“Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?” (Zech 7:5).
Run With Endurance
“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
A Biblical View of Death
“Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives” (Heb 2:14-15).
Deborah - A Woman of Faith
"Deborah said to Barak, 'Arise! For this is the day in which the LORD has given Sisera into your hands; behold, the LORD has gone out before you.' So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. The LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot" (Judges 4:14-15)
Do Not Worry
"And He said to His disciples, 'For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing" (Luke 12:22-23)
What Grace Teaches Us
"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds" (Titus 2:11-14)
The Promise of Freedom and Despair of Bondage
When the Israelites started thinking they might be freed from bondage, Pharaoh wanted to make things harder so the Israelites would give up on that idea. Satan does the same. He knows that it works to his advantage to make the path out of sin as difficult and dark as possible, so that it seems like the best thing to do is just to stay in sin, rather than to gain freedom. It's a terrible irony that the hardship of bondage can cause people to stop listening to the very message that can free them. So what do we do when we find ourselves or someone we know in this place where they have become numb to the promises of God?