Category Archives: Faith / Trusting God

All Powerful / King of All, Courage / Fear, Faith / Trusting God, Infinite / Without Limit, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Miracles, Miracles

Where Is Your Faith?

Just reflect on this one simple thought… there is nothing on Earth that is beyond the control of Jehovah. With this in mind, we need not be afraid. Faith conquers fear.

Luke 8:22-25 

Jesus Stills the Sea

     22Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out. 23But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. 24They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. 25And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”

I suppose one more perspective I should highlight… do not miss that Yeshua asks “Where is your faith?”, meaning that He expected the disciples to trust in Him even when the situation looked dire and the storm was raging. God was in control even while Yeshua slept.

We can trust our Father no matter the situation or the outcome. Let us put our faith totally and unreservedly in Him. When we do so, then we have nothing to fear.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, Help / Serve Others

We All Need Help Sometimes… Turn to God And Those Who Serve Him

Resources

We all need help sometimes. Turn to God and those who serve Him rather than the world. Whether we are trying to find help for someone facing a crisis like abortion, searching for ways to strengthen our marriage, or just to find quality Christian entertainment… there are a lot of resources out there that call out for our attention, but many do not honor God. At Hearing From Jesus we try to help by sorting through some of that for you and providing recommendations that honor Jesus.

If you have identified Christian resources you recommend for inclusion on our website, please submit via our Contact Us page.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Blessed, Curse, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Guide, Obeying God, Prophecy, Purposeful / Intentional, Through Prophets

Submitting to and Accepting the Lord’s Will

In Numbers 22 and 23, Balak tried over and over to get Balaam to curse Israel. He tried with money and from different angles and locations. Balaam consistently indicated he could only bless or curse according to the Lord. The power comes from the Lord and he could not just pick or force God to act in a way contrary to what God decides. Balak was clearly used to getting his way and was persistent. However, each time Balaam would ask the Lord about it, he would be instructed to bless rather than curse Israel, resulting in multiple blessings for Israel.

In Numbers 24 we see that Balaam finally has a clear understanding of what God’s position is on the subject. He no longer even seeks “omens” to discern God’s will in hopes or thoughts that it will bring back a different answer. Now, he is confident in the Lord’s decision and that it will not change. Balaam has accepted it and embraced it. Having done so, the Spirit of God came upon Him.

Numbers 24

The Prophecy from Peor

     1When Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times to seek omens but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him.

3He took up his discourse and said,
“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened;

      4The oracle of him who hears the words of God,
Who sees the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered,

      5How fair are your tents, O Jacob,
Your dwellings, O Israel!

      6“Like valleys that stretch out,
Like gardens beside the river,
Like aloes planted by the LORD,
Like cedars beside the waters.

      7“Water will flow from his buckets,
And his seed will be by many waters,
And his king shall be higher than Agag,
And his kingdom shall be exalted.

      8“God brings him out of Egypt,
He is for him like the horns of the wild ox.
He will devour the nations who are his adversaries,
And will crush their bones in pieces,
And shatter them with his arrows.

      9“He couches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a lion, who dares rouse him?
Blessed is everyone who blesses you,
And cursed is everyone who curses you.”

      10Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them these three times! 11“Therefore, flee to your place now. I said I would honor you greatly, but behold, the LORD has held you back from honor.” 12Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you had sent to me, saying, 13‘Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything contrary to the command of the LORD, either good or bad, of my own accord. What the LORD speaks, that I will speak’? 14“And now, behold, I am going to my people; come, and I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the days to come.”

      15He took up his discourse and said,
“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,

      16The oracle of him who hears the words of God,
And knows the knowledge of the Most High,
Who sees the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered.

      17“I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near;
A star shall come forth from Jacob,
A scepter shall rise from Israel,
And shall crush through the forehead of Moab,
And tear down all the sons of Sheth.

      18“Edom shall be a possession,
Seir, its enemies, also will be a possession,
While Israel performs valiantly.

      19“One from Jacob shall have dominion,
And will destroy the remnant from the city.”

      20And he looked at Amalek and took up his discourse and said,
“Amalek was the first of the nations,
But his end shall be destruction.”

      21And he looked at the Kenite, and took up his discourse and said,
“Your dwelling place is enduring,
And your nest is set in the cliff.

      22“Nevertheless Kain will be consumed;
How long will Asshur keep you captive?”

      23Then he took up his discourse and said,
“Alas, who can live except God has ordained it?

      24“But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim,
And they shall afflict Asshur and will afflict Eber;
So they also will come to destruction.”

      25Then Balaam arose and departed and returned to his place, and Balak also went his way.

Let us challenge ourselves to seek out the Lord and submit to His instruction rather than holding to our own. Balak demonstrates the futility of trying to constantly manipulate or coerce God to a different position based on location or other details of how we ask. We can not control God. We can, as His children, come before Him and ask and even ask multiple times, but we should do so with a submitted heart which accepts what He tells us. Let us not keep trying to manipulate the outcome, but rather have a genuine heart to heart relationship with the Lord. Once we see the Lord has spoken clearly and consistently on an issue, it is good for us to follow the example of Balaam and focus on accepting or embracing His decision rather than continuing to ask for a different answer over and over.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Am I on the path?, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Free Will, Obeying God, Seeking God

What Do Your Build Your Life Upon?

We should each pause long enough from our busy schedules to prayerfully consider what we are building our lives upon. Take care not to gloss over this question. It is easy to just quickly declare we are living for the Lord and not really ask Him if to show us if that is true. Note that Jesus indicates the listeners are calling Him Lord, but not really obeying what He tells them to do. Many today make this very same mistake. Do we truly do what He says? Have we taken the time to study His word personally and pray to understand what He says? or are we only listening to what others tell us He says?

If we build our lives upon anything but Jesus Christ, then we will certainly fail… in this life and in the next.

Luke 6:46-49

Builders and Foundations

     46“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47“Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: 48he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49“But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

I urge each of us to not ignore that many who declare they follow Jesus are actually not doing so… and many of those don’t even realize it. Don’t just glaze over this. Stop. Study. Pray. Listen.

It is not enough to say we follow the Lord and not do so.  Ignorance of His instruction is not an excuse for disobeying Him any more than it would be for a wife who never bothers to understand what her husband asks of her (or the other way around). The relationship is still broken and distant. The questions will remain… “Why did we not take time to study His word, ask for His guidance, listen and then obey? What were we so busy doing so as not to know and obey Him?”

Matthew 7:21-23

     21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Father / Yahweh, Guide, His Timing Not Ours, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Obeying God, Seeking God, Through Prophets, Unteachable / Foolish

Submit To And Accept The Lord’s Will

Those of us who know the Lord, understand that we can accomplish nothing except what He allows. He is sovereign over everything. When we truly submit to be His servant, we come to know that we can only do what He asks and we should/must do what He wants. We certainly can not use His power to do anything against His will.

Balak, who does not know the Lord, is used to getting His way. He can’t seem to understand or accept that Balaam is subject to reflect only the Lord’s will. Each time Balaam blesses Israel instead of cursing it, Balaak takes Him to another place to ask again for Balaam to curse Israel.

Balaam had is own round of pushing back on the Lord’s instruction in Numbers 22 and learned his lesson.The Lord told Him not to go to Balak and though he obeyed… he came back again to ask if he could go to Balak when he was offered more money. Jehovah got Balaam’s attention with a talking donkey and an angel who came near to killing Balaam to make a point of his need to submit to God’s will.  (Click through to a related article to read more on this background.)

Let us learn a lesson from Balaam and Balak. Let us submit to and accept the Lord’s will for us. Choose to obey and do not struggle against Him.   If He tells you to do (or stop doing) something, obey. Do not keep asking the same question over and over and over as if to manipulate the Lord into a different answer, one you prefer.  Yes it is ok to ask for validation with a humble and submissive heart… but this is different than rejecting what the Lord has clearly said and asking again.

Numbers 23

The Prophecies of Balaam

     1Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” 2Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull and a ram on each altar. 3Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a bare hill.

      4Now God met Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have set up the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.” 5Then the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and you shall speak thus.” 6So he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of Moab.

7He took up his discourse and said,
“From Aram Balak has brought me,
Moab’s king from the mountains of the East,
‘Come curse Jacob for me,
And come, denounce Israel!’

      8“How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?
And how can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?

      9“As I see him from the top of the rocks,
And I look at him from the hills;
Behold, a people who dwells apart,
And will not be reckoned among the nations.

      10“Who can count the dust of Jacob,
Or number the fourth part of Israel?
Let me die the death of the upright,
And let my end be like his!”

      11Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have actually blessed them!” 12He replied, “Must I not be careful to speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?”

      13Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from where you may see them, although you will only see the extreme end of them and will not see all of them; and curse them for me from there.” 14So he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15And he said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering while I myself meet the LORD over there.” 16Then the LORD met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 17He came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the leaders of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the LORD spoken?”

18Then he took up his discourse and said,
“Arise, O Balak, and hear;
Give ear to me, O son of Zippor!

      19“God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent;
Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

      20“Behold, I have received a command to bless;
When He has blessed, then I cannot revoke it.

      21“He has not observed misfortune in Jacob;
Nor has He seen trouble in Israel;
The LORD his God is with him,
And the shout of a king is among them.

      22“God brings them out of Egypt,
He is for them like the horns of the wild ox.

      23“For there is no omen against Jacob,
Nor is there any divination against Israel;
At the proper time it shall be said to Jacob
And to Israel, what God has done!

      24“Behold, a people rises like a lioness,
And as a lion it lifts itself;
It will not lie down until it devours the prey,
And drinks the blood of the slain.”

      25Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all nor bless them at all!” 26But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘Whatever the LORD speaks, that I must do’?”

      27Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be agreeable with God that you curse them for me from there.” 28So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor which overlooks the wasteland. 29Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” 30Balak did just as Balaam had said, and offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.

In what areas of your life are you wrestling with what the Lord has clearly instructed? Ask His help for you to submit to Him and accept His will and stop fighting against it to get your own way. Choose to submit to Him, obeying His instruction rather than your own plans.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Controlling Thoughts, Faith / Trusting God, Father / Yahweh, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Peace / Rest, Purposeful / Intentional, Worry/Anxiety

Overcoming Anxiety and Worry

Anxiety and worry can consume people, even those who are trying to follow Christ. The devil wants to steal, kill and destroy. He targets relationships, including that between you and your Father in heaven. Anxiety and worry are one tactic he uses.

He can even take our good intention to obey God and repent from sins and try to turn us in knots of guilt about every potential mistake we make. If he is effective in this guilt, he can separate us from God as we may become more distant due to our feeling of unworthiness and stress associated with constantly not “being good enough”.

If we let him, Satan can lead us to worry about our concerns of daily living and how we will accomplish what we feel we need to in life, whether it is the basics of food and shelter or more aspirational hopes and dreams. We may start to worry so much and soon find that we are assuming we must accomplish everything of our own power and we lose sight of trusting the Lord and His power. In many cases, the goals we set out to achieve are not even the Lord’s but only our own. If we are pursuing His will in our lives we can be sure He will provide the power and the path to accomplish it.

With the Lord’s help, we can resist Satan effectively.

When dealing with anxiety and worry it is important to pray for the Lord’s help and come before Him humbly. Seek His guidance in scripture.

Philippians 4:4-20

      4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

      8Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

God’s Provisions

     10But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. 11Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 14Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.

      15You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; 16for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. 17Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. 18But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. 19And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Don’t let Satan steal your joy! Rejoice in the Lord!

The Lord is near. 6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Blessed, Eternal, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Guide, His Timing Not Ours, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Humility, Learning To Pray Effectively, Loving / Kind, Obeying God, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Unteachable / Foolish, Wise

God’s Eternity and Man’s Brief Life Span

It is good for us to focus on the Lord, His eternal nature. He is far above even our ability to fully understand Him. We are transitory… each of us with a brief life in which even that which we create will fade in short time. Only in the Lord is there eternity and I choose to spend eternity with Him.

This prayer does well to remind us that our time is brief and all that we think is important to “accomplish” is not going to last. Our relationship with the Lord, and any we can help lead to Him… those things are eternal.

With that in mind, is the focus of your life on the right things? Are you placing your value in career and business? hobbies? or serving the Lord and leading and supporting others to submit to and serve  Him as Lord?

Psalm 90

BOOK 4

God’s Eternity and Man’s Transitoriness.

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.

     1Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.

      2Before the mountains were born
Or You gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

      3You turn man back into dust
And say, “Return, O children of men.”

      4For a thousand years in Your sight
Are like yesterday when it passes by,
Or as a watch in the night.

      5You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep;
In the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew.

      6In the morning it flourishes and sprouts anew;
Toward evening it fades and withers away.

      7For we have been consumed by Your anger
And by Your wrath we have been dismayed.

      8You have placed our iniquities before You,
Our secret sins in the light of Your presence.

      9For all our days have declined in Your fury;
We have finished our years like a sigh.

      10As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength, eighty years,
Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow;
For soon it is gone and we fly away.

      11Who understands the power of Your anger
And Your fury, according to the fear that is due You?

      12So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.

      13Do return, O LORD; how long will it be?
And be sorry for Your servants.

      14O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness,
That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

      15Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us,
And the years we have seen evil.

      16Let Your work appear to Your servants
And Your majesty to their children.

      17Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us;
And confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, confirm the work of our hands.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Obeying God

If Jehovah Is With You, You Will Not Lose

If Jehovah is with you, you will not lose. If He is against you, you will not win. Let us seek to live in obedience to Him and go forth to battle boldly if, when, and where He sends us. Likely, most of us will not be going to war literally, but we will be called to take on intimidating tasks or missions, ones which we can’t possibly win on our own. With Him, we can not lose. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Let us go forth in obedience and faith to do as He leads.

The Israelites were not unstoppable by themselves. When the Lord was not with them, they were defeated. When He was with them and they were obedient, no one could stop them.

Numbers 21:21-35

Two Victories

     21Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying, 22“Let me pass through your land. We will not turn off into field or vineyard; we will not drink water from wells. We will go by the king’s highway until we have passed through your border.” 23But Sihon would not permit Israel to pass through his border. So Sihon gathered all his people and went out against Israel in the wilderness, and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24Then Israel struck him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the sons of Ammon; for the border of the sons of Ammon was Jazer. 25Israel took all these cities and Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all her villages. 26For Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon.

27Therefore those who use proverbs say,
“Come to Heshbon! Let it be built!
So let the city of Sihon be established.

      28“For a fire went forth from Heshbon,
A flame from the town of Sihon;
It devoured Ar of Moab,
The dominant heights of the Arnon.

      29“Woe to you, O Moab!
You are ruined, O people of Chemosh!
He has given his sons as fugitives,
And his daughters into captivity,
To an Amorite king, Sihon.

      30“But we have cast them down,
Heshbon is ruined as far as Dibon,
Then we have laid waste even to Nophah,
Which reaches to Medeba.”

      31Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. 32Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.

      33Then they turned and went up by the way of Bashan, and Og the king of Bashan went out with all his people, for battle at Edrei. 34But the LORD said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.” 35So they killed him and his sons and all his people, until there was no remnant left him; and they possessed his land.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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“I Would Never Act That Way”

Hollywood could not dream up a story as wild and exciting, with as many surprise turns, as that of the Lord delivering His people from Egypt to the promised land. A persecuted slave class of people being lifted up out of bondage through plagues and mighty miracles. Through moments of faith and moments where the faith utterly fails and they are disciplined by the Lord. A righteous man, Moses, interceding on their behalf each time they repent. There was no easy road. What irony that they were too afraid to take the promised land but then had to fight many other nations along their now extended journey. Don’t skip the details, read back through… the ground swallowed up some who rebelled, and not snakes through the camp causing mayhem and repentance. A bronze serpent as a symbol to save them… what a wild ride… and it’s all true, historical events.

We get the opportunity  to learn from the Lord through exciting and unexpected plot twists that His people actually experienced first hand.

As we read the historical events of Numbers 21, we once again see a roller coaster ride for the Israelites. They are attacked by Arad and beaten initially. They turn to the Lord and He gives them absolute victory. Then not long after, the people get impatient again and speak against the Lord. What a tiresome bunch for the Lord to tolerate… but let’s take care, as we still often act in much the same way. We forget His last blessing or victory so quickly once the next challenge or wait is in front of us. We are naturally impatient and selfish and often do not long remember the victories He has given us.

With rebellion in speaking out against the Lord, comes punishment… righteous punishment. All of us deserve correction from time to time, and a loving Father disciplines those He loves. Then comes the question of how we receive that rebuke… with humility leading to repentance or with resentment leading to further separation from the Lord. The Israelites at least turn toward the Lord for help again once they punishment of the snakes was upon them. Moses interceded for them with the Lord and the Lord forgave them.

At least for awhile, they remained more patient on their ongoing journey.

Numbers 21:1-20

Arad Conquered

     1When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, then he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. 2So Israel made a vow to the LORD and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.” 3The LORD heard the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites; then they utterly destroyed them and their cities. Thus the name of the place was called Hormah.

      4Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey. 5The people spoke against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.”

The Bronze Serpent

     6The LORD sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded for the people. 8Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” 9And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.

      10Now the sons of Israel moved out and camped in Oboth. 11They journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness which is opposite Moab, to the east. 12From there they set out and camped in Wadi Zered. 13From there they journeyed and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that comes out of the border of the Amorites, for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.

14Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD,
“Waheb in Suphah,
And the wadis of the Arnon,

      15And the slope of the wadis
That extends to the site of Ar,
And leans to the border of Moab.”

      16From there they continued to Beer, that is the well where the LORD said to Moses, “Assemble the people, that I may give them water.”

      17Then Israel sang this song:
“Spring up, O well! Sing to it!

      18“The well, which the leaders sank,
Which the nobles of the people dug,
With the scepter and with their staffs.”
And from the wilderness they continued to Mattanah,

19and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the land of Moab, at the top of Pisgah which overlooks the wasteland.

Don’t fool yourself that each of us is not able to act in similar fashion as the Israelites did in Numbers 21. It is all too easy to declare, “I would never act that way.” We are still vulnerable toward focusing on our selves rather than God, focusing on our current challenge rather than our past victories with Him, grumbling against Him when things are not going how we want them to go. Pray for the Spirit to help us remain faithful to the Lord through even the tough times, remain thankful for all the victories He has handed to us in the past, and trust in Him that He will be with us through to the end of our current and future challenges. He is a loving Father! Let us rejoice and praise Him and not speak against Him!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Blessed, Faith / Trusting God, False Prophets / Teachers, Government, Wickedness / Evil

False Prophets and Teachers Deceive In Many Areas

Scripture warns us extensively about false teachers and false prophets, from Old Testament through to New Testament. I have not even tried to capture many of them here, but encourage you to take a few minutes and try an internet search for “bible warns about false teachers and prophets” and look for yourself. For the purposes of today’s article, I have selected one.

2 Peter 2:1-3

The Rise of False Prophets

     1But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

We often consider these warnings in regards to those specifically teaching and prophesying falsely about God and God’s word, and we are right to do so. This is the intent of the scriptural warnings. We are to study God’s word, pray for the Spirit to guide us and test everything against God’s word. We are to hold to what is good and reject what is bad. We are to call out false teachers and prophets and not follow them. They are very destructive, teaching wrong doctrine about the Lord in the name of the Lord. They will be held accountable.

However, we should not think that this is the only area in which there will be false teachers. Many try to re-write history to erode the rich historical value and influence of Christianity on the world. They gain control of schools and curricula and have systematically worked over decades to remove God from the public schools and government jobs in our country. There is not end except the elimination or corruption of Christianity that will please them.

I have been amazed how much false information has been treated as “gospel truth” in regards to the founding of the USA and the intent of the founders in regards to practicing their Christian faith as an active part of their daily work, in government or otherwise.

I encourage you to invest some time in testing everything which you are told about how our country is intended to function in regards to “separation of church and state”. I recommend investing in The Silencing of God: The Dismantling of America’s Christian Heritage and its sequel, America’s Most Pressing Concern. I have them in DVD format. I am not sure if they come in another format. I find them very “eye opening” indeed. It is filled with explicit examples and facts that totally reveal the lies which have been taught broadly as fact over the past decades. There is much to study, and likely many other good resources, but I find these provide a great starting point as you test everything.

Understanding the truth of how God intended our country to function is vital to recovering and defending our Christian faith and the Christian foundation of our United States of America, which was indeed a gift and blessing from the Lord to those who were bold enough to put their lives at risk to pursue a life where they could worship Him freely and form a society based completely on the principles of His instruction.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.