Ever wonder why the Israelite suffered for forty years in the desert? The answer is in the word and you might be surprised how it relates to you and me today!

Reading Numbers today, specifically, an account of the Israelites suffering in the desert. Despite all the miracles God performed in rescuing them out of Egypt and providing for them, they still grumbled, complained, and doubted. Numbers 14:11 Says's, "The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?" God had Moses send scouts to explore the land of Milk and Honey that He promised to give to them. The Scouts were gone for forty days and saw that it was good, it was everything God said it would be, however they were afraid because of the people who occupied the land at the time, the Scouts, instead of trusting God, in their own minds thought they were to small and weak to succeed. Because they were afraid, they came back and gave a false report, they said the land was bad, they deceived the people into believing it was not what God had promised and the people in turn grumbled, complained, and sinned.

Moses intercedes for them in Numbers 14:13-19. God answers in 14:20-24, 33-34 & 36 -37 "The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times, not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it "..."Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert. For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’

Here, we see God being faithful in salvation as they were forgiven. Salvation is a gift of grace, not of works, but because of their constant complaining, dis-obedience, & lack of trust, they were unable to experience many blessings God wished them to have. Also they were to wander the desert for forty years, one year for every day they scouted the promised land. You see, they Scouts were the ones to go out ahead of the others, they were to bring back the good news of God's promise and grace. Instead they deceived people, instead of believing God, they looked through their own eyes and were afraid. Their deception caused people to complain, grumble, and sin in disbelief.


As Christians we are to go out ahead of those who are either non believers or new believers. When we experience a trial, difficulty, or problem in our life, it should serve as an opportunity to witness God's faithfulness to people, before the deliverance, this way when it happens they will know it was of God. We are to believe God's promise of providing for us and bring the good news of God's promise back to people. Often though, like the Israelites, we, in our fear, complain, doubt, and worry, and in doing so, bring bad news, deceiving people that maybe God won't keep His promises, and cause others to stumble in doubt too.

Hebrews 11:1 tells us, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidencee of things not seen" The substance of your faith in believing God will provide for you and take you through the storm, is praise, the evidence is not worrying, not complaining, it is lifting hands in worship.

Be Joyous always, Pray continually, Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ~

Don't wander in the desert for forty years...Get found...Trust Jesus... & share the Good News! 

Believe it or not, God is not religious.

A friend and I were having dinner tonight and someone we were witnessing to told us, "I'm not religious" My first thought was, "Great! Neither is God"

When some people think of God they think of religion, fasting, being oppressed, going to church, doing things that are, well, religious. But the Bible in James 1:27 tells us this..."The only Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

 

Concerning fasting it says's...Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here I am. ~ Isaiah 58:6-9 ~

 

* Loose the chains of injustice - Do not withhold from others

 

* Set the oppressed free - Help those who are in bondage

 

* Share your food with the hungry - Don't be greedy

 

* Provide the poor with shelter - Have compassion

 

* Clothe those without - Do more than wish someone well

 

* Provide for your own - Take care of your own family

 

Then...God will answer your cry for help. Because you are dying to self, and living to intercede for others, just like Jesus did when He died on that Cross, He will intercede for you in your needs.

 

In other words... Turn from a wretched, self centered life, and Turn to a life of trusting Jesus as your Lord, Get rid of the filth in your life, Love God, Love people, Help those who can't help themselves, and Put others needs above your own. Then you are fulfilling the commandments. Matthew 22:37-40 tells us, "Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

That doesn't sound like religion to me,

it's sounds like Love!

Did you know if you truly believe in Christ you are an Israelite? You have been adopted into God's family and are a descendant of Israel. So now what?

Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. ... Remember these
things, Jacob: You are my servant, Israel. I formed you; you are my servant.

~ Isaiah 44:21 ~

"Servant Israel" is mention 87 times in the Bible.

Here is just a few......"O Jacob, my servant, Israel, whom I have chosen...He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful ... He said to me, "You are my servant Israel....an inheritance to his servant Israel;...God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant...Keep in mind the law of Moses, my servant...'By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel...Hear the supplications of your servant...Is Israel a servant, a slave by birth?"

Do you think God is trying to tell us something?

The Priestly Blessing

 How do you pray for people? Does it include wordly joys? Do you pray for wordly possesions?

This is what the Lord says's...

 "The Lord said to Moses, 'Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.' So they will put My name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” ~ Numbers 6:22-27 ~

The priests were solemnly to bless the people in the name of the Lord.

#1.To be under the almighty protection of God our Saviour;

#2. to enjoy his favour as the smile of a loving Father, or as the cheering beams of the sun; While God...

A. mercifully forgives our sins,

B. supplies our needs,

C. consoles the heart,

D. prepares us by his grace for eternal glory;

these things form the substance of this blessing, and the sum total of all blessings.

In so rich a list of mercies worldly joys...are not worthy to be mentioned. Here is a form of prayer. The name Jehovah is three times repeated. Many think there is some mystery; Christians know what it is, the New Testament having explained it, we are directed to expect the blessing from the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of the Father, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, 2Co 13:14; each of which Persons is Jehovah, and yet they are not three Lords, but one Lord.

To all who read this, I pray this pray over you this day...The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

Detangle Yourself...

 The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the Testimony ~ Numbers 1:52-53

  They that minister about holy things, should neither entangle themselves, nor be entangled, in worldly affairs. Let every believer seek to do what the Lord has commanded.

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Distractions can be one of the enemies biggest weapons. Peter took his eyes off the Lord just for a second and started to sink like a rock. With the Holiday season upon us and Thanksgiving just a few days away, don't let the hustle and bustle, the sales, the t.v. specials, and football season, distract you from spending time alone in prayer. If you find yourself to busy, well, your going to have to choose. God or self? Even family can be a distraction with relatives stopping by. Do not forsake your family but at the same time and more importantly, DO NOT FORSAKE GOD! What distractions do you have? Time for inventory.

1 Corinthians 7:35 "And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is proper, and that you may attend upon the Lord without distraction"



What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ - Philippians 3:8

 

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your Word... I know, O Lord that your laws are righteous and in faithfulness You have afflicted me... It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your laws. ~ Psalm 119:67,75,71 ~

It would be a cruel God that would allow me to always prosper in the ways I see as good, for I would never know my need of Him. Thank You God for my afflictions. Thank You Jesus that I may share in Your suffering, I wouldn't trade them for all the riches in the world.



"This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word"

~ Isaiah 66:2 ~

Let me put it this way...God Hates Pride and Arrogance but Loves the One who has a Heart that says's, I must do my best to please the Lord. 

Lord, forgive me.

"...you say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.'... Is my way unjust?
Is it not your ways that are unjust?

~ Ezekiel 18:25 ~

At times, people like to think God is not fair, that somehow He should measure up to our standards instead of us measuring up to His. We tend to forget, He is God. He created us. We are the clay and He is the potter. In other words, how dare we even think such a thing. God is perfectly Holy and Just, there is no darkness in Him at all, He and all His ways are perfect regardless of whether we understand it or not. When something doesn't line up with our way of thinking, rest assured, we are wrong and He is right. We are the ones that need to change, not God.  

Pass the Salt Please...

Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings

~ Leviticus 2:13 ~

To eat salt with one is to partake of his hospitality, to derive subsistence from him; and hence he who did so was bound to look after the host's interests. (Ezra 4:14, "...we eat the salt of the palace...") A covenant of salt was a covenant of perpetual obligation (Num 18:19, 2 Chr 13:5) Disciples are likened to salt, with reference to its cleansing and preserving uses (Matt 5:13)
Leviticus 2:13 tells us, "do not leave the salt of the covenant out of your offering, add salt to all your offerings"

Christ' death and resurrection was the end of sacrifices for atonement of sin, but we are still to offer sacrifices to God. Romans 12:1 tells us "offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship" Psalm 50:23 says, "He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God."

So we as Christians are not only to add the salt of the covenant to our daily lives, but also to our praise and worship. We who eat the salt of the palace, the salt of the covenant, that is Christ, the one that cleanses us, purifies us, and preserves us, let us be ever indebted to Him, let us forever look after His interests, as we are His representatives, His Royal Priests, a Holy People set apart.(Col 3:17, 1 Peter 2:9, Deut 14:2, Ps 4:3) The way we live and the way we treat people should be with the King's best interest at heart. (Ezra 4:14 "...we are under obligation to the palace, and it is not proper for us to see the king dishonored")
Jesus' interest is Loving God and Loving People. (Saved Souls)

So let our choices in what we do, where we go, and what we watch and listen to, be salted and bring honor to God. let us always season our conversations with salt too, so that our words are as if they are the very words of God, encouraging, filled with grace and hope, and for the lifting up of others.

Romans 15:1-6 "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: 'The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.' For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

God was well pleased with him...by George M'Lay

When Jesus was thirty, the Father spoke these words about Him publicly from heaven,

"This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." (Mt. 3:17). And that was at a time when Jesus had not done a single miracle or even preached a single sermon!

What then was the secret of His being approved by God? It was obviously not because of His ministry, for He had not even commenced His public ministry.

It was because of the type of life that He had lived for thirty years.

We are approved by God not on the basis of the success of our ministry but rather on the basis of our faithfulness in the temptations that we face in daily life.

The only two things that we are told about the hidden thirty years of Jesus' life (apart from the incident in the temple) are - that "He was tempted in all points as we are and yet did not sin"(Heb. 4:15), and that "He never pleased Himself" (Rom. 15:3).

He had faithfully resisted temptation at every point and He had never sought His own in any matter. This was what delighted the Father.

Our external accomplishments may impress worldly people and carnal believers; but God is impressed only by our character. It is our character alone that can bring us God's approval. And so if we want to know what God's opinion of us is, we must deliberately erase from our minds what we have accomplished in our ministry, and evaluate ourselves purely by our attitude towards sin and self-centredness in our thought-life. That and that alone is the infallible gauge of our spiritual condition.

Thus, the world-traveling healer/preacher and the busy mother who is never able to leave the confines of her home, have exactly the same opportunities to acquire God's approval.

This is why we shall find at the judgment seat of Christ that many who are first here in the Christian world will be last there, and many who were considered last here on earth (because they did not have a well-recognised ministry) will be first there!



It's Polite to Whisper...

Follow Very Closely!

The crowds followed Jesus, but only those closest to Him heard the rich teaching He gave along the way. There were others who followed Him from afar. (See John 19:38.) John followed Jesus as closely as he could. As a result, John heard rich truths, which he shares in his writings.

Closeness is determined by how well we can hear Jesus speak to us, and this ability is determined by how much we meditate on His Word day and night.

John was one of the three who were in Jesus' "inner circle." He was with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration and on the mount of Calvary. He sat right next to Jesus at the Last Supper and wanted to sit next to Him in His kingdom. Because of this very close relationship, John shared truths from Jesus that are found in no other gospel or epistle.

For example, John recorded the secret of intimate fellowship and effective discipleship through meditation on the commands of Christ. “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21). John further emphasized the importance of meditation when he wrote, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7).

Secrets bind the spirits of people together. Jesus wants to share His secrets with us, but we must follow closely to hear them.

Does your walk with Jesus allow Him to whisper secrets to you,

or does He have to shout to get your attention?

The more you meditate on Christ's words, the closer your walk with Him will be!

Through Christ our Lord,

Bill Gothard



A Christian response to the elections...

 No matter who you voted for, obey the Word, not your flesh...

and what does the word say?

1 Timothy 2:2 "...Pray for...all those in authority

Paul replied, "Brothers... it is written: 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.'

 

 

Romans 13:1 "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God"

 

 

Titus 3:1-15 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ...
 

Luke 21:8,19 "...do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.” "... All men will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life"
 

Bottom Line: Lead your family in a godly manner. Let them observe a godly response. We serve a sovereign God. All authority is God placed, Pray for those in authority and do not speak ill of the them. Obey the laws that do not contradict God's laws, and joyfully suffer the consequences of obeying God's laws when they do, for you are suffering for Christ's sake! 



Run Forest Run!

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses ~ 1 Timothy 6:11-12 ~

Paul, when he made the above quote, just finished writing about the love of money, and how many, good, faith filled men, have fallen because of it, but he doesn't just inform us of what not to do, he also instructs us on what we should do 'if you have food and clothing, be content with that.' Paul doesn't say to just be careful concerning this area, he says's 'flee from it,' in other words 'run for your life  & instead take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.' God called you to be a Holy Priest, set apart for His service, so pursue, or in other words, make it your passion, to follow and gain righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. These are the things that make you rich, as with them you are storing up a great reward in Heaven. 

Spelling Lesson Number 1. Faith is spelled...OBEDIENCE.

Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever

~ Psalm 86:11-12 ~

An undivided heart is the key here. We must be completely sold out for the Lord. Nothing else in this world can have our attention, out time, or our actions. You might ask 'how could I function if that's all I did?" Well, the rest of the text says's, 'and I will walk in Your ways, I will fear Your name, I will glorify You' and that equates to OBEDIENCE. When my heart is undivided and given completely over to the Lord, I will treat my wife and kids the way I should, I will help those who can't help themselves, I will intercede for people in prayer, I will put others above myself, I will give up the passions and pleasures of the world that the Lord calls evil. Having an undivided heart is not passive meditation, it is active obedience. Andrew Murray puts it like this; "When understanding of God's Word takes place, and by faith it is received into the heart, there is surrender of will. When this takes place, the heart becomes the sanctuary of God, and the soul cries out, 'the law is in my heart'"

 

 

When only the mind believes there is pride and arrogance but when the heart believes, the result is sanctification and obedience. Oh' Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. 



Perspective...

For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills....When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me, till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. ~ Psalm 73:3-5, 16-17 ~

                                      

It's easy to be jealous and get upset when you try so hard to do what is right and then you see someone who is doing the exact opposite that seems to have it all. It's when we quit trying in our own strength however, and come into the peace of God's Holy Presence, that are eyes are opened to the big picture. Our time on earth is short, but the remainder of our time is eternal. The ungodly may have material possessions, health, leisure, and luxury, but it is the only reward they will see, the remainder of their days will be spent in eternal damnation. But the righteous in Christ Jesus, those who endure, will inherit a Kingdom like never seen before. Puts things in perspective real quick!

 

The Spirit of God's Son is in my Heart and Crys out, "Abba Father"...The earth has nothing I desire besides you!

 ~ Galatins 4:6, Psalm 73:25 ~