“Who Told You That?” (“Transitions” #4)

Dr. Troy Doucet continues our “Transitions” teaching series, with the 4th installment titled “Who Told You That?” admonishing us to resist the lie that we are separated from God.

Drawing inspiration from Exodus 17:8-13, the teaching unfolds with three truths to help us in our struggle against the dangers of the valley.

Point 1: Amalek can represent a spirit of deception that tries to maintain the illusion of separation between you and God.

Sharing his insights into the biblical Hebrew, Dr. Troy defines of the word “Amalek” as “one who dwells in the valley” and the symbol it provides for the Israelites as the force that stands against them whenever they are about to transition from one stage of their journey to another. Like them, we are often confronted by “Amaleks” who seek to impede our progress.

Point 2: We can resist this deception through being in connection.

James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil and he will flee.” Dr. Troy tells us that all too often the “devil” is us but resisting the lies we tell ourselves can be difficult to detect, much less resist. In Exodus, Aaron and Hur must stand beside Moses to keep his staff raised during Israel’s battle with Amalek. Pastor reminds us that our resistance is assured by way of our relationships with those who faithfully stand beside us.

Point 3: We are not fighting for the experience of being free – we are fighting for the essence of freedom itself – TRUTH!!

The end of the conflict with Amalek is described in verse 13, “Joshua overwhelmed Amalek with the edge of his sword.”

Here again, Dr. Troy teaches us the deeper meaning of the Hebrew words. Because “edge” (peh פִי) means “mouth” and “sword” symbolizes God’s Word, Pastor points out that the lies leveled against us in the valleys of life are thwarted by speaking the truth of our freedom in Christ and the everpresent love of God!

Whenever our enemies hurl lies about who we are in Christ, we do well to remember God’s question to Adam when he bought the lie that he was separated from God, “Who told you that?”