Overview
Freedom from limited options means refusing the trap of choosing only among the bad choices other people hand you, because God has already prepared a way out that is not on their list. Rev. Rico Magnelli teaches from Exodus 14, where Israel stood encamped against the Red Sea and told themselves they could only serve the Egyptians or die in the wilderness, and God opened the sea instead. He calls this the tyranny of limited options, a tactic the adversary uses to put people in mental prisons, and he traces the answer to it through Psalm 91, John 8, Jeremiah 17 and 1 Corinthians 10:13. Whenever options are limited and God is not part of it, there is going to be fear.
Transcript
The Tyranny of Limited Options
Please turn to Exodus 14. We want to talk about freedom from limited options. One way to get people afraid is to limit their options, none of which are desirable.
This is a tactic that the adversary uses. It’s the tyranny of limited options that puts people in mental prisons. The person finds themselves within such a mental confinement and they cannot see a way out.
If such fear spreads, it can lead to panic. Limited options and the fear that they produce have everything to do with leaving God’s power, God’s solutions, God’s answers, and God’s deliverance out of the situation. In other words, God is not involved at all.
Exodus Means the Way Out of Bondage
The entire time God has already prepared the way out of this bondage. Exodus from the Greek Old Testament means the way out or a going out, a departure. What were God’s people going out from? Bondage.
God’s will has been and always will be freedom. Fear binds people.
Here in chapter 14 of the book of Exodus, in verse 10, it says, And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them, and they were sore afraid, and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.
The children of Israel had departed out of Egypt and they were encamped against the Red Sea. There was no apparent exit for them. Let me ask you a question.
Serve the Egyptians or Die in the Wilderness: There’s the Two Options
Did God know what he was doing? Was God confused? Was God bewildered? Was he dumbfounded? What am I going to do with these about two and a half million people? If he can handle two and a half million people, he can handle any situation you find yourself in and anybody you ever have the privilege to minister to.
Verse 11, they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness. There’s the two options.
We can either serve the Egyptians or we can die in the wilderness. Whenever there’s limited options and God’s not part of it, there’s going to be fear. And here is a large group of people that are in fear.
Fear always leads to limited options in people’s thinking. As fear spreads, it produces panic. When God has already provided the solution, he has your back and the solution that you and I need in every situation.
Fear Ye Not, Stand Still and See the Salvation of the Lord
Same thing with here. Verse 13, And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.
In other words, you’re not going to have to do anything. Just stand. Don’t run away. Just stand.
Which he will show to you today. For the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall see them again no more forever. And the Lord shall fight for you and ye shall hold your peace. And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward.
Moses Orders Two and a Half Million People Into the Water
You have to picture this. This man is ordering two and a half million people into the water. And we think we’ve got it tough. We think we have challenges.
But lift thou up thy rod and stretch out thine hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
Now this is quite spectacular. There’s no question about it. This one incident is one of the most phenomenal instances of physical deliverance that is in the Bible. No question.
But it’s two and a half million people too. But God is no less in your situation or mine. No less.
The Red Sea Divided, and God’s Power Has Not Diminished One Iota
Look at verse 21. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night and made the sea dry land and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left.
And we know the rest of the record. Tremendous deliverance happened for the children of Israel. And it caused such an impact that anyone that heard that story was in awe.
And yet God has not diminished his power one iota. He has not diminished in his foreknowledge. He has not diminished in his wisdom, in his timing. In one iota. Nothing.
Where Limited Options Show Up: Jobs, Bureaucracy, Housing, Finances and Health
Limited options produce fear in people’s lives because they feel like they’re encased. They’re entrapped. They can’t find the way out.
This can happen for instance in job prospects where you have limited options to the jobs that you can have, when God has something specific perfect for you. Sometimes working through bureaucracy, when dealing with institutions or intimidating organizations. We feel like, because their person says, well, these are your options and that’s it. And then we just say, oh well, I guess that’s it. We don’t pursue it and find the person that can actually help us.
Sometimes we deal with housing prospects when we’re moving to a new location perhaps. And the limited options are all we accept when God already has the solution, the answer.
Financial issues. Sometimes the limited options that we consider are because people that have ability, knowledge, they give us their insight, when God the whole time is telling us that he will prosper us.
Health issues are another one. That’s a big one. If you get this disease, these are your options. This is very common these days.
Doomsday Scenarios and the God Who Is Never Asleep at the Switch
Doomsday scenarios. Doomsday scenarios limit options in people’s minds and produce fear. Could be in reference to anything. Climate. Government collapse. Financial collapse. Pandemic viruses or diseases. Nuclear attacks.
As if God is not prepared for any and all these types of things on our behalf. As if he’s asleep at the switch. It’s an impossibility for anything to happen without his knowledge. It’s an impossibility. And he has us protected and guarded. Preserved, if you will, from all these issues.
Psalm 91: Trusting God 100 Percent, Not 95 or 97
I’m going to read you part of Psalm 91. Psalm 91 reads, He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress. My God, in him will I trust.
That’s the key, is trusting in God. Wholly. Completely. Not in the words of men. In God.
It doesn’t mean that we don’t pay attention to what’s told us. Sure we do. We use wisdom. Trusting God doesn’t mean that you throw wisdom and common sense out. It just means that your reliance is on God. 100 percent. Not 95 or 97. 100.
There Shall No Evil Befall Thee: God’s Promise Over the Individual
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare, the snare is a trap, of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust. His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day, nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee.
Verse 10. There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and the adder, the young lion and the dragon, shalt thou trample under feet.
Because, now God is speaking about the individual, because he hath set his love upon me, God says, therefore will I deliver him. I will set him on high because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.
Either he is God or he isn’t. He’s the same God we read about in Exodus. He’s the same God we read about in Psalm 91. And he’s the same God that works in so many individuals.
Jesus and the Woman Taken in Adultery in John 8
Look at John chapter 8, the Gospel of John, please. John chapter 8. And here in this record, in John chapter 8, we’ll see him work in the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because Jesus Christ is presented with some options and none of them he likes.
John chapter 8, verse 1. Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives, and early in the morning he came again into the temple. And all the people came unto him, and he sat down and taught them. So Jesus is teaching the people.
And the scribes and Pharisees, these are the religious leaders, brought unto him a woman taken in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us that such should be stoned. What sayest thou?
This they said, tempting him that they might have to accuse him. So we see their motive here. The religious leaders use the word with the wrong motive, to accuse Jesus. But in doing so, they reap judgment to themselves in their own heart.
He That Is Without Sin Among You, Let Him First Cast a Stone
What does Jesus do? But Jesus stooped down, with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. Verse 7. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again, he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
How interesting. This record is very significant because the options that are presented to Jesus Christ are not acceptable. His heart is to love the woman and his heart is to do the word in the situation.
And sometimes we get forced into a corner and it can produce fear in our lives if we think that’s the only option. What’s so interesting here is that the judgment that they were trying to level on Jesus and on the woman comes back on them because they trusted in themselves. They thought they were so smart.
Jeremiah 17: Cursed Be the Man That Trusteth in Man
Keep your finger here and look at Jeremiah, please. Jeremiah. Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah. Look at Jeremiah 17.
So much of not getting caught in limited options has to do with trusting God with your whole heart and not listening to people that put you in fear, that cannot be from God. Now, get rid of the fear and then make wise decisions. Use common sense, absolutely. But do not be motivated by fear.
Jeremiah 17 in verse 5, it says, Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath, the heath is someone that’s naked or destitute, in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
Trusting in Man Means You Do Not See the Good When It Cometh
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh. But her leaf shall be green, and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
You got two scenarios here. We trust God that he’s already provided the solution, as opposed to listening to men and their limited options. To trust in man, one of the results is that you don’t see the good when it cometh.
See that? You trust in man, you don’t see the good when it cometh. In other words, God can be, the solution can be right in front of your face, and you cannot see it because you’re trusting in man. The answer is right there, but we can’t see it because we trust in man.
That’s what verse six is talking about. Not see good when it cometh. When God has provided the open door, God has provided the solution, God has provided the answer, but we trust in men, we don’t see it.
The other option is to trust in God. Verse eight says, and you will not see when heat cometh. When the challenge comes, when the difficulty comes, you’re not going to experience those consequences. You won’t.
You’ll be like a tree planted by waters, even though it’s hot, and nothing else is getting watered, you’re getting water because you trust in the Lord. Verse 13, O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters.
Neither Do I Condemn Thee: Back in John 8
Back to John 8. God is a fountain of living waters, and to accept the limited options that men give us will produce fear, and it doesn’t matter what category it is. It doesn’t mean we don’t listen to people, that’s not what I’m saying, and we don’t use common sense and wisdom, of course, but I don’t trust in the words of men above the Word of God if they contradict the Word of God. If they contradict what God says, no deal, I’ll go God every time.
Verse nine, And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, I’m in John chapter eight verse nine, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last, and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more.
In other words, don’t do this again. He loved her.
God Will Make a Way to Escape, and in Christ Jesus We Are Complete
Let’s close in 1 Corinthians, please. When we partner with God, we’re solution oriented. If he already knows the situation that you’re going to be dealing with, why do we act and panic and get afraid as if he doesn’t know? Start looking for the solution, start looking for the answer, because 1 Corinthians 10 tells us in verse 13, There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man. But God is faithful, he’s faithful, who will not suffer or allow you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it.
God has the solution. God has the answer. We want freedom from limited options.
We don’t want to be in mental prisons under the tyranny of limited options when God already has the answer and the solution for us, because what God did for us in Jesus Christ is a completed work. All our need has been provided from now until we draw our last breath. We may not believe that, but that is what the word declares, because in Christ Jesus, we are complete.
There’s no more work left to be done, and God is ready and able to provide anything and everything that we need and all the solutions and answers that we need. Sometimes it may take a little patience, it may take a little time, but that’s okay. We hold on to the truth and trust God with our whole heart that he will provide a way out no matter what the challenge or situation that we face. And this is freedom from limited options.
Key Takeaways
- The tyranny of limited options is a tactic of the adversary: give people a short list of choices, none of them desirable, and it puts them in a mental prison where they cannot see a way out.
- Whenever options are limited and God is not part of it, there is going to be fear, and as fear spreads it produces panic.
- At the Red Sea, Israel reduced the situation to two options, serve the Egyptians or die in the wilderness, and God answered with a third that was never on their list.
- Exodus means the way out, a going out, a departure; God’s will has been and always will be freedom, and the whole time he had already prepared the way out of the bondage.
- Jeremiah 17:6 says the man who trusts in man shall not see when good cometh: the solution can be right in front of your face and you cannot see it.
- Jesus was handed options he would not accept in John 8, and 1 Corinthians 10:13 promises God will with the temptation also make a way to escape.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does freedom from limited options mean?
It means not being confined to the choices other people present when none of them are desirable. Rev. Rico Magnelli calls this the tyranny of limited options, a tactic the adversary uses to put people in mental prisons where they cannot see a way out. The teaching’s answer is that God has already prepared the way out, so the real options are never limited to the ones we can see.
What does Exodus 14 teach about fear and limited options?
Israel was encamped against the Red Sea with the Egyptians marching after them, and they reduced their situation to two choices: serve the Egyptians or die in the wilderness. Rev. Rico Magnelli says that whenever there are limited options and God is not part of it, there is going to be fear. Moses answered, Fear ye not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, and God divided the sea.
What does Jeremiah 17 say about trusting in man instead of God?
Jeremiah 17:5 says cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and verse 6 says he shall not see when good cometh. Rev. Rico Magnelli explains that one result of trusting in man is that the solution can be right in front of your face and you cannot see it. Verse 7 gives the other scenario: the man who trusts in the Lord is like a tree planted by the waters.
Scripture References
Exodus 14; Exodus 14:10; Exodus 14:11-12; Exodus 14:13; Exodus 14:14; Exodus 14:15; Exodus 14:16; Exodus 14:21; Exodus 14:22; Psalm 91:1-7; Psalm 91:10-16; John 8:1-6; John 8:7-8; Jeremiah 17:5-6; Jeremiah 17:7-8; Jeremiah 17:13; John 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 10:13
This text was prepared from the teaching audio. Please verify scripture references against your own Bible.
