When Moses led the people to the Red Sea they were boxed in.  Sea on one side surrounding them and the Egyptian army on the opposite side coming toward them.  The Jewish sages say that the people divided into four groups.

The first group said, we should throw ourselves into the sea and be drowned.

The second group said, we should surrender to the Egyptians and go back to Egypt as slaves.

The third group said, we should fight to the death.  Refusing to give up, but also accepting there is no way we will be able to defeat the great Egyptian army.

The fourth group said, we should pray and let God solve this problem.

Prayer is not Needed When God has Already Told You What to do

“And the LORD said to Moses, Why do you cry to Me?  Tell the children of Israel to go forward.” Exodus 14:15

As Moses stood before the people and God, he cried out to the Lord and His answer was simple.  The Lord told Moses, he didn’t like any of their solutions.  He said in essence, stop praying and move forward.  Moses was asking God what to do, but God had already told him that they were to go to the promised land.  It didn’t matter that the sea stood in the way, if they would step forward towards their goal nothing would stop them.

When God has Already Told You What to do

Do you remember when Jesus took the disciples to the other side?  He said, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake” Luke 8:22 

While he was sleeping a windstorm came down on the lake and they feared for their lives, but after stopping the storm Jesus asked them, “Where is your faith?”

He was saying, I have given you an assignment, therefore nothing that rises up against you will have authority to stop you from your assignment as long as you believe and move forward.

No Weapon Formed Against You Will Prosper

The problem is not in God’s faithfulness to do the impossible for us.  The problem is in our failure to know what He has said.  There is a passage that many people love to quote.  Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgement you shall condemn.“

The passage is absolutely true, but only when applied in context.  God told Moses, my favor and blessing goes before you and no weapon will prosper against you as long as you are doing what I told you to do and I told you to go to the promised land to worship me.  Therefore this sea and any other obstacle will move out of your way as long as you are obeying my command.

Do You Know What He Said?

The question is do you know what He told you to do?  That is where the difference between having God’s authority and favor to accomplish something and being worn out doing what we think is needed.  There is a time to pray so that we can hear what God wants us to do and then there is a time to act on what He told us to do.  Once He has told us, we can move forward.

When God has told us something He provides everything we need to get it accomplished.  That doesn’t mean there won’t be obstacles.  The obstacles will probably be the largest because the enemy will do everything he can to oppose God’s directives, but nothing can stop us when we apply our faith and move forward towards the goal.

Stop Praying and Move Forward

Many of us continue to pray when we need to stop and move forward on what He told us to do.  Maybe we pray because we really haven’t heard him or we have forgotten what He has told us.  While much of the church is praying the enemy has executed a plan against us.  It’s time to stop praying and start moving on the things God has told us to do. 

Let’s start with 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people who are called by my name would humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways“

He has told us to humble ourselves, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways.  Humility keeps us from being blinded by our own foolishness.  Seeking His face is the only way to find out where we have become wicked.  It’s time to move forward!