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Prayer Journal: December 13, 2025 “How Should We Begin?”
2024 Southeast Asia Evangelism Lecture 1
Theme: “Opportunity of 237” (Acts 1:1-8)
Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:10, 6:33, Acts 1:3, 19:8

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When we face challenging times, we ask: “How should we begin?” If the start is wrong, nothing works, and that is exactly why so many things we do do not work.

The disciples asked Jesus, “How should we pray?” And Jesus answered clearly: pray for the kingdom of God to come. He repeated it again. Asking for this and that is not real prayer, because God already knows what we need. Therefore, He said, seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

And at the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus did not give a casual instruction—He spoke about the kingdom of God for forty days. Not four days—forty days. It was His final pulpit message. And He even called them separately to Mt Olive. You must catch the point quickly.

Paul realized it, although he wasn’t even there!. And God entrusted world evangelization to him—simply put, the evangelization of Rome. But the tragedy is that most Christians still do not know what prayer is. That is why, before we talk about evangelizing Musanze, Jimma, and Africa, we must first receive real answers.

This is what the Jews missed. They did not even understand original sin. There are many churches like that. Anyone—even an unbeliever—can repent of personal sins. But original sin cannot be solved that way. That is why Christ had to come. They also do not know the reality of Satan, what Satan has done, or how Satan works. So they looked at Jesus and asked foolish questions: “Are you the leader of Satan? Are you casting out demons?”

And shockingly, even the apostles failed to understand it. They did not grasp what Jesus was saying. So if we are not careful, we become like that. Look at what happened: Peter kept going to the mission fields where Paul was laboring and kept saying different things. The most miserable thing for a pastor is this—when church members say, “Our pastor is not the gospel.” That is misery. And the problem only got worse: everywhere Paul went, they insisted, “You still must keep the Jewish law.” James spoke like that, and it is recorded in Galatians 2. They even said, “You still must be circumcised.” Paul could not bear it. He confronted Peter directly: “Do you keep the Jewish law perfectly? Why do you tell others to keep what you cannot keep? Is it not only Christ? Were we not crucified with Christ? Is it not Christ who lives in us?” With that, God moved the lampstand to Antioch. And the apostles could not evangelize Rome—not because the field was too hard, but because they held on to the wrong things. Even the medieval church missed it. They did not know at all.

Why did God lead His people to the wilderness for 40 years following the Exodus? Why didn’t He bring them into the land of Canaan? It only takes a week on foot. In the wilderness He gave the crucial meaning of the three feasts. Passover speaks of salvation—the day the blood was applied. Pentecost speaks of the power of the Holy Spirit. And the Feast of Ingathering speaks of gathering the harvest into the storehouse, and that storehouse explains the throne. But the Jews, from the beginning, kept these three in the worst way. God was already warning them from the start.

That is why Jesus called the remnants. He gathered them Himself and spoke three things.

First: Change. There is something we must change. If we do not know this, we cannot move forward. What must we change? We must change the bartizan within us. If you do not change it, you will never overcome Satan’s bartizan. In Matthew 12:26–30, Jesus revealed that Satan’s bartizan is inside you, and it must be changed.

Satan has twelve strategies, and we are imprinted by them. What did Satan give first? “I only think of myself”—that is Genesis 3: you are the center; you are the best; you can be like God. Then comes Genesis 6: you can gain power. Then Genesis 11: build the tower of Babel. That is why Satan’s bartizan stands firmly. Without anyone teaching them, people go worship idols. Without anyone teaching them, they build idol shrines. Without anyone teaching them, they perform rituals and chase meditation.

So Jesus said in John 8:44, even to religious people, “Your father is the devil.” They could not understand, and they faced disasters again and again.

The bartizan in us must be changed by prayer. Change it into the bartizan of the throne. This is why I pray in the morning: “Let the Triune God come upon me as a bartizan. Let the power of the throne come upon me as a bartizan. Let the power You promised come upon me as a bartizan. Let the power that solved past, present, and future come upon me. Let the five powers come upon me. Let the power to overcome the ruler of the power of the air come upon me. Let the CVDIP that sees the age come upon me. Let the three courtyards come upon our church.” It must be changed quickly. If it does not change, you keep calculating, living for yourself, measuring benefit and loss. But we are not people of calculation; we are people of the covenant.

That is why Daniel’s three friends said, “Even if we die, it is okay. Even if God does not save us, it is okay.” Daniel prayed three times a day with thanksgiving. Esther said, “If I perish, I perish.” When the early church gathered in the upper room, it was dangerous—so what? They might be arrested—so what? Evangelism might cost their lives—so what? They eventually won. They overcame the evil schemes of Jews. They overcame powerful Macedonia. They overcame Rome. The early church overcame everything because Jesus changed them for forty days. “Change!” Or you won’t be able to escape from the Nephilim culture. Throw it away. If you follow the Nephilim culture and you and your children will die.

Second: Seek. Find the journey God has given. Find the road the Triune God leads. The three answers are still happening now. Find the ten sure footholds. Find the ten secrets that guarantee victory. Find the five assurances of the throne, the nine flows of the throne, and the lifelong answer of the throne. Today is the camp of the throne—this is our journey—and we continue it by prayer. Jesus begged us to pray for the kingdom of God, but people ignore that and pray only, “Give me this, give me that.” What the world is creating is the Babel culture, and the tower of Babel will eventually collapse.

Third: Build. Build the guidepost of the throne that never collapses. This is the key: Change, Seek, Build. This is what I pray. What else is there to do? Do what Jesus told you to do. You do not even need to pray desperately for good health because it is all included: the guidepost of Mount Calvary that solved all problems; the unshakable guidepost of Mt Olive; the guidepost of Mark’s upper room; the guidepost of Antioch that changed the age; the beginning of missions under complete guidance of the Holy Spirit; the guidepost of Asia; and when the road is blocked, you do not quit or chase other things—you take the turning point to Macedonia; and you also must see Rome—this guidepost.

Paul realized this. In Acts 19:8, before Rome, in the synagogue, for three months he boldly explained the kingdom of God. He did not start with missions—he first received the guidance of the Holy Spirit. After receiving answers, he went out. He reenacted what happened in Mark’s upper room. He built the bartizan first. Then he broke darkness, healed the demon-possessed, and healed incurable disease. That is the journey.

And what did God say? “You must also see Rome.” God even quoted Paul’s confession: “Be bold; you must testify in Rome.” In the storm: “Do not be afraid. You must stand before Caesar.” God did not say, “You worked hard, so I will save you.” God did not say, “You preached well, so I will save you.” God said, “You must stand before Caesar.” Because when someone holds God’s accurate covenant, God quotes their message. If there is still mission to accomplish, you cannot die. If there is no more to do, dying is not a tragedy. Why struggle, hurting yourself and others, just to keep breathing?

So here is the conclusion: do exactly this. You must become addicted to the gospel and prayer. If you become addicted to bad things like drugs, your life will be ruined. But if you become addicted to the gospel, addicted to prayer, you begin to say, “I love praying. Praying is my happiness. Praying gives me strength.” That is addiction. “The gospel is everything. Only the gospel. Only this can save you, your family-line, your church, your region and nation, and Africa. Only this can save the world.” That is addiction. People always do what they are addicted to.

When that happens, three answers come. First, transcendence of time and space happens. Second, 237 and 5,000 finally become visible—because transcendence is at work. Third, unprecedented answers come. Prayer is transcendence of time and space. Only then does 237 connect. By prayer, the 5,000 tribes connect. Then the unprecedented answer comes to each remnant. That is the end. Who can stop you? No one can. Answers will keep coming, and you will be busy—busy receiving this blessing.

We and our remnants must remember. What we need is not a vague devotion, but an accurate covenant. We are not simply “preaching the gospel”—we are preaching only the gospel. That is the accurate covenant. And it is not “let’s try to pray more.” It is only prayer that finds everything. And it is not “let’s do missions,” because anyone can do that kind of missions. For us it is only missions. That is the accurate covenant.

Then we must take the proper attitude. What attitude? To be able to find the life of “only.” Then the life of uniqueness follows, and then the life of re-creation comes. Don’t just try to do the best. Discover the 300% God has prepared for you.

You are truly important. You are God’s chosen instrument to save 5,000 tribes. So, change your bartizan to the bartizan of the throne, seek the journey of the throne, and build the guidepost of the throne through prayer 24.

Prayer. Father, we thank You for giving us the accurate covenant. Establish within us the bartizan of the throne so that we live by only the gospel, only prayer, and only missions. Change our thoughts, our direction, and our attitude. Lead us on Your journey and help us build unshakable guideposts of the throne. Let our prayer transcend time and space, break darkness, and open the way to 237 nations and 5,000 tribes. May unprecedented answers come to every remnant, church leader, and evangelist, for the glory of Your kingdom, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer Journal: December 12, 2025
09. Mar. 2025 Immanuel Church Sunday Worship 2nd Service
Scripture Reading: Exodus 17:1-7

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It was, as expected, a world-class praise. Our church members sincerely gave the applause of glory.

▣ Introduction
While the people of Israel were going on the wilderness road, even though the answers were all given already in today’s first service,
1. Quarrel – stone
Now there was no water again, so this time another quarrel broke out. How far had it gone? It had come to the point where they were in a situation of actually trying to strike Moses with stones.
2. In Egypt
At that time, when God told Moses to pray, He spoke these words to Moses: “Take the staff that was used in Egypt.”
3. Mt Horeb, rock
“And go again to Mt Horeb where you received grace. There I will cause water to come out from the rock.” That is what He said. At this time He spoke an important word. Now as we read the important main text, it is connected with our elders’ dedication worship service. It was not intentionally matched like this. As we read,
「Take the elders of Israel with you」
At that time God said, “Do not go alone; take the elders of Israel with you.” He said it twice. “When you bring out water, do it there in front of the elders. And take that staff that was used in Egypt, and together with the elders, go and pray.”
(Exodus 17:5-6)
This is what appears in verses 5 and 6, although we read verse 1 of chapter 17 today. I understand this word very well.
When I was young, there were elders who helped me. That decided my life. Of course, I did not know it. God did it that way. When I was an assistant pastor and was vigorously doing the evangelism movement, there was an elder who helped me to do it. That created the foundation for what is now world evangelization. Of course, I do not know well with what intention the elder did it. However, he helped me like that. That is what I think. Elders must know well how greatly blessed they are, and how greatly blessed the people are who will receive. This is not the first time I have said this.
(Exodus 3:10-20)
He also spoke about it at Mt Horeb in Exodus chapter 3. He spoke about it at the beginning. “Lead the people of Israel out. Speak first to the elders.” The same thing came out. Here, in fact, a great crisis has come right now. It is to the point of trying to stone him, and at that time, “Take the elders to where you will bring out water. Do it in front of the elders.”
I think of about three things.
[ New believers ]
New believers can be said to learn their life of faith from ministers. However, their social life related to faith is learned from elders. What is important here is not that the elders know well and teach. God gives His word to the elder so that the elder may raise the new believers. My experience up to now is like that. So, “Ah, this is something tremendous!” Ministers teach God’s word, but for these people to move out in society, God gives words to the elders and guides them. Here, what church members must not misunderstand is that through Peter, the word was given in Mark’s upper room. That was not Peter’s character. God gave it.
[ RT-work ]
Also, before remnants go 300% into work, where do they receive guidance? They must receive the guidance of the elders.
[ Evangelism+missions ]
Also, what our ministers and assistant ministers must be concerned about is that the people who received the most important answers at the evangelism and missions field were the church leaders, the elders. Even now, when you look around mission fields, any mission field where elders stand firmly will unconditionally come alive. A mission field where elders are not established—when those missionaries return, it is over. It is important. So they call a church without elders an “unorganized church.” It means it is not organized. And that pastor cannot become the chair of the session. Why? Because there is no session. Right? They say it is less organized, so legally, they call it an “unorganized church.” When the session is formed, they call it an “organized church.” Since there is a session, they appoint one pastor as “chair of the session.” It is that important. Legally, a church without a session cannot establish a senior pastor. Administratively, too, it is like that. So whenever there was something important, God delivered the message through the elder to the field. It is not only this. They bring down Jericho. Do you know what they said when doing that? “Let us cross the Jordan.” Do you know what they said when doing that? “Deliver it first to all the officers. We will cross the Jordan.” That is the elder. Even before that, when circling Jericho, “Have the officers lead the circling.” To bring down Jericho, in simple terms, at the very front, the officers, the elders, lined up and went out. And they followed the ark of the covenant. When you see these histories, it is tremendous.
Why is that? These elders have three reasons.
[ Leader ]
They were the leaders of Israel. And what else?
[ Together ]
They were people who always communicated together with Moses in ordinary times.
[ Beginning-end ]
And the third, which is important, is that the elders were the people who prepared from the very beginning when it started and went all the way to the end. Now then, what blessings must elders receive, and what covenant must they know? In simple terms, they must know from beginning to end. Why? Because they are the ones who will go to the end. You do not just look at any new believer and say, “Hey, you’re handsome. Be an elder.” You do not do that. They are people who were there from the beginning.

▣ Main
So I say that the five books of Moses are tremendous.
1. Genesis
What was delivered in Genesis?
1) Problem – cause, answer
The cause and answer to the problems of human life are in Genesis.
2) World evangelization
And from the beginning of Genesis, world evangelization is commanded.
3) Genesis 12:1-3
A person appeared who understood these words, and that was Abraham.
Genesis 37:1-11
As this blessing passed through several generations, world evangelization finally took place through Joseph.
Genesis 45:1-5
He becomes the prime minister and comes to move the world.
This is the covenant delivered to the church leader. Now, it did not end there. From beginning to end, you all must know everything.
2. Exodus
What is Exodus?
1) Exodus
God is saying that He will bring the people of Israel out of Egypt. The person who firmly held this covenant was Moses, but there were elders there. So even if countless people complained, it is of no use. The elders firmly held the covenant. This is the tremendous history that took place on the wilderness road.
2) Out of wilderness
Out of wilderness. It is God’s will. No one can block it. No complaint matters. What is more important is the third.
3) Out of darkness
Out of darkness. Going out in the wilderness, coming out of Egypt—those are not the main thing; it is out of darkness. Elders must surely know this. Because they are the ones who will deliver this blessing. It did not end there.
3. Leviticus
It is Leviticus. Leviticus mainly speaks about what?
1) Tabernacle
It speaks about the tabernacle—meaning our sanctuary.
2) Ark of the covenant
Inside it is the ark of the covenant.
3) Christ (worship)
All the instruments of the tabernacle explain Christ. The light, the bread, all explain Christ. What comes out from here is worship. The church that teaches people to worship the most in the world is the church that has the gospel covenant. Yet it has taken hold of the world’s intellect. It gives the most offerings, and has so many sacrifices that it always brings and offers them—that is what the Bible says. Right? Yet it has taken hold of the economy. It is an amazing thing. One conglomerate owner cannot do world evangelization. Right? When church members and elders in all regions rise, the offerings that you give do world evangelization. Isn’t that so? Therefore, the representatives of each region are the elders. It is extremely important.
4. Numbers
It is Numbers. What is Numbers?
1) Twelve tribes
The twelve tribes. They were selected from the beginning.
2) Twelve regions
What is more important is this: do you know when they entered the land of Canaan? The twelve regions. Before even going, they analyzed everything.
3) Spies
And they sent spies. These spies came back and made their report worthless. They said they could not go. But Moses says, “Let’s go.” The ones who made the report were Joshua and Caleb, but the ones who agreed and resolved together were the elders. This is important. Those elders are the leaders of all regions. So in English it is Elder, meaning an adult. If these people say they cannot go, then they cannot go. That makes no sense. That cannot be. They are people who receive complete guidance from God. Entering Canaan is God’s plan. No incident can block it.
5. Deuteronomy
What comes last here? It is Deuteronomy. What is Deuteronomy? It is imprinting before entering. It is imprinting what has happened up to now. The elders knew this. So it is a finished fight.
Everything is in Genesis, in the five books of Moses. If you do not know Genesis, you will not know at all the Nephilim problem that is happening now. The Eden incident, the Nephilim Noah incident, the Tower of Babel incident—those are happening exactly the same right now.
1) Deuteronomy 6:4-9
So what came out? Isn’t it Deuteronomy 6:4-9? “Imprint it to the next generation. Imprint everything that has happened up to now. So that they do not forget at all, attach it on the forehead, on the wrist, and on the walls.” This is now what you must do. Right? This makes them conquer the world.
2) Joshua, Caleb
Here, two representative figures appear: Joshua and Caleb.
3) The remnant (next generation)
So, centered on Joshua and Caleb, it is the remnant, the next generation, right? They entered. They entered and conquered the land of Canaan. They thought they were suffering in the wilderness, but that was not it. When they entered, these enemies living there had occupied someone else’s land, and after hearing the rumor, they all ran away. The people of Israel who defeated Egypt are coming—this is it. Can you defeat Egypt? They did defeat it. Not only that, they are the people who crossed the Red Sea. Then this time they also crossed the Jordan. This is the people who came after breaking down Jericho. This rumor went everywhere. So there are seven tribes there, and there are 31 kings. It is arranged like that because they had been taking advantage among themselves so much. Now, the seven tribes are in the land, on someone else’s land, and there being 31 kings—what does that mean? You can catch what it is, right? Without even needing to remove them, it is written that when they heard the Israelites were coming, their hearts melted. I asked a doctor. I asked, “If the heart melts, what happens?” He said they cannot walk. If the heart melts, they cannot take steps. Then would they fight a war? It is over.
Five blessings that elders must receive. Since this has continued to be fulfilled, it does not change.

▣ Conclusion_ [ Crisis ]
All the times when crisis came became testimonies. When crisis came, Satan was bound in every case. Right? When crisis came, all darkness retreated. All of this becomes testimony material. For example, look. Everything up to now.
1. Red Sea
They crossed the Red Sea. Their hearts melted, these people’s hearts, all the world’s. When they crossed the Red Sea and came over, the surrounding border nations all trembled. And then the next generation was born. The next generation did not experience the Red Sea, right? So God makes them experience it.
2. Jordan
They cross the Jordan. God is training them perfectly. This is all testimony material. The dangers that come to you are all testimony material.
The praise was also done very well. I did not know the elder in Busan would praise that well. Deaconesses, like before, dance once and break it, and then later do it together once again, like this. I was surprised again when I saw our deaconesses dancing. Busan really cannot be stopped.
3. Jericho
So, would these people stay still knowing they came? The biggest issue now is Jericho. This is a tremendous fortress. While circling it, wouldn’t it be enough for the people inside to throw stones? Their hearts melted and they could not move at all. They broke all of this down.
4. Allied forces
Now they crossed the Red Sea, crossed the Jordan, and they say they are coming to break down Jericho, so the people living there said, “Still, we cannot die like this.” So an allied force rose up. That allied force came out and the Amorite battle happened. There, God works a miracle. He drops hailstones like rocks and strikes them first. That is where the account that the sun and the moon stood still comes from. This is Joshua chapter 10. It is over.
5. Anak
They entered Canaan, and the last fortress remained. That is the hill country of Anak. Where was it that the people of Israel previously trembled at the report? It was this hill country of Anak. They said again that they could not enter. They said it was a big problem. Even though they had come completely. It was an extremely great fortress. It is understandable to tremble. Where was the place the ten spies spoke of? It was here. It was the place where they said, “We cannot go. How can women and children go?” At this time, as you know, the figure who came out was Caleb. He spoke of the old story here. “Forty-five years ago, ten spies said we could not enter. You and I reported that we could go here. At that time, the leader Moses commanded us to go. But are we not here now?” He spoke the covenant directly. “If so, give me this hill country.” He was saying he would fight. At that time, Caleb’s age was 85. “Though my age is 85, it is like then,” he said. How could it be the same? He was speaking of conviction. “If the LORD is with us, we will surely win,” he said. And so they broke it down. Therefore, Caleb’s son-in-law entered and became the first judge in the land of Canaan.
You must go with this covenant. As I will speak in today’s church leaders’ lecture, now centered on our association, we must also form an elders’ council, form a deaconesses’ council, and form an ordained deacons’ council, and make these three that held the church leaders’ conference become great conferences. As long as you hold the covenant, you can absolutely change the world without being shaken at all. I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ that there will be the blessing of receiving answers continuously with this covenant. I will pray.

Prayer. God, thank You. We give thanks to God who allowed today’s elders’ dedication worship service. We praise God who will surely make us win. Until the day we fully accomplish world evangelization, may God firmly protect us. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer Journal: December 11, 2025
08. Mar. 2025 Core Training Service
Scripture Reading: Exodus 16:1-12

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▣ Introduction
Thank you. Our world churches are worshiping together. Right now Immanuel Seoul, Ulsan, Changwon, Geoje, and several other regions are worshiping together. It would be good, in consultation with headquarters, to prepare things so that as much as possible we can all see each other’s worship in real time. During this worship, it should develop so that Seoul, Changwon, Ulsan, and other regions appear together, those abroad can join and be seen, and we can also show them what God is doing here. Then worship will become very vivid and alive to the field. Secular broadcasters are already doing all of this. And when I look into some other strange organizations, they are running broadcasting systems that surpass KBS. I will not name the group, but it is very advanced. Our church keeps lagging behind.

1. Hardship, sickness, poverty
So today, think about this once. What happens when you suffer too much? While you are living your life, when you face severe hardship, sickness, or things like that. There are also people who are extremely poor, who have nothing to eat.

2. The 10% who live well, the 90% who struggle (50% try, 40% give up)
According to statistics, whether in developed countries or developing countries, it is the same: about 10% of people live well. But 90% say life is hard. Even among people who live in America, which has the most money, 90% are struggling. They are struggling to such a degree that they cannot even give offering properly. Almost all are like that. Among them, 40% have just given up. It is the same for students. Only about 10% say, “I enjoy studying.” Ninety percent say, “Studying is hard.” Among them, 50% are still trying, but 40% have just given up.

3. The Israelites who again began to complain while walking the wilderness path
The Israelites were walking the wilderness path, and it had now been 75 days. The entire assembly once again began to complain. They even said this: “In Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, did we not eat meat well? At that time we ate all we wanted.” The whole congregation rose up. And they said this: “It would have been better if we had died there in Egypt. Why have you brought us out into this wilderness to die?” Such complaints began to explode.

▣ Main – In the midst of hardship
We can face times like this as we live. But in today’s passage there are some very important answers you must receive. Their thinking was completely mistaken.

1. Restore what was promised – When God called you, He had already prepared and promised everything
First, when God called you, He had already promised everything. It is just that they had not discovered it. “Restore what was promised.”

1) What has already been promised to you
What has already been promised and blessed is upon you.

(1) Exodus 3:7–20 – “Tell him to let My people go so that they may offer a blood sacrifice.”
In Exodus chapter 3, God clearly spoke to Moses. “I have seen the misery of Israel and I have heard their cry.” And He said, “Go to Pharaoh and speak. Speak to the people: ‘The Lord has said, Let My people go so that they may offer a blood sacrifice.’” Moses said, “The Israelites will not listen.” God answered, “Say that the Lord has spoken. Go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘I will be with you with My mighty hand.’” He said, “That will be the sign.” He spoke very clearly.

(2) Joshua 1:3 – “I have given you the land of Canaan.”
To Joshua He did not simply say, “Go to the land of Canaan.” What did He say? “I have given you the land of Canaan.”

(3) Genesis 13:14–18 – “I have given it to you and your descendants forever.”
To Abraham He did not say, “Do this and that.” He said, “Look north, south, east, and west, and walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I have given it to you and your descendants forever.” What does this mean? Right now, in the wilderness, the Israelites are completely mistaken. They must hold onto what was promised.

(4) Exodus 4:1–23 – “Take the staff in your hand and go before Pharaoh. I will perform My wonders.”
God said to Moses, “What is that in your hand?” He only had a staff. “Take that and go. Go before Pharaoh. I will perform wonders through you.” It was already promised.

2. If you fall into unbelief and complaint, your physical eyes become bright and your spiritual eyes become dark – the Israelites, Adam and Eve
But everywhere the Israelites went, they kept complaining. If you keep doing that, your spiritual eyes become dark. When you keep falling into unbelief and complaint, the most serious thing is that your physical eyes become bright, but your spiritual eyes become dark. After Adam and Eve disobeyed, their physical eyes became bright. They realized they were naked. But their spiritual eyes went completely dark. That is death.

3. God who fulfills exactly as He promised

(1) The ten plagues – The day of the blood sacrifice, the day of Exodus
So God turned the Nile and all the waters of Egypt into blood. Pharaoh was shocked. “Please quickly restore this.” When it was restored, he changed again. That is how Satan is, and that is how human nature is. Once things are restored, they go back to their old ways. So God sent the plague of frogs. Frogs came up everywhere. Then the plagues continued—gnats, flies everywhere. Up to that point Pharaoh was not moved. Then God began to strike the livestock. And He began to destroy their crops. In simple terms, it became an economic disaster. Only then did Pharaoh call Moses, “Please stop this. Go. But do not go too far. Go, offer sacrifices, and come back.” Once it stopped, he changed again. Later, even when locusts came and ate all the grain, even when thick darkness came over the land, he did not yield. But when the firstborn were struck, he surrendered. On the day they applied the blood and offered the sacrifice, they came out. It was exactly as He had promised. Already, when God called you, He had promised to take full responsibility for you. Right? But we keep being deceived.

(2) When crossing the Red Sea – The Egyptian army destroyed – “See the salvation the Lord will accomplish.”
And what happened at the Red Sea? God said, “Go and camp by the sea. Pitch your tents there. I will bury all the Egyptian army in the Red Sea.” He hardened Pharaoh’s heart and sent the army into the sea. It was all promised. Moses knew this, so he said, “Stand firm and you will see the salvation the Lord will accomplish for you today.”

4. When you face hardship
There will be times when you face hardship. Students may face hardship in their studies. You may face hardship in your work. Your life itself may be difficult.

(1) If you misunderstand, your physical eyes become bright and only your spiritual eyes become dark. When God’s Word is not seen, the future is not seen and you only see your present reality, so you go down a wrong path.
At such times, people misunderstand. In misunderstanding, their physical eyes become bright. “Look, back in Egypt, didn’t we eat plenty of meat?” That is a true statement. “We sat by the pots of meat and ate as much as we wanted. When the overseers were not watching, we sometimes stole and ate, did we not? If only we had died there, we would not suffer like this. Why did you bring us out here into this wilderness to die?” They were speaking very logically. They attacked Moses with very sophisticated words. This is what people whose spiritual eyes are dark do. How can they attack so precisely like that? “When we were in Egypt, did we not eat all the meat we wanted?” They stirred up the whole assembly. Today’s Scripture says, “the whole congregation.” Then only their spiritual eyes went dark. Now they could not see the future. When you cannot see the future, your present becomes completely dark. You no longer see God’s Word. Some people then go down a wrong path. Some people commit suicide. Some commit crimes. They fall into things. God had promised, “You will go to the land of Canaan.” He had promised, “I will bring you out of Egypt.” That is the first point.

(2) Restore what was promised – First open your spiritual eyes – The covenant does not change.
Restore what was promised. First open your spiritual eyes. If their spiritual eyes had been open, they would not have spoken that way. “Even if we die on this wilderness path, it is okay. Somehow we must live and we must go for the sake of our future generations.” That is at least a somewhat sober statement. That is what a more normal person would say. “When we were in Egypt, did we not eat all the meat we wanted?” That is a true statement, but that is not the kind of thing ordinary simpletons say—these are clever words. “Even if we die on the way, let us go.” That is a more normal statement, but even that is not the correct one. The right confession is, “Let us go to the land the Lord has promised.” The covenant does not change.

The first thing you must hold onto when you face hardship is this: restore what was promised. So open your spiritual eyes. Open the eyes that see the future.

2. Find what God has prepared – “Then you will know that I am the Lord your God” (verses 6–7, 12)
Second, in every hardship, what does God make you discover? He says, “Then you will know that I am the Lord who brought you out of Egypt. Do not worry. In the evening I will give you meat, and in the morning I will give you bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord who brought you out of Egypt.” That is verse 6. And in verse 7, “In the morning you will see the glory of the Lord.” Verse 7 says that, and verse 12 says, “Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.” What does this mean? He will make them completely realize what God has prepared—“You will know that I am the Lord your God.” When you truly want to pray in the midst of serious hardship, human strength is not enough.

1) Joseph – A witness before Potiphar, his brothers, and Pharaoh that the Lord was with him
This is what Joseph, who had suffered great hardship, confessed. What did he say? If an ordinary person said this, we might take it lightly. But Joseph said it as a witness: “The Lord was with me.” He showed this to Potiphar. He said the same to his brothers: “The Lord sent me ahead of you.” He said the same before Pharaoh: “The Lord will make the meaning of the dream known.” You cannot stop a person like this. When our Remnants truly succeed, they can say, “The Lord…” When we feel ashamed, we cannot speak that way. But when we have victory, we can say, “Because the Lord was with me.”

The purpose of giving hardship in the wilderness is not only to restore the covenant, but also to restore what God has given. The most important thing is this: “I will show you that I am the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, who lets you see My glory every day.”

2. The evangelist’s confession – Seeing that God was with him through his mother (his mother’s prayer)
May this become your covenant.

As I always say, I did not learn faith from my father. My father always said what was right, so I could not learn faith from him. He always argued, always insisted on what was right, and he was very diligent. He would get up at 4 a.m. every morning. He was amazing. It would have been fine if he got up by himself, but he would wake me up at 4 a.m. too. It was exhausting. And at 4 a.m. he would go out. He was amazing. He thought I was studying until that time, but of course as soon as he left, I went to sleep. He was extremely diligent, but I could not learn faith from him.

I learned faith through my mother. I learned, “Ah, truly God is with us.” I really learned that. “Truly God is with us.” The entire neighborhood persecuted us for believing in Jesus. In those days it was like that. People had nothing better to do. We were believing in God, so why should our relatives persecute us? If it were now, I would say something, but I was young, so I stayed quiet. The people of the village persecuted us. It was ridiculous. So we children saw all of that. With no husband, raising four children—what do you think that was like? Yet God never once allowed us to become seriously ill. That was a miracle. It was my mother’s prayer. We never once experienced hardship because of money. That too was my mother’s prayer. At that time, I did not know anything about prayer.

3. The reason God leads through the wilderness – to show that He is with you
You must show the evidence that God is with you. Right? That is why He leads you through the wilderness, through what looks like hardship.

(1) Moses
So this was Moses’ confession as well.

(2) Joshua and Caleb – “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you” (Joshua 1:5).
Even more importantly, this was also Joshua’s confession as he was to go forward. The next generation saw this. God said to Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.” In other words, “You saw how I was with Moses while you served him as his assistant, did you not? In that same way I will be with you.” God gave that promise. Amazing things took place. This was true for Caleb as well.

(3) The covenant you possess will be passed on to your posterity and to others
The covenant you possess will be passed on to your posterity and to others. The fruit will be even greater then. You received and passed it on without fully realizing, but when your posterity rises holding that covenant, the works become great. In some ways, the first generation suffered, but the second and third generations see the works. Do not miss this.

When God called you, He had already prepared everything. That is the first point. The second is that although it looks like you are walking through wilderness and hardship, you are actually discovering what God has already prepared.

3. He gives what you must carry into eternity – The reason for forty years in the wilderness
Third and last: Why did they have to pass through the wilderness? Why did they take forty years for a journey that could have been made in a week? This is even more important. Whenever you face hardship, always think of these three things. First, “God has given me a promise.” Second, “In this field, God is proving that He is the Lord.” Then what is the third thing you must hold firmly today? “Why does He give hardship? Why does He make us go through the wilderness? Why forty years for a path that is less than a week?”

1) The test God gives – Exodus from darkness
Verse 4 today explains this: God says He is testing us.

There are two kinds of “tests.” There is the test Satan gives, and the test God gives. The “test” Satan gives is not called “test (test)” in English. Satan gives trials to make us fall. He is trying to make us fall. In school, when teachers give a test, it is not to make students fall; it is to increase their ability. That is why we call that a “test.” If the teacher never gave a test, could the students’ ability grow? So the word “test” is used in that sense.

What kind of test is this? It is good and important to come out of Egypt, but more important than Exodus from Egypt is Exodus from darkness. He will make them realize this “Exodus from darkness.” He will convey the blessing of being completely set free from darkness by God’s power.

2. The three feasts – Passover (the day you are set free by the blood of the Lamb), Pentecost (God with us by His power), Feast of Ingathering (guidance with the background of the throne)
Naturally they must pass through the wilderness. God will make them know the three feasts: On the day they applied the blood of the Lamb, they were set free. God will be with them with the power of Pentecost. He will guide them with the background of the throne in the Feast of Ingathering. This is certain. He will make them know this. It looked like hardship, but it was not. For those who perish, it is indeed hardship. But for those who hold the covenant, it is not hardship. Time is needed.

3. The ark of the covenant – The stone tablets (God’s unchanging eternal Word), the jar of manna, Aaron’s budding staff (God’s Word of life)
Even more, He had them make the ark of the covenant. Inside the ark were three items. Right? There were the stone tablets engraved with God’s eternal, unchanging Word. Today He gave manna and quail. There was also the jar of manna. Aaron led worship, but Aaron himself was not the important one. Worship is what is important. The Levites led worship, but the tribe of Levi was not what mattered. Right? God’s Word is what matters. So when Aaron’s staff was planted in the ground, it produced buds. “Look, this is what happens with God’s Word of life.” That staff was placed inside the ark. God was making them see all of this.

4. Tabernacle-centered life – teaching worship and prayer as the secret to victory in forty years of wilderness
That was not the end. He made them know what was inside the tabernacle. For forty years He taught them the secret to victory through tabernacle-centered life: worship and prayer. Right?

5. Deuteronomy – Pass this to the next generation so that it becomes their imprint, root, and nature (Deuteronomy 6:4–9).
That was not all. He completely imprinted it on them. That is Deuteronomy. The name “Deuteronomy” means to imprint. Just as when you engrave (申) and (命), it is set there permanently.

God had them enjoy three amazing things during the forty years in the wilderness. Since He had already given them the covenant to take complete responsibility when He called them, they only needed to find it. “In every place, they will know that the Lord is God.” So He prepared manna, quail, and many other things. Those things themselves were not the main point. The truly important things were separate. Right? “You have been set free from darkness.” What are the three feasts? What really is the ark of the covenant? Why is everything tabernacle-centered? He was teaching them this. Of course they had to learn it. “Pass this on to your posterity.” So at the end, in Deuteronomy, He said, “Love the Lord your God with all your strength. Love the Lord your God with all your heart. Have you not seen everything until now? Pass what you have seen to your children. Tie it on your hands.” You always see your hands. “Write it on the doorframes, so they will see. Put it where they can see it even when they lie down. Let them see it as they walk along the road.” In other words, let it become their imprint, root, and nature.

You must hold onto this blessing. Whenever you face hardship, hold onto the promise. Hold onto what God has prepared. Even more importantly, He is already giving you what you must carry into eternity.

▣ Conclusion – The answers we are to receive
What are the answers you are to receive today?

1. Restore the three feasts
Restore the three feasts. They already had them.

2. The miracles in the wilderness – restore evangelism
Why did He perform miracles in the wilderness? To restore evangelism.

3. Tabernacle-centered life – restore the three courtyards, the three-day weekend age, and the holy meditation age
Why tabernacle-centered life? Prayer is important, but it is to restore the three courtyards.

The Bible emphasizes worship so many times. It is to restore the three-day weekend age. The main purpose of the Sabbath points to the three-day weekend age. Why did He tell them so insistently to teach this to their children? To restore the holy meditation age. With this, you go out into the world.

※ Persecutors, attackers, great powers, dictators, and the wicked have never truly won.
Now open your eyes and let us take a look. Up to now, persecutors and attackers have never won—not once. Right? Great powers have never truly won. This is the evidence.

In the past, when you went into the mountains, there were rabbits and tigers. Who is stronger? There is no need to ask. The tigers catch and eat the rabbits. Then by now, the mountains should be full of tigers. Right? But there are no tigers, and there are many rabbits. Even in nature it is like this. Not once has a war hero truly been blessed. Not once has a nation that attacked others truly won. Never. When enough time passes, they have lost. Right? If we cannot realize this, it becomes very serious. God’s covenant does not change. If the attacking nations do not realize this, the nations they attacked later grow even greater.

When Martin Luther proclaimed the gospel, the powerful medieval church—the old church, the Roman Catholic Church—attacked him. But as time passed, what did God do? He made Catholicism into a heresy in people’s eyes and made the Protestant church larger. We must not misunderstand—at that time God used America to raise Protestantism. To grow the Protestant church. Now Catholicism has lost to Protestantism, because the Protestant church is larger. Things passed on like this, but not once has the wicked side truly won.

Nearly all dictators who killed many people ended up committing suicide. Right? Nietzsche even said, “God is dead.” He was a pastor’s son. He even studied theology. And yet Nietzsche said, “God is dead.” He himself went insane and died in a mental hospital, screaming. In broad daylight he would scream that it was dark.

Once I went to Dong-A University, and the Christian student groups had probably written this. There was a piece of paper posted that said, “God is dead. – Nietzsche.” And underneath it, someone else had written, “Nietzsche is dead. – God.” Which one is more correct?

Unbelief can never overcome the covenant. Today, throughout the day, recover these three while you pray.

Let us pray.

Prayer. May today truly be the most gracious day. May it become a new day of grace, a day of gaining strength, and a day filled with God. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.