How to Face Overwhelming Obstacles: Staying on the Path

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God.

Check out Virtue, our website for Christian women. Go to harvest.org forward slash virtue. Hey, doesn't make sense. I thought you wouldn't know. Turn right, turn left here, turn right here, turn right here, turn left here. Now, get back on the freeway.

What was that all about? GPS isn't always right, but God's GPS is always right. This is the day, the day when life begins. Staying on the narrow path of righteousness can be challenging. There are billboards luring us off the path highlighting the pleasures of sin.

And on top of that, often we can only see the road right in front of us. It takes focus and faith. And today on A New Beginning, as Pastor Greg Laurie continues his series called World Changers, we'll be inspired by none other than Moses. We'll see in spite of the challenges faced on the way to the promised land, Moses kept the Israelites on the path.

This is the day, the day when life begins. You see, God had made a promise to Noah that they would find land again and start over again, and God always keeps his promises. But God. Then there was the story of Joseph, who was betrayed by his own brothers, and they thought he was dead, but God spared his life. And Joseph said to them, you meant this for evil, but God intended it for good. Hey, even death does not have the final word. Death can seem so permanent, so hopeless, but Psalm 49 says, but God will redeem my life from the grave. He will take me to himself.

So we're looking at a world changer. His name was Moses. What an amazing story. Because here is a boy who, well, was supposed to die. Because the Pharaoh, wicked man that he was, gave a decree that all the Jewish baby boys should be drowned in the Nile River.

Why? Because they were Jewish. And probably the first act of anti-Semitism in the Bible, the Pharaoh tries to eradicate the race of the Hebrews. What a heartless and wicked thing to do. But God had a different plan for the beautiful Jewish baby, Moses.

And know this. God always will have the last word. So Moses' parents put him in a little basket, and they covered him pitch so it was waterproof. And they sent it cruising down the Nile River. And almost on cue, really on cue, the beautiful baby Moses begins to cry. The daughter of the Pharaoh, the princess of Egypt, sees this gorgeous little baby boy, and her maternal instincts kick in, and she decides, I want to raise that boy as my own son.

And she's looking for a mother to nurse him. And of course, Moses' mother is nearby, and she volunteers for the job. And so here's Moses now being raised in the palace of the Pharaoh. The world was his oyster.

He could have had anything he wanted. And the Jewish historian Josephus feels that Moses was actually on track to potentially become the next Pharaoh of Egypt. But that brings us to our first passage. Hebrews 11. He chose to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ, greater riches, and the treasures of Egypt, for he looked to his reward. Man, Moses said no to all that sin. Mo said no.

And it was awesome. He could have been compromised. He could have done the wrong thing. No.

I don't want your passing pleasures. He was on a roll until he took matters into his own hands. Because one day he saw an Egyptian mistreating a Jew, and he just lost it, and he killed the guy. And the Pharaoh pretty much said, Moses is a dead man. So he ran away, and he was exiled for 40 years, probably thinking that was the end. But God still had a plan for Moses.

So he had to retrofit him for the task at hand. And with great courage, accompanied by Aaron, he went into the court of the most powerful man on the face of the earth, the Pharaoh of Egypt, and said, Let my people go, that they may have a feast to me in the wilderness. And the Pharaoh said, There's no way. I don't know the Lord, and I'm not going to let them go. So on that went, and finally the Pharaoh acquiesced. Finally the Pharaoh gave in, and now they're on their way. They're out.

They're free. In fact they have their first Passover meal together. But this is interesting. How the Lord led them. Because the Lord did not lead them on the direct route. He led them on a much harder, longer route, and in some ways made no sense. I mean think about this. It took them 40 years to reach the promised land.

Why is that? Is that because men were in charge, and no one would stop and ask for directions? Could be. Well the reason was is because they were wandering in the wilderness going around in circles because they were disobeying the Lord. But the route from Egypt to the Red Sea was an unusual route God took them. He's taking them in a way where they're going to be put in what appears to be an impossible situation.

That brings me to point number one. Before you can be a world changer, God needs to change you. Before you can be a world changer, God needs to change you. Let me put it another way.

Before you can change the world, your world needs to be changed. Now look what happens here. Look at Exodus 13 verse 17. When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the promised land. God said, If my people are faced with the battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt. So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.

That's interesting. God did not lead them on the shortest route or the easiest route, but he did lead them on the best route, which brings me to point number two. God's way is the right way. God's way is the right way. Now the Lord gave them a really amazing GPS system, a fire by night, a cloud by day.

Very simple. When the cloud moved, you move. When the cloud stopped, you stop. At nighttime, when the fire moved, you move. When it stopped, you stop. I don't know about you, but I use GPS every now and then. And occasionally my GPS it almost seems like it has a mind of its own.

I am thinking did like some geek program this. He had too many chips or something. I don't know. But I will be driving along the freeway. I am going to a destination I have never been to. I put it in GPS and all of a sudden it will say turn right at the next off route. Ok.

It doesn't make sense. Turn right. Turn left here. Turn right here. Turn right here. Turn left here. Now get back on the freeway.

What was that all about? There was nothing happening to cause that. It makes no sense at all. And sometimes I will have my GPS on for the beginning of a trip and suddenly I will recognize where I am so I don't need to listen anymore. And the GPS will tell me to go a way that I know is the wrong way. Go this way. No.

No. I am going to go my way. Then that frustrates GPS. Recalculating. Recalculating.

Recalculating. Then GPS will say do a U-turn at the next light. And I don't do a U-turn. And it says do a U-turn at the next light. And then it says to me why didn't you do a U-turn at the last light. I have a nag feature I have to disable in settings.

No I made that up. But I mean you know GPS isn't always right. But God's GPS is always right. Cloud by day. Fire by night.

We say man I wish I could have that because a lot of times I want to know what I should do. Where I should go. It would be so easy. Oh the clouds moving. This is the way.

Let's go everybody. You have something better than a cloud and a fire. You have Christ Himself living in your hearts. They didn't have that in the Old Testament. Even Moses.

Great man of God that he was. Or Abraham. Or Isaac. Or Jacob.

Fill in blank here. Any of the great Old Testament characters. They didn't have Christ in them. This is only for the believer in the new covenant who has believed in Jesus Christ. God takes residence in our heart. And I don't need a fire in the sky. I have the fire of the Holy Spirit in my life giving me the power to do what God has called me to do. And the Lord will lead you in the way that He wants you to go.

Now listen to this. Sometimes God's will doesn't make sense. And I think this is true when you are younger. As you learn these truths for the first time. You will learn what God wants you to do. What God doesn't want you to do. And maybe if you are younger you are not supposed to have sex before marriage. And after you are married you are supposed to be faithful to your spouse.

That is like the lamest rule ever. Why would God say that? He is trying to ruin all my fun. He doesn't know what He is talking about. Actually God knows exactly what He is talking about. He put that law in place to protect you. Because as you get older and you see all of the havoc that comes from people who live a moral lifestyle you start to see the logic of this law.

You could take so many of our social ills today. Marriage is falling apart. Children conceived out of wedlock. Raised in fatherless homes. Often ending up in drugs. Often ending up in prison or in jail. Often ending up having their own children out of wedlock. Repeated patterns of sin going on and on.

All because we can't keep this simple commandment of obeying God. He has put it there for your own good. Or you will read the Bible that says you shall not lie. Oh why should I not lie? Man you will really benefit if you lie. If I lie on the test or cheat on the test I will pass. If I lie on the resume I will get the job.

If I lie here if I lie there it will be better for me. But then you start facing the repercussions for your deceptions and for your lies and you realize oh wow God knew what He was talking about all along. That is because God's way is the right way. King Solomon was a powerful man. A wealthy man and actually the wisest man on the face of the earth.

But he became one of the greatest fools that ever lived. Because Solomon decided one day you know I am going to go out there and experience everything this world has to offer. I am going to do every wrong thing the Bible tells me not to do to see if God's Word is true and to see what all that stuff is like.

And Solomon writes about it in the book of Ecclesiastes. And he says, everything I wanted I took. I never said no to myself. I gave in to every impulse. I held back nothing. And then I took a good look at everything I had done. I looked at all the sweat and the hard work and it was nothing but smoke.

There was nothing to any of it. So then at the end of the book of Ecclesiastes here is the conclusion of Solomon. He says the last and final word is this. Fear God and do what He tells you to do. That is it. I love that.

Oh by the way here is what I figured out. Just honor God. Fear Him. Reverence Him. And do what He tells you to do. The end.

Goodbye. Why can't we learn that? Oh no God doesn't know what He is saying I am different.

No you are not different. We are all the same. And God tries to protect us and keep us from those things because God's way is the right way. In just a moment Pastor Greg explains how Pharaoh was watching the movement of the Israelites and thinks he has them right where he wants them.

We will see God has Pharaoh right where He wants him. That is coming up. Hey everybody Greg Laurie here inviting you to join me every weekend for what we call Harvest at Home. It's a church service. It's a worship service. It's a Bible study and it's wherever you want it to be. In your home. In your car. Sitting on a beach. Walking down the street.

Watching it on your phone. Wherever you are you can take it with you and be ministered to every weekend. Join us for Harvest at Home at Harvest.org Well Pastor Greg has been pointing out how God's direction in our lives is always trustworthy. And we are seeing how God led the Israelites as they were on their way to the Promised Land. He told the Israelites to go specifically to a place called Migdal by the sea. And we read about it here in Exodus 14 verse 3. And the Pharaoh will think the Lord says.

The Israelites are confused and they are trapped in the wilderness. And once again I will harden Pharaoh's heart. You know chase after you. I have planned this. In order to display my glory through Pharaoh and the whole army.

After this the Egyptians will know I am the Lord. So the Israelites camped there as they were told. From a standpoint of military strategy this was crazy. They were completely vulnerable. They were surrounded by desert with their backs against the ocean.

There was literally no way out. But the fact is God was tricking the Egyptians into thinking the Israelites had no idea what they were doing. But God was allowing this so He could show His power.

Meanwhile back at the palace one of the Pharaoh's subjects comes and says those crazy Hebrews. Guess what they have done. They don't know what they are doing.

They don't know where they are going. They are backed up against the Red Sea with no way out. What should we do?

What should we do? Let's kill them all right now says the Pharaoh. He is so angry. So he gets the army ready and they begin the charge against the Israelites.

He is thinking I am going to get them. They are so foolish. They have made this horrible mistake. And here are the Israelites standing backed up against the Red Sea and they see this approaching army. So what do they do? Do they pray? Do they rejoice that God is in control?

No. They do what you would do. They completely freak out. Look at Exodus 14.10. As Pharaoh approached the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them and said to Moses weren't there enough graves for us in Egypt. It is kind of funny really. Oh we had to come and die all the way out here. We could have just died in Egypt just as easily.

You know it is a funny thing. They kept wanting to go back to Egypt. That was always their point of reference.

Going back to Egypt. It took God one night to get Israel out of Egypt and it took 40 years to take Egypt out of Israel. They were always looking back. And some Christians saw that way.

They were always looking back. Oh remember the good old days you know before I was a Christian. Man we would party. Had so much fun. Did this.

Did that. Really were they good old days? Were they as good as you think they were? Or is your memory a little distorted? Have you forgotten the emptiness? Have you forgotten the despondency? Have you forgotten the repercussions of the things that you did? Have you forgotten that dull ache deep inside of you? Have you forgotten the fact that you contemplated suicide? Have you forgotten the havoc it brought upon your family?

Yeah you have forgotten about that conveniently and you remember a few good times that you had. And that is what they would do. They were always looking back. So before we judge them let's just realize we have done the same thing.

This is why Jesus said, no man having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. Have you ever been driving along and had a CHP pull up behind you? Makes you nervous doesn't it? What is the first thing you do when you see a cop? Slow down. Even if you are going under the speed limit just slow down. Slow down. Slow down.

And if the cop slows down you slow down even more. And maybe the speed limit is 55 and he is going 40. Now you are going 30. He goes 30. You are going 20. He goes 10.

You just stop. I ain't passing that cop. He is going to light me up.

No way. We are very aware. So you are driving if they are behind you you are kind of always looking in your rear view.

Oh he is still there. Don't turn those lights on. Do not. Those lights go on.

My rates go up. Do not turn those lights on. They are probably just out there messing with us anyway. But you can't drive forward when you are looking back.

You are going to get yourself in trouble. And you can't walk forward spiritually if you are always looking over your shoulder. And the Bible by the way tells us in 1 Corinthians 10, speaking of the Israelites and their wilderness wanderings, these things happen to them as a warning to us.

Those of us who are living in the last days. So don't dismiss this story and say, well it is just some Bible story. It has no relevance to me. It has a lot of relevance to you. These things are examples or warnings.

So that brings us to point number three. When things are scary pray. When things are scary pray. The other people freaked out but they also prayed. Verse 11. They cried out to the Lord and said to Moses, why did you bring us here to die in the wilderness? They cried out to God.

It reminds us of the disciples on the storm-tossed sea of Galilee. And Jesus was asleep. How do you sleep through stuff like that? Some people can sleep through anything. My wife can sleep through anything.

A bird chirps. I am awake. I am a light sleeper. And I hear one little noise. It is like I have supersonic hearing or something. I hear one little noise and sometimes I will jump out of my bed. Like land on my feet. Put on my Hello Kitty slippers and investigate.

Make sure everything is ok. But I sleep white. Some people just sleep through all kinds of crazy stuff. So here is a storm. The boat is pitching back and forth.

Water is coming into the boat. Jesus is asleep. They wake Him up and say, Master don't you care that we are going to drown. But the point is they called out to Jesus and that is what you ought to do. That is what we need to do when we are in trouble.

If your knees start shaking kneel on them. And know this. Faith and worry cannot coexist. One chases out the other. You know people that don't get along. Maybe you are inviting someone over to your house.

Let's invite so and so. Oh don't bring them if that person is here. They don't get along. There is always a conflict. So if we have this person we can't have that person. Right? You know people like that. Are you one of those people? Just stop.

Oh anyway. So faith and worry are that way. If there is worry there is no place for faith. Faith is driven out by worry. But worry is driven out by faith. And we are told over in Philippians 4, don't worry about anything. Pray about everything and the peace of God will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Or as the J.B. Phillips translation puts it, don't worry over anything whatever.

Tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer and the peace of God which transcends human understanding will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus. I love that translation. But they saw the army. I mean imagine. Look at verse 10. They saw the Egyptian army in pursuit. I mean if this were happening today it would have been tanks and hummers and helicopters and jets all coming at them at the same time. Chariots and horses and shields and swords and spears. They are thinking we are so dead.

There was no mightier army on the face of the earth at this time. But what does God tell them to do? Moses reassures them and says in Exodus 14, 13. Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today.

The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.

Wow. That is kind of hard to do isn't it? And sometimes the devil comes at us with everything he has got. All his temptations. All his deceptions. All of his demons coming at us.

We are thinking oh man I am going to die. No you aren't. And I will tell you why you aren't. Because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.

That is why. Christ is in you. You belong to the Lord. Oh the devil can tempt you.

The devil can hassle you. But he cannot overcome you because you are under God's protection. That is why in Ephesians 6 as we are told about the spiritual armor we are to wear. The helmet of salvation.

The breastplate of righteousness and so forth. Before all of that it says stand in the Lord and in the power of His might. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord says Moses.

And believe it or not that is a good place to be. Pastor Greg Laurie. Pointing out the reliable providence of the Lord. We are in the middle of Pastor Greg's world changer series considering the example of the world changer named Moses.

And there is more to come from this message. And also Pastor Greg has an important comment to share before we close today's edition of A New Beginning. Now if you had an interruption or two in the last half hour and weren't able to hear all of Pastor Greg's insights. You can catch up by listening online at harvest.org or by way of our Harvest mobile app.

Or get a CD copy by calling 1-800-821-3300 any time 24-7. The title of today's message is How to Face Overwhelming Obstacles. And then we want to mention a resource we are highlighting right now. The Jesus Storybook Bible A Christmas Collection by author Sally Lloyd-Jones. Pastor Greg's wife Kathy is with us today. Kathy you are a mother and a grandmother.

Years ago you read stories to your two boys and more recently you've read stories to your five grandkids. So when a certain resource gets the Kathy-Lori Seal of Approval it's worth mentioning. And you want to highlight such a book today don't you? Oh don't get me started on Sally Lloyd-Jones and her books. I discovered Sally's Jesus Storybook Bible.

Golly, so many years ago it has become a favorite in our home. It has ministered to my heart so many times. And I think that if I could say this, she is my favorite children's author.

I love everything she writes. And I think it's just brilliant how she has created a resource for families at this time. Because I believe that through this whole season of COVID we need to pour into our children. Parents need to take up the incredible privilege and responsibility of informing their kids. It's been difficult through this because a lot of children's ministries through church have been shut down.

Now is the opportunity to take hold of that responsibility ourselves, as moms, as grandmothers, grandfathers that we would take on this. And can I just say that although Sally is writing with a child in mind, the truths that she is able to articulate are just profound. They are deep.

They are rich. And the story of Jesus coming into the world to fix his broken creation is so appropriate right now. Because we look at things all around us and there's such heartbreak and things have been taken and things have been lost that we held onto.

And we're thinking, is there a way forward? But we see that so beautifully played out in the story of redemption that God, this didn't take him by surprise. He knew exactly what we would be facing. And he has shown us in his word that if he can take the brokenness of creation and restore it and redeem it through the work of his son Jesus in coming into this world, he can do that for us in our individual lives as well.

That's right. So if you want to bring that comforting message to your family, to your children, we are offering a resource we've never offered before. It's called the Jesus Storybook Bible, A Christmas Collection.

Beautifully written, amazing illustrations, and a little button you can push on various pages to hear the voice of actor David Sashay read to you scriptures. Mary and Joseph had to take a trip to Bethlehem, the town King David was from. But when they reached the little town, they found every room was full.

Every bed was taken. It's called the Jesus Storybook Bible, A Christmas Collection. This would be quite expensive if you went out into a store and purchased it. But we are offering it to our listeners for your gift of any size. We ask you to send a generous gift because it helps us continue on to bring this radio broadcast, Teach the Word of God, Proclaim the Gospel. And for your gift of any size, we'll rush you your copy of the Jesus Storybook Bible Christmas Collection written by our friend Sally Lloyd-Jones.

Yeah, that's right. We have a copy here waiting for you. Get in touch right away so we can get it on its way. And thank you for your generosity in investing so that these daily programs can continue touching lives. You can write us at A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Or call 1-800-821-3300. We're here to take your call around the clock seven days a week.

Again, dial 1-800-821-3300 or go online to Harvest.org. Well, next time, more insight on the Israelites' journey to the Promised Land and how God directed them and protected them against Pharaoh. Before we go, Pastor Greg has an important word to close today's program. Hey everybody, a few thoughts about this election that's coming up. As you all know, on November 3rd we're going to elect the President of the United States. Your vote matters. Listen, every Christian should register and vote. I cannot emphasize that enough. It's our responsibility.

It is our duty, but it is also our privilege. And we really have no right to criticize what's going on in our nation if we don't even take the time to vote for a candidate. I'm not going to tell you who to vote for, but I'll give you some ideas. When I cast my vote, I can tell you there's some things that factor into it.

I can talk about a lot of things, but let me just pick two out in particular. The candidate that will receive my vote will be one that is pro-life. I would never vote for a candidate that would support the aborting of unborn children. Number two, I'm going to vote for a candidate that stands with and supports the nation Israel. God promises a blessing to the people that bless God's people. So those are a couple of things to think about as you go to the voting booth. You vote your conscience, but vote biblically and do vote. The day, the day when life begins