Category Archives: Sin

Adultery / Sex Outside Marriage, Anger (unrighteous anger), Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Patience, Greed, Kindness / Gentleness, Lying / Deceiving, Repenting from Sin, Self Control, Sin, Sin Nature, Stealing / Theft, Tongue / Gossip / Slander, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

Walk No Longer Just As The Gentiles Walk

When we truly accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, how we live will change. We will put less focus on doing things the way we like to and the way “we have always done” and instead begin to change to live more according to His ways.

Ephesians 4:17-32

The Christian’s Walk

     17So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20But you did not learn Christ in this way, 21if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

      25Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another. 26BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27and do not give the devil an opportunity. 28He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. 29Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

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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.

Complaining, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Father / Yahweh, Fear / Reverence for God, His Timing Not Ours, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Repenting from Sin, Through Prophets, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Rebellion Against Jehovah Has Harsh Consequences

To summarize the beginning 38 verses of Numbers 14… God had led His people to the promised land. The people were intimidated by the powerful people inhabiting the land and most of them were afraid of following God’s instruction to take it. They even turned to stone Moses. God was not pleased and was ready to destroy them. Moses interceded on their behalf and God did not destroy them immediately. He did, however, lay down a firm punishment for their rebellion and lack of faith. They were “sentenced” to wait another 40 years in the wilderness before taking the promised land and all but those few who were faithful were to die in the wilderness during these 40 years and not see the promised land. (Read the whole chapter by clicking the link to Numbers 14 below.)

What follows in verse 39-45 is important and relevant for us even today. God told the Israelites He would give them victory. They rebelled. He punished them. Then they felt regret (likely over the punishment rather than the rebellion) and went to go do what He commanded earlier. He was not with them and they were defeated. In effect they actually rebelled again, refusing to accept and honor His punishment on them. They still missed the point about obeying and trusting Him and repenting before Him rather than just trying to make it happen on their own power.

Numbers 14:39-45

Israel Repulsed

     39When Moses spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people mourned greatly. 40In the morning, however, they rose up early and went up to the ridge of the hill country, saying, “Here we are; we have indeed sinned, but we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised.” 41But Moses said, “Why then are you transgressing the commandment of the LORD, when it will not succeed? 42“Do not go up, or you will be struck down before your enemies, for the LORD is not among you. 43“For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there in front of you, and you will fall by the sword, inasmuch as you have turned back from following the LORD. And the LORD will not be with you.” 44But they went up heedlessly to the ridge of the hill country; neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses left the camp. 45Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down, and struck them and beat them down as far as Hormah.

Let us listen carefully and obey when Jehovah calls us to action, no matter how intimidating the battle or situation. Pray His Spirit would encourage us and guide us. If you need His encouragement or more validation, ask for it rather than just turn away in rebellion. If you make the mistake of failing to trust Him, listen and accept the rebuke and repent, humbly asking forgiveness. Do not simply rebel against Him again and charge in to action as if your first rebellion never happened.

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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.

Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Correction, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Fear / Reverence for God, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Interceding for Others, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Satan, Sin Nature, Slow to Anger, Worldliness

Jehovah Is Not A Fluffy Marshmallow Man Who Accepts Everyone As They Are

One of the lies that Satan has convinced people to be true is that somehow Jehovah will accept anyone with loving arms and no consequences no matter how much they rebel against Him. The lie is attractive because it basically feeds the narrative that none of us really need to change to please God. We just “know” He loves us as we are. Suddenly this lie enables us to be complacent and not even strive to know or trust God more. We just do whatever we want and expect Him to love us as we are. The lie is most destructive in that it hinders us from turning toward God and repenting. Sin separates us from the Lord.

It should be fairly obvious that God would not just accept everyone the way they are in the midst of rebellion and sin. This would not make sense in any way. None of us could point to a meaningful example where a loving Father really did not care at all about how His children behaved or if they respected and obeyed Him. But if that is not obvious to some, let us just explore a well known example of the Lord interacting with His chosen people.

In Numbers 14, God has just led His people out of bondage in Egypt with many signs and wonders including plagues on Egypt, parting of the Red Sea, feeding the people with Manna and quail from heaven and leading them as a pillar of fire at night and pillar of smoke during the day. Incredible, right?

The people complained when the felt trapped at the Red Sea. They rebelled by worshipping a golden calf and He did not destroy them. The people complained about wanting meat and He gave it to them… along with a plague for discipline. Here we go again as the Lord delivers His people to the promised land and they still trust Him not because there is some adversity in front of them. They rebel. Ultimately, God cares… He is angered. He considers destroying them and just starting over. Moses intercedes and convinces the Lord not to destroy them. The Lord still disciplines them with a stern hand. They end up sentenced to die in the desert as they wander for 40 years before their children will get a second chance at the promised land. God is no marshmallow man just accepting everyone as they are. He is indeed slow to anger, but people must repent and submit to Him first (through Jesus Christ)… and then He accepts them with open arms, no matter what they have done before.

Numbers 14:1-19

The People Rebel

     1Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. 2All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3“Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”

      5Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel. 6Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8“If the LORD is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey. 9“Only do not rebel against the LORD; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.” 10But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the glory of the LORD appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.

Moses Pleads for the People

     11The LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst? 12“I will smite them with pestilence and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they.”

      13But Moses said to the LORD, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought up this people from their midst, 14and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, O LORD, are in the midst of this people, for You, O LORD, are seen eye to eye, while Your cloud stands over them; and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. 15“Now if You slay this people as one man, then the nations who have heard of Your fame will say, 16‘Because the LORD could not bring this people into the land which He promised them by oath, therefore He slaughtered them in the wilderness.’ 17“But now, I pray, let the power of the Lord be great, just as You have declared, 18‘The LORD is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.’ 19“Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”

The LORD Pardons and Rebukes

     20So the LORD said, “I have pardoned them according to your word; 21but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD. 22“Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, 23shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it. 24“But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it. 25“Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys; turn tomorrow and set out to the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.”

      26The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 27“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. 28“Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you; 29your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. 30‘Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 31‘Your children, however, whom you said would become a prey—I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. 32‘But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. 33‘Your sons shall be shepherds for forty years in the wilderness, and they will suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your corpses lie in the wilderness. 34‘According to the number of days which you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall bear your guilt a year, even forty years, and you will know My opposition. 35‘I, the LORD, have spoken, surely this I will do to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be destroyed, and there they will die.’”

      36As for the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land and who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing out a bad report concerning the land, 37even those men who brought out the very bad report of the land died by a plague before the LORD. 38But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive out of those men who went to spy out the land.

Do not fall prey to Satan’s lies. God calls us to repent from sin and turn to Him. We are called to turn away from our selfish and worldly ways and seek after and obey His instructions, which will put us at odds with those who love the flesh. We do indeed have to pick whom we will serve… Jehovah or the flesh. There is no compromise. He does care and will not accept or tolerate rebellion.

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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, Guide, Help / Serve Others, Obeying God, Protector / Deliverer, Provider

A Pivotal Decision Point Based Solely on Faith

Jehovah brought the people of Israel out of Egypt with many signs and wonders. They faltered and struggled with this journey often seemingly unable to fully trust in the Lord… complaining about wanting meat, worshipping the golden calf and such. Here in Numbers 13 we see the Lord has brought them to the end of their journey if they would just trust Him enough to take it.

They send out spies to the land of Canaan. The land is good indeed, but the Israelites are intimidated by the enemy inhabiting the land. They focus on the difficulty of the task in human terms instead of the power of God who is leading them. Ultimately their decision, which we shall explore further in Numbers 14 results in failure to trust the Lord and 40 more years in the desert.

Numbers 13

Spies View the Land

     1Then the LORD spoke to Moses saying, 2“Send out for yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from each of their fathers’ tribes, every one a leader among them.” 3So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the sons of Israel. 4These then were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; 5from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; 6from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh; 7from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; 8from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun; 9from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; 10from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; 11from the tribe of Joseph, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi; 12from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; 13from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; 14from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; 15from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. 16These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land; but Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.

      17When Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, he said to them, “Go up there into the Negev; then go up into the hill country. 18“See what the land is like, and whether the people who live in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many. 19“How is the land in which they live, is it good or bad? And how are the cities in which they live, are they like open camps or with fortifications? 20“How is the land, is it fat or lean? Are there trees in it or not? Make an effort then to get some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes.

      21So they went up and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, at Lebo-hamath. 22When they had gone up into the Negev, they came to Hebron where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the descendants of Anak were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

      23Then they came to the valley of Eshcol and from there cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes; and they carried it on a pole between two men, with some of the pomegranates and the figs. 24That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the sons of Israel cut down from there.

The Spies’ Reports

     25When they returned from spying out the land, at the end of forty days, 26they proceeded to come to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; and they brought back word to them and to all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land. 27Thus they told him, and said, “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28“Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29“Amalek is living in the land of the Negev and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan.”

      30Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.” 31But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” 32So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. 33“There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

Let us not think of this simply as an historical failure of the Israelite people to trust the Lord, but rather also a warning to each of us in our own lives. The Lord uses those who are weak to overcome the strong so as to demonstrate His power and presence in the victory. If it were easy, people would assume they did it alone and not with God. They would dismiss God’s presence all together.

The Lord may lead us each to similar such “leaps of faith”, where the obstacles seem high but He is leading us to overcome them… based on faith in His power. He has something wonderful in mind for us if we would just trust Him and take it.  If we turn away from His path and call because it looks hard to us we make the same mistake the Israelites made and may also end up “wandering longer in our own wilderness” as a result of our lack of faith in the Lord.

How good it is to have friends like Joshua and Caleb, that are strong in faith and encourage us to go forth even in the face of challenges because we know the Lord is with us. Let us also seek to be those pillars for others we know in encouraging them. When it seems to hard to follow God’s call, pray for His help and move ahead in faith.

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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, Grace / Forgiveness, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Peace / Rest, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Repenting from Sin, Sin Nature, Thankfulness

Die To the World, Be Made Alive in Christ

Whether Jew or Gentile, we all start apart from God focused on self and our sinful nature and desires. We all being in sin and trespasses against God as we walk according to the ways of the world. It is our nature. However, our Lord through Christ has made a way for all to be redeemed, to be reconciled to Him and to live according to His nature.

Let us give thanks for such demonstration of grace and love!

Ephesians 2

     1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

      11Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— 12remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. 17AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; 18for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, 22in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Praise the Lord who invites us to follow Him according to His Spirit! Jew and Gentile alike… let us submit to Him and trust in Him. Let us cease striving to pursue redemption through works of our own hands and know that He is the Lord who redeems.

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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.

Arrogance, Bitterness / Resentment, Complaining, Consequences of Sin, Contentment, Controlling Thoughts, Dreams, Humility, Speaking, Through Prophets, Tongue / Gossip / Slander, Visions

Petty Jealousy and Complaining Do Not Please the Lord

Jealousy can raise its ugly head in surprising places. Don’t think the church or church leadership is exempt. Maintain vigil against it. Be content with how Jehovah uses you and guides you. Envy not His relationship with someone else.

Even Miriam and Aaron fell to this sin and they had seen many mighty miracles and received guidance from the Lord. However, it appears they became jealous of how the Lord lifted up Moses with a more personal engagement. Their focus shifted from the Lord to themselves and perhaps their ego. Suddenly they are murmuring against Him. The Lord was not pleased.

Do not confuse this jealous murmuring with a correct rebuke or discernment against false teaching. We are to discern and call out false teachers or false doctrine. However, this was different. This was a jealous resentment for the attention Moses was getting and then undermining the unity of the leadership of God’s people.

Note how Moses does not hold a grudge. This is consistent with scripture referring to Him as a humble man. I would guess he was not pleased with Miriam and Aaron, but he intercedes for Miriam with the Lord anyway. We can only speculate if the Lord limited Miriam’s punishment to 7 days because of Moses or if that would have been the case anyway.

Numbers 12

The Murmuring of Miriam and Aaron

     1Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman); 2and they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” And the LORD heard it. 3(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.) 4Suddenly the LORD said to Moses and Aaron and to Miriam, “You three come out to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them came out. 5Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the doorway of the tent, and He called Aaron and Miriam. When they had both come forward,

6He said,
“Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the LORD, shall make Myself known to him in a vision.
I shall speak with him in a dream.

      7“Not so, with My servant Moses,
He is faithful in all My household;

      8With him I speak mouth to mouth,
Even openly, and not in dark sayings,
And he beholds the form of the LORD.
Why then were you not afraid
To speak against My servant, against Moses?”

      9So the anger of the LORD burned against them and He departed. 10But when the cloud had withdrawn from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was leprous. 11Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not account this sin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12“Oh, do not let her be like one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes from his mother’s womb!” 13Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “O God, heal her, I pray!” 14But the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut up for seven days outside the camp, and afterward she may be received again.” 15So Miriam was shut up outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was received again.

      16Afterward, however, the people moved out from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

I pray our Father would help me to be his humble servant. Let me not get caught up in “being right” or “getting personal glory or credit”, but rather only in serving Him and doing His will for His glory. Let us pray for one another and not murmur against one another in jealousy.

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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.

Complaining, Contentment, Discipline / Correction, Justice / Judgment, Strife, Through Prophets

The Lord Does Not Appreciate Greedy Whiners

Contentment is rare in the United States of America today.  A country filled with great wealth across almost all of its population is filled with complaints and whining by many who covet what others have. Compared to other countries globally, even the “poor” in the USA have much to be thankful for. They have food, clothing and shelter. What’s more… they have freedom and opportunity to improve their lives.

One does not need to use much imagination to compare God’s displeasure with those He considered greedy complainers in Numbers 11 with people in the USA today.  I would find it a fairly safe conclusion that our Father is disappointed with the attitude of many in the USA.

Rather than complaining and whining or coveting and attacking others for what they have, let us pray that our nation would be characterized by contentment and thankfulness before our Lord. If someone else has more… good for them. Why is that such a problem for me because I have less? Rather than whine about it, come before the Lord in supplication and with a thankful heart and ask for what you desire, but also ask Him for contentment with what you have. Ask Him for joy.

Numbers 11

The People Complain

     1Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the LORD; and when the LORD heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. 2The people therefore cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the LORD and the fire died out. 3So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the LORD burned among them.

      4The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat? 5“We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, 6but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.”

      7Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. 8The people would go about and gather it and grind it between two millstones or beat it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make cakes with it; and its taste was as the taste of cakes baked with oil. 9When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it.

The Complaint of Moses

     10Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each man at the doorway of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly, and Moses was displeased. 11So Moses said to the LORD, “Why have You been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all this people on me? 12“Was it I who conceived all this people? Was it I who brought them forth, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom as a nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which You swore to their fathers’? 13“Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat that we may eat!’ 14“I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too burdensome for me. 15“So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness.”

Seventy Elders to Assist

     16The LORD therefore said to Moses, “Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. 17“Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone. 18“Say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, “Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt.” Therefore the LORD will give you meat and you shall eat. 19‘You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, 20but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because you have rejected the LORD who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’” 21But Moses said, “The people, among whom I am, are 600,000 on foot; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, so that they may eat for a whole month.’ 22“Should flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to be sufficient for them? Or should all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to be sufficient for them?” 23The LORD said to Moses, “Is the LORD’S power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not.”

      24So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD. Also, he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and stationed them around the tent. 25Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do it again.

      26But two men had remained in the camp; the name of one was Eldad and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them (now they were among those who had been registered, but had not gone out to the tent), and they prophesied in the camp. 27So a young man ran and told Moses and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28Then Joshua the son of Nun, the attendant of Moses from his youth, said, “Moses, my lord, restrain them.” 29But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD’S people were prophets, that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!” 30Then Moses returned to the camp, both he and the elders of Israel.

The Quail and the Plague

     31Now there went forth a wind from the LORD and it brought quail from the sea, and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp and about two cubits deep on the surface of the ground. 32The people spent all day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers) and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very severe plague. 34So the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had been greedy. 35From Kibroth-hattaavah the people set out for Hazeroth, and they remained at Hazeroth.

The Lord did indeed answer the distressed prayer of Moses, whose heart was in obedience and submission to the Lord. He also provided for the people meat, to His own glory as Provider. For the people who complained… it was not pretty. They received meat and a plague to go with it.

Again I say, rather than whine about it, come before the Lord in supplication and with a thankful heart and ask for what you desire, but also ask Him for contentment with what you have. Ask Him for joy.  Oh… and ask Him for godly leadership to guide the people.

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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, Contentment, Discerning / Judging, Envy / Jealousy / Coveting, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Humility, Idols / False Gods, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Prayer, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

He Gives Us Over To The Stubbornness Of Our Hearts

Psalm 81 was written about God’s goodness and Israel’s waywardness… or behavior of going astray from God and pursuing ungodly things. God established Israel and provided for them through many mighty deeds and yet they continued to stray from Him to chase false gods and selfish pursuits. A Psalm like this one could very easily be written about the USA with a few minor changes to the historical references such as “coming out of Egypt”. Jehovah blessed our Christian nation at its birth and yet we as a nation continue to stray from God.

As a result of our rejection of Him as a nation, He gives us over to the stubbornness of our hearts and we now walk in our own devices… an immoral society overrun by sin which is normalized throughout the land. Many gods are worshipped… money, sex, power, sports, status, and perhaps most of all self. Coveting is the national pastime for many, always lusting after what others have rather than finding contentment with what God has provided.

Psalm 81

For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph.

     1Sing for joy to God our strength;
Shout joyfully to the God of Jacob.

      2Raise a song, strike the timbrel,
The sweet sounding lyre with the harp.

      3Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
At the full moon, on our feast day.

      4For it is a statute for Israel,
An ordinance of the God of Jacob.

      5He established it for a testimony in Joseph
When he went throughout the land of Egypt.
I heard a language that I did not know:

      6“I relieved his shoulder of the burden,
His hands were freed from the basket.

      7“You called in trouble and I rescued you;
I answered you in the hiding place of thunder;
I proved you at the waters of Meribah.

Selah.

      8“Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you;
O Israel, if you would listen to Me!

      9“Let there be no strange god among you;
Nor shall you worship any foreign god.

      10“I, the LORD, am your God,
Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

      11“But My people did not listen to My voice,
And Israel did not obey Me.

      12“So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk in their own devices.

      13“Oh that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!

      14“I would quickly subdue their enemies
And turn My hand against their adversaries.

      15“Those who hate the LORD would pretend obedience to Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.

      16“But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Pray for revival personally, in your family, in your local church, in your state, in the nation and across the world. Live out the revival in your daily life. Pray, study, spend time with our Lord. Ask for His guidance in your life and be prepared to give up your desires and your plans in favor of His. You may well find that what you desire was never really yours to begin with but only that which our culture indoctrinated you to pursue. What He wants for us is much better.

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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.

Government, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Idols / False Gods, Obeying God

I Pledge Allegiance…To Whom or What?

Some recent events have brought forth a lot of discussion and passionate responses in regards to who “must” or “should” stand during the national anthem and pledge allegiance to the flag of the USA. One thing is for sure in the internet age… everyone has an opinion and wants to shout it out, or type it out.

I think having a cultural debate on the importance of individual liberty as it applies in this situation is fine and can be good. Discussing and understanding opposing viewpoints is healthy. Sadly many just “shout down” the opposing viewpoint rather than conducting a civil and respectful debate. Anyone who disagrees is automatically wrong and to be despised as hateful or ignorant. This is not effective in winning anyone over to whatever side you are on. The issue is actually more complex than it may appear, at least to some.

There is clearly a strong cultural norm and reinforced teaching for generations that trains / teaches / indoctrinates people to stand for the anthem, put their hand over their heart and recite the pledge. Most of us probably know it by heart. For many it is almost instinct and they can’t imaging not doing it, but they never really choose to do it in the first place. It was just expected and forced throughout our schooling growing up and is not to be questioned. Let us take care to carefully consider those things about which people demand there can be no question and no debate.

There are a great variety of opinions and considerations that really have nothing to do with the specifics of the protests that recently started this cultural discussion. What does the flag mean to different people? what about the anthem? What does it mean in reference to respect for veterans and military? What about individual liberty to decide to stand or not stand, rather than being compelled to stand. If someone is compelled to stand, does that make them have more or less love for the nation?

Personally, I greatly appreciate my country. The USA is the best country in the world to live in because of individual liberty. It was even better when it functioned in the past more in line with the actual constitutionally defined government which limited the role of the federal government and maximized individual liberty and the liberty of the states to govern themselves.

Today, Christians may be persecuted. Small business owners may be sued for standing up for their Biblical beliefs. One prominent example is the baker who was sued for refusing to bake wedding cakes for homosexuals… though he offered them any other product they would want from his business. Should he be forced to do so because it offends someone else? This same question can be applied to standing for the pledge or anthem. Should individuals be compelled to stand so as not to offend someone else?

If it is a private business, then the owner gets to decide as terms of employment. However, people should take care when they respond with such hostility to someone who disagrees with them. There will often be times when a Christian disagrees with what culture demands and we would appreciate and greatly value a society that allows us our individual liberty to live according to God’s word and not cultural demands.

Again, I have great respect for the USA. But let us think carefully before we demand blind allegiance at all costs to a flag or anthem.  Propaganda and brainwashing work on these same principles (e.g. Rome under the emperors who considered themselves divine, communist Russia, Hitler’s Germany, etc.) It usually works best when people put the nation in a high position of unquestioned allegiance. In truth, by their actions, they put the nation above God in importance. This is why dictatorships and communism often try to suppress or control religion… so there is nothing more important than allegiance to the nation.

A pledge or promise, if it is to be meaningful at all, is a serious thing. It is not to be taken lightly.  If you consider this just a polite tradition, then it really does not mean much anyway. We should not just make pledges out of habit or without understanding the full ramifications of fulfilling that pledge. Why should we pledge allegiance to a “flag” or “nation under God”? Why not pledge allegiance directly to God Himself and then run our country as if we mean it? This would keep the focus on God Himself, as was the intent at our country’s founding.

A simple question to consider… Whom do you serve? You can not have two masters or you will love one and hate the other.

Matthew 6:24

 24“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. To the extent our nation does the same we will be among the most ardent supporters. I will respect and appreciate my country even as it deviates from this norm, but I can not give blind allegiance to the nation if I am to submit fully to Christ. I must challenge our nation when it deviates from God’s instructions.

I hope you take time to prayerfully and thoughtfully reflect on the subject at hand, which in truth is not simply respect for nation or veterans, but also respect for the individual liberty for which they fought and died that help to keep our nation great and provides us the opportunity to freely worship our Lord according to our individual belief rather than what is popular or demanded by culture.

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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.

Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Humility, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Peace / Rest, Repenting from Sin, Righteous, Teachable

In Him There Is No Darkness

We live in a dark, sin-filled world. Let us not forget, however, that sin entered through man, not God. There is no darkness in Jehovah. If we fellowship with Him, then we too will walk in the light and not darkness. This is not because of our own righteousness, but because of the righteousness of Yeshua who died for our sins so that we may be cleansed and be in close fellowship with a holy Father. We must confess our sins rather than deny them if we are to be cleansed.

1 John 1:5-10

God Is Light

     5This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

The world is not generally comfortable with “absolute” truth, but nonetheless it exists. One can deny gravity but it acts upon each of us the all the same. So too with Jehovah… though you accept or reject Him, He exists all the same and so does His truth about what is good and what is sin. We can be greatly comforted though and need not remain in doubt about forgiveness. He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

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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.