The book of Esther talks about a person named Mordecai. This person was a resident of Susa in Persia which is today Shush in Iran with a population of about 66,000. This is the place where Daniel, a contemporary of the prophet Ezekiel, saw one of his visions (Daniel 8:2). This is also the place where Nehemiah started his public life (Nehemiah 1). Today, Shusha residents are Shi’a Muslims. Now, Mordecai had been through a lot in life. He adopted his orphaned cousin Hadassash, that is, Esther. He literally worked tooth and nail to make sure that Esther was brought up responsibly (Esther 2:7) and eventually she grew up to be the queen. And since Mordecai had been through a lot in life he would look at you and say: “Hey, you are in the right place. God doesn’t save the best for the last. He saves the best all the time. It’s like sometimes God wants to raise you up. You have to allow Him to raise you up. Good is good.” The situation that you are going through now is not beyond your comprehension. That is what Mordecai would confidently tell you.
If there is one thing we can learn from Mordecai, it’s letting go of the past and taking up responsibility for the future. He knew that both of Esther’s parents were dead. So, he stood in the gap and raised up Esther in the way of the Lord. You have your own calling to raise up people around you in the way of the Lord. God may use your experience, talents, gifts of the Holy Spirit to achieve this. Ezekiel 22:30 says: “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” So, can you stand in the gap? You are to take up the hedge and stand in the gap by burying your past and shout: “I stand on what the Word of God says. I follow the Christ crucified. My past is nailed to the cross. My past has got nothing to do with me now. ” Let go of your past. You’ve got nothing to lose but everything to gain when you let go of your past. Make a choice. Let not your past bother you. You’re forgiven. Now it’s time to move on. You are in Christ. Your old is gone and your new has arrived. Don’t you want to take hold of what is to come rather than think about your past life? You’re wasting time! You were falling and falling and Christ picked you up. That’s the deal. Now the world is behind you and the future is before you. Jesus promised new life but he also said in Mathew 7:14: “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it.” The road is narrow means that you are on a narrow road. And He knows it’s a narrow road. If you are in Christ you are one of the few who find the way of life. Your situation is clearly reflected in Psalm 119:105: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” So, the Word is a lamp that can light up your steps at this very juncture in your life. It is a light to every step that you take. So, His Word is a lamp unto your feet. Then, what about the entire narrow stretch of path that you see before you? An overwhelmed King David said: “...a light unto my path.” The same Word is a light unto your path too. God is interested in who you want to become in His will. What is your will? That is what King David would ask you if he were here today.
The place where you are now is like Susa. So, this the place where God will give you a vision just like he did to Daniel or like Nehemiah, God will take you to another realm in your spiritual walk. Are you ready like Daniel for a vision from the Lord? Are you ready like Nehemiah to step into another dimension in your spiritual endeavour? God already took His step when He gave the Commandments through Moses and when He gave Jesus for you. Now it’s yours to take the step to meet Him at the point of your need. To him that believes, all things are possible (Mark 9:23). How is your belief life? Jesus further assured his disciples: “...With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”(Mathew 19:26). He knows you are His precious child. Do you know Him as He does of you? You can be sure that He is interested in you because He bought you with His own life. You buy something when you have a reason to buy it. Once you buy it, you become the owner because it had a price and you paid the price for it. You are sold out to Christ. You had a price –the price of a sinner bound for Hell. He paid the price for you. You are owned by Christ. So, stop nagging about your past. You are not in the same anymore. God has a different business for you. You lost your past in Christ and Christ lost His life so that your loss could be recovered through His loss. That is an exchange principle only God can do through His grace and sovereignty. Your past is just a fact; it’s not the truth. You have been made clean. That is the truth. Now you have to maintain that cleanliness by fellowshipping with Him. Fellowshipping with Him will enable you to go forward. And the only way is to go forward. Amen? Peter took the step to walk on water. The moment he took his eyes off Jesus he sank (Mathew 14:30). Walking with Christ is a continuous process. You stop and you sink. Whom are you fixing your eyes on? You? Or Jesus? There is faith in times of trouble. That is what faith is designed for. And Romans 12:3 has already guaranteed you faith: “... God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Tap in to faith at this time in your life. God is just.
Esther 2:21 reads: “In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king’s gate, two of the king’s chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those which kept the door, were wroth, and sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.” Mordecai, who had now been promoted as king Ahasuerus’ adviser on the advice of Esther, now the queen, overheard the plans of Bigthan and Teresh to kill the king. Mordecai informed Esther about the plot and Esther then told the king. The two chamberlains were hanged instantly by an order of the King. It was recorded in the royal book that Mordecai saved the King’s life. God records whatever you do for Him. Keep doing. Don’t turn back. Do you think that you are in danger of being killed? God can turn it around just like Mordecai did to save the King’s life. Isaiah 49:16 says: “Behold, I have graven you upon the palms of my hands; you walls are continually before me.” God constantly regards His people amidst all the trials and disasters. The walls that are around you are before God. God knows. And as a child of God, be sure that no matter what comes at you or no matter how thick your walls seem to be you have to know that “No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, says the LORD (Isaiah 54:17).” Are you ready to see the walls crumble before your very eyes? The walls may be in the form of sickness, financial problems, curses, depression, anger, jealousy, or even difficulty in spending time with God. This verse says that you have a heritage in Christ and that heritage is to prosper amidst all the annoying din around you. Let go and let God! Amen!
Moses spent 40 years as a shepherd in the wilderness. He was a prince who got the best education and the best of everything in Egypt. God brought him down to the level of a shepherd from the position of a prince. The Bible does not talk about the details that happened in the 40 years but it does talk about his life in Egypt. Those 40 years were very personal years. Only God and Moses know what they actually went through. This might be a time in your life when God wants to get personal with you on a one-on-one basis. Don’t lose heart. After the death of Moses God knew Joshua was having a hard time. God told Joshua, “Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel(Joshua 1:2).” Do you know what God was saying? He was telling Joshua:” Hey, Moses is gone. He is not coming back. Things are in your hands now. Pick yourself up and let’s go over to the other side. Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be you dismayed: for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go (Verse 9).” You are not in the past; you are in the future. That’s where you belong. You are here because of your past –the past that was made right at the Cross. If you don’t have a history you cannot tell His story. John the Baptist (not related with the modern denomination) was six months older than Jesus (Luke 1:26). He was a miraculous child because both his parents were way past the age of conception. The Bible does not talk about John until the day he appeared in the river Jordan to baptise Jesus at the age of thirty. Similarly, the Bible does not have record of what Jesus did after the age of 12 until 30. What happened to the 18 years? People say that Jesus went to places like India and Tibet to learn other religions. But Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6).” Jesus is not religious. He is the way, the only way. We can say that like Moses, John went into the ‘wilderness’ for 30 years and Jesus for 18 years. God was building them up in different ways. God is building you up. Only God the Father and John and Jesus knew what they were up to in their respective personal lives. They had to let go of whatever they had and allow God to take charge of everything. Are you finding it tough to let go? Well, if Moses, Mordecai, John and Jesus could let go, you can let go too! Even God had to let go of His only begotten Son so that you can let go. Can you let go? 2 Corinthians 1:20 says yes: “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” It’s a yes and Amen!
If there is one thing we can learn from Mordecai, it’s letting go of the past and taking up responsibility for the future. He knew that both of Esther’s parents were dead. So, he stood in the gap and raised up Esther in the way of the Lord. You have your own calling to raise up people around you in the way of the Lord. God may use your experience, talents, gifts of the Holy Spirit to achieve this. Ezekiel 22:30 says: “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” So, can you stand in the gap? You are to take up the hedge and stand in the gap by burying your past and shout: “I stand on what the Word of God says. I follow the Christ crucified. My past is nailed to the cross. My past has got nothing to do with me now. ” Let go of your past. You’ve got nothing to lose but everything to gain when you let go of your past. Make a choice. Let not your past bother you. You’re forgiven. Now it’s time to move on. You are in Christ. Your old is gone and your new has arrived. Don’t you want to take hold of what is to come rather than think about your past life? You’re wasting time! You were falling and falling and Christ picked you up. That’s the deal. Now the world is behind you and the future is before you. Jesus promised new life but he also said in Mathew 7:14: “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it.” The road is narrow means that you are on a narrow road. And He knows it’s a narrow road. If you are in Christ you are one of the few who find the way of life. Your situation is clearly reflected in Psalm 119:105: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” So, the Word is a lamp that can light up your steps at this very juncture in your life. It is a light to every step that you take. So, His Word is a lamp unto your feet. Then, what about the entire narrow stretch of path that you see before you? An overwhelmed King David said: “...a light unto my path.” The same Word is a light unto your path too. God is interested in who you want to become in His will. What is your will? That is what King David would ask you if he were here today.
The place where you are now is like Susa. So, this the place where God will give you a vision just like he did to Daniel or like Nehemiah, God will take you to another realm in your spiritual walk. Are you ready like Daniel for a vision from the Lord? Are you ready like Nehemiah to step into another dimension in your spiritual endeavour? God already took His step when He gave the Commandments through Moses and when He gave Jesus for you. Now it’s yours to take the step to meet Him at the point of your need. To him that believes, all things are possible (Mark 9:23). How is your belief life? Jesus further assured his disciples: “...With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”(Mathew 19:26). He knows you are His precious child. Do you know Him as He does of you? You can be sure that He is interested in you because He bought you with His own life. You buy something when you have a reason to buy it. Once you buy it, you become the owner because it had a price and you paid the price for it. You are sold out to Christ. You had a price –the price of a sinner bound for Hell. He paid the price for you. You are owned by Christ. So, stop nagging about your past. You are not in the same anymore. God has a different business for you. You lost your past in Christ and Christ lost His life so that your loss could be recovered through His loss. That is an exchange principle only God can do through His grace and sovereignty. Your past is just a fact; it’s not the truth. You have been made clean. That is the truth. Now you have to maintain that cleanliness by fellowshipping with Him. Fellowshipping with Him will enable you to go forward. And the only way is to go forward. Amen? Peter took the step to walk on water. The moment he took his eyes off Jesus he sank (Mathew 14:30). Walking with Christ is a continuous process. You stop and you sink. Whom are you fixing your eyes on? You? Or Jesus? There is faith in times of trouble. That is what faith is designed for. And Romans 12:3 has already guaranteed you faith: “... God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Tap in to faith at this time in your life. God is just.
Esther 2:21 reads: “In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king’s gate, two of the king’s chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those which kept the door, were wroth, and sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.” Mordecai, who had now been promoted as king Ahasuerus’ adviser on the advice of Esther, now the queen, overheard the plans of Bigthan and Teresh to kill the king. Mordecai informed Esther about the plot and Esther then told the king. The two chamberlains were hanged instantly by an order of the King. It was recorded in the royal book that Mordecai saved the King’s life. God records whatever you do for Him. Keep doing. Don’t turn back. Do you think that you are in danger of being killed? God can turn it around just like Mordecai did to save the King’s life. Isaiah 49:16 says: “Behold, I have graven you upon the palms of my hands; you walls are continually before me.” God constantly regards His people amidst all the trials and disasters. The walls that are around you are before God. God knows. And as a child of God, be sure that no matter what comes at you or no matter how thick your walls seem to be you have to know that “No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, says the LORD (Isaiah 54:17).” Are you ready to see the walls crumble before your very eyes? The walls may be in the form of sickness, financial problems, curses, depression, anger, jealousy, or even difficulty in spending time with God. This verse says that you have a heritage in Christ and that heritage is to prosper amidst all the annoying din around you. Let go and let God! Amen!
Moses spent 40 years as a shepherd in the wilderness. He was a prince who got the best education and the best of everything in Egypt. God brought him down to the level of a shepherd from the position of a prince. The Bible does not talk about the details that happened in the 40 years but it does talk about his life in Egypt. Those 40 years were very personal years. Only God and Moses know what they actually went through. This might be a time in your life when God wants to get personal with you on a one-on-one basis. Don’t lose heart. After the death of Moses God knew Joshua was having a hard time. God told Joshua, “Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel(Joshua 1:2).” Do you know what God was saying? He was telling Joshua:” Hey, Moses is gone. He is not coming back. Things are in your hands now. Pick yourself up and let’s go over to the other side. Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be you dismayed: for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go (Verse 9).” You are not in the past; you are in the future. That’s where you belong. You are here because of your past –the past that was made right at the Cross. If you don’t have a history you cannot tell His story. John the Baptist (not related with the modern denomination) was six months older than Jesus (Luke 1:26). He was a miraculous child because both his parents were way past the age of conception. The Bible does not talk about John until the day he appeared in the river Jordan to baptise Jesus at the age of thirty. Similarly, the Bible does not have record of what Jesus did after the age of 12 until 30. What happened to the 18 years? People say that Jesus went to places like India and Tibet to learn other religions. But Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6).” Jesus is not religious. He is the way, the only way. We can say that like Moses, John went into the ‘wilderness’ for 30 years and Jesus for 18 years. God was building them up in different ways. God is building you up. Only God the Father and John and Jesus knew what they were up to in their respective personal lives. They had to let go of whatever they had and allow God to take charge of everything. Are you finding it tough to let go? Well, if Moses, Mordecai, John and Jesus could let go, you can let go too! Even God had to let go of His only begotten Son so that you can let go. Can you let go? 2 Corinthians 1:20 says yes: “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” It’s a yes and Amen!
