God Is Working Through Your Unrelenting Circumstances (Here's What He Wants YOU To Do) | Kaci Nicole
Summary
TLDRIn this video, the speaker explores how God may use unrelenting circumstances in our lives to guide us towards repentance and surrender, drawing on the story of Pharaoh and the ten plagues from the Book of Exodus. The video emphasizes that sometimes God allows pressures to build in our lives to break down our stubbornness and lead us to recognize His sovereignty. By understanding these biblical lessons, viewers are encouraged to reflect on how God might be working in their own lives through difficult situations.
Takeaways
- 📖 God uses unrelenting circumstances to shape us, often to keep us on the right path toward life and flourishing.
- 🙏 The purpose of these circumstances can vary, but one possibility is that God is pushing us to acknowledge His sovereignty and turn from our own ways.
- 🦠 The 10 plagues in Exodus are used as an example of how God applied pressure on Pharaoh to bring about repentance and surrender.
- 🐸 Pharaoh’s response to the plagues, such as asking Moses to remove the frogs but then hardening his heart again, illustrates human nature’s tendency to resist God’s will.
- 💔 God’s continued application of pressure, even after moments of respite, is sometimes necessary to break down our stubbornness and lead us to surrender.
- 🌧️ The repeated cycle of Pharaoh hardening his heart after each plague, despite temporary relief, underscores the importance of full repentance and surrender to God.
- 🔄 The final plague, the death of the firstborn, eventually broke Pharaoh’s will, leading him to let the Israelites go, illustrating the ultimate goal of God’s unrelenting circumstances.
- 🙌 The ultimate purpose of God’s actions is to lead us to recognize His power, submit to His will, and receive His blessings.
- 🌊 Even after surrender, as seen when Pharaoh pursued the Israelites, it’s crucial to remain steadfast in following God’s path, as deviating can lead to destruction.
- 💡 The speaker encourages reflection on personal areas where we might be resisting God’s will, suggesting that unrelenting circumstances may be God’s way of guiding us back to Him.
Q & A
What is the main purpose of the video?
-The main purpose of the video is to explore how God might be using unrelenting circumstances in our lives to bring us to a place of repentance and surrender, using the story of the 10 plagues in Exodus as an example.
How does the speaker relate the story of the 10 plagues in Exodus to the theme of unrelenting circumstances?
-The speaker relates the story of the 10 plagues in Exodus to unrelenting circumstances by illustrating how God used the plagues to pressure Pharaoh into letting the Israelites go, breaking down his will through persistent and difficult situations.
What does the speaker suggest God might be trying to achieve through difficult circumstances?
-The speaker suggests that God might be trying to bring about repentance, surrender, and a recognition of His authority through difficult circumstances, as He did with Pharaoh during the 10 plagues.
Why does the speaker emphasize the concept of 'respite' in the context of the plagues?
-The speaker emphasizes 'respite' to highlight how temporary relief from difficult circumstances can lead us to harden our hearts and return to our old ways, as Pharaoh did after each plague when the pressure was removed.
What lesson does the speaker draw from Pharaoh's repeated hardening of his heart after each plague?
-The speaker draws the lesson that, like Pharaoh, people often revert to their old ways when the pressure of difficult circumstances is lifted, rather than fully surrendering to God's will.
How does the speaker connect personal experiences to the biblical narrative?
-The speaker connects personal experiences to the biblical narrative by sharing how they see God using unrelenting circumstances in their own life to bring about change and alignment with His will, similar to how God worked in Pharaoh's life.
What is the significance of Pharaoh's final surrender and request for blessing in the story?
-Pharaoh's final surrender and request for blessing signify his recognition of God's greater power and authority, achieved only after God broke down his resistance through persistent circumstances.
How does the speaker interpret the unrelenting pressure as a form of God's grace?
-The speaker interprets unrelenting pressure as a form of God's grace because it can lead people to desperation, making them more willing to turn to God and follow His ways, which ultimately lead to life and flourishing.
What role does the Hillsdale College Exodus story class play in the video?
-The Hillsdale College Exodus story class is mentioned as a supplemental resource that the speaker has been using to deepen their understanding of the book of Exodus and the 10 plagues, and they encourage viewers to enroll in the free course.
What does the speaker invite viewers to reflect on at the end of the video?
-The speaker invites viewers to reflect on areas in their own lives where they may be stubbornly holding onto their own way, and to consider what changes God might be asking them to make through unrelenting circumstances.
Outlines
🌟 Understanding God's Purpose Through Pressure
The speaker introduces the theme of God using pressure in our lives to guide us towards His purpose, even when circumstances feel overwhelming. Drawing from personal experience and scripture, they emphasize that God allows or causes challenges in our lives with specific intentions, often to lead us to a greater good. The discussion begins with a reference to the 10 plagues in Exodus, highlighting how God used these events to fulfill His plans.
🐸 The Plague of Frogs and Pharaoh's Hard Heart
The narrative moves to the second plague in Exodus: the plague of frogs. Despite the severity of the situation, Pharaoh's reaction illustrates human stubbornness. He asks Moses to plead with God for relief but shows hesitation, requesting it be done 'tomorrow' rather than immediately. The speaker interprets this as a sign of Pharaoh's reluctance to fully surrender to God's will. The emphasis is on God's intention to demonstrate His sovereignty through these plagues, showing that He is the one true God.
💡 God's Strategy in Unrelenting Circumstances
The focus shifts to the purpose behind God's actions. The speaker explains that the unrelenting circumstances in Pharaoh's life were meant to bring him to a point of repentance and surrender. This pattern of temporary relief followed by a return to stubbornness is noted as common in human nature. The narrative continues with the subsequent plagues, each designed to break down Pharaoh's resistance, highlighting how God uses challenges to push us towards transformation.
💔 Breaking Pharaoh's Will and the Lessons of the Plagues
In the final paragraphs, the speaker recounts the conclusion of the 10 plagues, culminating in Pharaoh's ultimate surrender after the death of the firstborns in Egypt. This moment is seen as a significant breaking point, where Pharaoh finally acknowledges God's power and asks for a blessing. The speaker ties this back to the broader theme of God's purpose in our lives, suggesting that sometimes we must be broken before we can fully submit to God's will. The story of the Exodus serves as a powerful example of how God's plans unfold through persistence and divine intervention.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Unrelenting Circumstances
💡Repentance
💡Surrender
💡10 Plagues of Egypt
💡Hardened Heart
💡God's Grace
💡Pharaoh
💡Exodus
💡God's Purpose
💡Respite
Highlights
God sometimes allows unrelenting circumstances to persist to guide individuals towards life and flourishing, as His way leads to these outcomes.
The purpose behind unrelenting circumstances could be to bring about repentance and surrender to God's will.
The 10 plagues in Exodus demonstrate how God used these circumstances to compel Pharaoh to release the Israelites, showcasing God's power and purpose.
Pharaoh's heart remained hardened after each plague, reflecting the human tendency to resist surrendering to God's will despite clear signs.
The removal of pressure, as seen with Pharaoh, can lead to a temporary relief but often results in returning to one's old ways rather than fully surrendering to God.
The story of the 10 plagues illustrates that God is in control and uses circumstances to reveal His power and identity as the true God.
God's purpose in unrelenting circumstances is sometimes to break down a person's will, leading to a deeper recognition of God's sovereignty.
Moses' interaction with Pharaoh during the plagues shows that God's timing and responses are purposeful, aiming to demonstrate His uniqueness as the one true God.
The 10th plague, which led to the death of the firstborn in Egypt, ultimately broke Pharaoh's will, leading to the Israelites' release.
Pharaoh's request for Moses to bless him after the final plague signifies his acknowledgment of God's greater power.
The hardening of Pharaoh's heart, even after experiencing God's power, exemplifies human stubbornness and resistance to divine intervention.
God's use of unrelenting circumstances serves as a means to bring people to a place of repentance and alignment with His will.
The Israelites' eventual Exodus from Egypt was made possible by God's persistent intervention through the plagues.
Pharaoh's repeated change of heart, even after releasing the Israelites, highlights the ongoing struggle between human will and divine purpose.
God's ultimate goal in allowing hardships is to bring individuals closer to Him, ensuring they recognize His sovereignty and goodness.
Transcripts
so sometimes in his grace God keeps the
pressure up because he knows that if
left to our own way that our way will
not lead to life or to flourishing but
his way will so what is God's purpose in
these unrelenting circumstances what is
he trying to bring about the answer is
hello and welcome back to my channel in
today's video we're talking about how
God is working through your unrelenting
circumstances I don't know if you've
ever been in a place in your life where
it feels like it is just one thing after
another after another after another and
you just cannot catch a break well
whether God is causing whatever
circumstances are happening in your life
or whether he's merely allowing those
circumstances we see very clearly in
Scripture that God always has a purpose
in whatever circumstances he is allowing
you to encounter and that purpose could
be all sorts of different things
depending on what you're going through
what's happening in your life what God
is doing but one possibility we see very
clearly in scripture as well is that it
could be that God is allowing the
pressure to build up and build up and
build build build and the things that
are happening to you to bring about one
very specific purpose and this is
actually something I think that I see
him doing in my own life right now so in
today's video we're going to talk about
that one very specific purpose share
what it is because if this is what God
is trying to accomplish in your life
then there's something that he wants you
to do and he won't let up until this
thing happens for today's video we're
going to be looking at the 10 plagues in
Exodus so if you're familiar the
Israelites were slaves in Egypt and
before they can begin their Exodus out
of Egypt God uses these 10 different
plagues to bring pharaoh to a place
where he is willing to let the
Israelites go because he didn't want to
let them go he wanted to keep them he
wanted to keep them as slaves and so if
you have time I encourage you to read
the entire story of the 10 plagues it's
found in Exodus chapters
7-2 but as for today's video we're going
to be kind of reading different parts
throughout this story and then zooming
in specifically to look at something
that happens in Exodus chapter 8 as you
may have seen I've been doing a lot of
different Bible studies going through
the book of Exodus lately which I'll
link all of them in a playlist up here
if you want to go back and watch any of
them but as I've been going through the
book of Exodus I've been highlighting
the free Exodus story class I took
through Hillsdale College who I want to
give a huge thank you to for sponsoring
today's video I absolutely love getting
to share this resource with you guys
because I know that so many of you have
benefited not just from taking the exit
story class but so many of their other
classes as well whether it be their
Genesis story class or their one on King
David or their CS Lewis on Christianity
class they have so many incredible
classes on different theological topics
that help you know God's word more and
they also have classes on a ton of other
subjects as well fun fact my husband
Tyler recently created a hill stale
college class and every single night as
he's been doing the dishes he's been
watching through one of their classes
most recently he did one on the Roman
Empire and I cannot tell you how many
times he has said to me how cool it is
and honestly crazy that they have so
many free incredible educational classes
just available to anybody but what a
blessing that is one of my favorite
things I learned from The Exodus story
class and specifically from the two
lectures in that class that focused on
the 10 plagues is how God's power is
displayed in these plagues he brings
about not only through the plagues
themselves but in the fact that he
brings them upon the Egyptians to
accomplish his purpose in them while
shielding the Israel from these things
as well I highly recommend this class as
a supplemental resource if you are
wanting to dig even deeper into the book
of Exodus so if you want to join me in
taking the free Exodus story class or
any of the other free Hillsdale College
online classes you can go right now to
hillsdale.edu casy to enroll once again
it's completely free super easy to get
started and you can go at your own pace
which honestly is so convenient with how
busy life can be so once again that is
hillsdale.edu for /cy to enroll that is
hillsdale.edu SLC casy I'm also going to
have that link down in the description
as well now before we get into it if you
haven't already please be sure to
subscribe to my channel I make Christian
faith and lifestyle content aimed at
encouraging you to know God more through
his word and to grow in his likeness and
I would love to have you here and then
give this video a thumbs up if you find
it helpful or encouraging so God is
working through your unrelenting
circumstances like I said we're going to
be focusing specifically on on one of
the plagues and something that happens
in Exodus 8 but I want to walk through
all the plagues just so we kind of have
the context of the whole story so the
first plague is when Moses turns the
water in the Nile River to blood and so
as a result of this all the fish in the
Nile died and the Nile sank and nobody
could drink from it because it was no
longer water it was blood and so when
this first plague happens um it says
that Pharaoh's magicians were able to
perform the same thing they were able to
turn water to blood as well and so
Exodus 7:22 says so Pharaoh's heart
remained hardened and he would not
listen to them as the Lord had said God
brings upon this first circumstance to
sort of put pressure on Pharaoh but
Pharaoh's heart remains hardened and he
doesn't do anything the next plague we
see is a plague of frogs where the land
is just overtaken with frogs here's what
it says in Exodus 8: 8-18
then Pharaoh Called Moses and Aaron and
said plead with the Lord to take away
the frogs from me and my people and I
will let the people go to sacrifice to
the Lord Moses said to Pharaoh be
pleased to command me when I am to plead
for you and for your servants and for
your people that the frogs be cut off
from you and your houses and be left
only in the Nile and he said tomorrow
Moses said be it as you say so that you
may know that there is no one like the
Lord our God God the frogs shall go away
from you and your houses and your
servants and your people they shall be
left only in the Nile so Moses and Aaron
went out from pharaoh and Moses cried to
the Lord about the frogs as he had
agreed with pharaoh and the Lord did
according to the word of Moses the frogs
died out in the houses the courtyards
and the fields and they gathered them
together in heaps and the land stin but
when Pharaoh saw that there was a
respite he hardened his heart and would
not listen to them as the Lord had said
so God brings upon this second
circumstance to put pressure on pharaoh
to get him to change his ways and it
says that Pharaoh says to Moses plead to
God for me to remove this circumstance
and I think it's interesting because
Moses basically says okay tell me when
you would like me to plead with God on
your behalf and Pharaoh says tomorrow
and I feel like that's kind of our first
clue because if Pharaoh was truly
desperate enough he would say right now
please I'm willing to turn just have God
change it but I think it's interesting
that he says tomorrow but Moses says you
know what that's fine tomorrow I will
plead with God and God removes all the
frogs and it's interesting too because
it says here in the middle of this
passage Moses says be it so you say so
that you may know that there is no one
like the Lord Our God so the whole
purpose of these signs in God both
bringing these plagues and in taking
them away is so that Pharaoh would know
that there is no one like the Lord Our
God when we are holding tightly to doing
things our own way when we know that God
is calling us to do things his way even
if his way may seem counterintuitive or
when we are holding and clinging tightly
to our sin even though we know that God
is calling us to turn from it it could
very well be that God is using
unrelenting circumstances in our lives
to get us to know that he is God it's
easy for us to think that we are Gods
over our own lives but God wants us to
know that he is the true God the only
God that he is more powerful he is in
control and that he knows best so
Pharaoh feels the pressure of this
plague it begins to break down his will
his way which is to hold on to the
Israelites to not let them go to not let
them worship God and he asks Moses to
plead with God to remove the plague to
remove the unrelenting circumstance and
God listens to Pharaoh but look what
happens when he does exodus 8:15 but
when Pharaoh saw that there was a respit
he hardened his heart and would not
listen to them as the Lord had said I
want to focus in on that word there
respit the definition of it is a short
period of rest or relief from something
difficult or unpleasant isn't that what
we all long for when it feels like life
just will not give us a break when it
feels like there is just one difficult
circumstance after another we long for a
respit we long for relief from these
unrelenting circumstances I want to give
the disclaimer here that difficult
circumstances don't always mean that
we're doing something wrong or that God
is punishing us I have an entire video
talking about how sometimes the
difficulty is really pruning and it
isn't a punishment but rather it's a
preparation for more and so difficult
circumstances don't always mean we're
doing something wrong but I think we
know when it's something different we
know when we are holding stubbornly to
our own way in a certain situation and
God is asking us to turn from it in
these circumstances sometimes that un
relenting pressure is actually God's
grace because when we feel that pressure
we are desperate for God and we'll do
anything we'll be willing to let go of
our own way but it is in that moment of
respit in that moment of relief where we
no longer feel that pressure so strongly
we no longer feel our desperate need for
God so strongly that we start to move
back to doing it our own way so
sometimes in his grace God keeps the
pressure up because he knows that if
left to our own way that our way will
not lead to to life or to flourishing
but his way will so what is God's
purpose in these unrelenting
circumstances what is he trying to bring
about the answer is he's trying to bring
pharaoh to a place of repentance and
surrender and I think we see so clearly
human nature here in this section that
sometimes when that pressure is removed
when things are easy when we don't feel
like we need God so desperately as we
did before that's when we turn back to
our own way and God wants to keep us
from that moving on now to the the third
plague is gnats so gnats just fill the
land and the text tells us that
Pharaoh's heart is hardened Exodus 819
says but Pharaoh's heart was hardened
and he would not listen to them as the
Lord had said next we have the fourth
plague which is flies and here as the
Flies are filling the land it says that
Pharaoh asks them again to plead with
God God takes away the Flies and it says
in Exodus 8:31 that not one fly remains
so God is gracious in removing this
unrelenting circumstance but then in
Exodus 8:32 the very next verse it says
but Pharaoh hardened his heart this time
also and did not let the people go
plague five the Egyptian livestock died
and it says here that Pharaoh's heart
remained hard then the sixth plague is
boils they just get broken out and
covered with boils and it says here that
God again hardened the heart of pharaoh
next we have the seventh plague which is
hail and Pharaoh here says I have sinned
the Lord is right and I am wrong so
again plead with the Lord to take this
away to take the hail away this
unrelenting circumstance because I'm
feeling the pressure and God did God
removed the hail then in Exodus 9:34 it
says but when Pharaoh saw that the rain
and the hail and the Thunder had ceased
he sinned yet again and hardened his
heart he and his servants so we see a
pattern here very much so and then we
have have the eighth plague which are
locusts the land is filled with locusts
they bring destruction and Pharaoh once
again says I have sinned just this one
time again forgive my sin and plead with
God to remove these locusts to remove
this circumstance once again God removes
the locusts God removes the circumstance
but then in Exodus 10:20 it says but the
Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he did
not let the people of Israel go now on
to the n th plague is Darkness here
Pharaoh has kind of like a compromise
half willing to let go of his own way
response he says you and your children
may go but leave the animals and Moses
says but we need the animals in order to
offer up sacrifices to the Lord Our God
so we can't just have this partial
compromise here we have to have a full
surrender we have to have a full
bringing to a place of repentance and
Pharaoh did not like these terms he
didn't want them to take the animals as
well and so he would not let them go and
once again his heart is hardened this
now brings us to the 10th plague now
before the 10th plague happens the 10th
plague is first threatened and that is
that every firstborn should die here is
where the Passover is initiated where
the Israelites held this special meal
and they were instructed to have this
Passover Lamb whose blood they would
spread on the doorposts of their home so
that they would be protected so that
their firstborn wouldn't die but but
even as this 10th plague is threatened
the text tells us that Pharaoh's heart
is hardened and he still would not let
the people go even knowing what was
going to be happening and you would just
think that after all these plagues he
would realize like this plague is really
about to happen too which you know how
often are our own Hearts just as
hardened yet he still chooses to not let
the people go here's what it says Exodus
12: 29-32 at midnight the Lord struck
down all the firstborn in the land of
Egypt Egypt from the firstborn of
pharaoh who sat on his throne to the
firstborn of the captive who was in the
dungeon and all the firstborn of the
livestock and Pharaoh rose up in the
night he and all his servants and all
the Egyptians and there was a great cry
in Egypt for there was not a house where
someone was not dead then he summoned
Moses and Aaron by night and said up go
out from among my people both you and
the people of Israel and go serve the
Lord as you have said take your flocks
and your herds as you have said and be
gone and bless me also so finally
Pharaoh's will through these
circumstances his strong will that he is
holding on to that will is broken down
he is finally brought to this place of
repentance and surrender where he lets
go of his own way and he says you know
what go take your people and leave and
then I want you to notice that final
phrase as well where Pharaoh says go but
then he says and bless me also a note on
this from the end during word commentary
says this shows that now Pharaoh knew
who the Lord was The God Who was greater
than pharaoh and whom Pharaoh must seek
for blessing Pharaoh only came to this
knowledge through being broken sometimes
God allows circumstance after
circumstance after circumstance to
happen in our lives to break down our
will and our way that we are trying to
hold so tightly to so that we may know
that he is God that he is greater and so
that we can finally surrender our will
to his sometimes he must allow us to be
broken first so that we can be rebuilt
in him so this is what happens in
Pharaoh's heart this is what God was
accomplishing and the purpose he was
bringing about through all these
unrelenting circumstances where Pharaoh
is now finally brought to this place
where he is willing to let God's people
go and this is what allows The Exodus to
begin to happen where God's people can
begin to leave Egypt but as you know
this is still not the end of the story
because after all of this Pharaoh
changes his mind yet again and after
God's people have beg to leave Egypt
Pharaoh decides to pursue God's people
and God then destroys pharaoh and his
army in the Red Sea as they are pursuing
the Israelites the Israelites pass
through on dry ground and the Sea
overtakes the Egyptians I unpack this
part of the story more in this video up
here talking about how God brought you
to it it he will bring you through that
so I'll have that linked above if you
want to check it out so sometimes God
uses the unrelenting circumstances in
our lives to break down our will and to
bring us to a place of repentance and
surrender where we can finally yield our
will and our way to his because his is
best his is perfect even when we cannot
see it I would love to hear from you
down in the comments where are you
stubbornly trying to hold on to your own
way or what change might God be asking
to make through unrelenting
circumstances in your life I mentioned
how I can totally see God doing this in
my own life right now so I'm going to
share how he is doing that down in a
pinned comment below and I look forward
to reading through your responses as
well reminder that if you want to join
me and taking the Exodus story class
with Hillsdale College for free to dig
even more into this incredible book you
can go right now to hillsdale.edu casy
to enroll thank you so much for being
here in this video I hope that it was
encouraging to you and I will see you in
my next one bye
[Music]
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