When God Changes Your Direction

Transcript

Week 1 of the series God's Crossover. Transcribed from the service recording and lightly edited for readability.

Welcome: A New Series, God's Crossover

How y'all doing this morning? Y'all remember who I am? Just checking. It is good to be in the house of the Lord. Amen. Y'all have got to bear with me for a minute while I get my bearings again. I ain't forgot. I'm excited. I don't know about y'all, but I'm excited.

This is a new series that I'm calling God's Crossover: When God Changes the Game. And this week, we're going to look at When God Changes Your Direction.

Declaration Statement

Let's get the declaration statement. Reggie, I'm going to need a hot one. Read it with me:

I am a Christ chaser. I am here to be transformed. I am here to hear the voice of God. God, clear my mind and open my heart to receive Your word. Jesus, do not let me leave the same way I came. I am ready to be changed. Amen.

Scripture Reading: Exodus 14

We're looking at Exodus chapter 14. This is when God is delivering the Israelites from Egypt and taking them to the promised land. Bear with me; I'd call it a short excerpt, but it's quite lengthy. This message really looks at verses 10 all the way through 31, but I'm not going to make you sit through all of that. I'm going to start at verse 15.

The LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to break camp. As for you, lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. As for me, I am going to harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them, and I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh, all his army, and his chariots and horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I receive glory through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen."

Then the angel of God, who was going in front of the Israelite forces, moved and went behind them. The pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and stood behind them. It came between the Egyptian and Israelite forces. There was cloud and darkness, it lit up the night, and neither group came near the other all night long.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The LORD drove the sea back with a powerful east wind all that night and turned the sea into dry land. So the waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with the waters like a wall to them on their right and their left. The Egyptians set out in pursuit, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen, and went into the sea after them. During the morning watch, the LORD looked down at the Egyptian forces from the pillar of fire and cloud, and threw the Egyptian forces into confusion. He caused their chariot wheels to swerve and made them drive with difficulty. "Let's get away from Israel," the Egyptians said, "because the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt!"

— Exodus 14:15–25

Moses Had a Purpose

So we're looking at when God changes your direction. We've all got these little GPS systems now, in our cars or on our phones. And I'm a driver, y'all. I like to drive. I know where I'm going. I know all the shortcuts, all the twists and turns. I can drive the city of Houston. I can take the streets, I can take the freeway, I can go wherever I want to go. But nowadays people like to turn that GPS on even when they know where they're going, and to me that don't make no sense.

But you turn the GPS on, you're driving down the freeway, and the next thing you know, it tells you to get off. "What am I going to get off for? My exit ain't for another few miles." It says get off. But my ignorant behind stays on, and I'm in traffic, or I hit a wreck, or some other obstacle. If I'd listened to what the GPS said, it would have gotten me around all the stuff that was going to be in my way. Sometimes when God changes your GPS, He's not trying to delay you. A lot of times He's trying to protect you.

God gives us all visions. I was at vacation Bible school the other week telling all the youngsters, "You ain't no accident. God has you here for a purpose. Even if your people thought you were an accident because they weren't planning for you, God knew what He was doing." You have a purpose in life. And Moses had a purpose in life. He felt he was going to deliver his people out of Egypt. But when he started his journey, he killed a man and had to run for his life. And here God is setting up a new plan for how He's going to deliver His people. His vision didn't change.

Sometimes we know the destination. The problem is we don't listen to God and follow the plan He has to get us there. We think we know how to get from point A to point B. But just because God showed you what point B is doesn't mean you don't still have to follow His directions to get there the way He wants to get you there. The problem is, we trust God's destination. We don't trust His direction. We struggle with that thing.

The Crossover

This series is called Crossover because in basketball, the crossover is one of the deadliest moves. When you think somebody can't go to their left, you overguard their right. But if he crosses you up, because you're leaning too hard to the right, and takes you to the left, all he needs is one or two good steps and he's past you.

Sometimes God has got to switch directions on us, not for our sake, but because He knows where the enemy is. He's got to take the enemy off guard. Maybe you're focused on one thing you haven't figured out yet, and God says, "I'm going to switch it up and teach you something else." And we're like, "Oh, no, I've got to focus on this. God sent me this direction." Yes, God might have sent you that direction, but that doesn't mean He can't change directions. When God performs a crossover in our lives, He's changing the direction. He's changing our mindset.

God's Direction Doesn't Always Make Sense

A lot of this gets difficult. I tell you this all the time, over and over: God's directions don't always make sense. In my life, I don't think they ever make sense. Matter of fact, I'm at the point where I know God is talking to me because it don't make sense. "Oh, wait, that's probably God." But we don't want to change. We want to keep doing the same old, same old.

These Israelites were enslaved for over 400 years, and even in the midst of the battle, they're like, "Moses, can we just go back? I know you say you're trying to take us somewhere, but we liked it where we were." But God is trying to get you where He's taking you. And not just get you there, but get you there in a way that shows His glory.

God's Ways Are Higher: Isaiah 55:8–9

Here's the thing with God: His direction often challenges our understanding. Isaiah 55:8–9 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

God intentionally avoided the shortcut for the Israelites. There was a shortcut. But He said, "These people ain't never fought nothing. They ain't never been through any serious battles. I've got to prepare them for the place I'm taking them." And I know people thought they were crazy. Everybody's watching them leave: "Why are they going that way? That ain't the way."

Like right now, if we want to go to Galveston, I ain't got any business on the Beltway. And if you see me on the Beltway, then I hit 290, then I hit 610, you're like, "Where's that boy going?" Y'all know you get to Galveston off 288. But there's more than one way to get there. It might not be the part of Galveston you wanted, but it'll get you there. And that's what God was doing. He was taking them on this journey.

Between the Mountains and the Sea

And the next thing you know, they're stuck. "Moses, you see this water?" "Yeah." "Moses, there are mountains on both sides of us." "Yeah." "I think we need to turn back and go back to Egypt." They turn around: "Oh, wait. They're coming for us. We can't go this way either. What should we do?"

"Why Are You Crying Out to Me?"

And I love verse 15. Most of us like to pray. We like to talk. We like to beg and petition God for all kinds of stuff. In verse 15, the Lord says to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me?" That's already messing with my understanding. "God, I'm supposed to be talking to You. I'm supposed to be seeking direction. Why are You asking me why I'm talking to You? You know why I'm talking to You." And He says, "But you know what to do." Because before He sent Moses to Pharaoh, He showed him all the things he could do with that staff. "You're already equipped."

How many of us are sitting around waiting for God to answer a prayer, and God is saying, "What I already told you to do"? But we don't want to do it, because it don't make no sense. You're struggling in a certain area of your life, trying to figure out why you haven't gotten that promotion, why you aren't moving to the next level. You say, "God, what am I supposed to do?" And He says, "I already told you to forgive so-and-so." "What do they have to do with my job? What does forgiving my mama have to do with getting a promotion at work? What does what my baby sister did to me ten years ago have to do with me getting a brand-new car?" God says, "Do what I told you to do."

Delays are often divine preparation. God just showed you He's about to put you in situations of influence. "But I have to prepare you to be in the room." Some of us would just be happy to be in the room. God says, "I don't want you to be happy to be in the room. I need you to have influence in the room. I need to prepare you, so that when you get in the room, people will listen. I don't need you in the room with people wondering why you're there. When you enter the room, they're going to know exactly why you're there, and they're going to be listening and waiting for you to declare what the Lord says."

God Will Get the Glory

And here's this. I'm sorry; y'all probably won't come back next Sunday. But God's purpose is greater than your comfort. God was about to do something, not just for the Israelites, but for Himself. "I've got to let the Egyptians, I've got to let everybody in this world, know what I'm about to do. But to do that, I'm going to have to put you through something."

The word says God has a peace that surpasses all understanding. But the only way for the world to see that peace is for Him to put you through hell, and while you're going through hell, they see peace. Y'all didn't hear me. The only way for the world to see a peace that surpasses understanding is for you to go through hell. The only way the Egyptians saw this miracle was to see the waters parted, the Israelites go through, and their enemies drowned by that water.

Some really smart people in this world try to say the water that parted wasn't that deep, so when the wind blew, it was easy to separate and walk through on dry ground. Cool. My God still drowned a whole bunch of people in some shallow water. God says, "It don't matter how you want to set this up. It's a miracle all the way around. If I can drown a whole army in shallow water, I'm still God."

Jesus intentionally waited for Lazarus to die. Somebody posed this question, and I still wonder: was Lazarus mad when he came back? I'd have been in heaven chilling, and Jesus brings me back to life? But he had to die. He physically left his body, and he was dead for four days. Why? Because in that day, they believed the spirit might stay around for a little while, so they waited four days. Jesus said, "I need to let y'all know for sure, without a shadow of a doubt, this man is dead." And I love his sisters. They knew the scripture: "Yeah, we know he'll rise again in the resurrection at the last day." And He's like, "No, I am the resurrection and the life."

Right now your life might feel dead, but God is saying, "I can still resurrect it. I may take you to some dark places, but I'll still bring you back to life." Your business might have crumbled. You might have lost your job. Your child might be wayward. But God is saying, "I can still bring life to dead things."

God Makes a Way Where There Is No Way

And here's the thing about our God: God makes a way where there is no way. Every obstacle becomes an opportunity for God's glory. I say it all the time, and maybe one day I'll stop saying it: I want to get to the point where Satan stops messing with me, because every time he messes with me, I get closer to Jesus.

When you fight, you've got to know you're going to get hit sometimes. This past month was a little bit of a struggle for me. But I asked for it. I can't come in here teaching God's people about the full armor of God, teaching people how to get free, teaching about Yes Squared, God's yes times my yes, being fully obedient to God and getting unimaginable blessings, and expect Satan not to come for me. Because it's not about me. It's about God getting the glory.

Sometimes we get so caught up in getting stuff that we forget what we're here for. We're here for God's glory. We're here to give Him honor, glory, and praise. We're here to worship His name, no matter what we're going through. And sometimes we stop worshiping because we didn't get the stuff we wanted. That's why Revelation talks about losing your first love. Our first love should be to worship and praise God, no matter what. Why? Because He woke us up. We've still got breath in our bodies. And the breath in our bodies is His, not ours. Go down to the morgue, blow your breath into a body, and see what happens. It's God's breath. Scientists can do a whole lot with the human body, but they can't bring a dead person back to life.

Moses Had to Stretch Out the Rod

Faith moves before the miracle appears. Moses had to stretch out that rod. "What are you doing? They're coming for us. Why are you stretching out this stick? We ain't got no weapons, and that's all you're going to do?" But if God has told you something, you stand there on faith, ten toes down, on the business of God: "God is going to deliver me." Because if you can see it, it really ain't faith. If you can already see it coming to fruition, it ain't faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

So sometimes God is going to put us in situations that truly test our faith. Do you believe? Can you keep walking forward each day? That child of yours who is wayward, off the chains, off the charts, and you're still walking forward like, "God, I know he's coming. Lord, I know she's right behind me. She's on the way." You're at that job working like the promotion is already yours. You're driving that old beater clunker like it's brand-new. You're praying for a new car, but you're still taking care of the old car like it's brand-new. Why? Because God is trying to take you somewhere, but He's also trying to prepare you to receive all He has in store for you when you get there.

"But it don't look right. It don't look like it's going to happen. I can't see any evidence. Nothing looks like it's falling into place. Matter of fact, more things are going wrong than getting better." But our God specializes in impossible situations. He does it over and over. When was the last time y'all saw a virgin who was pregnant? I'm just saying. And y'all know good and well, if any young lady came in here talking about being pregnant by God, we'd be laughing and talking about her. But over and over, God works in impossible situations.

That's why I like the Bible, and you've got to read it sometime, because there's some interesting stuff in there. Can you imagine being in prison one day and the next day you're second in command of the nation? That's what God has done for people over and over and over. I think He left His book for us so we can see what He's capable of. So even when your situation seems impossible right now, God says, "Guess what? That's where I play. That's where I ball out. That's where I go to work."

Your Crossover Becomes Someone Else's Testimony

And this is where it really gets good: your crossover becomes someone else's testimony. God delivers publicly so others will get to know Him. In Joshua, Rahab says, "We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt." Decades later, people are still talking about what God did for the Israelites. And months and years from now, people are going to be talking about what God did for you. Watching what God did in your life may be what gives them the opportunity to come to Christ.

But we don't want that. We don't want to go through the tragedy, the heartbreak, and the devastation. But somebody is watching how we navigate our heartbreak and devastation, our darkest days, with our faith and belief in God, and it will give them hope. Because there's something about saying, "I know. I'm not telling you what I read or what I heard. I'm telling you what I experienced."

Today's miracles also become tomorrow's encouragement. Remember when David was getting ready to fight Goliath, and they said, "David, you look young. How are you going to handle this giant?" David said, "I've torn up lions and bears. If God could work with me on that, I can handle this fella."

What has God already done in your life? Where's your Rolodex of His blessings? Sometimes we've got to go back and revisit the stuff God has done for us, especially on our dark days. "Oh, wait, He delivered me from that. Oh, yeah, He got me through this." It's so easy to forget. I'm bad at it; I'm not a good journaler. But you've got to journal. You've got to start writing stuff down, so you can go back to your journal, go back to your calendar, and start reading: "Oh, okay. Good." Why? Because I know He's coming. Satan will have us forget. He'll say, "God ain't coming through for you. You messed up too big this time." And I'm like, "Oh, no. Last time was way worse than this. I'm all right."

God Intends to Use Your Story

God receives the glory when we trust Him completely. And one of the ways we show we trust Him completely is when we worship. "Go ahead, I'm going to make a joyful noise to the Lord." My noise may not be joyful to y'all, but it's joyful to God. We have to worship, and our worship becomes our witness. Because in the midst of all the dark things we're going through, we begin to say, "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." When that was written, I'm sure the writer was going through some bad stuff. But it's like, "Wait, I've got to remind myself: this is the day the Lord has made."

It's going to be so amazing when people begin to see where God delivered us from, what God has taken us through, and where He's positioning us for His glory. We've got to realize it's for His glory. Breakthrough is never just about you. God intends to use your story to strengthen someone else's faith.

Pharaoh Over-Committed

You might be like the Israelites right now. You might feel trapped on all sides: blocked by mountains beside you, the Red Sea before you, and Pharaoh chasing you. But God wants you to know the game is not over. Pharaoh didn't realize he had overcommitted. Just like a defender in basketball who overcommits to one side, God is going to cross him up and take you the other way. God made His crossover by opening the sea, something they didn't expect. So I'm telling you right now: God has something in store for you that you don't expect.

God Repositions You First

Let me go ahead and tell the truth and shame the devil. I told y'all we can all get financially free this year. And for me, I've been praying for a big check. "God, I need a check. I need my Netflix deal. I need my book to sell. I need a big check." But God says, "First, I have to reposition you. I have to get your mind right about finances so you can handle what I'm sending your way."

At one point this year, I had three vehicles. My Suburban died, so I sold it. The Cadillac started tripping: every time I got in, I had to jump it to get it started. I took it to the shop, and they told me it was going to cost way more than I wanted to pay. So I took it home, and it sat in the driveway. I still had the truck, so I could drive the truck. I'm good. Except, guess what? The truck ain't got no AC. But I'm good. I've still got wheels. I'm moving. I'm not going to let this get me down.

About a week or two ago, one of my buddies called me and said, "I'm paying to get your vehicles fixed." And I didn't want that gift. "No, I can't let you do that." He said, "I'm being obedient to God, so you need to be obedient to God." But I wanted my blessing to come the way I wanted it. "I want my check. I don't need you to help me out. I need God to give me a check." But God says, "I'm going to provide for you. I'm going to get you right. I'm going to take you where I'm taking you. But along the way, you have to go where I'm leading you. You're going to go through some dark days. You're going to go through some struggles. You're going to ride in a truck with no AC in the hot Houston summer. But guess what? You're going to survive."

And one thing you have to understand is that God does not make mistakes. If you're in a situation, you're there because God has you there. Even if you messed up, even if you made the mistake that got you into the situation you're in, God knew you were going to get there. God allowed you to get there. Why? Because He wants the glory when He delivers you.

Stand Still and Watch Him Cross Over

So stand still, trust His direction, and watch Him cross over.

Weekly Challenge

• Reflect: Where in my life am I resisting God's change in direction because I don't understand His plan?
• Act: Identify one area this week where you will obey God immediately instead of waiting for complete understanding.
• Pray: "Father, when Your direction doesn't make sense to me, give me the faith to trust Your wisdom over my own understanding. Help me recognize that Your crossover is never meant to harm me, but to position me for Your purpose and Your glory. In Jesus' name, amen."

Closing Prayer

Pray with me. Most gracious and heavenly Father, we come before You saying thank You. Father God, we thank You for all that You're doing in our lives and in the life of this church. Lord, we know we don't always understand what You're doing or going to do, but we're trusting and putting our faith in You, that where You have us is exactly where You want us to be. Father God, we're going to listen to Your direction and take the path You lead us down. Lord, we love You and praise You. In Jesus' name, amen.