Numbers 13:1-3; 17-33

I believe that the Spirit of the Lord would have me take a Historic Life Experience from the pages of the Old Testament and communicate a Spiritual Principle from the New Testament.  Hopefully, we can accomplish this with clarity and brevity. 

In Romans 15:4 we read, “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction…”  Then in 1 Corinthians 10:6,11, we find, “These things happened to them as an example for us, and they were written for our instruction…”  They were stamped as a model or a scar permanently in them and God used them to transform the minds and helped them keep those things written in the forefront of their minds as a testimony and encouragement.  I am confident that the Holy Spirit will communicate this to you, so you will be enlightened and thereby drawn into that which the Spirit of God is Saying and Doing in this very hour.

As we examine the record, we find that in fulfilling His Covenant to Abraham God made some incredible promises.  In Genesis 12:7 He said, “to your descendants (seed) I will give this land.”  In Galatians 3:7 we discover, “They which are of faith, they are the children of Abraham.”  In verse 16 of that same chapter we read, “To Abraham and his seed were the promises made.” 

Seed, not seeds which point to Christ Jesus our Lord.  Then in verses 17-18, we are told, “The Covenant, which was confirmed before the Law, which was 430 years after cannot disannul, that it should make the Promise of none, effect.  For if the inheritance [be] of the Law, [it is] no more promise; but God gave it to Abraham by Promise.”  Then in verses 27-29, we find, “For as many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you [be] Christ’s then are you Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the Promise.”  That is incredible and in this, we discover God’s instructions to Moses for Possessing the Land or the Place of Promise.  In Numbers 13:1-2, God instructed Moses – “Go Get Information.”

I shared that once and had a person say, “That’s foolish and unnecessary because God already knows.”  But we discover that the order God used has been used by military strategists for generations.  Simply, Know the Enemy!  It is important that we Discern the Gates of the City in order to take the City.  Then in verse 3, we see Moses obeying the directive of God and sending out chosen men to spy out the land.  In verses, 17-20 Moses gave some specific and detailed instructions and there were four keys in his charge:  The Land, the People, the Cities, and the Fruit or Produce of the land.  I have learned in my years of service that God Never sends out an uninformed army.  He Always equips and prepares for battle, and we must never forget that His ways are not man’s ways. 

Moses sent them out and instructed them to bring back a Single Report (v. 25) with regard to the goodness and fruitfulness of the land.  However, as the record indicates they came back with two minds, not one.  One group (10) could only see the Natural.  Whereas the other group (2) could see into the Unseen!  They all agreed the Land (fruit) was good but the ten saw the inhabitants as impossible obstacles and the cities too fortified.  They were defeated in their minds and would have been defeated in battle.  The Bible continually teaches that this is exactly where the battle is waged and won or lost.  If we see with God’s eyes, we overcome but if we see with the eyes of flesh we are overcome.

I remind you of the account in 2 Kings 6where Elisha (the double portion prophet) thwarts the efforts of the entire Syrian Army by his ability to See and Hear in the Unseen Realm.  The Syrian Army came to Dothan to take Elisha captive.  His servant woke up, saw the massive army, and ran fearfully to the man of God crying, “WHAT DO WE DO?”  This was more than a question it was a plea of desperation and defeat.  He came to the prophet in despair. 

Elisha then prayed a powerful prayer that should be revelatory to each of us.  He prayed, “Lord, open his eyes that he may see.”  But Elisha couldn’t he see the Syrian Army?  Elisha was praying that God would open his servant’s eyes so that he could see into the realm of the Unseen.  The servant was not blind in the natural, but he could not see into the realm of the Supernatural.  Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:17-18, “that you have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation and the eyes of your understanding enlightened.” 

It is critical if we are going to Possess the Promise that we develop Eyes to see into the Unseen and Ears to hear beyond the natural.  I want to deal with this more deeply but will pause for now and pick up here next time.

God, bless you richly as you enjoy this wonderful day in Him!

2 Corinthians 1:8 – “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.”  NKJV

I have experienced some incredibly traumatic things in life including the loss of someone dear.  I have incurred tragedy, abandonment to the point I despaired of life, and the pronouncement that I had a malignancy.  The experiences like those mentioned were incredibly painful and distressing but I know of no pain more debilitating than the feeling of helplessness.  But, the most painful time of helplessness was when my sweet wife Bonnie was fighting for life in her battle against metastatic breast cancer. I know what it is to feel the pain of helplessness.
 
I have watched my children face struggles that I could not step in and resolve and for a man who was raised to fend for himself, face difficulties head-on, and handle whatever came his, way helplessness is murderous.  You see the problem and know that within yourself you can do nothing.  It is outside your ability, authority, or power.  It is not dependent on what you do or do not do and may rest in the hands of others whom you cannot control.
 
Helplessness is as much a state of mind as anything, and it finds its roots in Fear and Trust or the lack of Trust.  The state of mind that says, “Nothing I do will make a difference” is not only paralyzing it is destructive!  It can and often does destroy relationships and faith.  It stems from the idea that we, as individuals, must be in control and are the captains of our own ship and masters of our own fate.  It, at its core, denies God although the person in that state of mind may be devout in their belief in God.  It views life through the prism of self and becomes incapable of looking beyond the

Helplessness is a continual spiral downward into the abyss of hopelessness.  If we find ourselves in a state of feeling helpless and hopeless, we have choices.  We can continue our focus on self and circumstances and revel in the helplessness and hopelessness of the situation or condition or we can look beyond ourselves.  I would contend that if we envision another can rectify our situation we are not in a state of helplessness.  It is when we see no solution from our own ability or any outside source that Helplessness reigns.  It is from that sense of helplessness that we become hopeless and despair of life.  NO HOPE!   NO HELP!  Total despair rules.

It is when we look beyond ourselves or others and realize that with God Nothing is Impossible that helplessness and hopelessness begin to melt away from our minds.  Our pathway to deliverance and victory may be tiny baby steps but the light at the end of the tunnel gradually transforms from a faint candle flicker to a brilliant floodlight.  Hope begins to rise within, and that hope dispels the sense of helplessness.

The Serenity Prayer is applicable especially when our confidence is directed to the LORD our God:

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Helplessness is a condition where we see ourselves as the final source of a solution.  Hopefulness is where we see God as the final source of a solution.  In a time of helplessness, we can either become hopeless or hopeful depending on where our look is focused.  Psalm 121:1-2 gives the solution, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills from whence comes my help?  My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”

I pray that God helps you to be free of Helplessness and walk, in Hopefulness for the remainder of your days!    

God bless you as you go through this day!

Ephesians 5:15-16 – “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time because the days are evil.”  NKJV

Paul gave life counsel to the Ephesians and one particularly noteworthy item was ‘how they were to walk or live.’   He gave a contrast saying, ‘walk this way not this way.’  The advice that would benefit each of us to carefully consider in our daily lives.

Some live more like a Circus Spectacle than Circumspect and demonstrate an inherent bent toward foolishness and as a result, are generally guilty of being timewasters rather than redeemers of that precious commodity.  Being a Christian carries with it a great responsibility in the presentation before the world a life that is complimentary of our faith, not one that is detrimental to our confession of faith.

Circumspect is defined as ‘watchful and discreet; cautious and prudent.’  A circumspect walk will not be one that is so outrageous that it would be more acceptable in a circus than in society.  The flummadiddle that is all too often manifest needs to stop for we have a monumental task before us that is of eternal significance.  Multitudes are perishing without God and unless we learn to live in a manner that reflects our Lord and demonstrates His wisdom, we limit our ability to witness to them.  If they see us more as Circus Spectacles than Circumspect, we have a negligible impact but if we manifest Him lifting Him up in our lives, they will be drawn to Him.

That by no means suggests that we are to be so solemn and serious all the time that we are viewed as fuddy-duddies.  God wants us to be overflowing with the Joy of the Lord and be anointed with the oil of gladness.  I have found that people who cannot or do now laugh or even know-how are often miserable and breed miserableness. 

I recall once having a person, whom everyone in town knew as the hardest man around, come to me and say, “Preacher, I want what you’ve got.”  He went on to tell me that because I was frequently laughing, would tell a joke, and even when things were difficult could find a lighter side he was interested.  He also told me that he had witnessed me shifting gears from humor to the serious and knew that while I liked to laugh, I was deadly serious about life, and he saw something in me he did not see in most. 

I did not take that to mean that I was better, more spiritual, or special than other dedicated believers in my community.  I took it to mean that God had used me to demonstrate a manner of life that caught this man’s attention positively.  Some in the same town did not like my way of approaching life and thought as a preacher I should be sour-faced and solemn all the time. 

So, if we live a life that is circumspect allowing God’s wisdom to flow through us as we redeem the time taking advantage of the opportunities set before us, we will touch others positively and powerfully.  My prayer is:  “Lord help me to walk circumspectly and never let me be viewed as a circus spectacle.”

God bless you as you go through this day!

Ephesians 4:29-5:2 – “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. 

5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”  NKJV

I never cease to be amazed at how many followers of our LORD view and understand Grace.  Some even feel that since God has been ‘gracious’ to them in extending his pardon and mercy resulting in the New Birth they are now free to sin.  I find that utter foolishness.  Many hold the view that religion has The Law, and The Law says, as long as you behave or keep the rules God is satisfied. 

The Law deals with behavior. We may hate our behavior, but we continue to do it, so we strive to look like good Christians and adjust our masks so that other Christians think we are good Christians.  That is performance orientation and is like lipstick on a pig altering the appearance does not change the truth.

Grace, on the other hand, does not make its focus behavior, it focuses on The Heart!  It deals with your “want to.”  It addresses where you want to be who you are and begins the process of change.  Then, when you are changed your behavior changes!  No masks, just an expression of who you really are!  You BECOME!

That is what the apostle is addressing when he says, “The Grace of God has come to you.”  It has invaded you.  It is on the inside of you.  Now, let it have its perfect work and begin to transform you so that you can BE who you ARE in Christ.  The Grace of God that brings salvation has reached down to the pit we were in, lifted us up, and transformed us.  In that sense, Salvation is happening every day for we are becoming as He is.

Salvation means wholeness and implies perfect health!  So, this salvation that is brought to us by the Grace of God makes us Healthy!  Of course, I speak of more than any physical healing but spiritual.  I have learned that physical maladies are often less problematic than our spiritually mental sickness.  I am not talking about the classic mental illness we hear much about but a spiritual condition in which we are sick in our thinking and feelings.

Paul says we are to Put Away malice, bitterness, anger, wrath, and all evil speaking. He is speaking as a physician would when identifying the need for radical surgery.  If we are to be healthy it must begin on the inside.  It is then we can radiate the health of Christ spiritually in our outward actions and appearance.  We will radiate God’s Life!

He tells us to Put Away and there is the emphasis that this is something we are to be deeply involved in.  I have some tell me that they are praying God will deliver them from those things and I always address the need for them to Put Away not attempt to Pray Away those things.  I emphasize that the process begins on the inside, and it is a heart problem, not an action problem.

WHAT DO WE HAVE TO PUT AWAY?

• Number one is BITTERNESS. 

Putting away bitterness is not just addressing it once and it is done.  Bitterness is a way of being!  It is a spiritual cancer that has gotten so deep inside our person that our spirit is infected.  It is a state of being and is constant although we are not always conscious of it.  It affects how we see people and things.  All people, All things All the time! 

The root of bitterness did not happen overnight, and it is something that we may have dragged in from the old life.  It does not matter what it was it Must Go!  It is a poison that courses through your being and defiles.  Bitterness does not get in your heart and mind it manages to get into your tongue as well.

• Next, there is WRATH. 

This is where we fly off the handle and it is rage.  It is like an explosion, and it burns deep within from Bitterness. 

• Next, there is ANGER. 

Although Anger is akin to Bitterness the person tries to hide or denies it.  You can see by their facial expressions and body language they are angry, but they are nice people.  They keep it bottled up inside. 

• Next, there is CLAMOR. 

Clamor is uncontrolled shouting where there is no control over the tongue. 

• Next, there is EVIL SPEAKING. 

This is where one deliberately seeks to hurt another.  In the Greek it means blasphemy.  (You blaspheme God when you talk about someone made in His image with the design and desire to do them harm). 

• Then we come to MALICE. 

Malice is a settled determination to hurt others or get even.  Paul says through the Holy Spirit PUT IT AWAY!

May God convict us and help us to Become who we are in Him.   God bless you as you go through this day!

Job 38:1-3 – “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 2 “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.”  NKJV

In a very real sense Job allowed himself to drift into a self-righteous mindset and questioned God.  The LORD, as He often does, allowed it to continue for a time then made His presence known in the situation and placed Job in the interrogation room and informed Job that God Himself would be the detective in this case and ask a few questions.  I can only imagine how Job felt, especially after God in all His Holiness asked the first question or two.

Job had been proclaiming his righteousness and now God steps beyond man’s righteousness and reveals Himself as the Sovereign Creator of Everything.  In that light He causes Job to understand the fallacy of Job’s argument and the wrongness of questioning God.  How would you answer God were He to ask us?

• To Explain Creation to Him.
• To Explain Gravity, Planetary Balance, Sea Waters, the Waters above and beneath the earth, or Nature in general.
• To Explain light and darkness and their result and effect on everything.
• To Explain where Light and Darkness come from or Snow for that matter how each snowflake is different.
• To Explain the Stars, lightning, or other natural occurrences.
• To Explain all animal behavior and habits.
• To Explain God’s Rule over all Creation.

What if God were to demand that you explain all those things to Him?  Clearly, Job could see the occurrences in nature, but could he control or even explain them?  By the time God was through interrogating Job the heart of this man was filled with wonder and he recognized his wrongness.  He recognized the sovereignty of God and confessed that he had spoken words without knowledge.  I wonder how many times we, through our petty pet doctrines, do the same.

It was out of Job’s repentance that God had him pray for his so-called comforters which were truly physicians of no value and then restored to Job double.  Job came to a place that He would no longer trust his righteousness or personal perceived goodness but would fully rely on God.  That is the place we must come if we are to walk in the fullness of God’s Abundant Life that Jesus came to bring.  There is a place in God that is above the ability of humanity, and we can enter that realm through faith with humility and in obedience.

God bless you as you go through this day!

1 Samuel 4:21-22 – “Then she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”  NKJV

The word Ichabod means “inglorious” or “there is no glory.”  When Israel rebelled against the Laws and Precepts of God, they experienced times of the “absence” of God’s Glory and the dire consequences that followed should be lessons never forgotten.  Sadly, they continued to forget after being restored and as in the wilderness, they had to repeat the same lessons over and over again. 

Are we any different today? In America, we have a strong heritage and history suggesting the Providence of God and as President George Washington declared “God’s Propitious Smile” was upon us.  We have made mistakes along the way and drifted from our moral and spiritual foundation.  Over the past few decades, we have seen an erosion of our foundational moral and spiritual moorings and allowed God to be kicked out of our schools and public institutions. 

We have transitioned from a moral society to an amoral one and in MANY ways immoral.  We have allowed our laws, elected officials, activist, and courts to police thought, speech and conduct to the point that, in too many instances, we call evil good and good evil allowing things societally that God calls abominations.

Today there seems to be a hesitancy in denouncing sin and major denominations, churches, and ministries are striving to be seen as tolerant avoiding anything deemed controversial and condemnatory.  Some have even reached a place in the doctrinal views they believe that there is no hell and that a loving God could not and would not allow anyone to go to such a place.  They seem to have forgotten that the Cross is a reminder of how vile sin is and the Divine Holiness of God would be destroyed were He to do anything but judge it. 

God’s love is so encompassing that He has provided a means of escape, a pathway into Life, and a Door to Salvation.  God is not willing, or it is not His desire that any should perish but if we reject His Grace, we cannot expect His Mercy.  If we trample the Blood of Jesus underfoot by denouncing Him, rejecting His Grace, and living in rebellion practicing abominable acts He must judge us.  I believe that it breaks God’s heart when we reject His love, mercy, and grace.  The Blood of Jesus satisfied God’s Divine Justice and that blood and only that blood which was untainted by sin can cover us and free us from the penalty of sin. 

In today’s America, we (collectively) continue to move farther and farther away from the fundamental principles of God’s Word and in so doing are almost taunting God.  How long will He be longsuffering?  How long before He writes “Ichabod” over the door of this land and turns the nation over to a reprobate mind in which people become a law to themselves and do what is right in their own eyes?  How Long Lord?  How Long?

I am deeply troubled over the state of my nation, the state of much of the organized church world, and the overriding societal mindset of today.  I believe that the target of our prayers should shift from the nation to the church, and we need to pray that revival comes to the church and when it does it will come to the land.

God bless you as you go through this day!

John 15:13-16 – “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.  14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.  15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”  NKJV

There is an overriding reality that is inescapable as we study Scripture.  It leaps forth in the 66 Books of the Bible and is visible on page after page and passage after passage.  It is something almost impossible to explain and almost inexplicable.  That of which I speak is the Incomparable Love God has for mankind. 

We are His creation, but our history has been one of rejection and rebellion.  He would have easily been justified in smashing the race like bugs and virtually did that in saving only Noah and his family.  He has demonstrated His incredible patience and willingness to give us second, third, fourth, and fiftieth changes, and yet mankind continues to seek something other than Him.

The work of Christ on the Cross is a testimony of the depth of God’s love for mankind as is revealed in John 3:16. Jesus, in our text, testifies that He considers us His friends and in laying down His life He has demonstrated the “no greater love.”  Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3:9 that God “… is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”  Paul wrote in Romans 8:37-39 regarding God’s love for mankind and declared that NOTHING could separate us from God’s love.  In Ephesians 2:4-5 he reminds us of the depth of God’s love

God’s love is Unconditional whereas human love is conditional.  If others reject us, spurn our demonstrations of love, disrespect, disappoint and turn their backs on us love would not be the descriptor for our feelings toward them.  But with God, He loves us regardless.  Make no mistake His unconditional love will not vacate His holiness or judgment.  He has promised that if we ‘come to Him’ He will not reject us but if we reject Him and die in that condition, He cannot overlook our sin. 

Jesus wept over Jerusalem because of the continual rejection of the inhabitants, and I believe God weeps over our world today.  There have been at least three times in my life when, in a time of prayer and meditation, I heard God weeping.  It was one of the most disturbing experiences I have ever had and as I sensed His heartbreak I was broken.  The Omnipotent One could crush us like aluminum cans and with the stroke of His finger remove us from the planet and yet He chooses to LOVE US and demonstrates longsuffering beyond human ability to comprehend.

We can never merit that love but through grace, He extends it.  As I meditate on this today, I tremble realizing the times I have taken His mercy for granted.  How could anyone reject such incomparable love?  How?  I believe that to reject God’s love we must become so self-absorbed that our love for ourselves overpowers our reason. 

I believe that to reject God’s love we must believe the Lie of the devil and elevate ourselves to be equals with God in our minds.  Jesus said in John 8:32 – “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  If we SEE truly SEE the finished work of Christ on the Cross and the Love of God, we will respond and be made free!

I pray that if anyone is teetering on the fence undecided about God, His mercy, grace, and love you have your eyes opened and SEE!  I pray that each of us gains spiritual sight to a greater measure and SEE God’s, Great Love!

God bless you as you go through this day!

Colossians 1:25-29 – “Of this church, I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 26 that is,  the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, 27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”  NASB

In my years of Christian ministry, I have observed people becoming what I would call bored in their experience.  They go through the same ritual every Sunday.  Someone said, “You could leave most churches and be gone for months or even years and come back knowing exactly what they would do and what would be preached.”  I hope that is inaccurate.  I hope we have not become Always the Same!  I hope it is not the same song, hymn, prayer, testimony, and sermon.  I hope we are not people who are ever trying to recapture or recreate that Blessed Experience, trying to remember what it was like, how it felt, etc. 

The Hope we have in Christ is the consummation of the whole Kingdom of God.  It is not simply the Great Escape it is Life in the Fullest.  I believe in the Coming of Jesus for His church and believe that will be a Glorious Day when we finally enter into that Eternal Rest in Heaven.  But, what about now? 

I am not living to escape but to enforce the victory that Jesus won at Calvary and see the Harvest of God gathered into His barn.  When Jesus comes that will be the grand finale of what we are to be already enjoying in His Covenant.  We have a past and a future, so we dare not get caught up living in a vacuum in the middle of those two realities.  It is Christ in you, the Hope of Glory – Now!  It is now not in the sweet by and by.  We have God’s Promises for Now!  The Pardon we received, the fellowship, and interaction with the Holy Spirit is Now!

Remember the Prodigal Son?  When he finally came to his senses and began his trek home, he prepared his speech.  He was going to tell his father, “Father, I have sinned against you.  Make me as one of your hired servants.”  Do you realize that a ‘hired servant’ is not just a servant?  The servants live on the property all the time. The hired servant came in at harvest time and lined up in the market Hoping for a job.  He was the odd job laborer and hired by the day. 

The Prodigal was saying to his father, “Dad, forgive me. I’ll go live in the village, and at harvest time, do me a favor and give me a job.”  That is All He Expected!  But his father saw him a great way off and embraced him in Forgiveness.  The son got out his speech and began but everything suddenly changed.  Why?  The father would not let him finish. He reinstates him as a son.  He said, “This is my Son!  He was lost but now is found.  He was dead but is now alive.”  That opened a whole new life for the prodigal.

That’s the picture I hope you see.  When we came to Christ, pardon would have been sufficient.  But as we studied and learned the Word of God, we discovered that there was more!  We discovered that everything God has promised is ours.  But when we came to Him, we did not know that.  It is as we learn, grow, and develop that we find that God gives, and gives, and gives, and gives…

Believers, we need to move past the past and live in the present in God.  We need to learn to live in Hope and Expectation that His Promises are ours and we can expect them and enjoy them.  Don’t pitch your spiritual tent around Forgiveness as vital and wonderful as that is.  Don’t settle for what God has done but focus your eyes on Him and look forward to what He is and will do.  Live in Hope!  Remember the words of Jesus in Luke 12:32, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”  God Wants to Bless You!

That is where we are to live in Hope!  It is Christ in us that is the Hope of Glory.  We, as believers, are people of Hope!  We are those who have a positive, unshakable, confidence that what God said He will do, He will do!  We live in a state of Excited Expectancy and are filled with Eager Desire.  We Are the People of Hope!  Not as the world gives but Hope that God gives!

God, bless you as you embark on today’s journey in Jesus!