1
00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:13,160
Speaker 1: Life Audio. Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We're glad to

2
00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:16,200
Speaker 1: have you listening with us. Today's topic is about how

3
00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:20,600
Speaker 1: God turns fearful men and women into courageous history makers

4
00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:23,880
Speaker 1: and life changers. We'll return with the devotional after a

5
00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:41,240
Speaker 1: brief message from our sponsors. From Fearful to Courageous written

6
00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:45,440
Speaker 1: and read by Jennifer Slattery. Since then, no prophet has

7
00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:48,160
Speaker 1: risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face

8
00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:50,879
Speaker 1: to face, who did all those signs and wonders the

9
00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:53,320
Speaker 1: Lord sent him to do in Egypt, to Pharaoh and

10
00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:56,080
Speaker 1: to all his officials, and to his whole land. For

11
00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:59,360
Speaker 1: no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed

12
00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:02,160
Speaker 1: the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of

13
00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:08,320
Speaker 1: all Israel. Deuteronomy thirty four, verses ten through twelve. Today's passage,

14
00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:12,440
Speaker 1: when understood in light of Moses's full story, assures me

15
00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:16,880
Speaker 1: that I can start afraid and end a confident, influential,

16
00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:20,280
Speaker 1: and powerful woman of God. While I'm nowhere near as

17
00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:23,920
Speaker 1: faith filled and courageous as I long to be, I'm

18
00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:26,679
Speaker 1: encouraged knowing that I don't have to remain stuck in

19
00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:29,759
Speaker 1: today's fear and insecurity. That's not to say I expect

20
00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:33,200
Speaker 1: my journey toward peace to feel easy or simple, nor

21
00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:37,360
Speaker 1: do I anticipate a smooth, linear trajectory where all fretting

22
00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:43,160
Speaker 1: and overthinking steadily decreased day by day. Unfortunately, I'm much

23
00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:47,360
Speaker 1: too inconsistent for that. The more I follow the example

24
00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:50,080
Speaker 1: set by the heroes of faith, however, the greater my

25
00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:54,280
Speaker 1: intimacy with Christ, understanding and reliance on his truth and

26
00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,920
Speaker 1: trust in his care. You see, whenever I read Moses's

27
00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:02,240
Speaker 1: legacy so beautifully preserve in Deuteronomy thirty four, I can't

28
00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,360
Speaker 1: help but think back on the man revealed in Exodus

29
00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:08,720
Speaker 1: chapter three and four. If you're familiar with the Old Testament,

30
00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:13,240
Speaker 1: you might remember his not so courageous response to his

31
00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:18,880
Speaker 1: awe inspiring and miraculous encounter with God Almighty. After forty

32
00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:21,760
Speaker 1: years living as a prince in Egypt, he killed a

33
00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:24,320
Speaker 1: man and fled to the land of Midian, where he

34
00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:29,520
Speaker 1: remained as a fugitive, perhaps assuming he'd forfeited whatever dreams

35
00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:32,959
Speaker 1: he'd once held for his future. He soon settled into

36
00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:37,399
Speaker 1: his new life, Perhaps assuming he'd forfeited whatever dreams he'd

37
00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:39,880
Speaker 1: once held for his future, He soon settled into his

38
00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:42,160
Speaker 1: new life, where he spent his time as a family

39
00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:46,760
Speaker 1: man tending his father in law's herds. Then, one long, quiet,

40
00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:52,160
Speaker 1: monotonous day, something captured his attention, a bush that kept

41
00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:56,320
Speaker 1: burning without turning to ask. As he stepped closer to investigate,

42
00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:01,240
Speaker 1: the voice of God Almighty called out from the engaging

43
00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:04,680
Speaker 1: him in a life changing conversation. The Lord told him

44
00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:07,400
Speaker 1: that he'd heard the desperate cries of his enslaved people

45
00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:11,799
Speaker 1: and was sending Moses to set them free. Understandably, this

46
00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:16,240
Speaker 1: ignited anxiety within Moses. God responded through a series of

47
00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:20,040
Speaker 1: miracles that displayed his power and authority, but this wasn't

48
00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:24,320
Speaker 1: enough to steal Moses's quaking heart. His fear of Pharaoh,

49
00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:26,960
Speaker 1: the earthly ruler the Lord wanted him to stand against,

50
00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:32,880
Speaker 1: was so great he actually told God no, stating, pardon

51
00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:38,600
Speaker 1: your servant, Lord, please send someone else. Eventually, however, he obeyed,

52
00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:42,480
Speaker 1: and in the decades that followed, developed an unshakable faith,

53
00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:45,560
Speaker 1: able to a stand in approaching army, a militant raiding

54
00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:50,200
Speaker 1: people group, constant complaints and revolts from those he led near, stony,

55
00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:54,240
Speaker 1: betrayal from his siblings, and all the hardships that came

56
00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:58,400
Speaker 1: with wandering for four decades through an inhospitable wilderness en

57
00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:02,200
Speaker 1: route to an unknown land. What strikes me most, however,

58
00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:06,280
Speaker 1: is the stark contrast he portrays compared to his fellow Hebrews.

59
00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:11,480
Speaker 1: Like Moses, they began doubtful and afraid. Unlike him, they

60
00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:15,360
Speaker 1: remained stuck in their unbelief and fear. Moses, on the

61
00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:19,960
Speaker 1: other hand, grew so faithful and courageous. Today's passage memorialized

62
00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:25,000
Speaker 1: him as at that time the greatest prophet known to man. Clearly,

63
00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:28,960
Speaker 1: the difference wasn't in their circumstances. He and they endured

64
00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:33,640
Speaker 1: the same hardships and witnessed the same miracles. It also

65
00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:36,119
Speaker 1: wasn't in their makeup. He and they were both human

66
00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:41,400
Speaker 1: and therefore experienced the same range of emotions as you

67
00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:44,719
Speaker 1: and me. When we consider their stories closely and in full,

68
00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:49,440
Speaker 1: we see the difference arose from how they responded in

69
00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:52,839
Speaker 1: times of crisis. Whereas the people turned to one another

70
00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:58,040
Speaker 1: with grumbling, complaining, and catastrophizing, thereby exasperating their own and

71
00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:03,279
Speaker 1: each other's fears, Joses consistently turned to God. He sought

72
00:05:03,279 --> 00:05:09,080
Speaker 1: the Lord's help, comfort, guidance, protection and provision. But most importantly,

73
00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:16,039
Speaker 1: he simply sought God, because in his presence comes power, protection,

74
00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:22,919
Speaker 1: and peace. Intersecting life and faith. Our world often feels

75
00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:28,880
Speaker 1: chaotic and uncertain. Tumultuous situations naturally evoke anxiety and fear.

76
00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:32,200
Speaker 1: But you and I were created for peace and joy,

77
00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:35,240
Speaker 1: not in the absence of trouble, but rather in the

78
00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:38,440
Speaker 1: presence of Jesus, our Prince of peace. The more we

79
00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:42,280
Speaker 1: seek him, read and reflect on his truth, and rest

80
00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:46,760
Speaker 1: in his loving embrace, the greater our faith and the

81
00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:55,640
Speaker 1: weaker our anxiety and fear. The Crosswalk Devotional is a

82
00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:59,680
Speaker 1: production of Life Audio and Salem Media. If you liked

83
00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:02,279
Speaker 1: what you heard today, please take a second to rate

84
00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:05,680
Speaker 1: and review this podcast in your favorite podcast app so

85
00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:09,640
Speaker 1: that more listeners like you can find the show. For

86
00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:22,560
Speaker 1: more faith filled inspirational podcasts, visit us at lifeaudio dot com.