Little By Little.
Exodus 23:27-30NKJV
Many times we think that nothing emotionally, physically or spiritually is happening in us, we begin to feel disenfranchised and gather an attitude of “who cares, or what’s the use.”
This is the word the Lord spoke to me, “If you do little things like they’re big things, God will do big things like they’re little things.”
There is a three-word phrase buried in the book of Exodus—“Little by little.”
Sakichi Toyota was born February 14, 1867 in a remote farming community in rural Japan. As a young man, Toyota got his hands on a book 1st published in England in 1859. Profiling some of history's greatest inventors author Samuel smiles championed the merits of self-help. How? By paying attention to absolutely everything. One day while watching the way his mother and grandmother labored on their manual looms. Sakichi was inspired to design a power driven bloom. Guess again Toyota Automatic loom works.
His approach was a trial and error tactic he called go and see. A hands on approach to problem-solving, it was a heart and soul of what would become known as the Toyota way.
In 1950 nephew Eiji Toyota took a team of engineers on a 12-week-tour of automobile plants in America. The Toyota team expected to be amazed. Instead, they were surprised by the inefficiencies they found in American assembly lines. They believed that they could beat America at the automobile game. Considering Toyota is now the largest automobile manufacturer in the world it could be argued that they did just that. Their mindset became you never really arrive, in fact there is no finish line, you got to stay humble and stay hungry—That’s the Toyota way!
Let’s look at, Exodus 23:27-30NKJV “I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. 29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land.
God will cause confusion. Again, Exodus 23:27TM “I’ll send my Terror on ahead of you and throw those peoples you’re approaching into a panic. All you’ll see of your enemies is the backs of their necks.
This confusion caused by God will cause your enemies to destroy themselves, to fight against themselves, as well as others. P.H
Deuteronomy 28:7NIV The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.
Again, Deuteronomy 28:7TM God will defeat your enemies who attack you. They’ll come at you on one road and run away on seven roads.
5 ways God promises to deal with your enemies:
1. He will bring everything hidden into the light.
Enemies can be sneaky—They will say cutting remarks to you no one else notices, threaten you when others aren’t around, or try to quietly cheat you out of money, opportunities or relationships.
Even so, there is One who sees everything that is done in secret, and He says, Luke 8:17NKJV “Nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light”
2. He will avenge you.
As you choose godliness, the desire you have for justice, comes from the One in whose image you were created.
He is the God of justice, and He loves justice. It’s good to want justice in the world, but when you try to get it for yourself, you’ve put yourself in God’s place.
Romans 12:19ESV “Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
3. He won’t let enemies succeed against you.
Your greatest enemy has come to steal, kill and destroy. He doesn’t work alone, He’ll use other people (even Christians) to carry out his plans. Sometimes, it even seems like those plans are succeeding.
Isaiah 54:17NKJV “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn.”
So, if you have people trying to sue you, or harm you in some way, you just walk in love toward them, and stand on that scripture.
1 John 4:18 teaches, Faith has no fear.
4. He will prepare a table before you.
When you’re walking in love and in obedience to God’s Word, no matter who comes against you, they can’t stop the blessings God has in store for you.
Satan uses people to try and get us into offense. He knows if he can get us in strife and out of love, we’re out of position to receive the blessings of God. So, stay on the love-line and don’t budge. No matter how much wrong is done to you, forgive, love and pray.
Declare and receive—Psalm 23:5 It’s His promise to prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies.
Again, Exodus 23:27NIV “I will send my terror ahead of you and create panic among all the people whose lands you invade. I will make all your enemies turn and run.
5. He will help you defeat the real enemy. At the end of the day, you might think your enemy is your co-worker, your neighbor or your mother-in-law, but the true enemy is the one pulling all the strings. Ephesians 6:12-13 tells us that we do not fight against flesh-and-blood enemies but against evil spirits.
Most of us know this truth, but it takes a constant reminder when flesh and blood are right in front of us causing so much trouble!
God has given you all authority over the enemy, Luke 10:19, So when he tries to send people your way, rebuke him, send him packing, and remind him that he must go back where he belongs—under your feet!
These are five ways God promises to deal with our enemies. Remember, like any other promise, they require obedience on our part.
If we are unforgiving and unloving toward our enemies, the promises are off the table. If we are worried, trying to take justice into our own hands, or gossiping about the situation—no deal. Stay in obedience, and let God deal with your enemies.
Exodus 23:28NIV I will send terror ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites.
It was God’s intention for His people—the Israelites, to win every battle!
1 John 5:4KJV For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
Exodus 23:29NIV But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you.
Exodus 23:29TM I won’t get rid of them all at once lest the land grow up in weeds and the wild animals take over.
Say—“God has a plan.’ “The land would grow up in weeds and wild animals would take the land over.”
Exodus 23:30NKJV Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land.
I've had to say that I like non-stop flights I do not want to get on any connectors. The journey from Mount Sinai to the promised land was supposed to take 11 days, but it turned into a 40 year flight, with 42 stops.
God delivers us little by little. God promotes us little by little. God grows us little by little.
We hate playing the waiting game, we want God to deliver us on his promises yesterday! We plant on Monday and Walt to harvest on Tuesday. Here's a newsflash to all non-farmers—it takes a little longer than that.
Robert Louis Stevenson once said, “Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”
James 1:2-4NIV Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Did you know that the job of a pastor is not always to comfort the afflicted, but it’s mostly to afflict the comfortable.
Comforting the afflicted results and warm fuzzies, but that isn't how spiritual battles are won or lost.
“Tell me the last time you were uncomfortable, and I'll tell you the last time you grew.” P.H
Psalm 84:4-7NKJV Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You. Selah 5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength;
Each one appears before God in Zion.
The Valley of Baca was likely a literal place located near Jerusalem. It may have been the valley of Rephaim (2 Samuel 5:18) or the Valley of Achor (Joshua 7:24). The exact location is not certain, however, it was indeed a valley or a low point in terrain. Thus, the valley of Baca was a low point of tears or weeping that can bring forth good fruit. https://www.icr.org/article/valley-baca/
Again notice, Psalm 84:7 “They go from strength to strength.”
Not our own strength, but the Lord’s strength.
During the 2019 Major league baseball season the Washington Nationals found themself in last place in the National League east. With a record of 19 and 31, their odds of making the post season were 3.8% the odds of winning the National League pennant only .1% that's when their manager, Dave Martinez, challenge the team with a simple idea that would become their team theme: “Go 1, and 0 today.”
Again, decide to go 1 and 0 today.
Benediction.
