‘With or without you….Give me strength to strive’ Rev. Dr. Johnnie B Poter, M. Div., Pastor

Devotional

Day 1: Breaking Camp When God Says “Move”

The wilderness demands movement, not permanent tents. Comfort zones become exit ramps we linger on too long – places meant for temporary recovery, not lifelong residency. God’s people camp to regroup, not to rebuild what He told them to leave. Like Israel at the Red Sea, stagnation breeds fear, but obedience requires stepping toward impossible waters. Forward motion activates divine strategy, even when the route seems irrational. What looks like a dead end becomes a highway for those who break camp. [01:10:12]

“The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
(Exodus 14:14, ESV)

Reflection: What “exit ramp” have you treated as a permanent rest stop? Where is God prompting movement that feels risky but necessary?

Day 2: The Red Sea as God’s Highway, Not a Dead End

Obstacles aren’t endpoints but divine invitations to witness power. Israel saw drowning waters; God saw a deliverance path. What paralyzes human vision fuels heavenly intervention. The same sea that drowns enemies carries believers forward when they walk in radical trust. Fear shouts about Pharaoh’s chariots; faith hears the command to “go forward” into the unknown. Miracles don’t happen in the safety of mapped routes. [01:12:10]

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.’”
(Exodus 14:15, ESV)

Reflection: What current “Red Sea” have you labeled as impossible? How might stepping toward it shift your perspective from panic to praise?

Day 3: Striving Forward Without Everyone’s Approval

The narrow gate isn’t a group ticket. Jesus’ call to “strive” implies singular focus – a military-style “break out” order that leaves hesitation behind. Waiting for consensus often means missing divine momentum. Like Moses facing complaints, leaders move because God said go, not because the crowd cheered. Forward motion requires embracing holy disruption over comfortable stagnation. [01:09:30]

“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us.’”
(Luke 13:24-25, ESV)

Reflection: What God-given direction have you delayed because you wanted more approval? What’s one step you can take today without consensus?

Day 4: When God Waits on Our Obedience

Divine timing often depends on human response. Israel cried for rescue but resisted the rescue plan. Many want deliverance without the desert walk, miracles without movement. God’s “waiting” isn’t inactivity – it’s patience for our courage to catch up with His command. The door closes not because God is cruel, but because some prefer complaining over crossing over. [01:05:20]

“Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’”
(Luke 13:26-27, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you blamed God’s “delay” when He’s actually waiting on your obedience? What complacency needs confronting today?

Day 5: Trusting the Plan Without Knowing the Path

Faith walks blindfolded, led only by the sound of God’s voice. Israel didn’t need the Red Sea strategy explained – they needed to trust the One who split seas. True trust releases the demand for roadmaps, finding peace in the Planner rather than the plan. Forward motion becomes worship when we abandon “how” for “Who.” [01:28:24]

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
(Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: What practical step have you avoided because you couldn’t see the whole journey? How can you act on what you do know while trusting God for what you don’t?

Sermon Summary

Luke’s account puts a serious question before Jesus: “Lord, are there few that be saved?” Jesus does not satisfy curiosity with a number. Jesus turns the question into a command: “Strive to enter in at the straight gate.” The straight gate calls for more than being around holy things, hearing truth in the streets, or claiming a past connection. The shut door exposes the danger of knowing about the Master without being known by the Master.

Exodus 14 gives that command a picture. Israel stands at the Red Sea with water in front and Pharaoh behind, sore afraid and crying out. Israel sees a dead end, but God sees an opportunity. Israel sees water, but God sees a highway. The Red Sea becomes the very thing God uses to show His power, because God’s ways are not human ways.

God’s word to Moses presses the issue: “Why criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.” God’s plan has always been moving forward. God’s kingdom is moving forward. God’s church is moving forward. The question is not whether God will move, but whether believers will move with Him.

The contrast between camping and moving forward brings the struggle home. Camping has a place because rest, recovery, and regrouping are necessary. Camping becomes dangerous when comfort turns into delay and an exit ramp becomes a permanent address. The call to “break camp” confronts the heart that has stayed between two opinions too long.

The straight gate also requires striving because pride, unforgiveness, disappointment, laziness, and fear can stop forward movement. The challenge is not always the Red Sea in front; sometimes the obstacle is lodged in the heart. God’s promise of victory does not excuse standing still. God’s command to move does not always include a full explanation of the plan.

Faith trusts God’s plan before seeing how it will work. Faith keeps pressing when people do not approve, when others refuse to come, and when the road looks blocked. The Red Sea teaches that God opens a way when His people obey His direction and move toward what looks impossible. Christ’s warning and Moses’ command meet in one urgent call: strive, break camp, and go forward.

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Key Takeaways

1. Strive to enter the straight gate Jesus makes salvation more than a casual religious association. The straight gate exposes every attempt to rely on familiarity, history, or public proximity to holy things. Christ calls for a real entrance into His life, one marked by earnestness and surrender. [64:23]
2. God’s plan keeps moving forward God’s kingdom does not stall because people hesitate, complain, or refuse to come along. The question is never whether God can fulfill His purpose; the question is whether the heart will obey His movement. Faith sometimes has to say, “If you do not go, I will go myself.” [67:43]
3. Camping cannot become a permanent address Rest, recovery, and regrouping have their season and their purpose. Comfort becomes dangerous when it keeps the soul parked on an exit ramp instead of returning to the road. God eventually calls His people to break camp and move. [70:12]
4. God sees highways in impossible places Israel saw water and an approaching enemy, but God saw a place to reveal His power. The obstacle that appears to stop progress may become the stage where God makes a way. Faith trusts the plan without demanding every detail first. [72:10]
5. Hidden heart issues can stop movement Pride, unforgiveness, disappointment, laziness, and fear can become a personal Red Sea. God’s promise of victory calls for honest confrontation with whatever keeps the heart from obeying. Forward movement begins when excuses lose their authority.

## [88:24]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[49:58] - Gratitude and Revival Testimony
[62:29] - Strive to Enter the Straight Gate
[64:41] - The Danger of a Shut Door
[65:54] - Israel Trapped at the Red Sea
[67:43] - God’s Plan Is Moving Forward
[69:30] - Break Camp and Keep Moving
[71:04] - Trust God Without Knowing the Plan
[72:10] - God Sees a Highway in the Sea
[88:24] - What Is Stopping Forward Movement
[108:02] - Moving Toward the Challenge

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Luke 13:23-24
And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” [01:04:23]

Exodus 14:10-16
When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. [01:05:54] [01:07:40]

1 Kings 18:21
And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. [01:11:12]

Observation questions

In Luke 13, what question is brought to Jesus, and how does Jesus redirect the focus away from numbers and toward entering the narrow door? [01:09:30]
What reasons did Israel give for being afraid at the Red Sea, and what did they believe would have been better than moving forward?
What two things made Israel’s situation appear impossible, and how were they described? [01:12:10]
What good purposes can a season of “camping” serve, and what picture shows the danger of staying there too long? [01:10:26]

Interpretation questions

Jesus warns that some people will claim familiarity with Him but still hear, “I know you not.” What is the difference between being around spiritual things and truly belonging to Christ? [01:04:41]
God told Israel to go forward while the sea was still in front of them and Pharaoh was behind them. What does this reveal about the kind of obedience God may ask from believers before they can see the outcome?
Elijah’s question exposes people who are divided between two opinions. What are some ways a believer can remain undecided in faith, obedience, or commitment without openly denying God? [01:11:12]
Israel saw water as a dead end, while God saw a way to display His power. How can a difficult situation become the place where God develops faith and reveals His faithfulness? [01:14:10]

Application questions

Jesus says to strive to enter through the narrow door. Is there any area where faith has become mostly about church attendance, past experiences, or familiarity with Christian language rather than present surrender to Christ? What would earnest obedience look like this week? [01:09:49]
A season of rest, recovery, and regrouping can be needed, but an exit ramp cannot become a permanent address. Where might comfort, disappointment, or routine be keeping you from returning to the road God has set before you? [01:10:45]
What is most like a “Red Sea” in front of you right now: a hard decision, fear of failure, a difficult relationship, an uncertain future, or something else? What would it mean to take one faithful step toward that challenge? [01:35:05]
Pride, unforgiveness, disappointment, laziness, and fear can stop forward movement. Which of these, if any, has had the strongest influence on your willingness to obey God, and what honest action could begin to address it? [01:28:18]
God’s plan continues moving forward even when others hesitate or refuse to come along. Is there an act of obedience you have delayed because you were waiting for everyone else’s approval or participation? [01:07:43]
God does not always explain the whole plan before calling His people to move. Where do you need to trust God’s direction even though you do not yet understand how everything will work? [01:11:58]

Sermon Clips

55s

“Yes, sir. With you or without you. There is a certain mindset that has to come into the hearts and mind of a believer. That if you don't go, I'll go myself. If you're not coming with me, I'm gonna keep you moving. And we see here that God's plan is moving forward. Yes, it is. His whole plan has always been about moving forward. His kingdom is moving forward. His church is moving forward. And the question is not whether God will move. The question is whether we will move where? Yes,”

35s

“Forward with everybody's approval without their approval. I'm still going forward. Amen. Thank you. But, Lord, whatever you're doing. Lord, have mercy. This is my prayer that you give me strength to strive because I have to strive. And the thing is when you read the text about what Jesus asked to the question that was asked to him, one person asked that question, but he thought it was an important enough question that everybody needed to know the answer. Yes, sir. Sir. You ever noticed how somebody asks us the right question that everybody knows it up?”

20s

“But you can't stay on the exit ramp forever. Yeah. I could stop. If you're going somewhere, you gotta get off the exit ramp and get back on the road. That's right.”

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Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Douglasville GA This sermon · AI assistant

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