Finding Goshen!

God always goes ahead to provide for His people. Goshen was a place in Egypt that God set apart for His people. It was a picture set before the whole known world of Yahweh’s power and faithfulness as the one true God. In Moses’ time, God heard His people’s cries and remembered His covenant.  He drew a boundary line around His people over which Pharaoh had no control.

 “But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell… that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.”  Exodus 8:22

The people of Israel lived in Egypt, yet their lives were being held firmly within the purposes of another Kingdom. Pharaoh did not have the final say over their future. God had appointed a day of deliverance that nothing in Egypt could stop.

Goshen Is a Spiritual Place

Even though it represents a physical place, Goshen is first and foremost a place in the Spirit that God’s people occupy. It is found in the heart. It is a place where we have placed our trust. Where the Lord governs our decisions when circumstances begin to shake. For some today, Goshen may be a physical place of refuge and provision that God wants to establish for His people. But before you can manifest the physical land, Goshen must first be established in the place of our hearts in Christ. It is our place of peace.

Goshen is the sphere of protection in which the believer dwells in Christ. The blood of the Lamb marks the entrance, where death has no power. The last plague of death passed over all of Egypt except Goshen because the blood of the Lamb marked the homes of God’s people for protection.

 “The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” Exodus 12:13 Exodus 12:13

This is a clear picture of the providential place prepared for us in Christ, in whom we live and move and have our being. The blood on the doorposts points to the greater deliverance secured by the blood of Yeshua, our Passover Lamb. We are protected by the Blood and abide in the shelter of the Most High. The truth is that we belong to Jesus and that our lives are “…hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). His Spirit lives in us, and wherever He sends us, we carry His Presence.

Jesus Christ our Lord is Goshen. So Goshen dwells in us, and we dwell in Goshen—the sphere of Christ marked out for us. Death cannot undo the eternal life He has given us. Trials may touch us, but they cannot separate us from His love or cancel the promise of resurrection life. Christ in us becomes a place from which His peace, wisdom, and light extend to others.

Jesus, the Light of the world, lives in us, and that Light brings clarity to confusion; peace to fear; and hope where people see no way forward. While darkness covered Egypt, light shone in the homes of Israel. Isaiah 32 describes the shelter that comes with righteous rule as a hiding place from the wind, streams of water in a dry place, and the shade of a great rock in a weary land (Isaiah 32:2). As we live under Christ’s rule, our homes, words, and presence can become that kind of shelter for others.

“They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” Exodus 10:23

God Distinguishes Between His People and Others

In Goshen, God distinguishes His people from others, revealing the measure of favour they live under.

 “But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.” Exodus 11:7

 “But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.” Exodus 9:4

God knows those who are His. He knows our names.  He saw the people’s suffering through the long years when deliverance seemed far away. Their labour was never hidden from Him, and He never forgot a single tear. When the appointed time came, Israel left Egypt carrying silver, gold, and clothing the Egyptians gave them.

The people who had once been slaves, having no recompense for their labour, were supplied in abundance for the journey ahead and with provision to build the tabernacle for worshipping Yahweh. Their captivity did not define their final condition.

“And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. Exo 12:36

God’s people are distinguished from others and are recognizable to the angels who fight on their behalf. Great power is released to keep them safe and moving along the ordained path until they reach the land of promise. Angels are now released to take the people of God to their destination, carrying the plunder of Egypt.

Some have waited a long time for a door to open, and we have remained faithful through seasons when nothing seemed to change. The Lord can prepare your departure even while you are still surrounded by the structures of your captivity. He can open a way through the sea when no path is evident. NOVEMBER IS THE MONTH THE LORD IS PREPARING YOUR DEPARTURE!

Yes, we will be tested in these trying times, but God is faithful. He is heavily invested in us and intends to get a return on His investment. The question is whether we will keep trusting Him. Will we obey the next instruction in faith? Will we refuse the compromise that offers quick relief at the cost of our assignment? If we stay in faith, He can and will open a way where there APPEARS to be no way.

Everything Has Been Provided in the God Who Said, “I Will Never Fail You”

“Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed–be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, “I WILL NEVER [under any circumstances] DESERT YOU [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], NOR WILL I FORSAKE or LET YOU DOWN or RELAX MY HOLD ON YOU [assuredly not]!” [Jos 1:5] So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently say, “THE LORD IS MY HELPER [in time of need], I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?” Hebrews 13:5-6 AMP

Many of us have grown used to finding our security in convenience, predictable systems and outcomes, and the comforts around us. The Lord has been calling us into a deeper dependence on Him.  The God who sustained Israel in the wilderness has LOST NONE OF HIS POWER. He provided manna on the ground and brought water out of dry rock. Jesus showed the same compassion when He multiplied the loaves and fish. He saw the need, used what was available, and MADE IT ENOUGH (Matt 14:19-20).

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

God Prepares His People Ahead of Crisis

Joseph spent years in betrayal, service, and prison, and in those years God formed him to carry the wisdom needed for a famine he did not yet know of. He received understanding from God and stored grain during the years of plenty. His faith was proven in the preparation

In times like these, no single answer applies to everyone; our direction will differ from others. We must heed Mary’s word to the servants: “Do exactly what He tells you to do.”  But whatever He says, we must never fear, because He says He will never leave us or fail us.

The five wise virgins kept their lamps filled and had extra oil in reserve. Our past encounters with God are not enough to carry us through future trials. We need a daily life of abiding and soaking in His Presence that keeps our lamps burning hot. Christ is the Center, and His nature is the rule. A life that keeps returning to Him, day after day, through the same simple faithfulness, stays in relationship with the Center. This is what Jesus meant when He said: “Abide in Me, and I in you.”  Abide means to STAY.

What belongs is defined by the staying, by not drifting away from the Center over time. The Glory that comes out of that life will not be something manufactured. It grows out of faithful staying and being changed in His Presence.  Belonging is STAYING, and Glory is what FAITHFUL STAYING produces with time.

So, ask the Lord: What have You asked me to do to prepare now? What have You already told me that needs my obedience? We may have grown weary, but He knows how to give strength for the next step. The answer may come right when we need it. The instruction may come as we obey what He has already said. His provision may reach us through the very people He has placed around us.

God’s Emphasis is now on the Corporate—Community Is Key

God may place an answer inside a person long before anyone sees the need, as He did with Joseph. The early church understood this. When the prophet Agabus warned of a great famine, the believers in Antioch did not panic. Each one decided to send relief to the brothers in Judea according to his ability (Acts 11:27-30). In Acts 4, they also sold their possessions, shared with each other, and had all things in common. Such a day may come; we do not know, but we should be prepared to be obedient. If storms, outages, or broken communications come, our practical preparation should rest under His peace. Love, wisdom. Responsibility should be the Christian template, not fear. Part of our assignment in times of shaking is to help others stay in faith and remain confident in the one who is called: Saviour.

Isaiah 35 tells us to strengthen the weak hands, steady the knees that give way, and say to the fearful of heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come… He will come and save you” (Isaiah 35:3-4).

We must ask God in advance: How can I serve my community? What has God put in my hands for the times and to serve? How can my home, my wisdom, my resources, my gift and my faith serve His Kingdom in this hour? We must be humble enough both to receive and willing enough to give.

Rahab’s story shows how far a testimony can travel. She heard of the sea opening and the kings defeated, and she placed her trust in Israel’s God. In a city under judgment, one household became a place of refuge. Who might find refuge through our obedience?

Angels Are Sent to Provide and Protect

We are not working alone, and the Lord has resources we know not of. When Elisha’s servant panicked at the sight of the enemy army, Elisha prayed, and the young man’s eyes were opened to see the hills full of horses and chariots of fire (2 Kings 6:15-17).

God can arrange help, release provision, and strengthen His people in ways they could never do on their own. We live from a different Kingdom where there is an endless supply. We don’t live by this world’s economy. We do not need to understand every way He will answer. We need to stay attentive to Him. Remember, we carry Goshen in our hearts.

I believe natural preparedness, though important, can also become a distraction that breeds fear. Each of us has a Kingdom assignment, and we are called to build. It is time to build! It is time for restoration and release! Everything that has been stolen is being returned. We are leaving Egypt with the plunder.  God owns it all, all the gold and silver. Hidden riches in secret places! The decree has gone forth. Prepare for your departure!

We must be about our Father’s business!