YOUR EYES ARE ON CANAAN, BUT YOUR MIND IS IN EGYPT!

EXODUS 16:1-3 (ROMANS 8:1-5)

As I continue to grow and mature in life, and in the Lord, I have discovered that in order to achieve success, or attain a goal, you must have a fixed mind... In planning a brighter tomorrow you must anticipate the many pitfalls and potholes that you have to encounter on the road of life... Ive also learned that anything that is worthwhile is bound to be a bitter battle. The higher the hill upon which you plan to build your castle, the harder the climb is to reach its top... To reach the top, you must have your eyes and your mind focused on the same thing. A focused individual is one who aims well at the target and pulls his bow of opportunity to the final stretch before letting his arrow of destiny fly... The text informs us that Israel was in the wilderness on their way to Canaan. But they had begun to face some very bitter experiences along the way... The ghosts of hunger and thirst had raised their heads, and frightened them They were frightened to the extent that they began to think about the times when they use to sit by the flesh pots of Egypt, and sing and eat. They became discouraged before they had hardly gotten started. They had been on the road only a few days, and but a few miles from Sinai. But yet, because they had missed a meal of two, they wanted to go back to the slave camps of Egypt...! God had broken their chains, pulled a liquid gap out of a belching sea for the right of way, and caused the wind to burn it dry, exchanging slushy mud for drifting dust, protecting their tramping feet. And yet They wanted to go back to making brick from mud-balls... Just to eat again from flesh pots... They wanted to sell their future for a bite to eat... Seeing that freedom was quite a costly venture, they feared to pay the price.... They had their eyes on Canaan, but their minds were on Egypt...! They looked one way and thought another.... They talked freedom, but thought slavery.... They started out watching God as He beckoned them through the clouds by day and the fire by night.... But at the same time they held on to Pharaohs hand! Canaan and Egypt were in the same valley but in extreme opposite directions. To reach one, you had to turn your back on the other... To think about Egypt, their minds would have to trek across the burning desert sands, where the jackals hide and bark, back across the sea, where slime and slavery holds sway. But to think of Canaan, their minds would have to lift amidst the hills, twine and bend.... Among the cedars and the whispering pines... Canaan or Egypt These were two great places in the affection of these people, one was the cradle of the race, and the other was the hope of their future.... Shackles in one, songs in the other.... Freedom in Canaan, slavery in Egypt... They were halted between the call of chains and the call of wings... Chains to hold them to their past, but wings to lift them to new heights.... Chains of slavery or wings of freedom...! Both places pointed in different directions, they were at opposite ends of any journey... And when the test came, Israel dared to face it.

She would rather go back into bondage than to pay the price of victory... So many times we act like the children of Israel and we would rather go back into the bondage of the enemy than to fight for the victory So many times wed rather settle for the muck and the mire of mediocrity, than to strive for the pursuit and possession of the Promised Land So many times in the body of Christ we cant reach Canaan because were simply too busy thinking about Egypt! Yes, our eyes are on Canaan, but our minds are on Egypt! As we celebrate yet another year Another Church Anniversary that the Lord has allowed us to have The question at hand is how can we break this vicious cycle? How can one get off the treadmill of life and progress in the things of God? How can we focus our minds as well as our eyes on the Canaan experience of our lives? How do we reach the individual promise lands of our lives without being detoured by the enemy? The text presents to us three issues I. CHANGE YOUR FOCUS The text states that as soon they hit the highway, they began to murmur against the leader, saying We wish that we would have died by the hand of God in the land of Egypt, at least we would have had our stomachs full... Isnt it funny how we are constantly living in the past...? Isnt it funny how we concentrate on how things used to be, what we used to have What we used to do? Memories are good to have Its good to reminisce, but I want to let you know that you cant progress by living in the past? We can never move forward, if we keep looking backwards...The Lord has been constantly proving Himself to us, taking us through dangers seen and unseen. Yet every time He tries to take us to the next level, we stand there looking over our shoulder in retrospect, contemplating the past! How many times has the Lord placed in your spirit to move concerning a job opportunity, a business venture, a new spiritual level? And as you began to move concerning that specific issue, you encounter roadblocks that the enemy has designed to delay, deter, detain, discourage and derail your progression. And instead of you trusting in the One who gave you the ability to move in the first place, you suddenly get a case of the couldve, shouldve, wouldves! I couldve I shouldve If I only wouldve Israel was so concerned with eating from the flesh pots of Pharaoh, that they were willing to give up an entire land flowing with milk and honey! Likewise, we get so caught up in our yesterdays that we can never get to our tomorrows! The Lord is offering us eternal happiness, eternal peace, and eternal life, if we would just turn our minds as well as our hearts to Him If we would just stop allowing the enemy to convince us to return to the things that God has already brought us out of.! You see beloved thats the real problem Although God has delivered us from____ we really havent come out of them! God has brought you out of ___ but you still cant progress because although Hes brought you out of it, you havent brought it out of you!!! (You missed it!)

God has delivered you from chasing women, but youre still walking around thinking youre Mack-Daddy #1 Holding on to your black book! Although Hes delivered you from gossiping, youre still trying to get up in everybody elses business Stirring up trouble! Although Hes delivered you from debt, youre still robbing Peter to pay Paul Living from paycheck to paycheck! Why? Because your mind has not accepted the fact that God has brought you out So you continue to long for what you left in Egypt, and until you change your thinkingUntil you change your mindsetUntil you change your focus Youll never be able to enter the Promise Land! The Word of God says that we have to be transformed by the renewing of our mind! Its only by our renewed thinking that we can take on and possess the mindset of success that God has called us to have! Although they had changed their location physically, it would take a mental relocation of the mind for Israel to grab hold to what God had in store for them Not until we start really believing in our deliveranceStart believing in our financial prosperityStart believing in our success Good healthSalvation of our loved ones! And speaking it, are we going to be able to grasp hold to what the Lord has in store for us in Canaan! ("Change your focus!") II. FAITH IN THOSE APPOINTED OVER YOU God doesnt just hap-hazzardly appoint leaders without regard to what His people need For He knows who and what we need! Jeremiah 3:15 lets us know that the Lord will give us Pastors according to His own heart! Remember, Moses didnt volunteer for this job, he was appointed, he was chosen, he was called And whom God calls He also qualifies! I think I need to stress that because so many people get caught up on how many degrees and suffixes a preacher has behind his or her name. God didnt call you to go to school or be a professional student He called you proclaim His Word and lead His people Dont get me wrong, theres absolutely NOTHING wrong with education, Im all for it, but you cant allow it stand in the way of what God has called you to do (That was free!) Likewise, we cant simply judge the one God has called simply by how many letters are behind their name! Moses couldnt even speak clear, but God chose him to lead the Israelites out of the land of Egypt He wasnt a geography major or an excursionist But God chose him to lead His people So many times, we want to pick our leaders based on their stature, or what we see with the naked eye. But God looks at the heart! (repeat) Remember when the Lord sent Samuel to anoint a king after Israel rejected Saul, he looked at all of Jesses sons... But it wasnt until he saw David that the Lord told him which one was to be anointed king! God looks at whats on the inside (tell somebody its whats on the inside that counts)! When God chooses a leader for his people, weve got to not only have enough confidence and trust in him, but weve got to be able to trust God enough to

follow the one that He has appointed over us! I have a problem with those who try and overrun and overrule the pastor of the church. The pastor has been placed in that position by God to lead His people in the way that they should go It bothers me to see these churches voting to put pastors out In the "name of the Lord!" If God has put them there, Who are you to put them out?!? The Word of God says, that if theyre doing wrong, we are to pray for them, that they would turn from their wrong, repent, and be restored back to the Lord God put them in the position and Hell do the moving when its time! Not only that, but the Bible also cautions us; (1 Chron 16:22) "Touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm " You better watch out when you start messing around with Gods anointed ! Weve got to learn how to trust God Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to "Trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding. To acknowledge Him in all our ways and He would direct our path" Beloved, if we are to continue on our journey to Canaan, weve got to learn how stop thinking about Egypt, take God at His Word, and have faith in those whom He has appointed over us! (Tell somebody, Change your focus... Have faith in those appointed over you...!) III. MOVE AND OPERATE IN FAVOR OF LORD To move and operate in the favor of the Lord, literally means three thingsTo have the Accessibility of His Presence The Advantage of His Power And the Availability of His Promise! The Accessibility of His Presence Is having access to the Father at all times We have access to His Presence 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through His Son, Jesus Christ! John 14:6 says, "I am the Way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Jesus is the avenue by which we can enter into the Presence of the Lord Thats why everything we do should be in Jesus Name, for Paul lets us know in Acts 4:12 "There is no other name by which man can be saved, delivered, and set free!" Then he further affirms that His Name is above every name, and that at the Name of Jesus Every knee shall bow And that every tongue shall confess That Jesus Christ IS LORD.! When we find ourselves in the Presence of the Lord, well find out that things will begin to move and operate according to Gods plan Situations will work themselves out Circumstances will begin to change Dark nights will turn into bright sun-shinny days For in His Presence is where youll find sweet relief! And once you have the Accessibility of His Presence Youll be able to grab hold to The Advantage of His Power Which means that although it seems like the enemy has the upper hand, we actually have the advantage over him! Because God is our Father, and we are

His children... We have the power to move in His Authority! We have the power to cast out demons We have the power to lay hands on sick and theyll be healedWe have the power to call things that be not, as though they were We have the power to tell the enemy to take his hands off of our families Off of our finances Off of anything that belongs to us Thats the Advantage of His Power! And because we have the Accessibility of His Presence and because we have the Advantage of His Power we will also be able to receive The Availability of His Promise! For just as He promised the children of Israel a "land flowing with milk and honey," He promised us a "Life of EternityA life more abundantlyA life without sorrow and pain!" So if you want to move in a forward progression towards the Kingdom... Its time to "Stop thinking about Egypt And keep your eyes on Canaan!" (1) And Change our Focus (Rom 12:2) "Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God!" Tell somebody, "Stop thinking about Egypt And keep your eyes on Canaan!" By (2) having the faith in those that the Lord has appointed to be over you(Heb 13:7) "Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the Word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct!" "Stop thinking about Egypt And keep your eyes on Canaan!" (3) And move and operate in the favor of the Lord! Its time to move forward in the things of God Its time to stop looking one way and thinking another If were going to make it on into Canaan, I hear Paul saying that weve got to "Forget those things which are behind and reach forward to those things which are before us and PRESS Toward the mark of the prize of the high call of God in Christ Jesus(Phil 3:13-14)!" Look at your neighbor and tell them, "GET INTO THE PRESS" (why?) Because when you get into the press, youll find out that Jesus is in the midst.... If you dont believe me, just ask the man who was sick with the palsyThe Bible says, And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.... Although he was willing to be healed, it was not until he got into the press.... Things concerning you happen quicker when you get into the press.... (Tear the roof off...)