Dr Paul Allen

Crossing of the red sea (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) I’ve been reading through the book of Exodus again. When I look at all that Moses went through as a leader, it tends to make me feel a bit better about my own challenges. This time as I read I paid close attention to every time the Israelites grumbled against or quarreled with Moses in the early days of their exodus from Egypt… and it was a lot! But here is what is curious to me… each time they grumbled or quarreled with him, Moses went to God . He didn’t argue with them. He didn’t try to reason with them. He didn’t try to explain himself or his decisions. He didn’t try to make them happy. He went to God.  Moses got what I often forget – He knew that he was simply an instrument for God. Moses understood that he was leading these people for and with God. I get this wrong all the time. I’ve never considered myself a people-pleaser and yet if I’m honest I feel a whole lot better about my leadership if people like me ...

English: Marshall Ney supporting the Rear Guard During the Retreat from Moscow, on exhibition at the Manchester Art Gallery. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Have I not commanded you, “Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you.”  (Joshua 1:9, AMP) Napoleon called Marshall Ney the bravest man he’d ever known. Yet, one morning before a battle, the Marshall’s knees trembled so badly that he had difficulty mounting his horse. When he was finally in the saddle, he shouted down at his limbs, “Shake away, knees. You would shake worse, if you knew where I was taking you!” Courage is not the absence of fear; it’s the conquest of it! It’s Gideon with 300 soldiers going to fight an army of Midianites as big as the ocean, because God said, “Surely I will be with thee.” (See Judges 6:16.) It’s Peter stepping out of the boat in the middle of a storm to walk on the water. It’s doing what you’ve never done before, in orde...

English: Gideon and His Three Hundred; as in Judges 7:9-23; illustration from a Bible card published by the Providence Lithograph Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, ‘A sword for the Lord and for Gideon !’” Judges 7:20 Gideon ordered his men to do two things: covering up a torch in an earthen pitcher, he bade them, at an appointed signal, break the pitcher and let the light shine, and then sound with the trumpet, crying, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon! A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” This is precisely what all Christians must do. First, you must shine; break the pitcher which conceals your light; throw aside the bushel which has been hiding your candle, and shine. Let your light shine before men; let your good works be such, that when men look upon you, they shall know that you have been with Jes...

English: Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus ." ( Philippians 4:19 ) The key to this promise in this verse is the need that must be met by the riches of the Great King as we render our service in His Kingdom. But how vast those needs can be and how different the supply is! Millions of Israelites needed food in the wilderness, and the manna came fresh from heaven each day for 40 years ( Exodus 16:35 ). Gideon needed victory over the innumerable Midianites , and God caused confusion to fall on his enemies ( Judges 7:22 ). Elijah needed a powerful demonstration of God's authority, and fire came down from heaven ( 1 Kings 18:38 ). In the New Testatment, a crippled man needed a new hand ( Mark 3:5 ), a blind man needed new eyes ( John 9:5-6 ), and a dead man needed life ( John 11:43-44 ). Jesus made the best wine anyone had ever had when the party need...

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses ’ feet, and said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!” (Ex. 4:25) In this account, Moses committed the sin of neglecting to circumcise his son. We don’t know why Moses neglected to perform this duty, which was required of all Hebrews. It probably had something to do with living among Midianites who did not circumcise, thus proving that it is easy to become faithless to God ’s commands when we are deprived of the fellowship of His people. In reaction to Moses’ disobedience, the Lord sought to kill him on the road to Egypt, probably by the hand of an angel. This must have been very surprising to Moses because God had just recently conversed with him so intimately. But when we disobey God, not only with sins of commission but of omission, we will be disciplined by Him. This discipline will not be punitive, but it will be des...

Image via Wikipedia You’ve got a big decision to make. You’ve got a fat job offer, but there’s some potential. You’re thinking about this girl that you really like, but you’re not sure what the outcome will be. You’re trying to figure out if you should buy a house or keep renting. How do you decide? How about putting out fleeces ? You know, just like Gideon . In Judges 6, God called Gideon to deliver the people of Israel from the hand of the Midianites .  But Gideon was a jittery, nervous fellow, and he wanted to be sure that God was with him, so he asked God to give him signs. In Judges 6:36-40 Gideon laid out a fleece.  If the fleece was wet but the ground was dry , then he could be sure that God was on his side. Next day, wet fleece, dry ground. But Gideon needed a little more assurance, so he decided to ask for one more test. If the fleece was dry but the ground was wet, then God was  definitely  with him. Once again, God came through. Dry fleece, wet ground. ...

Image via Wikipedia You’ve got a big decision to make. You’ve got a fat job offer, but there’s some potential. You’re thinking about this girl that you really like, but you’re not sure what the outcome will be. You’re trying to figure out if you should buy a house or keep renting. How do you decide? How about putting out fleeces ? You know, just like Gideon . In Judges 6, God called Gideon to deliver the people of Israel from the hand of the Midianites .  But Gideon was a jittery, nervous fellow, and he wanted to be sure that God was with him, so he asked God to give him signs. In Judges 6:36-40 Gideon laid out a fleece.  If the fleece was wet but the ground was dry , then he could be sure that God was on his side. Next day, wet fleece, dry ground. But Gideon needed a little more assurance, so he decided to ask for one more test. If the fleece was dry but the ground was wet, then God was  definitely  with him. Once again, God came through. Dry fleece, wet ground. ...