Go Forward!

There is no incident in the life of Moses which I consider more epochal than this one; the encounter with the Red Sea. Here was a man who was faced with a great dilemma. He was on his way from Egypt to Canaan. He had received instructions from God to take the journey and he was following orders. He had been chosen to lead a group of oppressed and downtrodden people to the Promised Land. The journey had been successful to this point. Two great pillars had formed in the sky to lead them: a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. It was a wilderness journey.

It was a wilderness journey because God led them not by way of the land of the Philistines, which geographically would have been closer to the Promised Land, but rather, God led them through the wilderness of the Red Sea, the longest and most difficult route. This seems to suggest that when God gets ready to build the strength of a people, He uses His own strategy. He does not do what we think He might have done or should have done, He does what is best. No man can tell God what to do or how to do. He led them through the way of the wilderness and the Red Sea and crossing it gave Israel a history as long as the ages. This one incident stamped eternity upon the people of God.

Well, it has been said, and I believe, that the easy way out in life is never ultimately profitable ? even though it may appear to be. The short and easy way only leads to a fools' haven; a place where we feel we have arrived only to discover we have missed the mark in life. We cannot understand or face life until we have walked the rough and rugged paths; when we have tasted the bitter cup of oppression and persecution. We cannot understand life until we have been confronted by trials and tribulations, heartbreaks and desperation. We can never grasp what life is really about until we have walked through the wilderness and crossed the high waters of troubles. Great nations and great individuals have been burned out of struggle and bloodshed.

God led His people through the wilderness - not to punish them, not to get even with them for their disobedience, but to equip them to handle the difficulties that were ahead of them. God is like that. Sometimes He will lead us through the wilderness to prepare us for some obstacle that lies ahead. He prepares us for victory over major trials. And I kind of like the way God does business because every now and then in my personal history, major events come my way and when these especially difficult challenges come, I want to be able to stand.

God never leads an individual around opposition but through it ? straight through. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, we find God leading His children through and not around opposition. When these Hebrew children looked to the east, they saw the Red Sea; when they looked to the west and south, they saw huge mountains, and to the north of them was Pharaoh's army in host pursuit. You remember the story. God told Moses to tell the Israelites to "Go Forward" and He provided a way for them through the Red Sea. God never leads us into a wilderness and leaves us. If He takes us in, He will bring us out if we trust Him.

God never tells an individual to quit. He has one command, Go Forward. It is the only means of getting ahead. Canaan is always out in front of us. It is more that a place, it is God's destiny for men.

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach which can be reviewed on her site. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, is expected to be available in July.

You are welcome to visit amen ministries: your soul's service station for spiritual refreshing, soul edification or to browse our newly expanded mini shopping mall.

Blessings to all!

monthly home cleaning Buffalo Grove ..

In The News:

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Go Forward!

Spirituality