linked to the cycle of
the sun and life. Okay, so that is what God
is doing. There then comes in let's see Exodus chapter nine,
verses one through seven, the plague on the livestock. The
plague on the livestock. God is dealing with those false
deities Hathor and APIs the goddess of love and protection,
symbolized as a cow. APIs sacred bull deity. Those folks
worship livestock as symbols of divine power. Their death mocked
false worship. And then in Exodus chapter nine, verses eight
through twelve, the plague of oils. That that was a
shot at the false deities. Mootep defined physician and priest
segment goddess of healing and plagues, and then taught God
of magic and wisdom called on for healing. So the
plague struck even the magicians, making clear their powerlessness as
seen in Exodus chapter nine and verse eleven. I'll read
a quote really quickly, and then we'll get into our
lessons for today. From the book Patriarchs and Prophets, page
two hundred and sixty seven, the Lord brought judgment upon
Egypt to show his power and to make his name known.
So all of these gods had to bow false gods.
I mean we say that proverbially because clearly they didn't
even exist. But the people had to recognize that this
is not this is not the pathway. God still confronts
modern idols even today, whether health idols or wealth idols,
or power or status. Pain can be a wake up
call to abandon our false security and to trust the
only one true God and healer and sustainer. And we
need to ask ourselves what am I trusting that God
is about to dethrone? I need to ask myself the
question and answer it honestly. What is it that I
am trusting? Am I trusting my abilities? Am I trusting
my connections with certain people? Am I trusting my bank account,
my ability to earn, my past successes, my hope for
the future successes. Am I trusting in all of those things?
Or am I trusting in God? Because God has already
made it clear that he is the only God worthy
of worship, and he will not share his glory with
any other. So when God judges false gods, I'm saying
because they don't even exist. Remember, they don't even exist.
When God judges false gods, it's mercy for us. It's
mercy for the people who are witnessing this. When he's
stripping away those false senses of security, it is his mercy.
He's not being cruel. He breaks the illusion so we
can find him, So we can find God, the God
of Heaven, the one true and living God. Blessed be
his name as the only true source. And so lesson
Number one is God makes clear distinctions to reveal who
belongs to him. In Exodus chapter twenty eight, excuse me
eight verse twenty two, And I will sever in that
day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell
to the end. Thou mayest know that I am the
Lord in the midst of the earth. And so the
action step for me is to live in a way
that reflects covenant with God, covenant identity. Let my life
show that I belong to God, even when judgments are
falling all around me. Oh, my number two rebellion forces
people to bargain rather than surrender. In the Bible Book
of Exodus, chapter eight and verse twenty eight, the pharaoh said,
I will let you go that ye may sacrifice to
the Lord in the wilderness. Only ye shall not go
very far away. Wait a minute, Remember, partial obedience or
delayed obedience is disobedience. I said partial. I added this
the other week I said just part of this, But
now I'm adding to it. Partial obedience or delayed obedience
is disobedience. You cannot bargain with God. Therefore, not in
this way, not in this way, not when he's given
a clear command. And so the action step for me
is not to offer God partial obedience as if he's
supposed to say, well, why thank you, thank you for
the compromise. Obey him fully, without conditions or attempts at negotiations.
And number three and final, God may stop restraining a
heart that continues to resist. The Bible teaches us in
Exodus chapter nine and verse twelve that the pharaoh continue
to harden his heart. So if I sense conviction, if
you sense conviction, act immediately. Delaying repentance risks becoming permanently unresponsive.
Oh God, to God's voice, today's your day. Now is
the time just do what God says.
Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us listening. Friends, Always remember we cannot
live by bread alone, but by every word that comes
from the mouth of God. This has been your daily
portion with El David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,