Pursued

Today we start the third rule. Even after God proved that Egypt’s gods couldn’t touch Israel, and he was bigger and stronger than they were with his show of power through the 10 plagues, Pharaoh still tried to regain his property. In the same way, Satan doesn’t give up his power on Earth easily. When we give our lives over to God, Satan fights to get us back. Our devotion says:

"But Satan doesn’t surrender his prey without a fight. He comes racing after the converted soul, chariot wheels churning the dust, seeking to discourage you, to defeat you." –The Red Sea Rules, by Robert J. Morgan (Rule 3)

In this life, we must cling to Jesus’ power and never let go. We cannot take our eyes off him, who gives us the power to overcome the one who tries to distract us. Satan wants to pull our eyes from God and gets creative in how he does that. God will protect us, but we must not be distracted by our enemies. Our passage this week from Exodus:

“The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so he chased after the people of Israel, who had left with fists raised in defiance. The Egyptians chased after them with all the forces in Pharaoh’s army—all his horses and chariots, his charioteers, and his troops. The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-zephon.” –Exodus 14:8-9 NLT

God punished Egypt for all the Israelites who died and ended the oppression of his people. Israel had to make sure they no longer saw Egypt as a power over them but instead believed that God was stronger.