Scripture focus: Numbers 14 (please read)
Can you in thinking about your life right now say with certainty that your life before Christ was better? If your relationship to God and His Son has stopped at your redemption and you’ve not sought to grow in your fellowship with them, then what you have is an association. If He’s just God and Jesus and not ABBA Father and Lord of your life, then what you’ve had is an experience and not an encounter. God said of Moses, he knew My ways but Israel knew my acts (Psalm 103:7). He also said of Moses that He spoke with him face to face not through visions and dreams.
To the Jews who wanted to go back to Egypt when they chose to believe the report of the 10 and listening to their complaints, you’re left with one conclusion. They saw Jehovah no differently than they saw pharaoh. They literally saw their God as just another slave master. Read their words. They weren’t speaking against Moses they were accusing God of wanting to bring them into the promised land, not to make their lives better but to have them slaughtered. This is why I asked the question earlier. Do you believe that you are better off now in your current state as a child of God or were you better off before He delivered you?
I’ve also asked this question often, Do you believe the words of the Bible or are you just parroting them because you’ve memorized a few verses? God has placed a high standard on His written Word.
He has magnified above all things His Name and His Word Psalm 138:2
He has said it’s sharper than a two edged sword Hebrews 4:12.
His Word has healing power Psalm 107:20
He said not one Word of His will fail Joshua 23:14
That His Word accomplishes everything it’s sent forth to do and can never be voided Isaiah 54:11
And I’ll add this: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Galatians 6:7-8 NIV
I can go on and on but I’m sure you got the point. God has a big problem with unbelief and fearfulness operating in the life of His children for this one reason: IT’S AN INSULT and AN AFFRONT TO HIS CHARACTER. In other words IT MAKES HIM A LIAR. He says in His Word:
God is not a man that He should lie let’s read It.
“God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change his mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through?” Numbers 23:19 NLT
So what we’ve read in Numbers 14 has shed light on how much unbelief angers God and the consequences of our words. It should’ve made us examine our hearts before a Holy God and if nothing else help us understand why most people who call themselves Christians are still sick, poor, fearful and anxious about everything. It all boils down to our knowledge of God and His Word and stinking thinking. What have you been speaking over your life and even your family for that matter. What are your thoughts towards God? According to Ephesians 5:19 we’re supposed to be speaking in a biblical way to ourselves and according to Philippians 4:8-9 we’re supposed to be thinking on and practicing these ordinary but godly principles.
Am I saying that Christians don’t get sick? Absolutely not! But according to the Word we shouldn’t stay sick, poor, anxious, fretful and fearful. Why? Where do you want me to start? Isaiah 54 Psalm 103 Jeremiah 29:11-12 1 Timothy 6:17 you get the point. For everything we’ll ever encounter in this life, He’s got a Word to deal with it or overcome it. Psalm 23 alone covers a bunch. Lazy Christians will never enjoy the full benefits of their salvation. These benefits will not fall into our spiritual laps, we have to seek for and search them out as for hidden treasure.
If we only know about Him we’ll never know Him. And we’ll miss out on the face to face, and know Him only as slaves to a master. As believers we walk by faith not by sight. Faith doesn’t deny the circumstances but it does deny the circumstances having control over us. Greater is He!! Who’s in us 1 John 4:4
The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in us Romans 8:11
WE HAVE MORE POWER THAN WE’RE USING or realize.
Let’s look at Revelation 21. (please read) Here we’ll find where God placed the fearful and the unbelieving. Note it didn’t say unbelievers but unbelieving. A disregard for God’s Word and living in fear lands us in the same category as an idolater and the other sins. Christians living in fear in this season or any circumstances hurts the heart of the Father and sends the wrong message to unbelievers. What the 10 spies did set an entire nation in an uproar, and a downward spiral. Fear spreads quicker than cancer. We must avoid it by countering every fearful thought with God’s timeless Word. Don’t ignore fear, speak to it. Deny it of its power to intimidate you. It’s a spirit. And we have not been given a spirit of fear. 2 Timothy 1:7.
So how would you describe your life currently? Were you better off than before Christ? Or have you discovered a whole new life with Jesus? There’s always more to discover. There’s a fear gate and a faith gate. We choose the level of experiences we’re willing to have, don’t stop at good there’s still best.
“Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:12-13 NIV
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant
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