Devotions for the Everyday person
Devotions written by a real person for other real people seeking to study God’s word and have devotions applicable to daily living.
The Failure of the other tribes
Judges Chapter 1 begins with the people of Israel asking of God who will lead them and fight for them now that Joshua has passed away. The bible says that The Lord assigned Judah to lead the people in their fight to continue to capture the promised land. Judah wasted no time getting started in his assignment from the Lord. In verse three he asks his brother Simeon to go with him to the battle, and in verse four it says that Judah attacked his allotted territory and that the Lord handed over the Canaanites to him. As the chapter reads on, we see other assignments handed out where the people captured the land promised by the Lord.
But, in verses 18 and 19 we see that Judah captured Gaza and its territory but could not drive out the people who were living in the plains. The bible says that the Lord was with Judah and enabled Judah to take possession of the hill country, but that he could not drive out the people.
The next section in my bible is only one verse but is titled Benjamin’s Failure. Verse 21, this whole section, says that Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who were living in Jerusalem.
Skip one section of five verses that discuss the success of the house of Joseph, where the Lord was with them and allowed them to take the town of Bethel.
The next section of my bible is verses 27-36 and it is titled Failure of Other Tribes. These 9 verses take time to discuss several other tribes and their failure as they went out to fight and capture the land promised to them from the Lord. The section starts with Manasseh and how they failed to take possession of the territory they were assigned and the Canaanites stayed in the land. Then Ephraim failed to drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, the territory they were assigned. Zebulun failed to drive out the residents of Kitron, so the Canaanites remained. Asher was the next listed as failing to drive the people out of the land assigned. Naphtali was the next and the last was when Joseph took the upper hand on the Amorites and their territory. The Bible took these 9 verses to outline how each of these tribes failed at their assignment from the Lord to take possession of the Land they were being given. They took had the land promised, but they failed to drive out the Canaanites so they lived among the people who were seen as evil in the sight of the Lord. They were being delivered from Egypt where they were slaves to a group of people who did not worship God. They were being given this land to be free from the evil of those who did not believe and worshipped false idols. After each tribe is listed as failing, the bible makes it a point to say that the people now resided with the Canaanites. The people who were seen as evil in the sight of the Lord.
As I read through this, I thought to myself, everything that the Bible takes the time to outline is significant so what is the significance of this section. As I kept reading the Bible explained just why this was so important.
Chapter 2 of Judges starts with the Angel of the Lord speaking to the people of Isreal. The people are remined that they had been delivered by the Lord from Egypt. Reminded that they were given this land as a promise from the Lord. The Lord was establishing a covenant with the people and giving them blessings and protection, but they were asked a few things. They were asked to not establish a covenant with the people of the land, to tear down their altars where they worshipped false gods, to take possession of the land and not dwell with them. They were asked to not share their land with those who were evil in the sight of the Lord and that worshipped other false gods because they would be a temptation to the people of Israel and could lead them astray from God. Chapter one had ended with an account of how the people of Isreal failed to rid their land of the evil that did not follow their God. Chapter two began with the warning of what was to come from The Lord for those who had not separated themselves from evil.
While Joseph was alive, the people of Isreal followed the commands of God and served Him. As a result they were delivered to their promises and provided with protection and blessings by God’s hand. Chapter 2 Verses 10-13 says that the new generation of Isreal that rose up after the passing of Joshua didn’t know the Lord or the works God had done, so they began to do evil in the sight of the Lord and serve false gods. This escalated as a direct result of sharing their land with those who served false gods and brought evil to them. This angered the Lord, so he handed the people and their land over to marauders who were allowed to raid them. Their enemies were allowed to be ever present in their midst, disaster came to them, and they all suffered greatly.
“The Lord raised up judges, who saved them from the power of the marauders, but they did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods, bowing down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to the Lord’s commands. They did not do as their ancestors did. Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for the Israelites, the Lord was with him and saved the people from the power of their enemies while the judge was still alive. The Lord was moved to pity whenever they groaned because of those who were oppressing and afflicting them. Whenever the judge died, the Israelites would act even more corruptly than their ancestors, following other gods to serve them and bow in worship to them. They did not turn from their evil practices or their obstinate ways.” Judges 2:16-19
Does any of this resonates with you today, does any of this sounds familiar to you today? I personally couldn’t help but sit and think about our world around us and the current state of our nation. I couldn’t help but think about the spiritual war we are in today. While we just had a major battle in that spiritual war occur this last week in our country, the war is not over. I could not help but think about how our nation has abandoned the ways of our ancestors and allowed evil to infiltrate our land and our lives subjecting us daily to evil and calling us to serve false gods.
This can be small and start in your home, in your family. If you are a child of God, you have been blessed with many things in your life. You have been given promises and blessings from Christ that God expects us to hold dear and protect from evil. He expects us to follow His commands and expectations for His blessings, and so much of that comes down to serving Him, putting Him first, and not allowing evil to subject you or pull you away from the love and worship of God. Not allowing the enemy into your home. Not allowing you or your family to be subjected or fall victim to worshipping false idols. Not allowing the pressure of the world to pull you away from your relationship with God by convincing you that the things around you today are “not that bad” or “it’s their choice” or “we should all just be allowed to live the way we want”. Those thought patterns weaken the Christian mind, the Christian home, and in time the Christian land. Those thought patterns allow the enemy to sneak into your life and into your home until you are permitting evil and false gods in your life.
As a bigger picture we can look at the recent spiritual battle we just faced in our country. We can look at how much of this last election focused on topics such as illegal immigration, “sexual identity”, and abortion labeled under women’s rights. So much of the hot topics of this election fell under the categories listed in this chapter of the Bible. This election came down to allowing evil to continue to be victorious in our land by allowing the enemy to continue to subject Christian people to false idols and biblical lawlessness or a new judge rising up in the land so that God could hear the cries and moans of the oppressed Christians and deliver them from the enemy. Some might say how can you take that from this section of the Bible or how do you relate those things to worshipping false gods. Well, I think we can all understand and agree on how allowing so much illegal immigration into our land is allowing our land to be flooded with drugs, sex trafficking, and crime. Does the media portray it this way, no. Can the media be viewed as a false witness for the enemy designed to spread evil and hate to the Christian people and turn them from the truth of God’s Word, yes. If you are living by the word of the media rather than doing your own research and then going to your Bible and to God then you are worshipping a false idol, the media. The enemy is flooding the land with biblical lawlessness through illegal immigration and allowing all of this to overtake the land that for so long has been known as a Christian land. The term Bible Belt is used now to describe a section of the land that still holds to God and their Christian faith more than other areas, but the fact is that our country as a whole was founded by men who stood fast on their faith and the word of God.
As for sexual identity and abortion labeled under women’s rights, people are worshipping women and women’s bodies by placing this topic at such a high place as a presidential election. People are worshipping sex, homosexuality, and gender identity by placing this as such a topic of discussion for an election. Things that, for a Christian, shouldn’t even be a topic up for discussion anyway. But, the enemy has infiltrated our land and our lives so much so that it is a topic of most people’s daily life. Christians are either shamed and rejected for holding to what God’s Word says or feel pressure to give in and to ‘align” with the enemy’s beliefs. Where does that leave a Christian in their walk with Christ?
So, yes, this last week was very much about the Christian faith. It was very much about Christians standing up against the enemy. It was very much about God appointing a judge for the land again as a result of the cries and moans of the Christian people. It was about God delivering the Christian from the disaster and suffering we have been facing. It was about a spiritual battle. But, it was a battle not the war. The war is not over.
The Bible says that when the people of Israel allowed the enemy to reside with them, God allowed their enemies to be ever present in their midst, allowed disaster to come to them and their land, and all the people suffered greatly. You hear the cries of the Christians today about how we are currently suffering. We hear and see how ever-present evil is in our life and land today. We see the disaster that has been growing. It is time for Christians to turn back to the ways of our ancestors. To surrender to God. To raise up a generation that knows God, knows what God has done and can do for His people. It is time to cry out to God for deliverance for our country, our people, our families. It is time to do the work God calls us to do, to serve Him and protect the blessings and promises He has given to us. It is a time to resist the evil of this world and stand separated from evil and united with God’s Word.
Children of God, this heated political climate is not a time to go to war with others through social media platforms. It is not a time to cast judgement, to make more enemies, or to scoff in the face of an opponent. Remember, You are a child of God and you are being looked at and judged. While this is a spiritual war, you must be careful how you go to battle for Christ. You will either win souls to Christ or strengthen the enemy’s defense by your words and actions. It is, however, a time to praise God for delivering a judge to the land. It is a time to rise up and raise a generation that praises and serves God. It is a time to drive out the enemy and ensure that we do not share God’s promises with evil. It is a time to turn from the media and other outlets being used to share false information to the Christian and create divide. It is a time to turn to God’s Word and share the Word with the world. Let’s speak up louder than the enemy. Let’s share God’s word with the dark world. Let’s be the Light and the Salt of the earth we are called to be.
The bible says that after each judge died, the land became more corrupt than before because of the people. I feel we can all agree this is evident in our world today. If we look back over the last few decades and acknowledge how the world around us has become progressively more and more evil, we will agree that evil prevails more and more if we allow it. Let’s go to work now so that evil does not prevail. The Christian people should stand for God. Dig into God’s word! Grow in your knowledge of Him and God’s desire for our lives. Pray without Ceasing! Stand Firm in your relationship with God and share God’s love to those around you. Let’s pray God’s peace be upon us all and His blessings pour out onto the world. Let’s pray that we continue to win the spiritual battles that lie ahead of us in the war we are called to fight for God.
we are blessed NOt entitled
We live in a world today full of people who feel they deserve something. They think they deserve something of you, from their boss, the government, or anyone else. A world full of people who feel owed or entitled. I love to hear when people are proud of me or want the best for me, but when I hear the phrase, “you deserve this” or “ you deserve the best” I honestly cringe. I cringe to think that I deserve anything. Now, hear me when I say, I am not perfect and have been guilty myself of feeling like someone owed me something or that I had a right to something. I am not innocent from that mindset either. I mean, when we are subjected to social media influences that make it seem they live the entitled life, why wouldn’t we feel we deserve more each day. But, where do all of our blessings actually come from? Where does everything we have originate down to the very breath we breathe? Does that provider actually owe us anything? Do we actually deserve anything the Heavenly Father provides to us daily?
As I was reading through Deuteronomy chapter 3 I seen Moses beg to the Lord to be allowed to enter into the promise land. Deuteronomy 3: 21-29 discusses how Moses cried out to God to allow him to cross over into the beautiful land that had been promised to the people and see their deliverance, but in verse 26 Moses tells the people that the Lord was angry with Moses and responded by telling Moses he could climb to the top of Pisgah and look out at the land from there but that he would not cross over Jordan into the land with the people of Israel.
Little back story for context, Numbers chapter 20. You might be familiar with this story. The Lord had led the people of Israel to a new camp along their journey to the promised land. When they arrived, there was no water, so the people started grumbling to Moses and Aaron. Moses and Aaron went to the Lord, and they were instructed to go and speak to a certain rock before the people. After speaking to the rock, the Lord promised water would flow freely from the rock for the people to drink. Moses was worn down by the people’s grumblings and yet again lack of faith. He had a moment of temptation and let anger get the best of him. Rather than talking to the rock, he hit the rock with his staff. He too had a moment where he lacked faith and failed to do as the Lord had instructed him. Numbers 20:12 Says that the Lord told Moses and Aaron because they did not trust the Lord to demonstrate his holiness they would not see the promised land. God still delivered water to the people from the rock despite Moses’ actions, but now Moses would no longer receive the promise of entering into the land the Lord was delivering them to.
As I thought about Moses’ plea to God in Deuteronomy chapter 3, I thought about how Moses had been handpicked by God to lead His people out of the land of Egypt to the promised land. Now he was no longer being granted entry into the promise. Moses has stumbled in Numbers chapter 20 and had not taken accountability for his actions since. Yes, that’s right, he had continued to blame the people of Israel for his failure and for him no longer being allowed into the promised land, but that’s another rabbit trail I will go down another day. Now, the way my mind read Deuteronomy chapter 3, I can almost imagine Moses felt he was entitled to enter the promised land. That it was his right to go across the Jordan with the people. I mean, he lead them the whole way through wilderness for 40 years and dealt with their complaining needy selves the whole time. He should deserve to enter the promised land, right?.? Wrong, see we are not entitled or deserving of anything from God.
I think this attitude of I deserve this or I am owed that is leading us to a greedy and selfish society. When we think about the fact that Jesus himself laid down his life on the cross for us so that we can have eternal life in heaven, and we didn’t deserve that, what would make us think that we deserve or are owed anything else in this world from God. Because remember everything indeed does come from God.
The feelings of entitlement and privilege will have you constantly seeking more. Feeling like you are owed more or deserve more. It will distract you form all that you have Infront of you in life that God has already blessed you with.
Do you live each day with an attitude of gratitude, thanking the Good Lord for all that He has already blessed you with that you didn’t deserve, or do you live each day looking for the next thing?
Hindsight is 20/20
If we could see what the Lord is leading us through-would we go?
James 1:2-29
Numbers 31 and 32
I took off work a few days this week for my Birthday. No big plans or vacations. Just a few days to slow down and be present in my life. One of those moments was a last-minute planned bible study with my mom and my aunt. The day after my birthday we thought coffee and left over cake at the kitchen table talking God just sounded good. Although it wasn’t mentioned, I think we all three felt the simple little throw back to my grandmother. I think we could all say we missing drinking coffee and talking God at that woman’s kitchen table. Losing her in 2021 was a difficult thing we have all three continued to go through, but I am thankful for the love and guidance she showed me. Thankful for the inspiration she was to be a Godly woman simply because of her presence and the way she carried herself.
During the bible study that morning we discussed a few verses in James and how the trials we go through in life help build our Christian character. James 1: 2-18 were the verses we read in fact. Many of you can recount hearing James 1: 2-4 “ Consider it great joy, my brothers and sister, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” to sum up the next few verses, the bible teaches us we are to seek God and His wisdom, and if we have any questions or doubt to ask in faith of God for His wisdom and guidance. The bible says the true doubter that does not seek God’s wisdom is like a double minded person tossed about like the sea and that that man will lose all that he has due to his boasting, but verse 12 says that blessed is the one who will stand through the trials and endure the test. We discussed that morning how each time we go through a trial we come out the other side learning and growing so much in our faith and walk with God, if we allow God to move in us and rely on Him during the trials. We discussed how hindsight is often 20/20. We can so clearly see why we were brought through the trials and what we gained from the hard times. My aunt made the statement, “ If only we could see the end result sometimes when we begin to enter into the trial, maybe we would fight harder during the battles.” To that, I quickly without thought stated, “ I think we would lose focus on the end result , and worry too much about what we were about to have to endure to get there that we would too often give up and never make it.” We all discussed how unfortunately true that probably would be. Our fleshly nature would see a hard trial and say, the reward isn’t worth it and settle where we are.
That was Thursday and today is Monday. I say that to say, God is so good. He is so present and powerful in our life if we allow Him to be, and I love the way He is showing up and showing out in my life right now. This morning, I picked up my bible and began studying where I left off in Numbers. ( Yes, If you are keeping up, I am skipping posting a few devotions to share this one today. This one is just too good to not, so I will go back and get a few that I have skipped posted soon. ) Numbers 31 for context, Israel has been called by God to fight the Midianites. They go to battle and succeed. I love verses 48 & 49 of chapter 31 when the officers of war come to Moses and say, we have counted our people and we did not lose a man in this battle!! Yes, that is what happens when you are fighting a battle in God’s will- you don’t lose anything! But here is where God so beautifully showed up and tied it all together this morning, Numbers chapter 32. In Numbers Chapter 32 the Reubenitis and Gadities go to Moses and ask to make their camp for their communities on the land they are crossing. They go to Moses and discuss how great the land would be for their livestock and their people. They ask to stay where they are and allow the rest of the people to continue. In 32:5 the bible says that these people look to Moses and say, “ If we have found favor with you, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Don’t make us cross the Jordan.” In verse 6 Moses replies, “ Should your brothers go to war while you stay here? Why are you discouraging the Israelites from crossing into the land the Lord has given them?”
Did you see it? Did you see how beautifully God showed up this morning? This was an example of just what we had discussed during our cake and coffee study the other morning. The Reubenities and Gadities knew what the end promise from God was. They knew about the land flowing with milk and honey that God had promised to deliver the people to. But, they also could see through their trial. They had just been through one battle along the journey that God delivered them from. Not a man’s life was lost to the battle God called them to, but they could also see what lied ahead. They could see the Jordan river that had to be crossed. I am sure they could also see other battles that had to be fought, and they didn’t see it being worth it. They lost sight of the promise of God when they focused on the trials they had to go through to get there, so they said no thanks we can stay here and be happy. We can settle for what we have in front of us right now and be content rather than allow God to deliver us through our trials to the promise He has for us.
If you keep reading Numbers 32, you will see this made God angry with the people. So much so that it cost them the reward that God had promised them. They were not the first group of people along this journey that had decided God’s promise wasn’t worth the trials they were going through. Numbers 32: 13-15, “ The Lord’s anger burned against Isael, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years until the whole generation had done what was evil in the Lord’s sight was gone. And here you, a brood of sinners, stand in your ancestors’ place adding even more to the Lord’s burning anger against Israel. If you turn back from following him, he will once again leave this people in the wilderness, and you will destroy all of them.” Moses is reminding the people, you are not the first to want to settle for what you have now rather than following God to what he has promised you. He is telling them, you are making the Lord angry with your lack of faith and trust in him during this trial, and as a result God will leave you in this wilderness.
I don’t know about you, but I think I am pretty grateful God doesn’t always allow me to see through the trial He is about to lead me through. I don’t want my fleshly nature to cause me to question Him and wonder if I am better settling for the here and now rather than relying on my faith in Him to carry me through to the reward He has instore. I would rather have hindsight that is 20/20 after the fact to learn why I went through something, than question God and be left to wander in the wilderness.
How does God Feel about our complaining?
Numbers 11-17
Hardships happen in life. Many times we go through trials and seasons that are hard and leave us asking Why. Some people might think I would have been better off if I hadn’t ( insert your own life choice or circumstance). Some might ask why they are having to endure the things they are going through. While others grumble and complain. This is very much how the Israelites felt at times on their journey. In fact, In Numbers 14: 2-4 the bible says that “'All the Israelites complained about Moses and Aaron, and the whole community told them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to die by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let’s appoint a leader and go back to Egypt.” Throughout the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers we see times when the Israelites rise up and complain about the journey that God has them on and the difficulties they are having to endure.
The Israelites were complaining over and over through these three books of the Bible, but what good was complaining doing for them? What good does complaining do for them, and how does God feel about our complaining? Do you know someone that you have a hard time talking to because each conversation is littered with complaints and negativity? Do you ever get on your own nerves for the complaints in your own head or that you even voice out to others or to God? Is hearing complaining frustrating to you? Turns out it is frustrating and upsetting to God as well.
Numbers chapter 11 starts with the people complaining about the food they are being fed. It says the people recalled the food they ate in the land of Egypt and said, again, that they would have been better off in the land of Egypt than left to starve in the wilderness. They were being fed manna from The Lord, but the bible says they were craving more and began to complain.
Numbers 13 says that men from each tribe were set out to scout the land of Canaan. The land The Lord was promising His people. When they returned, they spoke highly of all the land had to offer. They reported it was flowing with milk and honey just as God had promised and even brought back fruit as evidence. But, they said that the land was inhabited with men of great stature that they could not overtake. This led to the Israelites rising up with their bold complaints from 14:2-4 about how they would have been better off dying in Egypt.
As you continue to read through Numbers, all the way through chapter 17, you will see more and more examples of how the bible says that the Israelites complained to Moses and complained of God.
Each time the people of Israel complained to Moses, the bible says that God was angry with the people. Numbers 11:33 says that after the people had complained about the food, The Lord fed them quail, but while they were still eating the meat The Lord’s anger burned against them and God struck them with a plague. In Numbers 12: 9 the bible says the Lord’s anger burned against one of the complainers and God placed a disease of the skin on her and exiled her from the people for seven days. In Numbers 14: 11 and 12 The Lord was speaking to Moses and questioned how long the people would not trust in Him and stated he would send plagues to strike them down so God could build a stronger nation. The remainder of chapter 14 says that God told Moses that the people would now live in the wilderness 40 years, a year for each day the men scouted the promised land, and that the men who came back complaining would die in the wilderness before they seen the land flowing with milk and honey delivered to them. You can continue to read through chapters 17 ( probably further, but that is where I paused for this morning) and continue to see example after example of the people of Israel complaining and God getting angry. You will also see Moses, patient Moses, continuing to make intercessions and pleading for forgiveness for the people.
I think it is safe to say we can see through these chapters how God feels about complaining.
The people of Israel were on a journey with God. God had placed a calling on their lives and was leading them to a promise He had in store for them. The journey that God had the people on led them to face hardships, at least from their perspective, but God was providing for them. They jumped to a conclusion that they would not be able to fight the battle that was necessary to get to God’s promised land. They jumped to the conclusion that they could not defeat the enemy that stood between them and the finish line. So, they began to grumble and complain against God again. They began to question why God had even brought them into the wilderness, why God didn’t leave them in Egypt, why God was putting them through the hard things they were facing. They complained about what God was doing in their life.
Negativity or stinkin thinkin can be like a disease. Of all the plagues and skin diseases that the people of Israel experienced, I would say the disease of a negative mindset was very much one of them. Sure, a journey through the wilderness, camping in the desert had to be hard, but they had God present with them through the whole journey. They just failed to have faith in that. Today, the same disease of the mind, stinkin thinkin, can distract us from the blessings and protection of God we have on our life too. Our minds naturally hold on to negative more easily than positive. Yes, that’s right, something about our brains have become hardwired to automatically give you the negative. Science has said that we have to work harder to be positive and have a positive mindset, so it is natural to want to complain. But God doesn’t like our complaining. God doesn’t like for us to question or grumble about the hardships of the journey He has us placed on. God doesn’t want to see us distracted by the what if’s, the what could have been, the what I had, or the I cant’s. God wants us focused on Him and holding faith in the fact that He is with us and providing for us on this journey.
So what is the opposite of complaining, being grateful. How differently would it have gone if rather than complaining about the food they were not getting they were grateful for the Manna God was providing. What about rather than complaining about the enemy that lie between them and the land they had been promised, they were thankful for the strength God was giving them.
Let’s go into this week trying to not stir God’s anger and distract ourselves from what God is providing and let’s try to practice an attitude of gratitude. Let’s be grateful for all that God is providing and see what a difference that can make in our lives.
Content vs Complacent
A lesson about moving through the seasons of life and chasing your goals from Numbers 9:15-23
Many times I hear people talk about the idea of being content versus complacent. Many people get what they call content where they are in life and settle in. They enjoy exactly what they have and never feel the need to strive for anything more. They feel they are content, but I would argue that somewhere along the way their idea of content turned to complacency. Then there are people who fear becoming complacent to the point that they never rest. They never stop to appreciate what they have in that moment. They always strive for the next thing. Whether it is the next big milestone, the next chapter or season of life, the next big life purchase, they are just constantly striving for the next. They would argue that they are doing the right thing by not becoming complacent, but I would argue they are missing something by never stopping to be content for a moment.
A lot of people might read that above and think I am contradicting myself. That I myself am confused, but I would say that the healthiest and happiest balance is someone who can be content in a season but recognize when it is time for that season to end and begin to then strive for what is next. A fine line of balance, right? Where is the devotion going, you might ask? Where is the biblical application to this?
As I have studied and read through the first few books of the bible again, I have noticed a few reoccurring themes or messages. The one that stuck out to me this morning was one that I have noted, prayed on, and even mentioned in a devotion recently, but I felt God speak to me with in a little different way this morning.
Numbers chapter 9:15- 23 is a sum of 8 verses where the bible reiterates God’s direction to the people on when to move and when to be still. If you look back over the last few books you see that when the people were led out of the land of Egypt God directed them to move when the cloud of His presence was lifted and to be still when the cloud was upon them. When the tabernacle was established God’s presence dwelt in the tabernacle as the same cloud. The presence was described a pillar of cloud by day that burned with fire at night. This was God’s way of directly guiding His people. He knew when they needed to rise up and continue their journey on the exodus and when they needed to stop and be still. Their overall big picture journey that was leading them to their final destination. The land flowing with milk and honey. The overall journey was comprised of shorter journeys along the route.
Something about reading this and then re-reading this through different chapters just stuck with me this morning. The people of Israel were called to stop and camp with God often. He called them to be still and be content where they were on their journey for a short season, but before too long God would call them to rise up and continue on their journey to the next landmark. This section of the Book of Numbers says that sometimes God would call them to be still for a night, sometimes for a few days, or even sometimes for a few months. The people never knew how long each season of rest would be, but God never allowed them to stay in that season so long that they got complacent with their camp. Had they become complacent with their camp, God knew they would have had a hard time packing up and setting out on the journey again. These people were walking! I can only imagine how physically exhausting it would have been, and I can see how easy it would be to get complacent at a campsite and not want to continue. But, God also knew they couldn’t travel endlessly and that they needed to stop from time to time for rest. He knew in order for them to fully appreciate where He was leading them, they would have to stop and appreciate the short seasons of the journey and what it had to offer as well. Had they never stopped to rest and be fulfilled by God, they could have easily burnt out on the journey and might not have made it to the final place, the end goal that God was leading them too.
So, I feel the message today is. . . God has a big picture plan for each of us. He has an end result he is leading us to, but along the way God has different mile markers set up for our life. Different seasons, different goals and accomplishments, different things He wants us to experience along the way. God guides us to rest in different seasons and enjoy what He has put in front of us at that moment in time, but He never wants us to stay in that season so long we become complacent. If we become complacent we will stop pursuing the journey He has us on. Different seasons can be many different things in life. Sometimes it is career centered goals, goals for your family and their finances, what house you are living in, what friend group you belong to. It can also be spiritually minded when it comes to what church you are attending, your current relationship with God and how you are serving Him, or just overall as a person. Many people get complacent and say, “ this is just who I am” and they miss the beauty of growing by getting stuck in that mindset. Whatever path God has you on today, just know there is a season to be content and there is a season to continue on and grow in your journey, but there is never a season to get complacent. Complacency will have you missing out on the blessings of the journey God has you on.
2 Chronicles 29 -30:9
As I was reading 2 Chronicles chapter 29 I felt the Lord speak oh so softly to me. Then as I continued to read I found myself stuck on 30:9, “ For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful; he will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”
The Lord is merciful when you return to Him. As I had read through chapter 29 I noticed that the first thing King Hezekiah did when he took reign as king was call the people of Israel out for falling away from God. In 2 Chronicles 29:5 5 the bible says that King Hezekiah called the people together and said, “ Hear me Levites. Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove anything impure from the holy place. For our ancestors were unfaithful and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They abandoned him, turned their faces away from the Lord’s dwelling place and turned their backs on him.” The next few verses go on to say that King Hezekiah stated that the Temple of the Lord had been abandoned by the people and filled with unholiness. He said that the people had stopped sacrificing to the Lord, and they had allowed the light of the lampstands to go out, leaving now the wrath of the Lord on the land. King Hezekiah called for a form of repentance. He called for the priests to cleanse the temple. To rid the sanctuary of anything unholy, to prepare the altar for sacrifice and offerings, and to allow the light to be restored to the lampstand. As you continue to read through chapter 29 you see the priests come together and cleanse the temple and restore it to the way God had commanded. After this King Hezekiah offered burnt sacrifices to the Lord. The chapter closes discussing how all the people came together offering many sacrifices to the Lord, then 30:9 says, “ For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful; he will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”
The people had turned back to God, restored the temple, repented, and began praising God once again, and God was with them. As I read and dwelt on all of that, I began to think about falling away from God. I thought about the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15 and how when that son returned to the father there was a celebration then as well. The son had turned from the father and chosen his own path for a while, but despite the customs and laws of the times, as soon as the son said he wanted to come home the father welcomed him with open arms and a celebration of his return occurred.
I think many people read those stories and think, “I haven’t fallen away from God. I read my bible daily, or I pray every day, or I go to church each Sunday.” If that is you right now I ask that you stay with me for a bit longer.
As I read and spent time thinking on the verses, I began to look at the temple as being our hearts and minds. Ohh how easily we are influenced by the world we live in today. Ohh how easy it is for evil and unholiness to enter into our hearts and minds and dirty our temple. I began to think about how anger, resentment, fear and worry, pride, envy, and so many other negative emotions influence us by way of social media, tv, or other things in the world. All these things can enter our temple and distract us from God’s presence. Then I felt God speak to me about being busy. I began to think about how busy my week had been and how my mind was constantly distracted with tasks that needed completed or things I had going on each day. I felt the Lord say, “ You have come to spend your quiet time with me each day, but you have allowed your temple to be too busy for me to speak to you.”. That hit me!
Then I began to think about how the bible said the light of the lampstand had been extinguished. The New Testament says that the light of Christ shines through us. That as Christians, the spirit of Christ dwells in us and through us His light shines out to the world. I don’t think it is a coincidence the bible makes it a point to say that the light of the lampstand was extinguished in this chapter. I began to think about how if we are bogged down with all the negative emotions, stress, or busyness that we might too be allowing the light of our lampstand to be extinguished. We are carrying the spirit of Christ in us but are we really allowing His light to shine through us.
Then came the sacrifices. In chapter 29 the people had stopped making burnt offerings for their sins and offerings of thanksgiving for their praise and worship to God. Granted, we do not have to offer burnt sacrifice for the atonement of our sin today, Jesus made the one final sin sacrifice for our salvation, but I do think we are still called to repent of the sins we commit and continually seek God’s forgiveness (Acts 17:30 says “God now commands all people everywhere to repent.”). Not only do I feel we are called to repent, but what about praising God and worshipping Him for all He has done for us! If we are distracted from being still with God in our own quiet time in our temple, and our light is not shinning too bright, are we seeking His forgiveness and worshipping Him as we should, or is that falling to the wayside as well?
Many times people think of falling away from God as something big. They look at it as someone who no longer goes to church, has stopped praying, or is out living life however they want. This week I felt God speak to me. I had been sitting down in my quiet time each day, I had been praying throughout the day, but I was allowing the spirit of busyness to overtake my temple and distract me from my time with God. The spirit of busyness was causing me to fall away from my true fellowship, and it’s not just busyness that can cause that. It can be anger, envy, pride, or any other negative emotions or burden we try to carry rather than surrendering to God.
But. . . there is revival in the return. The bible says God is gracious and merciful and will not turn His face from us if we return to Him. I think the bible gives us many examples of a revival of the spirit of God when people return to God. Examine your own temple this week and see if you have any unholiness distracting from your time with God. Check to make sure your light is still burning and take time to offer the sacrifice of worship and praise up to Him. Enjoy the revival in the return if you have fallen away, even in the smallest ways.
Revival in the return
Don’t die in your egypt
Exodus Chapter 16
The Lord had delivered the Israelites from Pharaoh and the land of Egypt where they had been slaves. They had begun the journey out into the wilderness to the land the Lord had promised them. God had shown up and shown out with many miracles leading up to chapter 16. If the ten plagues and sparing the Israelites from the plagues were not enough miracles, God washed away all the Egyptians in the Red Sea that were pursuing them, after the Israelites had crossed the bed of the sea on dry ground ( Exodus chapter 14). Then in chapter 15 God provided the Israelites water in the desert when they cried out for thirst. God was continuing to pour out miracles on the Israelites as He was delivering them from the Land of Egypt and slavery.
However, in chapter 16:2 the bible says that the entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 16:3 the bible says “The Israelites said to them, If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. Instead, you brought us into the wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger.” The people were hungry and feared they would die of this hunger in the wilderness on this journey God had called them on.
Now, I know hunger can have a pretty strong effect on people. We’ve all heard the phrase, “Should’ve had a snickers” and remember the commercials where hunger is depicted as a sources of anger. We’ve also heard the phrase hangry. Hunger can have a pretty strong pull on someone. But, when I read the verses about the Israelites saying they would have rather died in Egypt by their meat pots than die in the wilderness of hunger I thought to myself, they pretty much just said, I would rather have been left in the midst of that sinful world where I was a slave to sin, surrounded by pain and suffering, than to make a sacrifice that has me walking in my faith with God to a promised outcome. That sounds a bit different doesn’t it. What about, “I would rather have been left to sit in my comfort zone with my comfort items than take a step out in faith on this journey I have been called on.”
Yep! The Israelites had gotten comfortable in Egypt. Doesn’t mean it was a good place for them. They were slaves to the Pharoah. They were punished for their faith in God, and they walked in the midst of a sinful land that worshipped other gods. They were surrounded daily by non-believers that I can only imagine tested their faith and tempted them to live their evil ways and worship their gods. But they had food, they had their needs met, they had comfort items, they were comfortable. They were so comfortable they said they would have rather been left to die in the midst of that sinful land than walk in faith with God.
Sometimes it can be easy to get comfortable. Some of our comfort zones in the world we live in today have us living and walking in the midst of a sinful or unhealthy situation. We can find ourselves surrounded by people who tempt us to walk in their sinful ways or be tempted to worship other false idols or gods in the sense of money, careers, tv, social media, ect. We can have things in our life that we hunger for outside of food, that if God called us to step away from for Him, we might have a hard time doing so.
God called the people out of their Egypt to follow Him. He provided for them along the way and promised them an outcome far better than they could conceive in their mind. God might be calling you out of your Egypt today.
1. Are you living in a comfort zone- Is your comfort zone leaving you living in a place that is surrounded by sin or temptation. Maybe your comfort zone isn’t bad but maybe its not good. It isn’t encouraging you to grow in your walk with Christ and you are getting a little stuck.
2. Do you have a comfort item you are afraid to give up? If you had to walk away from something in your life for your relationship with God, would you hunger for it? We can hunger, or long, for things other than food. Many things in life can distract us from our walk with God or inhibit us from stepping out in faith to a new journey. Are you holding on to something you should be walking away from?
3. Does God have you on a journey right now that is outside of your comfort zone, but you are struggling to see the miracles He is working in your life. Are you struggling to keep the faith? When we begin to get anxious or walk in fear rather than in faith we miss all the miracles and blessings God rains down on our life. God went ahead of the Israelites in a cloud. We can’t visibly see that cloud today, but God’s presence goes before us as well as surrounds us as we walk the journey He calls us to. They failed to see the miracle of God providing for them on their journey. Are you failing to recognize any of your miracles today?
God doesn’t call you out of your Egypt to walk in the wilderness alone. He is there to guide and provide for you. Don’t die in your Egypt holding on to your meat pot. If God is calling you to something today, step out of your comfort zone and open your heart up to the blessings and miracles of God. Walk in your wilderness in faith!
I want to live in the land of Goshen- I seek to walk in God’s Favor
Exodus Chapters 7-12
I want to live in the land of Goshen! What? You might think, “what is this one thinking? You want to go back and live in the midst of the desert in Egypt during this time of slavery for God’s people?”. NO!! I don’t want to physically go back and live in this time period or actually live in the land of Goshen. But, I do want to walk in the land of Goshen daily with my God! Hear me out. . .
Goshen was an area of land in the midst of Egypt where all of God’s people lived. This was where the Israelites had their homes and their flocks. They might have had to work out closer to Pharaoh in the land of Egypt as many of them were slaves to this ruler, but ultimately, they resided in Goshen. Why is this a big deal you might ask.
When God was going to deliver His people and lead them out of the land of Egypt to the land He had promised them, the land flowing with milk and honey, He first did some pretty rough stuff to the land of Egypt to prepare the way for the Israelites. Yes, I am talking about the ten plagues God sent to Egypt. Pharaoh had a hardened heart towards God and God’s people according to the bible. Each time a plague was sent and we think Pharaoh is going to let the Israelites leave, he changes his mind and just continues the punishment of Israelites until the next plague hits. The people and the land of Egypt suffered much destruction and loss during the 10 plagues, but the land of Goshen, God’s people, not so much.
In Exodus 8:21-22 God is speaking to Moses and instructing Moses on how to bring this fourth plague to Pharaoh. God told Moses to go to Pharaoh and deliver God’s message, “But if you will not let my people go, then I will send swarms of flies against you, your officials, your people, and your houses. The Egyptians’ houses will swarm with flies, and so will the land where they live. But on that day I will give special treatment to the land of Goshen, where my people are living; no flies will be there. This way you will know that I, The Lord, am in the land. “
Then came the fifth plague, the plague of the livestock. In Exodus 9: 1-7 God is speaking to Moses again and giving him instructions on how to speak to Pharaoh concerning this next plague. In 9:2 we see God speaking to Moses, “But if you refuse to let them go and keep holding them, then the Lord’s hand will bring a severe plague against your livestock in the filed- the horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks. But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that the Israelites own will die.”
In Exodus 9:25- 26 the bible says that “Throughout the land of Egypt, the hail struck down everything in the field, both people and animal. The hail beat down every plant of the field and shattered every tree in the field. The only place it didn’t hail was in the land of Goshen where the Israelites were.”
The ninth plague was the plague of darkness. In Exodus 10: 22 and 23 the bible says,” So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was a thick darkness throughout the land of Egypt for three days. One person could not see another and for three days they did not move from where they were. Yet all the Israelites had light where they lived.” (Side note, The Lord is the light of the world and if you have Him, you will never find yourself in darkness! )
Then came the 10th and final plague. The plague of the first born. This plague took the life of every firstborn male across the land of Egypt. Whether it was the firstborn child or the firstborn of the livestock. But in Exodus 11: 7 the Bible says, “ But against all Israelites, whether people or animals, not even a dog will snarl, so that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.”
Each plague listed in the bible discussed how they impacted Egypt directly, but I pulled out the verses that boldly stated a distinction between the land of Egypt and the land of Goshen, the people of Egypt and the people of God. The plagues were a form of God executing judgement on Egypt and the people of Egypt for their disbelief in God, their worshipping of false gods, the acts against of injustice towards God’s people. I have heard many times that you can look at Egypt as a picture of the “world” meaning the sinful lost portion of the world. That is the mindset I took when looking at this and making the statement, I want to walk in the land of Goshen.
Today we live in a lost and dying world. Ever heard that phrase? I am sure you have because it has been used to describe the sinful lost world we live in for decades, but it is true. It was true the first time it was ever used and it rings true today. The world as a whole, unfortunately, does not believe in God. Many people today believe and walk the life about like Pharaoh did, when things were bad and he needed deliverance or reprieve he would confess God long enough for things to get better then would turn back to his evil ways. One of those ways was living to make the lives of the Israelites horrible. The Israelites, God’s people, were slaves in the land of Pharaoh. They were set apart from other Egyptians and at time their work was made harder just because they did believe in God. Does any of this sound familiar to the world we are living in today? It did to me. How often are we surrounded by people who want to cast down Christians. People who want to try to make things harder for us just because we believe and they don’t, or people who confess God just long enough to get a little peace for a moment then turn back to their evil ways, and then criticize us for not living the same type of “faith” that they do because they might think the way they believe is enough.
There is so much hurt and suffering in the world we live in. God’s judgment is on the world today. When you look around at the lost you see people who on the outside are trying to make their life so wonderful, but most of them are miserable. They are angry, depressed, lonely even when surrounded by crowds, they walk in darkness and are always seeking that one thing to fill their void. Their lives lack all the peace and rich blessings that the life of Christians have today.
So that is why I say, I want to walk in the land of Goshen. As I live in the midst of this lost world that rejects God and tries to spread evil and hurt onto the lives of Christian, I want to walk in God’s favor. God spared His people in the land of Goshen from all the evil and destruction the land of Egypt faced around them. I believe that God allows us to walk in that favor and mercy today as we walk through and live in a lost and evil world.
Not to mention the extra step you could take this study. . . God will one day again pour out judgement on the world, but He says in the New Testament that He will once again deliver His people to the land of milk and honey when we are called home to be with Him through the rapture and spared from the tribulation that is discussed in the book of Revelation. God will not lead His people on a physical journey across the desert but will spiritually call us home to be with Him. Again, that is a time when I would like to be walking in the land of Goshen, walking in God’s favor, and spared from all this old sinful and dying world will have to face.
So for me today, I long to live in the land of Goshen. I seek a life that is walking in God’s favor, and I pray that the Lord continues to allow me to seek Him through prayer and studying His word and allows me to walk this life of faith. To live in the land of Goshen in the midst of our Egypt.
Staying in that here I am Spirit
Exodus Chapters 3-6
In Exodus chapter 3 God comes to speak to Moses for the first time. In Verse 4 we see that when God calls out to Moses, Moses simply replies Here I am.
So many times I want to be that Here I am girl. When God calls out to me with an assignment, I just want to say Here I am! We often get excited, much like I wonder if Moses did, when we feel God move in us. We might be at church, we might be doing our own Bible Study or just listening to a good worship song in our car alone, but we get excited when we feel the Holy Spirit move in us and we want to say, Here I AM!
But how do we often answer when God is calling us to actually move or work? Especially when that might lead us out of our comfort zone into something we just are not sure of.
After God called out to Moses and Moses said “Here I am”, God begins to share with Moses all He is calling him to do, but in verse 11 Moses replies with “ Who am I to do this for you, God”. That is often times my first reaction as well when God is calling me to something big or uncomfortable. I tend to stop and say, “but why me God? Are you sure you got the right girl?”.
God doesn’t stop and say “Oh Moses its because you are strong and mighty, you are wise, you are popular and people will follow you. You are good looking so you will be well liked.” Nope, God responds in verse 12 with “I will certainly be with you, and this will be your sign to you that I am the one who sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain.” God didn’t take the time to build Moses up and talk to him about all the good qualities he had or didn’t have. God didn’t take the time to tell Moses why he had been chosen. In the grand scheme of things, that didn’t matter. What mattered was God said I am with you. The next verses say God even went on to share with Moses how He would be working all of these miracles through and around Moses during this journey that God was calling him on.
That still wasn’t enough for Moses. Moses asks God in in 3:13 what he should say if the Israelites ask who sent me. Then in Chapter4:1 the bible says Moses asked God, “ What if they won’t believe me and will not obey me”. God continues to patiently answer Moses and all of his questions. Giving him all the instructions he needs to carry out what he has been called to do. But, in Exodus 4:10 Moses says “ Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent -either in the past or recently or since you have been speaking to your servant- because my mouth and my tongue are sluggish.” God has been speaking to Moses about what all God is going to do in Moses and through Moses. Not focused on his attributes that qualify or disqualify him from God’s job, just God’s plan. But, Moses pretty much says, Please not me. I can’t. I have a speech impediment and I just don’t’ think you have the right guy for this (those are my words that my head hears when I think about this conversation). God’s reply to Moses in 4:11 “Who placed a mouth on humans? Who makes a person mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now Go! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say.” What I hear God say there is, you can’t but I can!
God begins to work through Moses. He begins to work Miracles through him. Gives him his brother Aaron to go alongside him and help him speak when needed. Meets Moses where he is and tells him everything that will happen. God shares with Moses how Pharoah will respond and what he should do next. He gives Moses step by step instructions and speaks through him. Even when Moses goes before Pharoah in 5:2 and Pharoah says I don’t know your God, and in turn makes things harder for Moses and the other Israelites. God said it would all happen and that He had a plan.
But in 5:22 we see Moses asking God why He even sent him and in 6:12 Moses begins to question his abilities as a speaker again. Then in 6:30 Moses again says, “Since I am such a poor speaker, how will Pharoah listen to me?”
When I read 6:30 after reading through the first six chapters I thought to myself, “wow- how many times is Moses going to argue with God and say why me, send someone else, I can’t do this”. Then I thought, how many times do I question God when God is calling out to me? How many times have I said, “Why me?” or how many times I have thought, “They won’t listen to me.” Or “I can’t do that”. Then I felt God speak. So I read back through the chapters and really noticed what was going on in those verses.
1. Moses had a simple reply when God first came to him “Here I AM!” We get excited when the Holy Spirit first comes to us. Feeling God’s spirit in us makes us say, Yes Lord, here I am, fill me with your peace and joy! But often times that quickly fades when God says, “GO! DO!”
2. Moses was focused on his failures and his short comings. Moses focused on why he thought he couldn’t do what God was calling him to do. He focused on his lack of qualities that he felt he needed to fulfill God’s purpose.
3. God didn’t care what Moses could or couldn’t do. God said, I made you. I made you who you are and how you are for a purpose. I have called you and I am with you. God was with Moses every step of the way. God gave Moses direction and went before him to prepare the way for the journey God called him on.
4. Moses faced non-believers who ridiculed and tried to make life harder for him (sound like the world we live in?) but God was with him through all of that as well.
5. No matter how much Moses questioned, doubted, or argued, God worked in him and carried out the purpose in Moses.
When God calls us to carry out a work in for Him, he does not care about our strengths or weakness, our talents, or our beauty and charisma. God doesn’t care if we feel like we can’t. Ultimately, we can’t. We are right. WE can’t do what God calls us to do. God can! God is ready to walk the journey with us, provide for us, and carry out His plan and purpose through us. So, I pray that the next time God says, “GO!” I continue to say, “here I am” rather than “why me” or “you got the wrong girl!”
Who Is Your Anger Really Hurting?
Genesis 50:15-21
Forgive to be forgiven. . . How many times have you heard that you must forgive like Christ forgives to be forgiven. Yes, Colossians 3:12-13 says “Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive.” In Mathew 18 Jesus uses a parable to teach His disciples about the idea of forgiveness and being forgiven. He tells of how a rich man forgave the debts of those who were indebted to him, but how one of those men went and rather than passing along the forgiveness to those in debt to him, he forced those to pay him what he was owed. When the master heard that the servant was out collecting rather than forgiving, he took back his “forgiveness” and placed the servant in jail and tortured him until he could repay his debt to the master.
We hear this taught and so many times we also hear or are guilty of saying things like, “ I will forgive but I don’t have to forget” or we hear people say things like Jesus was perfect and I am still a sinner. We often use Jesus’ perfectionism and our fleshly nature as a reason to hold onto a grudge or fail to truly forgive someone for their faults against us. But in the end, who are we hurting by not forgiving?
Genesis 50:15-21 The Bible paints us a beautiful picture of forgiveness from another fleshly human. We see in the chapters leading up to chapter 50 all that happened to Joseph in his life. The fact that his own brothers sold him to the Egyptian Pharaoh to be a slave was only the beginning of the negative things that happened to Joseph for a few years. In fact, one could argue that his bothers were responsible for it all because had they not sold him to begin with he wouldn’t have been placed or left in jail. Doesn’t that sound like something we would do, play the blame game, and just tack on other reasons to be angry or not want to forgive someone. They have their one fault against us, but we can look and find 10 more things to blame on them that wouldn’t have happened if they hadn’t hurt us to begin with. Am I right?
Joseph’s reply to his brothers in verses 19 and 20 though are a beautiful example of true Christ like forgiveness. . . “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planed it for good to bring about the present result- the survival of many people.”
Joseph was able to look past all the hurt and wrongdoing of his brothers and say, it’s ok that you wanted to harm me because my God used your evil for good and not only did He save me but He saved others through me and your evil works.
Many times when others wrong us, make us angry, plan evil against us, or whatever they do- God has a bigger plan for us and those around us. Joseph didn’t miss God’s plan. Joseph didn’t lie in anger or hold onto a grudge planning a way to avenge his bothers all those years. Had he, he probably would have missed the opportunity to walk in God’s purpose and missed all the blessings God bestowed upon him and all those around him. Yea, sometimes it can be hard to want to forgive and forget like Christ does when we are walking in our fleshly nature, but who are we really hurting if we do that? We are not hurting the one who hurt us! We are hurting ourselves and we are possibly hurting innocent people around us that God planned to bless by our mess.
So, when you begin to feel anger or resentment rising in you and you are carrying the weight of past hurt, surrender that to God and seek to walk in His purpose and blessings. Don’t miss the purpose and blessings God has planned for you by focusing on the anger! Choose to recognize that while others plan evil against you, God is planning things for your good!
When You Feel Like You Just Can’t Catch A Break
Genesis 37-45
Do you ever feel like you just can’t catch a break. You feel like you are doing everything right or at least the best you can but sometimes things just continue to go wrong. Does that ever lead you to begin to question why or grow weary in doing the good. As I read through parts of Genesis I almost felt this way for Joseph. I think we can all have our times when we might question why things are going the way they are or why it seems like we just can’t catch a break. As I read through the chapters on Joseph, I seen a man that seemingly just couldn’t catch a break despite God being with him and pouring out blessings on him.
Joseph was favored by his father which lead to his brothers being jealous of him and wanting him out of the family and out of their way, so they sold him as an Egyptian slave and told their father he had been killed by wild animals in the field. While in Pharaoh’s house he is set in charge of all the land and possessions. He is not in his home with his family, but it seems like things are going well. That is until he is falsely accused of sleeping with Pharoah’s wife and put in jail. While in jail the bible says the Lord was with him and blessed him and all his work, but when he had made a deal that should have gotten him released from jail he was forgotten. Yes, just forgotten and left in jail for two more years. He finally gets out of jail and is back in charge of Pharaoh’s land and possessions but then a famine comes to the land.
As I read through all the events that occurred in these chapters to Joseph I thought, God was with him through every situation. God continued to bless him and all his works, but he didn’t deliver him from the trials he was facing. God could have made a way out of Egypt for Joseph to return to his family, God could have allowed Joseph to prove his innocence and not been placed in jail, God could have allowed him to not be forgotten in jail for two more years, and God could have allowed Joseph to flee Egypt before the famine started. God could have provided a way out, but he didn’t. Instead, he walked through the trials with Joseph and poured out blessings upon him in each chapter. Not once did Joseph ever question why he was going through the trials and not once did he ask God for a way out. He just held to his faith in God and continued to praise him in the storms he faced. But why, why did God put Joseph through all of this despite his unwavering faith and dedication to working for God? Because God had a plan. He had a plan for not only Joseph but all of God’s people that involved using Joseph. In Chapter 45:4-14 Joseph is seen telling his brothers, the one who sold him, how this was all part of God’s plant to provide deliverance to his family and God’s people. Joseph understood God’s plan and trusted God.
We might not always know the end goal or God’s plan. We might not always understand why God allows us to face trials when it feels like we just can’t catch a break. We might pray for the Lord to deliver us from hard times, then question when we feel God leaves us stuck in those moments or times. Just know that no matter what, God has a plan for you and He is with you every step of the way. Our hard times are sometimes to strengthen us or might be necessary for what God has planned for us next. Just like he was with Joseph continuing to pour out blessings upon him during his hard times, He is also with you. Follow Joseph’s lead in the hard times. Continue to praise God for His goodness and mercy, keep the faith, and serve God. Then one day you just might understand why God sent you through your storms as well.
Peace-
Genesis Chapter 26
As I read through this chapter, I must admit the first direction I thought I was turning with this devotion was the complete opposite of what God was actually trying to speak to my heart. Sometimes God tries to speak to us, but we try to hear what we want to hear. We can easily fail to miss what God wants to say to us if we hear through our own ears and see through our own eyes rather than listening to His still calm voice speak to our heart.
I read through several chapters of Genesis leading up to chapter 26 this morning, and as I was running out of time for my morning devotion, I decided I would finish up reading with chapter 26. I had been reading just trying to refresh and learn about the history of Abraham, his son Isaac, and just how all the things came together way back then for God’s people to be formed in Israel. In chapter 26:2-3 The bible says that the Lord appeared to Isaac and instructed him to not go to Egypt to live but rather “ Live in the land that I tell you about, stay in this land as an alien, and I will be with you and bless you.” The Lord told Isaac to go to this land where he would be considered an alien and live there, and God would bless him greatly. Isaac being faithful to the Lord like his father before him went and lived in this land. We can see that he feared the people of this land and being in this place because in verse 7 we see that he lied to them about his wife, Rebekah, out of fear. The truth came out about Rebekah and a decree went out that if anyone tried to harm him or his wife they would be put to death. So, Isaac stayed in the land and we see in verse 12 that the Lord began to bless him just as He said He would. The bible says that Isaac became very rich with livestock and just overall wealth. But, he was still living in a land where he was considered an alien amongst the Philistines and they became jealous of him drove him out of the land. In verse 17 we see Isaac left the land of the Philistines and went out to another valley to live. When he arrived there, he dug out and reopened a well his father had dug before him. The Lord blessed this well, but the people of the land became envious again and ran him out of this land. So, he went on to another old well, dug it out, reopened it, and again when it was blessed by the Lord the people ran Isaac out. It took Isaac reopening the fourth well before he was able to settle in the land without a jealous group of people pushing him out.
In verse 22 we see that Isaac was not upset or frustrated. He simply said “For now the Lord has made space for us, and we will be fruitful in the land”. Isaac trusted the Lord to fulfill His promise and continue to bless him for his labor for the Lord. No matter how envious other people became of him and no matter how much they tried to take from him, Isaac didn’t fight back. He just continued to work for the Lord because he knew the Lord would continue to bless him. In fact, in verses 23-26 we see the Lord came to Isaac and told him he would continue to bless him, so he built and altar and praised the Lord.
Verses 26-33- This is what got me and led me to reflect on the entire chapter and what God was trying to speak to me and my heart. In verse 26 Abimelech came to Isaac to visit. When Isaac seen him coming, he asked why? Why have you come to visit me when you hated me when I was in your land and you sent me away. Abimelech said back to him “We have clearly seen how the Lord has been with you. We think there should be an oath between both parties”. So, he essentially says, we have seen how much the Lord is blessing you and we want to benefit from that. So here goes my mind- How dare they! They see how good God is but they don’t want to do the work, they just want to benefit from the blessings of others! That’s not fair! I began to reel for a moment about how there are probably plenty of people in this world who do not want to be Christ followers or live the life of a Christian but they want to stay close to their Christian friends when the blessings are flowing. They want to push us away when they are jealous of what we have, but when they see how they can benefit from our blessings they want to buddy up again. My mind went to racing!
But God! God said shhhh. . . That’s not the point of this message! In verse 30 Isaac prepared a feast of a banquet for these individuals and he fed them. The next day he sent them away in peace, and the people of Isaac’s land struck water for a new well and was blessed again!
Peace something the lost world only sees and knows through us Christians. I felt the Lord speak to me through these verses about how the blessings and peace He pours out onto us is not just for us but is part of the testimony we have to share with the lost world. Others will only see and experience the goodness of God and be led to Christ if they also get to experience the goodness of God. Some might get envious of what we have been blessed with in life. They might become angry or cause strife ( I like that word more than drama, but drama works well there too). Just like each time Isaac struck water in a well they came and pushed him aside, each time we are blessed and begin to succeed they might come and try to knock us down. But, they might also come circling back around trying to get close to use when they see how they can benefit from our blessings to. God said to me, let them. Share with them your peace. Share with them your blessings. Show them the goodness of God, so that maybe just maybe one day they too choose to follow God and receive their own peace and blessings from Him.
So, if you ever find yourself frustrated with the jealousy of so-called friends who try to knock you back down to their level, you know the ones who don’t want to suffer alone. Or, the fair-weather friends who only seem to come around when they can benefit from what you have. Maybe that’s your opportunity to share a part of your testimony of the goodness of God and when you do you might also be blessed even more just like Isaac was in verse 32 when they hit water with another well.
Genesis 16- A lesson from Sarai and a Message from Hagar
Patiently waiting and trusting God’s timing for blessings- Sarai
Being Seen- Hagar
( Genesis 15 for further content)
Hagar had ran away from her home with Sarai and Abram and was sitting by a spring in the wilderness. She was very upset by the way Sarai had treated her when the Angel of the Lord came to her and asked where she was going and why. Hagar said to the Angel of the Lord that she was running away from Sarai and Abram, but the Angel of the Lord said to her to go back and submit to their authority and that the Lord would bless her and the child she was carrying. But, why was she running away? What does she mean that Sarai was mean to her?
In Genesis 15 God had promised Abram that he would have many offspring and they would all become leaders and be God’s chosen people. God had already chosen Abram to be the leader. He had separated Abram from all the others and was using him for His Glory. God told Abram about His plan for the children he would bear. When Abram told his wife Sarai about this promise from God, Sarai questioned how she would be able to fulfill God’s promise to Abram. She told Abram in 16:1-3 that since God had not allowed her to have any children that he should go and take her slave as his wife and have children with her. Sarai didn’t trust the Lord to be able to full fill His promise through her. Sarai trusted the promise of God and wanted the blessings of the promise for her and her husband, but she failed to trust God to do the work. So, she took matters into her own hands and offered up her slave to bear the children. The bible says that once Hagar became pregnant that she began to despise Sarai. Sarai, not liking the way that Hagar was treating her, began mistreating Hagar until she ran away from the mistress.
This is where we find Hagar sitting by a spring in the wilderness in verse 7 when the Angel of the Lord comes to speak to her. The Angel of the Lord goes on to tell Hagar in verses 8-14 that the Lord has heard her cries and is going to bless her and the child she is carrying. Hagar is told that her offspring will be multiplied. Hagar replies by saying “In this place I have actually been seen by the one who sees me” As I read this chapter I found myself seeing life lessons in both Saria’s side of the story as well as a beautiful message from Hagar’s side. I was torn at whose story to focus on but decided there is good life application in both, so let’s just break them down.
First, Sarai’s side of the story. Sarai had been told by her husband that God was going to bless them with many offspring and that their family would be the leaders of God’s chosen people one day. Sarai was going to be a part of a huge blessing and plan from God. Sarai trusted God to pour out the blessing He had promised, but she didn’t trust His ability to use her to deliver that promise. Sometimes we feel God is calling us to do something in our life or we feel He is working up a blessing for us, but we don’t always have the patience and the trust needed to wait out His timing and His plan. Rather than waiting out God’s timing and plan for this promise, Sarai offers up her handmaid to Abram. She says that this Is how she feels they can have all the children God is promising. Sarai’s plan worked. Hagar became pregnant with Abram’s child but this also led to strife in the family and Hagar running away from Abram and Sarai. The Angel of the Lord met Hagar by the spring and spoke to her and told her all the ways she would also be blessed if she just returned to her mistress and submitted to their authority. Sarai being inpatient and sitting with her unbelief that God could use her in this plan took actions into her own hands. She tried to make God’s promise come to light through her actions and her plans. But, this was not the son that God had in mind for Abram and Sarai. This is not the plan God had for them. Like I said earlier, Sarai wanted the blessings and promises of God, but she didn’t want to wait on God and that could have cost her all the blessings.
Thankfully we serve a God that is much more patient than we are! Thankfully God is still able and willing to bless us despite us doing our best sometimes to derail His plans for us.
If you feel God has a plan for you, or you feel like something is coming for you and for your life- seek out God and plan through prayer. Get in touch with God and as hard as it is to do sometimes, sit with Him and wait patiently on His timing and His plan. If you want God’s blessings and promises for your life, you must also trust He is able to deliver and wait on Him.
Now for Hagar. . . I can only imagine what it would feel like in that day and time to be considered a slave or a hand maid. You might feel as though your only identity is to serve the mistress you are assigned to. In this case, Hagar was subjected to not only having that as her identity but going as far as giving up any other identity she had to be the wife of her mistress’s husband and bear their children. She had no say or opinion in this. This task was given to her, then when she was successful in completing the task, the mistress begins to despise you for having emotions about the situation to the point you feel you must run away from the only identity you have ever known. – Many people in the world today also base their identity on many outside factors. When I say outside, I mean outside of them. Their identity is not based on internal factors such as their beliefs, the personality, their emotions, their desires, their likes or dislikes. Many base their identity on what their culture or society dictates as success. This can be very isolating at times when you feel all of who you are is based on what you feel others expect. If we are being honest, much of the time we will never feel as though we measure up to those expectations, and even when we do it can be like Hagar that then we either still don’t feel like that was good enough or others begin to seem jealous of what we are accomplishing.
Often, we can find ourselves seeking to be seen by others. We seek validation from others that we are enough, doing enough, pretty enough, rich enough, successful enough, whatever you want to put here before enough. We post to social media to try to be seen and validated, we surround ourselves by large groups of people, or have many friends, but those things often leave us feeling more isolated and alone because everyone is seeking the same validation not out looking for how they can validate someone else. Your friend that logged on to Facebook and made their own post today didn’t like your post, so you wonder what you did wrong or why it wasn’t good enough, but your friend only logged on to make their own post for others to like and validate them. They didn’t scroll the feed saying who can I give a little love to by liking or commenting. Your friends at the gathering you went to Friday night didn’t seem interested in your story so you felt you were not interesting enough, they didn’t come to listen and make someone else feel good, they came to share their own story so they could leave feeling better.
See, we seek out that feeling of being seen by everyone around us and seeking validation that the identity we carry is enough when the one who sees us is waiting by the spring in the wilderness. God is the one who actually sees who you are. God is the one who sees you as enough! God is waiting to speak to your heart, validate your needs, and bless you for being who He calls you to be! Run to God the next time you need to feel seen. Run to God when you are feeling cast out or despised. Run to God when you feel like you are not enough. To a self-centered world, you will likely never be enough no matter what you do, but to the God who formed you in your mother’s womb, sent His son to die for you, and loves you daily- you are enough. Even at your weakest moment – To God You are enough!
The last couple of weeks I studied on verses and scripture for the Salvation tab of this page. As I studied these verses, I found myself procrastinating. Now let’s be honest, procrastination has always been one of my strengths when it comes to projects I label as difficult or intimidating. I wasn’t procrastinating the study or the work. I was procrastinating the publishing. I was intimidated by the idea of posting such a powerful page. I kept thinking “what if I get something wrong” “what If I misinterpret the word and lead someone the wrong way” “what if. . . “what if. Much like all the what if’s that kept me procrastinating publishing the first devotion. I kept feeling God pull at my heart but then I started to think “what if others read it and think I have it wrong”. I let so many doubts fill my mind for two – three weeks, until finally I clicked that publish button and prayed over the page. This whole thing isn’t about me. It’s about God! It is about God being praised and glorified. It is about others reading and studying God’s word. It is about others coming to know God and accept God as Lord and Savior if they do not already know Him. So, I prayed and then picked up my bible to read in the Old Testament again. That’s when I read Ezekiel chapters 1 through 3, and the Lord spoke to me.
In chapter 1 Ezekiel’s vision of God’s glory is described. Ezekiel tells of what he seen as God came to him. He goes into detail about the figures coming down from heaven. In chapter 1 verse 25 the bible says that a voice came down from the throne that appeared, and Ezekiel goes on to describe how he seen and heard God speak to him. In Chapter 2 verse 2 Ezekiel says that while God was speaking to him the Holy Spirit entered into him. The remainder of chapter 2 details out the conversation that God had with Ezekiel and the instructions He gave to him. God had come to Ezekiel to tell him that he was being sent to speak to the Israelites. Now, from past devotions we have studied and seen how the Israelites had this pattern of following and obeying God then turning from God and being a rebellious people. L0.08880God describes the Israelites in this chapter as being rebellious again. He said they had hardened their hearts and were sinning against God. Ezekiel had been chosen by God to go and carry God’s message to the Israelites, but God gave Ezekiel some guidance and wisdom while speaking to him.
In chapter 2 verse 5 God told Ezekiel to go and speak God’s word to the people whether they listen or refuse to listen. In verse 6 God went on to tell Ezekiel to not be afraid of what they might say back to him when he speaks God’s word, and even said don’t be discouraged by the looks on their face or their reactions to you. God said to Ezekiel again that they were living in their rebellious ways and had hardened their hearts, but God still needed Ezekiel to speak His word to them. He even said back in verse 6 that it would be like walking through briars and thorns and living among scorpions, but to go and speak without being discouraged.
As I read those verses, I then felt God speak to my heart. I felt Him say, why have you been so afraid to speak the words I have asked you to speak for me. I realized that many times I might be called to speak God’s word to others, but I feel intimidated or fearful because I am not sure how others will receive what I feel led to say. We currently live in a world of people who have hardened their hearts to God and His Word. We live in a world that feels it is ok to impose their beliefs and their “convictions” on us, but they do not feel that it is ok for us to share our beliefs and convictions with them. People are not afraid to outwardly oppose God, but how often does this make us afraid to outwardly stand for God? The evil that surrounds us in the world we live in today can be very much like walking through thorns and briars or walking amongst scorpions. God still calls us today to share His word with others despite the reactions or response we might get.
At the end of chapter two and first of chapter three Ezekiel says that God presented to him a scroll that was written on front and back. He goes on to tell how God presented the scroll to him and told him to eat the scroll and all that was written on it before going to speak His words to Israel. Ezekiel says that God fed him the scroll and “it was as sweet as honey in my mouth” ( Ezekiel 3:3)
Similar to this scene with Ezekiel, In Mathew Chapter 4 the bible tells us of how Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit while he was being tempted by the devil. When I think about speaking up for God and His Word, I can’t imagine much more intimidating than battling out temptations from the devil. But, in verse 4 Jesus says to the devil, “Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
My takeaway. . . Many times I fail to share God’s word to the world when I am called. If we are being honest, I am much more comfortable writing than speaking out loud. Those who know me would probably never dream that I have a problem talking to anyone about anything, but when it comes to sharing God’s Word it is true. The more I studied and prayed on this devotion the more God spoke to my heart about my shortcomings in this area. I said earlier and I will say again, we currently live in an evil world that can easily put us down or try to make us feel ashamed so that we will not speak up for God.
I feel like God’s directions to Ezekiel is the same as His directions to us today. . . Go! Share God’s Word! Don’t be afraid of what people will say to you or how they will react. Don’t worry about whether they accept what you bring to them or if they allow their hearts to be hardened to God’s Word. Just answer God’s calling on your heart and share what He gives to you. But before you go, take in God’s Word. Eat the scroll. God’s Word was important for Ezekiel to take in before sharing and Jesus says in Mathew 4:4 that we can’t live by bread alone but by the Word of God!
Don’t be discouraged friend! Don’t be ashamed! Don’t be intimidated! Don’t allow the world to quiet your Spirit! Speak up for God!
Don’t be afraid of them- Go! speak up for God!
Ezekiel 1-3
Mathew 4:1-4
Psalms 119;97-103
Don’t Grow Weary In the Battle
While reading 2 Samuel these two versus jumped off the page at me. The typical battles, death, and vengeance is occurring in this chapter that seems to be much of the theme of the books of Samuel.. At this time in the passage, David is finally King David of Israel. He is young but has been through so much in his short life living for God. In verse 19 David is praying and he asks God “should I fight the Philistines” and “ If I battle them will I come out victorious ?”God Answers in verse 20 telling David he should go to battle and that He will be with him and he will be victorious.
First off, how cool would it be to hear God so audibly and immediately respond to our prayers like he did David. God was with David and he spoke with David and led him in His will when David sought him. The second and main reason this jumped out to me was, how many times is David or even his nation Israel going to have to battle the Philistines? The first battle we see of David and most of us remember David for was the battle of David and Goliath. Goliath was a Philistine. In 1 Samuel chapter 17 we see David arrive at a battlefield to bring his brothers supplies and check on them while they were fighting in the Battle against the Philistines for Saul. This is not the fist time we see Israel fighting the Philistines, but the first time David shows up and engages in the battle.
Now some of the battles Israel fought against the Philistines were won and some were lost, that’s another lesson for another day! But for today, here we see David ready to go to battle for the Lord yet again for the oh so familiar enemy. I thought to myself as I was reading this how exhausting it must be to find yourself constantly fighting the same battle against the same enemy, and even though David arises victorious in the battles we see him have to return and battle again.
That’s when I felt God speak to my heart, because that’s how instant and powerful He can still speak to us today. I felt Him say, You battle the same enemy for me every day and many days you fight battles that feel similar to battles you have already fought and won. Are you growing exhausted in the battle, child?
How powerful! We do battle the same enemy every day for Christ, and many days my flesh can grow weary! But God! God reminded me that 1. He has already won the war!! I am just called the fight the battles. 2. Like David and all of Israel, if I seek out God and His will and guidance I will be victorious in every battle God calls me to fight.
David didn’t grow weary or exhausted in the battles God called him to fight regardless how many times he had to fight them. No, David just continued to seek God and was almost eager sounding in Verse 19 to me to go out and fight the battle for God.
God is calling us to battle for Christ against our familiar enemy. He doesn’t want us to grow weary or be exhausted. No, He wants us to lean into Him and allow Him to carry us through and be victorious over our own battle.
In Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10:1- 8 God even gives us the guidance we need for putting on His full armor to fight in His Army!
Child of God, Don’t grow weary! Don’t grow exhausted. You might feel God is calling you to fight the same fight day after day, but it is by His design and His purpose. He is there to strengthen you. Lean into Him and He will bring you through victorious!
1 Samuel Chapter 4
In Chapter 4 of 1 Samuel, we see Israel at battle with the Philistines. When the battle begins, Israel questions God and asks why God is allowing them to be smitten by their enemy. The answer was for them to go and get the Ark of the Covenant. When the Ark of the Covenant was received all the people of Israel announced its Prescence with a loud shout. When the Philistines heard the shout of the people of Israel, they understood that the Ark of the Covenant was with the people. In realizing this, they became too afraid to finish the battle because they now perceived the battle to be against the Prescence of God rather than a group of people. Knowing that Israel had the Ark of the Covenant was enough to make the Philistines want to retreat. In this moment the battle against the enemy could have been won. But Israel felt empowered by having the Ark of the Covenant and said let’s go to war. In the end, Israel was overthrown and the battle was won by the Philistines.
While the Bible teaches us that the Ark of the Covenant did hold the presence of God for the people of Israel, Israel failed to truly turn to God. They held a superficial belief in the object of the Ark rather than accepting and submitting themselves to the true God of the Ark.
The enemy recognized the true presence and power of God behind or within the Ark and was ready to flee. In this case, the enemy had a better respect for the God Israel was placing their faith in than Israel did and in turn they lost the battle and the enemy won.
As Christians and true believers in Christ, our war is won! Praise God! But we are still called to battle for Christ daily. How many battles are we loosing though? How many times is the enemy ready to flee because of some type of superficial faith we bring until that weakness is identified, and the battle is lost? You might be thinking, how am I bringing a superficial faith to battle, I am not carrying the Ark of the Covenant. No, we don’t carry the Ark of the Covenant but sometimes it might be something much smaller such as a cross necklace on our neck, a bible verse on our back window of our car or hanging in our home or office, a worship song playing, a shared bible verse on social media, or our attendance in a church pew on Sunday mornings. There are so many ways that we carry a picture of faith around with us and proclaim God to the world. Our own form of shouting His presence if you will. All things enough to make the enemy perceive God’s presence and want to flee. All wonderful things we should be doing to share God’s presence with the world! However, is it superficial or are you truly carrying God’s presence with you? We must be surrendering in faith to God and seeking God’s will and guidance daily in our lives, not just showing an outward profession of belief.
We can win every battle we are called to if we truly seek God and His presence and surrender to His will. Stay prayed up. Stay in the presence of God.
Don’t just retrieve the ark ( a symbol of God or your faith)
Retrieve God and His presence and walk in your faith !
The power of his true presence versus the Failure of lack of true faith
Out of reach
Nehemiah Chapter 1
Do things sometimes feel so far out of your reach? Like something you want or want to achieve, but it just feels so far off that you begin to question if it is even possible. So far off into your future or so far off from what seems like reality. It seems like the more you think about it, it just feels . . . Out of reach?
Sometimes life can be hard, and sometimes things we want or want to achieve begin to feel out of our reach. It begins to feel like we might not accomplish that next big goal, land that new career, or move into that next chapter of life. Many things in life requires us to be patient and trust God’s timing and His ability. Yep, His ability. We hear so often to trust His timing, but when we begin to feel like things are out of our reach, we must then begin to trust His ability as well.
In reality, we know God is able. We know He is all present, all knowing, and in full control of our lives if we allow Him to be, but in Chapter 1 of Nehemiah we can find a great reminder of just how able God is when it comes to the things that just feel out of reach.
Chapter 1 begins with Nehemiah being brought some troubling news. We find him sitting, weeping, and mourning. He had just learned that the Jewish remnant, God’s people, were in great trouble. Nehemiah begins to pray and cry out to God. We see in verses 5-11 Nehemiah begins by recognizing God for who he is. He then begins to confess his sins and the sins of the people and pray for forgiveness. Nehemiah recognized to God that their sin would be what separates him and the people from God. Sin was making God seem or feel out of reach.
Nehemiah continues his prayer and references Moses and the way God told Moses that he would separate or scatter His people if they did not follow His commandments. But then Nehemiah recalls where God told Moses that if His people returned to Him and carefully observed His commandments that He would bring them back together. Nehemiah recalls God telling Moses that he could bring them back from the furthest horizons and place them where He chooses.
We often hear that God can separate things as far as the east if from the west, but have we ever stopped to consider what Nehemiah says right here in these passages? God can also take something that is as far as the east is from the west and bring it together. Nothing is out of reach from God!
So today we must remember a couple of things. 1. Sin is the only thing that will ever make God feel out of reach to us, but we can repent and draw back near to Him.
2. Nothing is out of reach for God. If something feels out of reach for you, follow Nehemiah’s lead, go to God in prayer, and trust that God is able!!
Suited up for battle
Nehemiah Chapter 4:15-23; Ephesians 6:10-18
(For context – Nehemiah Chapters 1-4)
In Chapter 2 Nehemiah gains the King’s permission to travel to Judah. Nehemiah felt called to help rebuild the city walls. His heart was heavy about the land and the devastation it had suffered and the people that were left behind.
We see through ch. 3 Nehemiah makes the journey to Judah and gathers the people. They begin working together to rebuild the walls around their land to secure what belonged to them. In Chapter 4 the story goes on to tell how all the men of Jerusalem came together to rebuild the walls despite feeling the opposition of their enemies. In ch4:7 the bible says that when the men of the surrounding countries seen what Nehemiah and the Jewish people were making such progress on rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, they became furious. In v. 8 the bible goes on to say that they all plotted against Jerusalem and sought to overthrow it. But Nehemiah and his men were not afraid. They did not back down from they felt God had called them to do. In verse 9 Nehemiah says that instead of being afraid they prayed and cried out to God and then they created an army, and they guarded their land. They suited up for the battle of God. As you read through verses 9-23 Nehemiah goes on to tell how the men continued to work together day and night to rebuild the walls. Its talks about how some would build while others stood guard, but regardless of what they were doing, they all were holding a sword. In verse 17 Nehemiah says even the laborers worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other.
Verse 23 is where we see the full lesson come together. Nehemiah made the statement that the men never took off their armor. He stated that each carried their weapon in one hand while doing their work in the other. The CSB version of the Bible reads they carried their weapons even when bathing. Even when bathing? Yes, the men stayed on guard for God carrying their weapon for battle even when bathing.
You might be asking, how is this a practical lesson for me today. In Ephesians 6:10-18 we are called to wear the armor of God. Paul writes to us in this book of the New Testament and says that we should be armored with the belt of truth, the chest plate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel, carrying a shield of faith, wearing a helmet of salvation with a sword of the Holy Spirit in our hand. In verse 18 he closes out his message on the armor of God by saying to stay prayed up in the spirit at all times, to stay alert and preserve.
Nehemiah and his men wore their armor for God day and night, They were on alert and ready to fight the battle that God might call them to. They were ready to fight for the land God had given them. They were ready to fight for the people that were chosen by God. They knew their enemy could attack at any time. But they prayed to God, and they stayed armed!
Are you carrying the full armor of God with you day and night? When you are showering, eating dinner, watching a movie, or out in the world interacting with all the other people that fill the space around you, are you carrying the full armor of God? Paul says we too should stay prayed up and alert for the enemy to attack.
We know today who our enemy is much like Nehemiah and his men knew their enemy, but just the same we do not know when, how, or from what side our enemy might attack. Suite up with the armor of God and stay in prayer with Him!
Nehemiah chapter 6
Build Your Wall
In Chapter 6 Nehemiah has finished the work God has called him to do, he has built the wall of Jerusalem. In verse one the bible says he has finished all but the doors of the city gate. As Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and all of Nehemiah’s enemies see that he was all but done with the wall they began to send messages to Nehemiah. They wanted to draw him out of the city and in verse 2 we see that they had intentions of harming Nehemiah. They see how close he was to finishing God’s work and they began to get concerned.
Sanballat sent Nehemiah a message saying that rumors were being spread that he was going to be king of Jerusalem and that the Jews were planning to rebel. He told Nehemiah the king would surely hear the rumors and that they needed to meet. When this didn’t work, messengers were sent to Nehemiah that he should hide himself in the temple to save his own life as they were coming to kill him.
We see through the verses that Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem spread rumors about Nehemiah and the Jews, they tried to lead Nehemiah into sin and destroy his reputation and cause his character to be questioned, they threatened him with physical harm, and even sent false messengers to him. They did all of this to try to intimidate Nehemiah so he would not finish the work God had called him to do.
However, despite all of this Nehemiah does not falter. In verse 9 we see Nehemiah proclaim that God is strengthening in his hands, and as the chapter continues Nehemiah meets every enemy tactic with Godly poise. He disputes the rumors, calls out the false messages, and does not hide from harm. He holds close to God and continues in the work he has been called to do.
In verse 15 we see that the wall was officially complete and in verse 16 it says that when all the other countries heard this they were intimated, and they lost their confidence because they knew the work of God was completed.
Has God called you to build a wall? Are you being threatened in your work for God by the enemy? If you are working for God and in God’s will, the enemy will try to throw you off course too. The enemy knows the power you hold in your faith when you are walking with God. Sometimes he tries to destroy our reputations, tells us lies, sends us false messages, or tries to fill us with fear. There are so many ways the enemy will try to stop us from doing the work of God today. If God has called you to build a wall in your life, then trust like Nehemiah and persevere, because when you complete the work God has called you to do, the enemy will yet again be intimidated and lose confidence. Keep building your wall and don’t let the enemy cause you to falter.
I COME BROKEN
Nehemiah Chapter 9
The Israelites have gathered in their newly built walls of Jerusalem and in verses 1 – 4 they are described to be confessing their sins. We seem them gathered fasting, wearing sackcloth, and with dust on their heads. The verses say they were gathered on a raised platform. They came together and were found to be reading the word of God, worshiping God, and confessing their sins.
In my mind I picture, probably very inaccurately but none the less beautiful, a group of people behind these walls in this broken state worshipping and calling out to God as a whole. Yes, I said broken. It says they were fasting, wearing sackcloth, and with dust on their head. To me that paints a picture of a person or a group of people who were broken in spirit. They were broken in spirit for their sins. Verse 4 says they cried out with a loud voice to the Lord their God.
Then the Levites stand with them and begin to praise God. In verses 5- 15 you see them recall all the wonderful works God had performed for His people. They praised His name for all the big and small wonders God had performed for the people as He delivered them out of exile from Egypt. They begin to call out the sins of God’s people in verses 16-31, but each time they called out the sins of the people they praised God for His continuous mercy. The bible says the people became stiff-necked towards God, BUT God was forgiving and compassionate. They made idols and worshiped false gods, BUT God had compassion and continued to lead them on the journey He had called them on. They were disobedient and rebelled against God, BUT God heard their cry, showed compassion, and delivered them once again. As soon as they had been rescued by God they turned from him yet again and continued to sin, BUT God heard them when they cried out again and again God rescued them. They praised God for being patient, forgiving, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, gracious and merciful. God did not abandon His people and He did not destroy them.
I read this section and reflected to the full story of this journey through Exodus. It is almost like a badly written movie where you can see what is coming and you are yelling at the TV “Don’t do it” or Not again”. I thought to myself, how many times did the people of Israel sin against God. Why did they never see God or feel God’s presence enough to stop worshipping false idols and appointing bad rulers, and just flat out going against God’s calling and rebelling.
BUT God, but God stopped my mind from wandering on this and He said “Are you not grateful that I am this patient and compassionate towards you?” Whoa! And now I Come Broken!
Daily I sin! Daily I fall short of the goodness of God and fall victim to fleshly and worldly temptations. Whether it is quiet thoughts of my mind, words that slip out, judgements my heart fosters, or jealousy my mind carries. It could be my quick bout of road rage or unnecessary frustration. It doesn’t have to be big outward sins like worshipping a golden cow. 1 John 2:16 tells us that the lust of the eyes, pride of one’s possessions, lust of the flesh all of this is not from God but from the world. Daily I sin and daily I should come broken to my Father because PRAISE GOD, we serve a loving, forgiving, patient, merciful, and gracious God! Our God today is waiting for us to call out to Him just like the people of Israel called out each time they stepped away and cried out for mercy. God was waiting for them to call out to Him so he could show them compassion and rescue them from their own sins. God is waiting each day for us to do the same. Nehemiah 9:20 says God sent His spirit to be with His people and guide them. God has sent His Holy Spirit to be with us and guide us today. Rest in God’s Holy Spirit but come broken before God for He is waiting to rescue you, again!
“Trust in the lord with all thine heart;
and lean not unto thine own understanding.
in all they ways acknowledge him”
Proverbs 3:5-6