Reset

Bible thyme – Water is bitter in Mara

-        For hundreds of years, the Children of Israel were slaves in Egypt. So what does that teach them? First, it tells them that they are not in control of their life, someone else is. There is enough research to substantiate the notion, that periods of prolonged abuse and suppression can cause a person to forget their former life. Where once the Israelites were a thriving people, now they were in bondage. All because they were feared.

-        But God would fulfill His promise of setting them free. He would send a man by the name of Moses, to deliver them from the hands of their suppressors. And He wouold do it in a mighty way. With signs and wonders. Right before they were released, their life became bitter while in Egypt. The slave masters treated them more harshly and with no mercy. The last straw fell, and the Israelits were told to go.

-        Oh what a day that was. You could just see and hear the excitement of Gods people. There must have been tears of joy, that the suffering was over. Thears from fathers and mothers that their children would no long have to work for someneon else like they and their grandparents did. No more would they have to look at 70 and 80 year olds being beaten with whips. No longer would women be pulled by their hair or young boys forced to do the unthinkable. Freedom was hear and the deliverer was God Himself.

-        They arrived at the Red Sea with joyous expectation of something, but they didn’t know what exactly. This was not the promise land. They had been traveling for almost a month away from Goshen. They were tired and off in the distance, they see a cloud of dust. This was not a dust storm, but rather, it was a storm of angry Egyptian soldiers, coming to either kill them, or drive them back like cattle to work probably even harder.

-        All eyes turned to their leader Moses. What is he going to do or what is he going to say? And what does he say or do? Nothing. Nothing at all. Why? Because he doesn’t know why they were led here either.

-        What part of your journey are you in right now? How did you get there? Were you anticipating another destination? Were you planning on being here so long? Did you get here alone? Were others traveling with you but are no longer here? Has this impasse that you find yourself in caused you tears, anxiety and mental anguish? Do you fear what lies ahead?

-        So many today are reluctant to try again, because they are simply tired of the journey. They are tired of government oversight, tired of Covid, tired of working at the hospital, tired of wondering if you will need to get child care if the schools stay closed, tired of being asked, “are you vaccinated?”, tired of putting a stick up your nasal cavity, and tired of praying Lord, when will all this be over?

-        The iseraelites were tired too. They had been slaves for a long time. They had traveled for weeks to get to the Red Sea. They had witnessed the Egyptians coming towards them with 600 chariots, not counting the men. Miraculously the water parted and the army drowned. Now they were about to experience their RESET. Right? Wrong. When they finally found water, they were bitterly disappointed, because the water itself was bitter.

-        They thought that this would be a reset. They were promised the promised land. They trusted God, but now they could not figure out why He would allow this. Are you asking the same questions?

-        Your reset is not a restart. To restart means to go back to the beginning. Although some suggested to go back to Egypt, the overwhelming majority understood that freedom was better than slavery. They would rather suffer in freedom, than enjoy leeks and onions without it. So does your circumstance require a reset? Are you faced with a problem that only God has the power to change? Well, here is a list of a few people from the bible that also experienced a reset.

-        Lazarus came back from the dead. What a reset for him and his sisters. Peter had a reset. He had denied his friend and Savior and Lord. But with love, Jesus gave him a reset and fish. Paul had a reset. We don’t know exactly how many followers of Christ Paul had killed, but now his reset caused him to witness on their behalf. Jacob had a reset. From deceiver to Israel. Now he bore the name of his new mission. Last but certainly not least, is Mary of Magdala. Caught in the very act, yet Christ said “Go and sin no more”. What a reset.

-        Time does not permit for us to talk about Nebuchadnazzar in Daniel 4, or Hezekiah or even Zacchaeus. What you need to remember, is that your reset is the time to re set your focus. When the children of Israel were in Egypt, they had been focused on the Pharaoh, a man, telling them how to live and what to do. Now they were free, they were looking towards Moses, a man, to tell them what to do. But God had to break the invisible chains of slavery from their hearts and minds, so that they could look to Him, their Creator and Provider, from here on out.

-        Start today to reset your focus on God as your creator and provider. Finacially, ask God for a reset, that your money will be His money this year. Your time will belong to Him. Your children and your spouse, will belong to Him and you will be faithful to His plans for them. Decided today to reset your health for this year. What you eat, how much you sleep, the amount of water you consume and the length of time you exercise. All should be included in your reset.

-        The Israelites eventually made it to the land of Canaan flowing with milk and honey. But it was still after several resets, because they struggled to keep God in focus. This year, I’m afraid that we will have the same experience. God will set us free from certain things, but after our few weeks of praising Him, we will return to self preservation and believing that we deserve more, o

-        r better. God has to break us free from our chains of attraction to the things of this earth. We too are believing that we have to listen to the world and have what the world has and do what the world tells us to. But what the world doesn’t tell you, is that some day soon, God is going to do a reset on it. One day, earth will be given a reset and according to Revelation 21, there will be a new heaven and a new earth. “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more eath, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall ther be any more pain: for the former things are passed away”.

-        Are you ready for your reset? If so, be prepared for bitter waters and venomous snakes along the way. But if we set our focus on Christ alone, we will make it to our promised land.

-        https://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-exodus-route-travel-times-distances-days.htm

Danaran Frederick is a teacher, pastor, athlete, counselor and speaker. You might see him standing on his hands somewhere near you. He is married to his sweetheart, Maureen and they have three boys.

Coming from the Caribbean, Danaran Frederick loves his island food. But ever since he has traveled to Asia and Africa, he has fallen in love with the people and the food of many different countries. His decision to pursue his doctorate in Family Ministry, was kindled when he came back to America and realized that if you can impact the children in the family, then the family can impact the community, and in effect, influence the future of the world. But it starts with one family member.

He has spent over 2 decades working with families. He has spoken nationally and internationally on various aspects of family, education, religion, and health. He loves to cook, garden, write, exercise, vacation with his family and interact with young people.

This website will be a place to encourage its visitors to take the time to regenerate. Through scripture, through the stories of people doing life and through various resources, each visitor will find a chord to hold on to, when life seems too much.

Danaran has spent quite bit of time cooking and as a Caribbean cook, herbs are essential. He has chosen to use the herb Thyme as his symbol because of its many facets. In subsequent editions, greater appreciation will be given to this “Thyme” honored and flavorful herb.