Thanks to all of you who supported the missions team through prayer. The trip rocked and all of us left Vancouver changed. I am pumped to take the lessons learned and apply them to our great town of Chilliwack.
The youth website is awesome. I love the daily devotionals and I really enjoy reading everyone's responses. As we approach a new youth year I would like to make this website even better. What I ask of you is this... Please email me brock@southsidelife.com for your suggestions. What do you think of the site? What can be improved? What is great and what sucks about the site? Please be honest I want to make this site as awesome as possible so no feelings will be hurt. If you have any ideas please let me know. Also let me know how often you read the daily devotional or you can let me know if you never come on the site too. I want to hear all feedback so this website can be as impactful as possible.
In the meantime I will continue to post the link to Chuck Swindoll's daily devotion. You can feel free to let me know if you miss my postings or the postings of the youth. You can also let me know if you like Chuck's devotions better.
I really want to make this website meaningful. I feel in order to do that I need to let it sit for a few weeks and just get your feedback.
Thanks for all your help and I look forward to your emails and the upcoming youth year.
Brock

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Hello everyone, there will be no devotion from southside youth on a daily basis until August 31 due to a missions trip. In the mean time I posted a link to Chuck Swindoll's daily devotional. He is such a great pastor and his devotions are awesome. I hope you enjoy the change and I look forward to continuing the study of Exodus at the end of August.

http://daily.insight.org/site/PageServer?pagename=daily_devotional

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Probably one of the most famous stories in the Old Testament, Exodus 14 is known for the parting of the Red Sea, where the Lord delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians. Obviously an incredible and unbelievable achievement, just another example of how great God is and how many times He has delivered his people from harm. But two verses in particular stood out to me, Exodus 14: 13-14. It says, ``Moses answered the people, `Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.`` Moses showed great faith here, even in doubtful times, and trusted the Lord with everything. There`s nothing remarkable with trusting God and praising Him when everything`s going your way. But if you can keep that attitude of trust and praise when things go wrong, it lets you show others what God can do through them, and it strengthens your relationship with God.

Stand firm. The Lord will deliver you. The Lord will fight for you. Put it all in His hands. Trust, have faith, give praise.

Benjamin Bloch

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21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they may travel by day and night.

How sweet would that be? Can you imagine being lead through the wilderness by a cloud or fire? What I like about this part of the story is that God does not leave them hanging. He brings them out of Egypt and begins taking them the rest of the way to the promised land.
In this day and age I have not heard of God leading people by a cloud or fire. That does not mean that God is not there. Whatever it is you may be going through God wants to lead you. Whether it is a health issue, undecided future, family problems etc. You can trust God and he wants to lead you. Seek him with all of your heart and he will guide you where you need to go.

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What an incredible chapter. The people of Israel are oppressed and in bondage. The people of Israel need help. The coolest thing about this whole story is that is shows God's character so clearly.
God is on your side. Just as he did for Israel God will fight for you. We have this great God who not only loves us but is willing to fight for us also.

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8 ...Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh. 9 The LORD had said to Moses, "Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you�€”so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt." 10 Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.

The most interesting part about this passage, for me, is the last portion of verse 8. Moses knew that Pharaoh wasn't going to give in when he began his message, but never the less, he was passionate about it, so much so that he was hot with anger leaving Pharaoh's chamber. By modern logic it wouldn't make sense to put everthing you have into something that you know you're going to lose because it seems like a waste, but Moses had a differnt understanding, he understood that what he was doing was for the King of Kings and not for anything of this Earth. He gave his all, not to convince Pharaoh of anything, but so that God's wonders would be multiplied in Egypt.

God's wonders can be multiplied in our world today, but we need to help out with a passion that helps prove the power of God.

TYLER DOVE

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If the first few chapters didn't paint the picture clear about Pharoah, chapter 10 certainly does. Pharoah was completely stubborn, completely prideful, and hardoned against God. Yet in conflict with such a tyrant, Moses, the guy who once fled from Egypt in fear of his life, stood before Pharoah with a boldness only God can give. We can learn a lesson from both sides of the battle here...

Like Pharaoh, how often do we ignore what God is commanding of us, or how often do we say we're going to do something only to back out of it once the intensity decreases.

Then there's Moses. Are we willing to follow God to the extent of standing before the greatest of foes without flinching? Because we are in a battle whether we like it or not, and though it's not against flesh and blood, it's a battle against "the mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." God's plan for our lives is action, not inaction, and we need boldness and faith in order to advance the kingdom of God.

DAN KRAGH

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Exodus 9
34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts.

Like Pharaoh, once the results of our sins have passed it can be easy to forget what God wants for us and fall right back into sin again. In life, as in Pharaoh's story, the consequences of continuing to sin because of short term memory can be deadly.

DAN KRAGH

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Verses 1-4
Go to the king of Egypt and tell him:

This is what the Lord says: Let my people go to worship me. If you refuse, I will punish Egypt with frogs. The Nile river will be filled with frogs. They will come up into your palace, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your officers, and onto your people. They will come into your ovens and into your baking pans. The frogs will jump all over you, your people, and your officers.

Could you just for a second, picture yourself being Moses here? This man had faith that could move mountains! I just know personally, I would feel like a complete idiot if I was him, going up to the King of Egypt and saying, hey, you have to do what God says, and if you don't He is going to unleash upon the nation... Frogs? I'm sure that Moses got mocked a fair bit for this request, and all of the others from God. However, despite this, Moses never backed down, he never argued, he never surrendered. He never argued, or said to God, "You don't REALLY want me to do that do you?"
In my opinion, every one of us can learn from Moses. God used a stuttering man to work mind boggling miracles, to force the King of Egypt to release millions of slaves, and lead every one of them to freedom. Just think, if all of us put everything we have into following Jesus, and had faith like Moses, the list of things that Jesus could do through us and for us is never ending.

TORI MANNES

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7 Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

As a youth pastor i often tell kids that their youth shouldn't stop them from great things. I tell kids that just because they are young that does not mean their impact on the world has to be small.
What gets over looked quite often in our culture is the opposite is also very true. You can be elderly and still make a huge impact in the world. I know a handful of elderly people who make a difference in the lives around them everyday. We are never called to retire from ministry.
If you are young or old it doesn't matter. God wants to use you to do great things no matter which age bracket you fall in to.

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6:6-7

6 �€œTherefore, say to the Israelites: �€�I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.�€�

While Egypt was at the peak of its power, Pharaoh enslaved the Israelites using them to build entire monuments. He enforced his rule using a vast army of experienced soldiers. The Israelites didn't really stand a chance, and with the increased pressure and cruelty because of Moses�€™ campaign, many of his own people turned against him.

This is why I see Moses as such a cool guy. He had a speaking problem, his people were being oppressed, his campaign was causing additional cruelty to be added to the work load of the Israelites, and now they were turning against him, but he stuck true to the words of God. Throughout all these trying times, through his thoughts of inadequacy, the Lord reassured him and he set off on the mission God had given him. He went back time and time again to speak with Pharaoh and to warn him, but time and time again, he was turned away.

This is something I need to work on. When God lays something on my heart, and I know it�€™s something I should do, I often question Him. I think �€œIs this really something He wants me to do? Are you sure You want me?�€� just like Moses initially did. But unlike Moses, sometimes, when I receive discouragement and doubt, I falter. We need to know, something that God has stated many times, that when He has given us a promise, He will always follow through. He demonstrates this by freeing His people and protecting them every step of the way. This was the beginning of a new life for the Israelites, and like Moses, all we have to do is trust.

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2 Pharaoh said, " Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go."



Pharaoh thought that he was above God, in fact I think he basically thought of himself as a God. But, later on in this story we'll see that Pharaoh falls subject to the power of God through the ten plagues.

No matter what a person looks like, how much money they have, how powerful they are or how much money they give to charity, no one is above God. He is the creator of all things and we need to remember to worship him, the creator, not ourselves or anything else.




23 "Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all. "

Sometimes when we ask God for help, we can find our situation staying the same, or getting worse. But no matter what we are going through, we need to put our trust in God and know that he is always by our side. God may be using the situation to teach us to trust him , through the good times and the bad.

LEAH WIENS

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God gives Moses�€™ the task of delivering the Hebrew nation out of Egypt. He chooses Moses�€™. Moses�€™ then goes on to say 10"O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."





11 The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."



Moses isn�€™t the only one to doubt that he had the ability to lead his nation out of darkness and into light, but we all do at some point in time. I know there has been many times in my life where I say to God: No, I can�€™t do this, why�€™d you pick me? Get someone else�€¦.

But what we don�€™t realize is that God is the one who chose and shaped our strengths and weakness�€™, so in whatever situation he puts us in, whether it is something that pushes us out of our comfort zones or not, he is strong in our weakest moments and in those times especially he is speaking/working through us. How cool is that?

In our weakest moments God works THROUGH us to reach others- He chose Moses; it was not a mistake even though Moses stuttered and couldn�€™t speak well God chose him to lead his Nation out of Egypt.

God chose me and you its no mistake. We are all here for a reason and each have a unique purpose to move our nation from darkness to light. No matter what our weakness�€™ are, through God he makes us strong.


JADE EINER

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11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

What a question hey? It seems to make a lot of sense at first right? Just a Shepherd getting asked to do the work of God. Why him? The thing is, God doesn't care who you are among people, he cares who you are to him. Just imagine if God delegated jobs and callings to people by their social standing? What if in High School God only chose the cool kids to do his work. Yeup, that would make a whole lot of sense...

It's difficult to understand that when God calls us to do something there is no person better fit for what he wants of you. God doesn't make mistakes. Just as Mother Theresa had a part in God's plan, so does the drunk man stumbling on the sidewalk and no one can do that part better than them. The same goes for every single one of us.

Doesn't it feel so good to be a part of something so great?

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Sorry for the delay in the devotion. My internet was down for the last few days.

12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

17 The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock.

I have heard too many stories of people who have the opportunity to help someone and just stand idle. Whether it�€™s the man who was stabbed to death in the subway or the woman who was beaten to death in the apartments the fact that people are too selfish to take action and help people is sickening.
What I like about is Moses is that he is a man of action. I am not condoning his killing the Egyptian but he did what he felt was right. I do agree with his beating up those shepherds to protect the women.
I am not saying violence is always the answer. It could be verbally defending someone or helping and old person cross the street. The bottom is line is that it is better to be a person of action than one who stand idle and does nothing.

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10 We must make a plan to keep them from growing even more.

Pharaoh had a plan. For the Israelites, this plan meant death, destruction, hardship, misery and suffering. But fortunately for the Israelites (and unfortunately for Pharaoh), God also had a plan for his people, and it was plan he carried out to its full (and we're going to read about it in this book)!

Much like the Pharaoh at this time, Satan has a plan for our lives. For some, this plan is death, destruction, hardship, and so on. But for others, his plan is more subtly fulfilled in our lives. Apathy, indifference, selfishness, lust, pride and arrogance, etc are all subtle sins that rip a person in two over time. We know, of course that Satan's overall plan for our lives is to "steal, kill and destroy" as much good as he can in our lives. Luckily for us, as for the Israelites, our God has a plan for our lives, so much beyond Satan's plan, our plan, or the world's plan. Jesus came to give us LIFE TO THE FULLEST. What does that even mean?! I can't say I'm at that pinnacle that Christ wants for me, but isn't that something we all should be striving for? When all that the world has to offer is thrown at our faces to entice us and take us away from Jesus, we need to keep our eyes set on Him, for the full life that is talked about in John 10:10 is given through Christ alone.

Ephesians 5
8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:
"Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you."

I feel stronger that Jesus is calling us as His children (and I'm not just talking about youth, but every single follower of Him, young and old), to WAKE UP and rise from our lifeless lives in order to really shine for Him with all we are. Father, may Your plan in our lives be revealed and may Your will be done in our lives today. Amen!

DAN KRAGH

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