Stand Strong to enter the Promised Land

**Fenny West** Thu 25 Jun 2009, 8:41 am

The People Rebel

¹ That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. ² All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! ³ Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?" ⁴ And they said to each other, "We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt."

⁵ Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. ⁶ Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes ⁷ and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. ⁸ If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. ⁹ Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them."

¹⁰ But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites.

Numbers 14:1-10

Lessons

God Promises are usually accompanied by a process.

That process involves trials in the form of winds of adversity, the challenge of the enemy, raging strange fires, valley of the shadows of death, rains, storms etc.

Unless we understand the ways of God, we would rebel against him or begin to complain or murmur.

But if we understand His ways, like Moses , Caleb and Joshua did, we would see the giants as bread or prey to us; we would see the fires as agents of purification, to enable us reflect the glory and image of heavenly Father, to let Christ be formed in us, enable us identify with His sufferings so that we would share in His glory too; we would see the storms as fuels of faith, fillips of faith, tonics of faith, come to enable us to flex our faith muscles to make them stronger which is a good thing; we would see the rains as showers of blessing come to water us so that we would grow in grace; for All Things -including fires, advance of giants, opposition of enemies, obstacles and barriers work together for the good of those who love god and who are called according to His purposes. Rom 8:28

Without the process, the promise cannot be realised; its part of the package; any promise obtained without the necessary process will be short-lived and will bring you into a place you’re not prepared for and that would be a disaster and would bring God’s name into reproach. ROm8:18

So Your heavenly Father is all-wise and knows you need these obstacles, tests, fire and enemies, to prune you and prove you, which should be good news. Your motives are purified even in this process. Jesus learned obedience by the things He suffered.'Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered
' Heb.5:8

Let us follow the example of Moses, Caleb and Joshua by expressing our faith in God, praying the promises back to God- ‘It was You who did that… It was You who said… it was You who promised… It was You who … It is written…Let us sing , praise even in prison like Paul and Silas; lets not waste our sorrows but use them to be creative, writing songs that will not only encourage us but bless others in generations to come, like David.

Most of my most inspirational poems have come when I was going through adversities. You never get to some depths when the going is smooth. These gems I have called, ‘Treasures of Darkness.’

Those who complained and murmured died in the wilderness but those who kept faith with God entered the Promised Land. God wants you and I to enter the Promised Land but before we can enter the Promised Land, we must commit to going through the process, whatever it takes. And you’ve got what it takes because of the blood of Jesus shed for you. ‘It is Finished.’ You are more than a conqueror.’

The just shall live by faith, faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God, if God be for us who can be against us? All things work together for the good of those who love God and who are called according to His purposes. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors; neither death, nor life, nor principalities nor things present , nor things to come nor height nor depth nor anything in all creation shall be able to separate us from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Rom10:17, -8:28, Heb.11:6, Rom8:37

So are you hard-pressed on every side? Stand strong. Sing a song The Lord is your shelter, shield and song and your deliverer. You will not be crushed. Are you perplexed? Look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith, be not in despair. Are you being persecuted? Remember how the persecution of the disciples led to the spreading of the Gospel, led to the prison guard and his household coming to Know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour as Paul and Silas sang at Midnight in the prison. So expect good things out of the seemingly bad things happening to you. Remind your self that ‘God has not abandoned me.’ ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you until the end of the age.’ Cash this promissory note. Have you been knocked down? If so get up and go again. For ‘the righteous man may fall seven time but he rises again.’ Failure is not final. ‘Weeping may endure for the night but joy is coming in the morning.’ God is only a prayer away. You may be knocked down but you are not knocked out. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Whoever is born of God overcomes this world and this is the victory that overcomes this world, even your faith. Victory is yours the battle is the Lord’s. Use your obstacles as a stepping stone to a higher ground. God will fight for you and you will hold your peace. God wants to take glory like He did when the three Hebrew children stood in faith in the face of a threat of burning in the fiery furnace that was heated seven times hotter. Yes, they were thrown in but the fire did not hurt them. They came out smelling – not of smoke- but like rose. 2Cor.4:7-9, Heb.12:1-2, Ps30:5, 1John4:4, Acts16:28-32, 2Chro20:15, Dan3, Deut1:30, -3:22, Neh4:20, 1John5:4

They frustrated the king’s word and brought glory to God. It is not what you go through that matters but how you respond to it. Daniel too was thrown into the lions’ den and the Lord shut the mouths of the lions. That God remains the same and He is your God if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Dan 3, Dan 6